Russian Strikes Kill Eight Across Ukraine as Air Defense Pressure Mounts

KYIV-Russian missile and drone strikes killed at least eight people and wounded more than two dozen others across Ukraine on Thursday, authorities said, after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow was preparing another large-scale overnight attack and renewed calls for additional air defense support from Kyiv’s allies.

The deadliest strike hit a village near the central city of Kryvyi Rih, where a ballistic missile struck a residential house, killing six people, including two girls aged five and 12, according to local officials. Kryvyi Rih’s defense council said eight others were wounded and warned that the death toll could increase as emergency crews continued rescue operations.

Elsewhere, officials in the Poltava region said a Russian drone strike on a warehouse killed one person. In western Ukraine, authorities reported at least 15 people were injured in attacks on the city of Lviv.

Ukraine’s capital also came under attack. Kyiv’s military administration said one person was killed and two others were wounded after Russia launched ballistic missiles at the city. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said several districts were affected by fires and urged residents to remain in shelters, warning that the threat of additional attacks persisted.

Authorities also reported five people injured in another strike targeting an eastern district of Kyiv.

Late on Wednesday, Zelensky said intelligence indicated Russia had been preparing a major attack for several days and urged Ukrainians across the country to heed air raid warnings. He again appealed to Kyiv’s partners to accelerate deliveries of air defense missiles, saying Ukraine continued to face a critical shortage of interceptor munitions.

The appeal followed Zelensky’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, during which the two discussed the possibility of producing Patriot interceptor missiles in Ukraine. Zelensky later said Trump had agreed to provide licenses related to Patriot production.

Ukraine has repeatedly said Patriot air defense systems are the only available weapons capable of intercepting Russia’s ballistic missiles. Officials say dwindling supplies of PAC-3 interceptor missiles have left the country increasingly vulnerable as Russia intensifies long-range attacks.

An AFP journalist in Kyiv reported hearing air raid sirens followed by multiple explosions. Images released by the city’s emergency services showed firefighters battling blazes at damaged buildings while rescue workers searched through debris.

According to the United Nations, last month was the deadliest for civilians in Ukraine since April 2022, reflecting a sustained increase in Russian long-range missile and drone attacks on cities across the country.

Meanwhile, Ukraine continued its campaign of long-range drone strikes inside Russia. Regional Governor Oleg Melnichenko said a warehouse belonging to Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries, caught fire in the western city of Penza following a Ukrainian drone attack. One person was injured and around 200 people were evacuated.

Wildberries also reported a separate fire at one of its facilities in Sarapul in Russia’s Udmurtia region after another drone strike. The company said repeated attacks on its logistics network had destroyed roughly 10% of its storage capacity, affecting thousands of businesses that rely on its platform.

Russia’s largest lender, Sberbank, has warned that continued disruption to Wildberries’ operations could increase loan losses among online retailers and suppliers.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses destroyed 258 Ukrainian drones overnight, including over Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. Reuters could not independently verify battlefield claims from either side.

Russia and Ukraine both deny deliberately targeting civilians during the war, which began with Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.