Russian attacks kill 17, exploiting Ukraine’s lack of missile interceptors
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian forces used 29 missiles and 115 drones during the assault. Russia has pounded Kyiv and surrounding areas with ballistic
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian forces used 29 missiles and 115 drones during the assault. Russia has pounded Kyiv and surrounding areas with ballistic missiles and drones, killing at least 17 people, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns lives could have been saved had allies replenished its stocks of missile interceptors. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said on Telegram that cleanup operations were under way following what it described as a “massive attack”, which took place overnight on Tuesday. Among the sites struck were warehouse facilities in the city of Brovary, while a fire broke out at another warehouse in the city of Bucha. Zelenskyy said in a post on X that Russia fired 24 ballistic missiles, four cruise missiles and 115 drones during the assault. He also said such “horrific casualties and destruction” were a direct result of Ukraine’s shortage of missile interceptors. “The main targets of the attack were warehouse facilities belonging to civilian businesses,” Zelenskyy said. “There were also strikes on infrastructure and a railway station. These facilities had nothing to do with the war – a brewing company, construction materials warehouses, and civilian logistics facilities,” he said. “Ballistic missile interceptors could have saved the lives of those killed today. It is very important that our partners understand that delays in supplying them, or an unwillingness to provide anti-ballistic systems, lead directly to such horrific casualties and destruction.” Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelenskyy, accused Moscow of targeting civilian infrastructure in a post on Facebook.
“The war of attrition has entered its next phase. The enemy is attacking everything in its path: retail warehouses, food warehouses, logistics hubs, enterprises, and construction material warehouses,” Beskrestnov said. Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera’s Audrey MacAlpine said authorities told her that cluster munitions were used during the attack. “Other things that were hit around this city were Epicentr, which is essentially a Walmart. It carries everything from electronics to gardening equipment; things of that nature. You could hear the first explosions around 12:30am [21:30 GMT, Monday], and with the sheer number of missiles – right around 30 – you can just imagine how the successive booms and bangs could be heard by people living here in the capital,” MacAlpine said. Last week, United States President Donald Trump appeared to backtrack on a promise to grant Kyiv a licence to produce Patriot missile interceptors domestically. However, citing four sources, the Reuters news agency reported that US officials are discussing with Ukraine how to replenish its depleted stocks of Patriot missiles. One option under discussion would allow Ukraine to manufacture some of the components domestically before the final product is assembled in Germany. Two other options reportedly being considered include allowing Kyiv to manufacture a cheaper version of the missile or incorporating Ukraine into the US-European Patriot interceptor programme.
The BriefWire