Russia hits Ukrainian cities as Kyiv seeks more Patriot missile support

Russia launched overnight missiles and drones at cities across Ukraine, with blasts heard in Kyiv into the morning. The barrage sharpened Kyiv's call for more Patriot-class air defence as civilian and energy sites suffered damage.

In Short

• A 78-year-old woman died in Zaporizhzhia as fresh strikes intensified
• Kharkiv reported another death, while at least fourteen people were wounded
• Kyiv districts saw damage to homes, a school and medical facility

Russia launched missiles and drones at cities across Ukraine in an overnight attack that continued into daylight on Thursday, with explosions heard around Kyiv through the morning. The strikes came as Ukraine remains short of US-made Patriot air defence missiles needed to counter Russian ballistic missiles, while fast-flying jet-powered drones have added to the pressure on its defences.

Ukrainian officials said Russia has been building up missile stocks and carrying out major attacks every few days in an effort to overwhelm air defences. The latest barrage killed a 78-year-old woman in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and another person in the northern Kharkiv region, while at least 14 other people were reported wounded. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more air defence support was needed, even as Russia said the attack was aimed at military-related facilities.

The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces carried out a "massive" strike on targets in nine Ukrainian cities after nightfall on Wednesday. It said the targets included industrial facilities, oil refineries, logistics hubs and port infrastructure. Ukrainian officials, however, said civilian areas including apartment buildings were damaged.

Zelenskyy said on social media, "Russia continues to invest in missiles and in expanding its war, and that means more countermeasures are needed," while noting promises by European countries earlier this week to provide more air defence assistance. "It is important that these (measures) are also supplemented by additional ballistic missile defense packages" through European purchases of weapons from the United States, he said.

While Russia said it had struck only war-related targets, Ukrainian officials said businesses and infrastructure were also hit. Drones struck three major distribution centres, destroying depots belonging to a toy store chain and a confectionery company, and damaging another run by an electronics retailer, the companies said. In the south, four glide bombs destroyed generating equipment at the Kherson region's combined heat and power plant, forcing it to shut down, according to its operator Naftogaz.

Zelenskyy was due to visit neighbouring Moldova on Thursday to mark its national day commemorating its 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. Moldova's Defence Ministry said five drones breached its airspace overnight, though it did not say who launched them. Ukraine's air force said its defences shot down or suppressed seven Russian ballistic missiles, but did not say how this was done.

In Kyiv, four districts were hit overnight, damaging residential buildings, a school and a medical facility, though city police said no casualties were reported. In the central Poltava region, Russian forces struck industrial sites as well as energy infrastructure, according to regional military administration head Vitalii Diakivnych. The southern Odesa region was also hit in an attack lasting more than seven hours, said regional military administration head Oleh Kiper. He said a 16-storey residential building, two educational facilities and a grain elevator were damaged. Ukraine's state rail company Ukrzaliznysia said some trains were delayed by more than 17 hours after the attack.

Ukraine, meanwhile, continued its own long-range strikes on Russia. Ukraine's General Staff said plane-launched missiles hit Russia's main and backup command posts near the eastern city of Donetsk, where Ukrainian defenders are under pressure from a Russian push. Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defence systems shot down 267 Ukrainian drones over 14 Russian regions, the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.

Ukrainian drones also appeared to target Ozon, Russia's second-largest e-commerce company, after earlier attacks in recent months on warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia's biggest online retailer. Ozon first said its logistics facilities in Orenburg and Ufa were attacked but neither site caught fire. It later changed its statement to say only the Ufa site was attacked, while the Orenburg facility had been evacuated because of an alert before resuming normal operations.

The latest exchange underlined the continuing long-range attacks by both sides, with Russia striking Ukrainian cities, businesses and energy facilities, and Ukraine pressing attacks on military and commercial targets inside Russia.

With PTI Inputs

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