Russia missiles pound Kyiv, kill nine as Ukraine renews Patriot plea
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- Russia struck Kyiv overnight with ballistic missiles and drones, killing at least nine civilians and injuring 22 across several districts, with fires and damage to residential and commercial buildings reported in Solomianskyi, Darnytskyi, Shevchenkivskyi and two other areas
- The Darnytskyi district was hardest hit, with seven killed and 14 injured, while falling debris damaged a five-storey residential building in Solomianskyi district, killing two and injuring eight including two children; emergency workers evacuated 35 residents from upper floors
- Zelenskyy said he spoke with US Vice President JD Vance late Friday and described his Washington meeting with Trump earlier in the week as "positive and productive," reiterating on Telegram that interceptors for Patriot systems against ballistic missiles remain "a top priority"
- At a July NATO summit Trump said the US would give Ukraine a licence to manufacture Patriot systems, but at a Camp David Cabinet meeting on Friday he appeared to step back from that position, saying he had not yet made a final decision
- The Kyiv barrage came two days after a separate large-scale Russian missile and drone attack across Ukraine killed 10 civilians and injured more than 50, during which a Russian missile entered Polish airspace
- From a basement shelter, 64-year-old Liudmyla Nakonechna — a cancer patient who had not taken cover since the February 24, 2022 invasion — told reporters attacks that once came every one to two weeks now happen "practically every day" and are "incredibly hard to bear this psychologically"
Why it matters: A Kyiv strike that killed nine and injured 22 coincides with Trump publicly wavering on the Patriot manufacturing licence he pledged at a July NATO summit, even as Zelenskyy framed his Washington meeting as productive. With a Russian missile already entering Polish airspace and strikes now daily rather than weekly, the air-defense decision sits squarely with Trump's final ruling.
