Russian attacks killed four people, including a child, in Kyiv and the surrounding region on Saturday, as Ukraine's air defenses struggle to counter the persistent aerial assaults. Local officials reported that two grandparents and their 3-year-old grandson died when multiple Russian drones destroyed their home in the Brovary district, northeast of the capital.
Three other family members and a neighbor who attempted to assist were hospitalized. The attack reduced the home to rubble, also damaging outbuildings and vehicles.
In Kyiv city, at least one additional person died in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as a strike involving six ballistic missiles targeting civilian infrastructure. Ukraine's air force stated that it intercepted or downed 135 of 151 drones launched by Russia overnight. The attack also included six ballistic missiles and other guided missiles.
Russia maintains that its forces target only military facilities, despite consistently striking civilian areas in Ukraine. Moscow is reportedly exploiting Ukraine's critical shortage of interceptors for U.S.-made Patriot systems, which are the only air defense weapons in Ukraine's arsenal capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.
President Zelenskyy has appealed to international partners, particularly the United States, for increased supplies of ammunition for these systems, noting that the ongoing conflict in Iran has exacerbated scarcity. He has also sought permission to manufacture Patriot ammunition within Ukraine or to utilize Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communication system to guide strikes inside Russia aimed at missile launchers.
Following the latest attacks, Zelenskyy used the social media platform X to call for additional sanctions aimed at preventing the production of ballistic missiles and to bolster Ukraine's anti-ballistic and interceptor missile capabilities. Ukraine's defense ministry reported that air defenses shot down approximately 5,300 drones and missiles in the past month, representing just under 60% of the roughly 9,000 projectiles Russia launched during the same period.
Meanwhile, in Russia's southern Krasnodar region, five people were injured when a fire broke out at the Ilsky Oil Refinery. Local officials attributed the incident to debris from a falling drone. Ukraine's sustained drone and missile strikes on Russian oil facilities have been ongoing for months, utilizing domestically developed weaponry and contributing to fuel shortages that have reportedly caused embarrassment for the Kremlin.