Kiev seeks more air defenses after deadly Russian strikes

KIEV

Russian missile and drone strikes on Kiev killed at least nine people and wounded 28 others, including four children, early on Aug. 1, Ukrainian officials said.

The attacks hit five districts of the capital, damaging residential and commercial buildings, setting vehicles ablaze and causing several fires, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said.

Seven people were killed and 14 wounded in the Darnytskyi district. Two others were killed and eight wounded in Solomianskyi, where a five-story residential building partially collapsed and caught fire.

Emergency crews rescued 105 people from affected areas, while 17 of the wounded were taken to hospital.

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko had urged residents to remain in shelters as ballistic missiles approached the city. AFP journalists heard more than 10 explosions in quick succession, setting off car alarms.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had carried out a “massive strike” against military-industrial facilities and logistics centers in Kiev and the surrounding region.

The attack came amid an increase in long-range strikes by both sides. The United Nations said June recorded the highest monthly number of civilian casualties in Ukraine since April 2022.

Ukraine renewed its call for additional air defenses following the strikes.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the country “urgently needs additional air and missile defense systems and interceptors.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after meeting U.S. President Donald Trump this week that Washington had agreed to grant licenses for Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptors.

Trump, however, said Friday that no agreement had yet been reached.

“We’re talking about it, but it’s a hard thing to give away that kind of technology,” he said.