Russian ballistic missile strike on Kyiv kills 17, destroys warehouses

Seventeen people were killed and more than 40 injured in Russian strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding region that destroyed warehouses and civilian logistics facilities, officials said.

Multiple explosions ripped through the area during the night and fires lit up the skies over the Ukrainian capital, which has come under missile attack every three to four days in recent weeks as Russia has escalated its air war.

Ukraine's air force said air defences downed nearly 90% of the 115 drones launched by Russia but failed to intercept a single one of the 24 ballistic missiles and four Zircon cruise missiles.

For months, Ukraine has suffered a critical shortage of air defence missiles for US Patriot systems, the only weapon in its arsenal capable of downing Russia's ballistic missiles, which travel at many times the speed of sound. Over the same period, Russia has intensified ballistic strikes on Kyiv and other cities as its frontline advances slowed considerably this year.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the main targets were warehouses, infrastructure and a railway station, adding that a brewing company, construction materials warehouses and other civilian logistics facilities were destroyed.

"Ballistic missile interceptors could have saved the lives of those killed today," he said. "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."

Russia's defence ministry said it had struck seven logistics centres in Kyiv and the surrounding region, accusing them of being used to store or distribute dual-use goods and drone components. Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war triggered by Russia's invasion in February 2022.

Epicentr, Ukraine's largest home improvement and DIY retail chain, said two key logistics facilities and a factory were destroyed within minutes, and that it was too early to assess the full scale of the damage. "This is a deliberate attack on Ukrainian manufacturing, logistics, jobs and the country's ability to recover," it said.

Iryna Chechotkina, co-founder of online retailer Rozetka, said she watched overnight as the work of her entire life went up in flames after strikes by three ballistic missiles. "Devastation and pain," she wrote on Facebook, adding that Rozetka was still operating.

Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi, who took office last month in a reshuffle, said the government would call an emergency meeting with businesses to secure smooth operations of logistics and trade companies.

Kyiv has sought more PAC-3s, the newest Patriot interceptor. Four sources familiar with the discussions said the US is pressing ahead with talks to allow Ukraine to make Patriot missiles, even after President Donald Trump cast doubt on such a deal.

Ukraine, meanwhile, hit a logistics hub of Russian online retailer Wildberries overnight, adding to more than a dozen it has damaged recently.