Russian attacks on Kyiv kill 9, wound more than two dozen
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- Russia launched drones and ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight on August 1, 2026, killing at least 9 and wounding more than 30 across five districts of the capital.
- Zelenskyy said Ukraine intercepted only 1 of 27 ballistic missiles due to Patriot shortages, calling the interceptor shortfall what "only encourages Russia to launch such attacks that take human lives."
- The strikes damaged Lithuania's embassy in Kyiv, with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys publishing images appearing to show a cracked door and damaged light fixture.
- District-level toll in Kyiv: Darnytsky district saw 7 killed and 14 wounded; Solomiansky district saw 2 killed and 8 wounded, with a five-storey residential building struck and a 75-year-old resident telling AFP "everything was smashed."
- Donald Trump appeared to walk back his Tuesday agreement to license Patriot production to Kyiv, telling reporters Friday that Washington would have to be "very careful" about the decision — a reversal Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said proved Ukraine needs the weapon "urgently."
- Emergency services rescued about 105 people as of early Saturday, while AFP journalists reported hearing more than 10 explosions in a row; Russia's defence ministry claimed it struck "military-industrial complex enterprises and logistics centres" and said it intercepted 274 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Why it matters: Ukraine's near-total failure to intercept ballistic missiles — just 1 of 27 — because of Patriot shortages directly enables Russia's escalation playbook, and the strike landed three days after Trump walked back his Tuesday agreement to license Patriot production to Kyiv, leaving Ukraine's air-defense future uncertain at the most exposed moment of the war.
