NATO Summit Eve: Russian Ballistic Missiles Kill 26 in Kyiv
Russian forces launched a series of missile and drone strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Monday, killing at least 26 people, according to Ukrainian authorities. The attack came on the eve of a crucial NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.
This is the second such strike in a week, following a previous attack that killed over 30 people in Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the assault, stating, 'The Russians' tactics are unchanged: to inflict as much pain and damage as possible on Ukrainians and on Ukraine.'
In the northeastern city of Sumy, two people were killed in separate drone strikes, the regional military administration reported. Zelenskyy, who is expected to hold talks with US President Donald Trump at the NATO summit, appealed for increased air defence support against Russia's ballistic missiles.
'We have not enough means of defence against hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles,' Zelenskyy said. 'It is simply absurd that in the modern world, production has still not been organised to the extent that is necessary to protect people from ballistic terror.' He said Kyiv expected 'decisions' on air defence at the summit.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, speaking in Ankara, said, 'Allies and NATO partners must continue to ensure Ukraine gets what it needs.'
The morning strike damaged a multi-storey apartment block in Kyiv's Podilsky district, leaving a large crater and splitting the building. AFP reporters reported more than ten explosions during a ballistic missile alert. Eighteen people were killed in the capital, and eight more in the nearby town of Vyshneve. Over 100 people were wounded.
Russia fired 68 missiles and 351 attack drones, according to Zelenskyy. Two additional deaths were reported in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia.
Emergency workers searched through destroyed apartments, recovering bodies. A woman screamed as rescuers pulled a body from the eighth floor. 'I felt the need to pray,' said Oleksandr Kolomiyets, 60, standing outside the destroyed building. Anna Misko, 36, who recently returned to Ukraine, said she and her child survived by a 'miracle' after going to the ground floor. 'There is no place safe in Ukraine,' she said.
Russia's Defence Ministry said the 'massive strike' targeted 'military-industrial enterprises' and fuel and energy facilities. Around 30 residential buildings in Kyiv were hit. In Vyshneve, about 500 people were evacuated. Zelenskyy noted a 'difficult situation because of a secondary detonation' and called for clarification from security services.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Army struck an oil refinery in Russia's Omsk region, about 2,500 kilometres from the border, using upgraded long-range drones. Zelenskyy said, 'Siberia is now also within reach of Ukrainian precision.' This is one of the deepest strikes by Ukraine in the nearly four-and-a-half-year war, and has contributed to fuel shortages in Russia.
