Russian Missile and Drone Attacks Kill at Least Four in Ukraine Overnight
Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine overnight into Saturday resulted in the deaths of at least four people and left 20 wounded, officials reported. The assaults have prompted fresh appeals from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for additional Western air defense systems.
In the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, two people were killed and 13 injured in a ballistic missile attack during the early hours of Saturday, according to Kyiv’s police. A fire ignited in a non-residential building at one location, while debris from intercepted missiles fell in an open area elsewhere, causing damage to windows in nearby buildings, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said via the messaging app Telegram.
“Explosions in the capital. The city is under ballistic attack,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram amid the bombardment.
Meanwhile, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, two people lost their lives and seven sustained injuries, acting regional Governor Vladyslav Haivanenko reported. Apartment buildings and private homes suffered damage during the strikes.
Ukraine’s air force stated that Russia launched nine missiles and 62 drones overnight, of which Ukrainian defenses intercepted four missiles and 50 drones.
On the Russian side, the Defense Ministry claimed that its air defenses shot down 121 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory during the same period.
President Zelenskyy emphasized the critical need for enhanced air defense in Ukraine, particularly the U.S.-supplied Patriot missile systems. Writing in English on social media platform X, he said, “It is precisely because of such attacks that we pay special attention to Patriot systems to be able to protect our cities from this horror. It is critical that partners who possess relevant capability implement what we have discussed in recent days.”
He added, “America, Europe and the G7 countries can help ensure that such attacks no longer threaten lives.”
Since the full-scale invasion by Russia began, Ukraine has received at least seven Patriot systems from U.S. and European allies. Zelenskyy is reportedly seeking to acquire a total of 25 of these defense systems.
In related developments, Zelenskyy on Friday called on the United States to impose sanctions on the entire Russian energy sector, beyond the two oil companies targeted earlier that week. He also reiterated his request for long-range missiles to enable Ukraine to strike deeper into Russian territory.
Zelenskyy was in London for talks with two dozen European leaders who have pledged military assistance to protect Ukraine from future Russian aggression, should a ceasefire be established to end the ongoing three-year war. The meeting, hosted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, aimed to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin and build on recent sanctions imposed by both the U.S. and European countries targeting Russia’s vital oil and gas exports.
Discussions also focused on measures to safeguard Ukraine’s power grid amid almost daily Russian drone and missile attacks as winter approaches. Enhancing Ukrainian air defenses and supplying longer-range missiles were key topics, with Zelenskyy urging the U.S. to provide Tomahawk missiles—a proposal previously considered but not approved by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
In a diplomatic development, Kirill Dmitriev, President Putin’s envoy for investment and economic cooperation, stated on Friday that Russia, the U.S., and Ukraine are “quite close to a diplomatic solution” to end the conflict. Speaking to CNN after arriving in Washington for talks with U.S. officials, Dmitriev said a planned summit in Budapest between Trump and Putin had not been canceled but might be postponed.
However, Trump tweeted on Tuesday that his plan for a quick meeting with Putin was on hold, as he did not want it to be a “waste of time.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov publicly reiterated on Tuesday that Russia opposes an immediate ceasefire.
A White House official confirmed on Friday that Dmitriev, who announced his visit on social media, will meet with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the private meeting publicly.
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