Deadly Russian Strikes Intensify Ukraine’s Air-Defense Crisis

A Russian missile strike hit an apartment block in Pryluky, a town east of Kyiv, early Wednesday, killing 19 people, including five children, and destroying 30 flats. Three of the children were one-year-olds. Rescuers searched the rubble for hours, and more than 50 people were wounded. Ukrainian officials described the attack as deliberate and especially cruel; President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had fired 70 missiles in the wider barrage. Moscow did not mention Pryluky, instead saying its strikes targeted military industries. The nationwide death toll from Russian attacks rose to 25, with further deaths reported in Kyiv, Kremenchuk and Oleksandriya, alongside extensive damage to homes and other buildings. Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted five ballistic missiles, 39 cruise missiles and more than 100 drones. The reported figures suggest many missiles still got through, prompting Zelensky to renew his appeal for allied air-defence support. He said energy infrastructure was among Russia’s key targets. Ukraine also reported striking targets inside Russia and in the Black Sea in retaliation. The article describes wider maritime incidents in the Black Sea. Russia said unmanned boats attacked the oil tanker Rio off Sochi and that its crew was rescued. Bulgaria halted a search for the crew of another ship, the Alfa Watan, which sank after a reported drone attack; their whereabouts were unknown. A second vessel carrying grain was also hit in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, but its 18 crew members were rescued. Bulgaria did not identify who it believed was responsible, and Moscow did not comment. The article places these incidents within the escalating Russian invasion and attacks around the Black Sea.

Russian missiles and drones struck Kyiv and roughly a dozen other Ukrainian regions overnight, killing at least 19 civilians—including four children—and injuring around 60, according to Ukrainian officials. The deadliest strike hit an apartment block in Pryluky in the northern Chernihiv region, where 13 people were killed and about 50 wounded. Casualties were also reported in Kyiv and other cities, including Kremenchuk. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine had expected a major attack after intelligence indicated Russia was building up for one, but the country could not stop it completely. The attack exposed Ukraine’s difficulty defending against Russian ballistic missiles and newer jet-powered drones. Zelensky said ballistic missiles remain the greatest challenge and that Ukraine urgently needs air-defense support. Ukraine is searching worldwide for Patriot missiles, which are in short supply amid the Iran war, while it works to develop interceptors capable of catching the faster drones. The article describes the strikes as part of a long-range aerial conflict accompanying a largely deadlocked ground war, more than four and a half years after Russia’s full-scale invasion. It says US-led peace efforts offer little prospect of short-term relief and that Western analysts believe Putin expects continued pressure to weaken Ukrainian resolve and Western support. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its overnight operation targeted Ukrainian industrial facilities involved in producing and storing missiles and drones, as well as port and ship-repair facilities in the Odesa region and ships carrying military cargo. Ukraine responded with long-range drone and missile attacks on Russian oil facilities and a training ground, Zelensky said. He also indicated a strike in the Black Sea and posted images said to show a tanker burning near Sochi; the images could not be independently verified. Unconfirmed reports said the vessel was carrying oil from Novorossiysk to India and had been attacked by Ukrainian sea drones.

The European Commission has disbursed €1.24 billion ($1.4 billion) to Ukraine for drones, drone interceptors, ammunition for drones and missiles. The funding comes from a previously promised €90 billion EU loan facility. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described Russia’s conduct as a “deliberate strategy of terror” and urged other countries to increase their support for Ukraine. The announcement followed an overnight Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv and roughly a dozen other Ukrainian regions. Ukrainian officials reported at least 19 civilian deaths, including four children, and around 60 injuries. In Pryluky, in the northern Chernihiv region, a strike destroyed an apartment block and killed 13 people, including four children, according to Interior Minister Ihor Vyhivskyi. Deaths and injuries were also reported in Kyiv and other cities, including Kremenchuk. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had anticipated a major attack and described the strikes as intended to inflict pain and make a demonstration. Zelenskyy said Russian ballistic missiles remain Ukraine’s most serious air-defence challenge and that air-defence supplies are urgently needed. Ukraine is seeking Patriot missiles worldwide, though supplies are limited amid the Iran war. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its overnight attacks targeted facilities involved in producing and storing missiles and drones, as well as port and ship-repair facilities in Odesa and ships carrying cargo for Ukraine’s military. Meanwhile, EU envoys were preparing to approve around 1,650 new sanctions designations, mostly targeting Russia’s military-industrial complex. If approved by ambassadors, the designations would go to EU foreign ministers for final adoption and would constitute the largest such set since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion. Ukraine also claimed strikes on Russian oil facilities and a training ground. The article describes the conflict as a continuing long-range aerial war alongside a largely deadlocked battlefield, with US-led efforts to secure near-term peace having yet to produce relief.