Russia launches major ballistic missile attack on Ukrainian cities
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- Russia launched ballistic missile strikes on Kharkiv (4 dead, 19 injured) and Kyiv (1 dead, 16 injured), with Zelensky calling the Kyiv raid "one of the most massive ballistic attacks" on the capital since the 2022 invasion.
- Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 18 of 41 missiles and 108 drones during the overnight strikes on Kyiv, which the air force said involved Iskander missiles, hypersonic Zircon missiles, and 125 drones.
- Zelensky said Russia used roughly 1,450 strike drones, 1,640 guided bombs, and 99 missiles against Ukraine in the past week alone, and called ballistic missile interceptors the country's "constant and top priority."
- Ukraine struck back with SBU and Armed Forces hits on three oil depots in Russia's Stavropol region and three "shadow fleet" tankers in the Black Sea.
- The Caspian Pipeline Consortium said its Novorossiysk terminal was hit, suspending oil loading operations for Kazakhstan's Caspian crude, though it reported no spill or injuries.
- Ukraine also destroyed two Wildberries warehouses in Tambov and Elektrostal with drones days earlier, killing eight people and injuring 62, framing the strikes as retaliation for Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.
Why it matters: Zelensky is appealing to European allies for ballistic missile interceptors as Russia combines 41 missiles with 125 drones in single overnight barrages. With Ukraine simultaneously disabling roughly 43% of Russia's oil refining capacity and striking Russian retail targets, Zelensky says the campaign is meant to spread the realisation within Russia that the war must end.
