Russia Air Strikes Kill At Least 21 In Kyiv: Russia conducted another deadly ballistic missile attack on Kyiv and its suburbs, as they hammer home the fact that Ukraine is woefully short of interceptor missiles.
The attack, early on Wednesday, killed at least 21 people and wounded dozens more, Ukrainian officials said, as the attack set off large fires that filled the skies over Kyiv with heavy black smoke as rescue workers combed through the rubble searching for survivors.
Skyfall Missile Russian Flying Chernobyl. Russian Government/Screenshot.
Image Credit: Creative Commons. Image is of a Russian missile being tested.
Russia, knowing that Ukraine is short of Patriot interceptor missiles, launched the third attack using ballistic missiles in a week. The Ukrainians are powerless to stop these ballistic missiles and Moscow ensured that they exacted a heavy toll, as they continue to target civilian-held areas as well as warehouse facilities.
Russia’s defense ministry, however, said it had struck logistics hubs and supply centers in Kyiv and the surrounding region.
“These centers were involved in the storage, delivery of various weapons and military supplies, as well as in the production and distribution of unmanned aerial vehicles,” it said.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said there were fears that people could be trapped under rubble after residential buildings and a railway station were attacked.
Zelenskyy Decries The Delay In Supplying Interceptor Missiles
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X that Russia fired 24 ballistic missiles, four Zircon hypersonic 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,” he 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 added.
“Ballistic missile interceptors could have saved the lives of those killed today,” Zelenskyy said, putting the initial death toll at 17.
“It is very important that our partners understand that delays in supplying them, or an unwillingness to provide antiballistic systems, lead directly to such horrific casualties and destruction.”
“A significant portion of Russian ballistic production is not under sanctions. Not yet. New steps are needed from the G7 and the EU, from everyone who supports the protection of lives. Thank you to those who are ready to help in exactly this way.”
No Interceptors Result in All Ballistic Missiles Getting Through
The Ukrainian Air Force said that it had not intercepted any of the 24 ballistic missiles and four Zircon hypersonic missiles that Russia used in the attack. The Air Force added that it had shot down 98 drones, several of which were decoy drones. In all, 17 strikes were recorded.
At least eight people were killed at a train facility in the Kyiv suburb of Brovary, local officials said. Three were killed at a sorting center for Nova Poshta, a postal and delivery company, that was destroyed in the attack, according to officials.
“Early reports indicate that bodies have been discovered on the railway platform near the logistics centers that came under attack,” the national railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, said in a statement.
While President Zelenskyy has called for more Patriot air defense interceptors, there is increasing reporting that the US is woefully short of air defense missiles as well.
According to CNN, the U.S. military has used roughly 50 to 61 percent of its Patriot missile interceptors during the conflict with Iran. The 80 percent depletion figure that has been used in the media actually applies to the separate THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) interceptor inventory.
Russia Used Cluster Munitions In Kyiv Attack
Audrey MacAlpine from al-Jazeera 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 12:30 a.m., 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.
Video footage from the Kyiv Post shows the reported cluster munition strike in what it characterized as a residential apartment building.
Ukraine’s largest private postal operator, Nova Poshta, said a Russian cluster munition from an Iskander ballistic missile destroyed one of its sorting centers in Kyiv.
Cluster munitions are air-dropped or ground-launched weapons that open mid-air to scatter dozens or hundreds of smaller explosive submunitions over a wide area. They are used primarily in military combat to destroy dispersed targets like infantry formations, vehicle convoys, or runways, but they have also been used by Russia to attack rescue personnel, as this slows rescue operations inside a city.
Russia’s Defense Ministry also said its missiles hit three bulk carriers on the Black Sea south of Odesa that it claimed were transporting weapons and military equipment for the Ukrainian armed forces.
Ukraine Continues Deep Strikes In Russia
Ukraine continued to target Wildberries warehouse facilities in Russia, the country’s largest online retailer, including an overnight attack directed at a warehouse in Tula, about 200 miles from the border.
Tula Oblast Governor Dmitry Milyaev confirmed one person was injured and said a drone came down on the sorting center’s territory before the fire broke out.
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About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications
