Russia hits Kyiv with 23 ballistic missiles; none intercepted
SkimNews Take
Zero interceptions of 23 ballistic missiles points to a capability gap beyond simple quantity, since countering ballistic threats requires specialized, low-supply systems that NATO allies manufacture far too slowly to match Russia's production of missiles.
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- Ukraine's Air Force said none of the 23 ballistic missiles Russia fired at Kyiv on Sunday night were intercepted due to a 'serious shortage' of interceptor missiles, with at least 15 killed in the capital and 8 more in the wider Kyiv region.
- Zelensky reported the full 'massive Russian attack' consisted of 68 missiles and 351 strike drones, of which Ukraine's air force shot down or suppressed 37 missiles and 326 drones — but no ballistic missiles.
- The strikes partially collapsed three large residential blocks in Kyiv and injured 56 people in the capital, including seven children, plus 48 more in the wider region, with rescue teams using sniffer dogs to search rubble in the Podilskyi district.
- Zelensky called it 'simply absurd' that production of ballistic-missile interceptors has not been scaled up and warned Moscow would continue hitting residential buildings as long as Patriot missiles 'remain in our allies' stockpiles,' appealing for 'strong decisions' at this week's NATO summit in Ankara.
- Ukraine retaliated by striking three Russian oil refineries, including the country's largest in Omsk at more than 2,414 km away — described as one of Kyiv's longest-range targets inside Russia — while Russia claimed to have shot down 613 of 625 long-range Ukrainian strike drones.
- The attack was the second large-scale Russian strike on Kyiv in a week, following Thursday's barrage that killed 30 people, which Ukraine said deliberately targeted civilians; Russia said it was retaliating for Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy facilities.
Why it matters: Ukraine's inability to shoot down a single ballistic missile from a barrage of 23 exposes a critical gap in air defense that Zelensky is now pressing allies to close at the NATO summit in Ankara — with Ukrainian energy infrastructure already degraded and apartment blocks collapsing, the interceptor shortfall directly translates to civilian death tolls, and Zelensky is expected to meet Trump on the summit sidelines to make the case for more Patriots.
