Russian attacks kill 4 in Kyiv and surrounding region as air defenses struggle

Russian attacks on Saturday killed four people, including a 3-year-old boy, in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and its surrounding region. The strikes targeted residential areas, with multiple drones destroying a home in the Brovary district of Kyiv region, killing two grandparents and their grandson. Three other family members and a neighbor were hospitalized. In Kyiv city, at least one person died in an attack involving six ballistic missiles aimed at civilian infrastructure, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Ukraine's air force reported intercepting or downing 135 of the 151 drones Russia launched overnight. However, the country's air defenses are struggling to counter ballistic missiles, a vulnerability Russia is exploiting amid a critical shortage of interceptors for US-made Patriot systems. Zelenskyy has appealed for more sanctions against Russia and for increased supplies of anti-ballistic and interceptor missiles, or permission to use Starlink to guide strikes against Russian missile launchers.

In response to the attacks, Ukraine conducted its own strikes, hitting an oil refinery in Russia's southern Krasnodar region. Local officials reported five people wounded when a fire broke out at the Ilsky Oil Refinery due to debris from a falling drone. Ukraine's defense ministry stated that its air defenses shot down nearly 60% of the approximately 9,000 drones and missiles Russia fired in the previous month.

“

prevent the production of these ballistic missiles,” along with "anti-ballistic capabilities” and "interceptor missiles.