The overnight strikes highlighted Ukraine’s shortage of air defenses, as Kyiv pressed allies for more interceptors and the EU for stalled sanctions against Moscow.
Russia fired dozens of ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight into Sunday in one of the heaviest attacks since the start of its full-scale invasion more than four years ago.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack involved more than 40 missiles of various types and 120 attack drones. Ballistic missiles are especially hard to shoot down because of their speed, and Ukraine has run low on the U.S.-made Patriot interceptors that are its best defense against them.
After the attack, Ukrainian officials repeated their pleas for more interceptors and tougher sanctions on Moscow. “Protection against ballistic missiles is our constant and top priority right now,” Zelenskyy said. “Interceptors are needed every day.”
Acting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called it the largest ballistic attack of the war. Ukraine’s air force put it lower, saying it was one of the largest and the fourth strike of comparable size on Kyiv in the past five weeks. It said it shot down 18 of the 41 missiles and downed nearly all of those on a ballistic trajectory.
The strikes damaged residential buildings, a supermarket and a dormitory in the capital, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. At least one person in Kyiv was killed in the attack and 15 wounded, Ukrainian officials said.
Russia’s defense ministry said it had hit what it called defense industry facilities and logistics centers in Kyiv.
The interceptor shortage has worsened since the war with Iran, which drained U.S. and allied Patriot stocks. Zelenskyy has said Ukraine needs 300 Patriots for the coming winter. U.S. President Donald Trump said this month he would let Ukraine produce the missiles under license, but the arrangement has not been finalized.
Nine European countries agreed on July 13 to back a Ukrainian effort to build a homegrown anti-ballistic system, and France is licensing Ukraine to produce its Aster interceptors.
Ukrainian officials also pressed the EU to break its deadlock over a new sanctions package.
“There can be no pauses in increasing sanctions and isolation of Russia,” Sybiha said. “The coward in Moscow, who is afraid to meet with President Zelenskyy to end the war, continues to wage a war against civilians. The 21st EU package must be unblocked now.”
EU countries failed for a third consecutive day on Wednesday to sign off on the package, the bloc’s 21st against Russia since the full-scale invasion, after Austria and Greece held out over unrelated demands. Ambassadors are due to try again Tuesday. The package would blacklist 250 more people tied to the war and hit additional banks and ships used to smuggle Russian oil.
Ukraine has kept up its own strikes on Russia’s energy sector. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces hit three oil depots in Russia’s Stavropol region on Sunday and struck three tankers from Russia’s shadow fleet in the Black Sea.