Russian Missile and Drone Barrage on Kyiv Kills at Least 22 Ahead of NATO Summit
Officials said 15 people were killed in Kyiv, while another seven lost their lives in the nearby town of Vyshneve, just outside the capital. Ukraine's Interior Ministry reported that almost 90 people were injured.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – At least 22 people were killed and nearly 90 others wounded after Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone assault on Kyiv and its surrounding areas early Monday, marking the second deadly attack on the Ukrainian capital within a week.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the overnight barrage struck residential buildings across Kyiv, including a multi-storey apartment block in the city's Podilsky district, where a ballistic missile tore through the structure, leaving a massive crater and splitting several floors in half.
Officials said 15 people were killed in Kyiv, while another seven lost their lives in the nearby town of Vyshneve, just outside the capital. Ukraine's Interior Ministry reported that almost 90 people were injured.
Residents reported hearing more than 10 explosions during a nighttime ballistic missile alert, as air defense systems attempted to intercept incoming threats.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched a total of 68 missiles and 351 attack drones during the assault. While Ukrainian forces successfully intercepted many drones and cruise missiles, he acknowledged that they were unable to stop the ballistic missiles.
"Our warriors performed well today in intercepting drones and cruise missiles, but unfortunately not Russian ballistic missiles," Zelensky said, attributing the losses to an insufficient supply of interceptor missiles for US-made Patriot air defense systems.
The attack comes on the eve of a NATO summit in Ankara, where Zelensky is expected to meet US President Donald Trump. He urged NATO allies to make "strong decisions" to strengthen Ukraine's air defense capabilities, particularly by increasing supplies of Patriot interceptor missiles.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, speaking in Ankara ahead of the summit, stressed that alliance members must continue supporting Ukraine.
"Allies and NATO partners must continue to ensure Ukraine gets what it needs," Rutte said.
The latest strike follows another large-scale Russian attack on Kyiv just days earlier that killed more than 30 people, highlighting an apparent escalation in Moscow's use of hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles against Ukraine's urban centers.
Ukraine has repeatedly appealed to its Western partners for additional Patriot air defense systems and interceptor missiles, arguing that enhanced air defense remains essential to protecting civilians and critical infrastructure from Russia's expanding missile and drone campaign.