Russian Missile and Drone Attacks Kill 21 in Kyiv and Region
A wave of Russian missiles and drones struck across Ukraine, killing 21 people and causing extensive damage to apartment blocks and other buildings. The attacks occurred on the eve of a NATO summit in Turkey and revealed significant gaps in Ukraine's air defence systems.
Fifteen fatalities were reported in Kyiv, the primary target of the Russian assault, with 56 others injured, according to Tymur Tkachenko, the city's administrative head. An additional six people died in the wider Kyiv region, and 21 were injured, as stated by Mykola Kalashnyk, head of the regional administration, and other emergency officials.
All ballistic missiles launched by Russia successfully hit their targets, highlighting Kyiv's urgent need for more Patriot interceptor missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to emphasize this requirement at the NATO summit, which begins on Tuesday.
Zelenskyy Urges Strong NATO Response to Air Defence Gaps
Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukrainian forces had achieved "success" in countering Russian drones and cruise missiles during the attack but were unable to intercept the ballistic missiles due to existing defence limitations.
"As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies’ stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep ‘vanquishing’ residential buildings. The United States and [NATO allies] have enough strength to stop this terror," Zelenskyy said in a statement.
He called for "strong decisions" from the NATO summit to strengthen Ukraine's air defences, emphasizing that the presence of Patriot missiles in allied reserves only emboldens Russia to continue targeting residential areas.
At least 60 people were wounded in the attacks, with emergency workers searching through rubble for survivors at residential high-rises in Kyiv that suffered direct hits.
Diplomatic Context and Upcoming Meetings
The large-scale Russian attack followed confirmation from the Kremlin on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and former US President Donald Trump had agreed during a weekend call to speak again "in the near future," likely during or after the NATO summit.
Trump is scheduled to meet Zelenskyy on Wednesday in Ankara, where the summit is being held, according to a senior US official. The meeting aims to renew efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Russian Defence Ministry Confirms Use of Long-Range Weapons
The Russian defence ministry confirmed it employed long-range weapons and drones in a "massive" attack on Kyiv and other locations. A Telegram post stated that military and energy facilities in Kyiv and surrounding areas, as well as military airfields in several other regions, were targeted.
The missile barrage coincided with a Ukrainian strike on Russia's most important refinery in the Omsk region, severely damaging a facility that produces key chemicals essential for Russian refining processes amid growing fuel shortages in Russia.
Details of the Attack and Damage in Kyiv
The assault began shortly after 1 a.m. and lasted for several hours, hitting at least 15 multistorey residential buildings. Tymur Tkachenko remarked,
"These are … places where people slept and lived their ordinary lives."
In Kyiv's historic Podilskyi district, four residential buildings were struck, including a nine-storey block largely destroyed from the fifth floor upward, trapping survivors inside. Rescuers used ladder trucks to reach those trapped while firefighters battled lingering flames.
Alyona, 22, waiting at the rescue site, told she was anxiously awaiting news of her friend Vika, saying,
"We’re sitting here and waiting until they retrieve them … she’s so kind, only 19 years old. She’s such a kind girl."
Across Kyiv, rescue teams continued searching through rubble, including the remains of a 21-storey residential block in Podilskyi, seeking survivors.
Ukrainian Air Force Reports on the Scale of the Attack
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched a combined attack involving ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, hypersonic Zircon anti-ship missiles, and 351 attack and decoy drones overnight.
Of these, 37 cruise missiles and 326 attack drones were intercepted and shot down. However, 23 ballistic missiles, six Zircon missiles, and 18 drones evaded Ukrainian air defences and struck 34 locations across the country.
The attack also included faster flying drones equipped with jet engines, a type that Ukrainian air defence teams have found more difficult to counter.
Ongoing Rescue Efforts and Recent Attacks
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, stated that rescue crews continued efforts to save residents from the devastated buildings.
The overnight barrage followed a deadly assault on Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday, the deadliest attack on the city this year, as both sides intensified long-range strikes.
In Russia-annexed Crimea, Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev wrote on Telegram that an enemy attack on energy infrastructure near Sevastopol temporarily left the city without electricity.
Ukrainian Strikes on Russian Energy Facilities
In recent weeks, Ukraine has increasingly targeted energy facilities inside Russia and Moscow-controlled territories to weaken the Kremlin’s war effort.
Ongoing Fighting in Eastern Ukraine
Zelenskyy reported on Sunday that Ukrainian troops continue to fight for the strategic eastern town of Kostyantynivka, a gateway to key Ukrainian positions in the Donetsk region.
On Friday, Moscow claimed to have captured the outpost, but Kyiv dismissed this as false, asserting it is still defending the town.
"Fighting is also continuing for Kostyantynivka, which [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has already claimed as his own. But it is obvious that he will never dare to appear there," Zelenskyy said in his daily evening address.
and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.
