The Ukrainian Air Force says a “serious shortage” of interceptor missiles meant none of the 23 ballistic missiles fired by Russia at Kyiv on Sunday night were shot down.
At least 12 people were killed in the second large-scale Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital in a week, Kyiv’s top military administrator said. Three more were killed in the wider Kyiv region, emergency officials added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed for allies to take “strong decisions” at the this week’s Nato summit to provide Kyiv with air defences.
After the attack, he said the Ukrainian military had been successful in intercepting cruise missiles and drones – but not ballistic missiles.
Sunday’s “massive Russian attack” consisted of 68 missiles and 351 strike drones, he said in a post on X.
Zelensky warned that Moscow would continue to hit residential buildings as long as defensive Patriot missiles “remain in our allies’ stockpiles”.
It was another frightening night for people in the capital, with loud explosions and the boom of Ukraine’s air defences in action.
Once again, many residents sought shelter underground.
Widespread destruction was visible on Monday morning. Three large blocks of flats in the city have partially collapsed, some were hit directly by missiles.
Rescuers have been trying to reach people trapped inside the ruins.
The strikes hit several buildings across the city, Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said, adding that fires had broken out in some apartment complexes.
Warehouses and a garage workshop were also damaged, he said.
Helicopters have been shuttling back and forth in the sky, carrying water from the river to douse fires in the city.
Kyiv’s top military administrator, Timur Tkachenko, said 49 were people injured in the capital, with Zelenksy saying there were 16 injuries in the wider region.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Moscow’s attack was repelled by “aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces of Ukraine”.
It said that preliminary data, recorded at 08:30 local time (06:30 BST), showed 37 missiles and 326 drones were shot down or suppressed.
