Russia's Missile And Drone Attacks On Ukraine Kill At Least 21

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia unleashed waves of missiles and drones astatine Ukraine early Monday, sidesplitting astatine slightest 21 group successful attacks that exposed widening gaps successful nan country’s aerial defenses much than 4 years into Moscow’s full-scale invasion, authorities said.

All of nan ballistic missiles launched by Russia struck their targets, underscoring Kyiv’s request for much U.S.-made Patriot interceptor missiles — a constituent Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will apt reiterate astatine a NATO acme successful Ankara, Turkey, this week.

Fifteen group were killed successful nan superior of Kyiv, which was Russia’s main target, and 56 were injured, according to administrative caput Tymur Tkachenko. Another six group were killed successful nan wider Kyiv region and 21 were inured, according to Mykola Kalashnyk, nan caput of nan location administration, and different emergency officials.

Emergency workers searched for survivors successful nan rubble of residential high-rises successful 2 locations that suffered nonstop hits.

Moscow has stepped up strikes connected Kyiv successful retaliation for Ukraine’s caller long-range strikes, according to nan Russian Defense Ministry. Those attacks person caused terrible substance shortages and put unit connected President Vladimir Putin.

On Thursday, a Russian onslaught killed 31 group successful Kyiv, nan deadliest onslaught successful nan superior this year.

Ukraine’s advances successful drone exertion person fixed it an separator successful caller months, analysts and Western officials say, striking proviso routes down nan beforehand line, stripping nan Russian service of momentum connected nan battlefield and slowing its advance.

But Russia is now exploiting a different benignant of momentum: vulnerabilities successful Ukraine’s aerial defenses, which stay heavy reliant connected nan Patriot rocket systems to intercept ballistic missiles it tin seldom sprout down. The warfare successful nan Middle East has strained nan world proviso of Patriot interceptors — a shortage now felt keenly successful Ukraine.

Zelensky notes gaps successful stopping ballistic missiles

Ukraine’s aerial unit said Russia fired 351 drones and 68 missiles overnight, targeting chiefly Kyiv, and each 29 ballistic missiles struck their targets.

“To intercept ballistics, we request nan intends for interception,” aerial unit spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said connected nationalist television. “Russians are surely utilizing nan truth that location is simply a superior shortage of interceptor missiles now, successful Ukraine and nan world.”

Ahead of nan NATO acme successful Turkey, Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had performed good against drones and cruise missiles but not against ballistic missiles — a shortfall he blamed connected insufficient supplies of interceptors. He urged U.S. and European partners astatine nan acme to bolster Ukraine’s aerial defense and protect civilians.

“As agelong arsenic Patriot missiles stay successful our allies’ stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to support ‘vanquishing’ residential buildings. The United States and Europe person capable spot to extremity this terror,” he said connected X pursuing nan attack.

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Russia is deliberately ramping up ballistic rocket attacks connected a standard unseen before, exploiting nan acute shortage of Patriot interceptors. “Fewer specified missiles are produced worldwide each period than nan force fires astatine Ukraine successful that aforesaid period,” he said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said nan onslaught targeted weapons factories successful Kyiv, including sites it said nutrient drones, armored vehicles and missiles, arsenic good arsenic accommodation repairing aerial defense systems and substance and power infrastructure successful nan superior and surrounding region. The claims could not beryllium independently verified.

Russia’s attacks person many times deed civilian areas. More than 16,000 Ukrainian civilians person been killed successful nan war, according to nan United Nations.

“These are residential buildings. Places wherever group slept and lived their mean lives,” Tkachenko said successful a station connected Telegram.

A residential building successful nan Podilskyi territory partially collapsed, he said. In nan Darnytsia district, respective multistory buildings were damaged and group were believed to beryllium buried successful nan rubble.

In Kyiv’s suburb of Vyshneve, astir 600 residents were evacuated owed to nan consequence of unexploded munitions, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said.

Witnesses recount harrowing escape

Khrystyna Piatetska, 20, a resident of Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district, said she began screaming aft nan first strike, which was followed by a 2nd blast that blew retired nan windows successful her flat building.

The lights went out, a burning smell filled nan aerial and nan stairwell was heavy pinch smoke, she said.

“When we were leaving nan building, bodies were lying there,” Piatetska said. “When we sewage downstairs, cars started exploding, and we came retired from nether nan rubble consecutive into nan fire.”

Halina Ivanivna, 61, said she was awakened by nan first onslaught astir 2 a.m. Moments later, her flat building began collapsing astir her.

“Everything was falling down,” she said. Water poured done nan building arsenic fume filled nan aerial while emergency crews rushed to evacuate residents.

About 5 minutes aft nan first impact, a 2nd onslaught hit, she said.

Ukrainian attacks connected Russian targets

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its aerial defenses downed 519 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Ukraine’s subject said its Special Operations Forces struck nan Omsk lipid refinery successful occidental Siberia, which it described arsenic Russia’s largest, located astir 1,550 miles from Ukraine’s border. That added to a agelong database of Russia’s cardinal refineries struck successful caller months.

Regional Gov. Vitaly Khotsenko said respective Ukrainian drones deed successful Omsk but gave nary different details.

An power supplier successful Russian-held Crimea reported a blackout crossed nan peninsula pursuing Ukrainian attacks early Monday. The Moscow-appointed caput of nan metropolis of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said nan attacks trim powerfulness that was restored pinch backup equipment.

Ukraine’s subject confirmed it struck respective Russian power and subject accommodation utilized to proviso Russia’s equipped forces pinch substance and support its warfare efforts.

In nan Russian metropolis of Yaroslavl, 2 group were wounded successful an onslaught successful which complete 70 Ukrainian drones were downed, according to location Gov. Mikhail Yavrayev. He didn’t opportunity if immoderate accommodation were damaged, but nan Astra online news outlet said they caused a occurrence astatine an lipid refinery.

Ukrainian drone onslaught connected nan Leningrad region northbound of Moscow damaged unspecified infrastructure astatine nan Luga training ground, arsenic good arsenic successful nan areas of Baltic Sea ports of Ust-Luga and Vysotsk, Gov. Alexander Drozdenko said.

Arhirova, Kullab and Novikov constitute for nan Associated Press. AP writers Volodymyr Yurchuk successful Kyiv, Ukraine and Susie Blann successful London contributed to this report.