British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting visited Kyiv on Wednesday, pledging the United Kingdom's unwavering support for Ukraine until its victory. His visit coincided with a significant Russian barrage of ballistic missiles and drones that killed at least 17 people and injured 44.
During his first trip to the Ukrainian capital as defence secretary, Streeting stated that both the prime minister and he believed it was important to demonstrate the government's steadfast commitment. "I'm conscious that we are going to a capital city that in recent days, let alone recent years, has been suffering heavy bombardment," Streeting said.
The politician also expressed his view that Russia is losing the war. He aimed to understand what further support the UK could provide Ukraine through the upcoming winter and beyond, emphasizing that Ukraine's success is in the UK's national interest, as well as a matter of collective and moral good.
The recent Russian attacks, which occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, involved 24 ballistic missiles and 115 drones targeting civilian infrastructure, including warehouses, a brewing company, and a train station. This marks the latest in a series of large-scale ballistic missile strikes that have become a frequent occurrence over the summer.
Ukraine faces challenges in intercepting such volleys due to a limited stockpile of interceptor missiles for its US-made Patriot systems, the only air defense system capable of countering ballistic missiles. Meanwhile, Ukraine has intensified its deep strikes on Russian oil refineries and energy infrastructure.
Fires were reported in multiple locations near Kyiv following the attacks. In the capital itself, one person was killed and 15 were injured. Emergency services extinguished fires in several districts.
Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine's president on defense technology development, noted that the war of attrition has entered a new phase, with Russia attacking various civilian facilities indiscriminately. The attacks come as Ukraine has urged its allies to provide more Patriot missile interceptors to defend its airspace.
Last Saturday, Russian attacks on Kyiv and its suburbs resulted in 10 deaths and over 30 injuries. Separately, Ukrainian drones reportedly sank a large Russian container ship in the Black Sea. Drone strikes have become routine from both sides, with Ukraine increasingly targeting civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas facilities.
Earlier in the week, on Tuesday, five people were killed and 10 others wounded in the Moscow region following strikes on depots belonging to the Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries. Ukraine also expressed strong condemnation over a video appearing to show a drone targeting a civilian in Kherson city, calling it a deliberate 'hunt'.