At least 12 people have been killed and 34 injured in the latest Russian strikes targeting the Ukrainian capital, as Kyiv continues to face a shortage of air defence missiles.
Apartment blocks and warehouses were struck across the city overnight, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS) said, while a children’s hospital and school were also damaged.
The Russian defence ministry said it used air, land and sea-based weapons to target military facilities and warehouses, adding that 726 Ukrainian drones had been shot down.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the deaths were the result of a shortage of air defence missiles, which Kyiv relies on western allies to supply.
Writing on Telegram, he said “as long as Ukraine does not have enough anti-ballistics, Russia will not seriously think about peace”.
The strikes on Kyiv began around midnight local time as air raid sirens sounded across the city, followed by the impact of around 20 Russian missiles.
The strikes cut power to thousands of properties, plunging parts of the Kyiv region into darkness.
A day of mourning for those killed overnight was declared on Friday.
Elsewhere in the broader Kyiv region, an attack in the Brovary and Boryspil districts killed one man and wounded seven. One person was killed and 11 injured in Donetsk Oblast, a local official said.
Romania’s defence ministry said a drone crossed into its territory at the northern border with Ukraine, triggering an air alert siren before crashing into an “uninhabited area”.
The Polish military also said it had launched “defensive air operations” to protect its airspace.
