Russia launched a barrage of missiles and drones into apartment buildings in Kyiv on Monday, killing at least 18 people on the eve of a pivotal NATO summit in Ankara, according to Ukrainian authorities.
The morning strike, the second such attack in a week, punched a crater into a multi-storey apartment block in the capital, ripping its top floors into two, reports AFP.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the alliance to take “strong decisions” on boosting Ukraine’s air defences following the strike, which comes just days after another Russian attack killed more than 30 people in the city.
During a night-time ballistic missile alert, reporters heard more than 10 explosions and witnessed flashes in the sky.
Zelensky issued a desperate new appeal for allies to provide advanced missiles for US-made Patriot air defence systems, noting that while the army had shot down drones and cruise missiles, it had an “insufficient supply of interceptor missiles” to stop ballistic weapons.
“It is critically important that the world, first and foremost the United States and our European partners, come out of the NATO Summit in Ankara with strong decisions in support of our air defence,” Zelensky said on social media.
At least 18 people were killed in Kyiv and the surrounding region, with approximately 60 others wounded. Russia fired 68 missiles and 351 attack drones during the operation.
In the Kyiv suburb of Vyshneve, officials ordered the evacuation of residents due to the threat of unexploded munitions in the debris of around 30 residential buildings hit across the capital.
The attack coincides with the start of the NATO summit in Ankara on Tuesday. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated the strike demonstrated that Ukraine “urgently” needs reinforcements.
Zelensky is scheduled to discuss the conflict with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday on the sidelines of the summit.
The White House indicated the meeting is intended to invigorate diplomacy in the four-year war, with a senior US official stating that Trump would then “follow up” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia’s defence ministry described the assault as a “massive strike” using missiles and drones against “military-industrial enterprises” and energy facilities. Additionally, Moscow’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed that Russian forces shot down more than 500 Ukrainian drones bound for the Russian capital overnight.
On the front line, Moscow’s army claimed last week to have captured the strategic eastern town of Kostyantynivka, a claim Zelensky disputed, stating that Ukrainian forces were still fighting for the stronghold.
