Kyiv attack kills at least 11 as Ukraine seeks more air defenses

Russia struck Kyiv with waves of missiles and drones early Monday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 60, Ukrainian authorities said. The attack hit residential high-rises and renewed Ukraine’s calls for more air defense interceptors as Russian ballistic missiles continue to break through.

Emergency crews searched rubble at two sites where apartment buildings took direct hits, local officials said. Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s City Military Administration, said on Telegram that the damaged sites were homes where residents had been sleeping.

Ukrainian officials said a residential building in the Podilskyi district partly collapsed. In the Darnytsia district, several multistory buildings were damaged, and officials believed people were trapped beneath debris.

The attack came hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that a major Russian strike was expected. It also followed a Russian strike on Kyiv on Thursday that killed 31 people, which the Associated Press described as the deadliest attack on the capital this year.

Air defenses under strain

Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight, with Kyiv the main target. The Air Force said 29 ballistic missiles hit their targets, showing the limits of Ukraine’s ability to stop that type of weapon.

Yurii Ihnat, a Ukrainian Air Force spokesman, said on national television that Ukraine needs the right equipment to intercept ballistic missiles. He said Russia was taking advantage of a serious shortage of interceptor missiles in Ukraine and globally.

Ukraine relies heavily on U.S.-made Patriot systems to shoot down ballistic missiles, according to the Associated Press. The AP reported that the war in the Middle East has added pressure to the global supply of Patriot interceptors, which are already produced in limited numbers.

Before a NATO summit in Ankara, Zelenskyy said on X that Ukrainian forces had done well against drones and cruise missiles but lacked enough interceptors to stop ballistic missiles. He urged the United States and European countries to make strong decisions at the summit to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses and protect civilians.

“As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies' stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep "vanquishing" residential buildings. The United States and Europe have enough strength to stop this terror,” Zelenskyy said after the attack.

Russia says it targeted military industry

Russia’s Defense Ministry said the strikes hit weapons factories in Kyiv, including sites it said made drones, sea drones, armored vehicles and missiles. It also said facilities that repair air defense systems, along with fuel and energy infrastructure in Kyiv and the surrounding region, were targeted.

Those Russian claims could not be independently verified. Russian aerial attacks have often struck civilian areas in Ukraine, and the United Nations says more than 16,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion more than four years ago.

The Associated Press reported that Ukrainian advances in drone technology have helped Kyiv hit Russian supply routes behind the front line, slowing Russian battlefield gains and raising costs for Moscow, according to analysts and Western officials.

Strikes reported in Crimea and Russia

In Russian-occupied Crimea, an energy provider reported a peninsula-wide blackout caused by what it called an “external impact.” Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-appointed head of Sevastopol, said Ukrainian attacks cut power to the city early Monday before backup equipment restored supplies.

In Russia’s Yaroslavl region, Gov. Mikhail Yavrayev said two people were wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on the city of Yaroslavl. He said more than 70 Ukrainian drones were downed, while the online outlet Astra reported that an oil refinery was targeted and a fire broke out.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 519 Ukrainian drones overnight.

This story draws on original reporting from NPR.