Russian bombings of Kyiv kill 24 ahead of NATO summit

Russia launched a barrage of missiles and drones against apartment buildings in Kyiv for the second time in a week, killing at least 24 people just before a NATO summit in Turkey. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on allies to make "firm decisions" to increase air defense supplies to his country following the attack.

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Russian tactics have not changed: to inflict as much pain and damage as possible against Ukrainians and against Ukraine.

This latest assault occurred days after another Russian bombing killed over 30 people in Kyiv. Zelenskyy condemned the "brutal attack," stating that "Russian tactics have not changed: to inflict as much pain and damage as possible against Ukrainians and against Ukraine." He noted that Kyiv successfully downed some drones and cruise missiles but lacked sufficient defenses against ballistic missiles.

The Monday attack tore open a multi-story apartment block in the Ukrainian capital, ripping off its upper floors and splitting it in two. Journalists in Kyiv heard more than ten explosions overnight amid a ballistic missile alert. Zelenskyy lamented the lack of sufficient production to protect people from ballistic terror in the modern world. He stressed the crucial importance of the NATO summit in Ankara yielding firm decisions in support of Ukraine's air defense, particularly from the United States and European partners.

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It is simply absurd that in the modern world, production has not yet been organized to the extent necessary to protect people from ballistic terror.

This marks the second consecutive attack where Russia has employed ballistic missiles, which are difficult to intercept. Zelenskyy reiterated his plea for more missiles for U.S.-made Patriot anti-aircraft systems. The attacks resulted in at least 16 deaths in Kyiv and eight in Vyshneve, a town near the capital, with dozens injured. A journalist witnessed rescue services extracting a victim's body from the eighth floor of a residential building in Kyiv amidst the cries of a woman in the courtyard.

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It is of crucial importance that the world, and, above all, the United States and our European partners, emerge from the NATO summit in Ankara with firm decisions in support of our air defense.