Get you up to speed: Zelensky says lack of US Patriot missiles left Kyiv wide open to Russian blitz | News World
Russia launched ballistic missiles on Kyiv this morning, resulting in at least nine fatalities and 28 injuries, including four children. The attack affected seven districts, damaging residential buildings and causing multiple fires, with reports of significant destruction in the Solomyanskyi district.
Emergency response teams remain active in Kyiv, focusing on extinguishing fires and rescuing individuals trapped in damaged buildings. President Volodymyr Zelensky has highlighted the urgent need for additional air defence capabilities, emphasising that Ukraine’s limited arsenal is contributing to rising civilian casualties during ongoing attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that the country’s air defence system is dwindling, emphasising the urgent need for ballistic missile interceptors to protect civilians. In response, Ukraine has asked the United States for a licence to manufacture its own Patriot interceptors, with US President Donald Trump confirming that discussions are ongoing.
What remains unclear — It is uncertain how many additional casualties or injuries occurred due to the fires and explosions in the seven districts affected by the missile strikes.
Zelensky warns US’s lack of Patriot missiles leaves Kyiv vulnerable to Russian attacks
Russia pounded Kyiv with ballistic missiles this morning, killing at least nine people and wounding 28 others, including four children.
The Ukrainian Air Force raised the alarm over the missiles at around 1.30am local time.
Kyiv military officials asked civilians to duck into their nearest shelter only a minute later, with Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko reporting ‘explosions’.
Images posted by photographer Yan Dobronosov show wounded people lying on the streets, with cars gutted by the explosions and fires.
‘Some residents of Kyiv did not even have time to reach the shelter,’ Dobronosov said.
One of the blasts caused a fire in a six-story building in the Solomyanskyi district, Volodymyr Zelensky said on the social media network X.
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Since last night, response efforts have been underway in Kyiv and the surrounding region following Russia’s strike. There were numerous fires across the city. Seven districts were affected, and, as usual, the Russians struck ordinary residential buildings. Eighteen residential… pic.twitter.com/Fr8Jb4AEys
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 1, 2026
‘There were many fires in the city – seven districts were affected. And, as usual, the Russians hit ordinary residential buildings,’ he added.
‘Eighteen houses, a school, the Lithuanian embassy and infrastructure facilities were damaged.’
Two people died in the Solomianskyi blaze that also injured eight, including two children.
People were also trapped in a burning building in Shevchenko and debris flattened non-residential buildings in Holosiivske and Darnytske.
Some five years since Russia’s war against Ukraine began, Zelensky warned the country’s air defence system is dwindling.
And Moscow knows this, the president added, with Russia launching dozens of aerial assaults this summer.
A residential building was engulfed in flames (Picture: AFP)
Several ‘explosions’ rang out, the mayor said (Picture: Reuters)
Zelensky said that as the country has only a few Patriot interceptors – the only kind that can deal with Kremlin-built missiles – it is ‘encouraging Russia to launch attacks that take human lives’.
‘It is critical that partners hear that these capabilities are needed not somewhere in stockpiles for hypothetical scenarios, but here and now, to contain and stop the Russian war in Ukraine.’
‘Every package of ballistic missile interceptors saves the lives of our people. And every night without them results in more casualties. I thank everyone who is working to strengthen our defences.’
This is the second major attack on Kyiv this week after missiles killed nine people, including six members of one family, on Thursday.
During the attack, a Russian cruise missile also entered the airspace of Nato member Poland.
Polish officials described it as an ‘unidentified object’ that caused a 9-metre-wide crater in a field in the country’s southeast.
Nine people died in the blasts (Picture: EPA)
Kyiv has asked Washington to let it make its own interceptors (Picture: Reuters)
Only the US can make Patriot interceptor missiles, so Ukraine has asked Washington to grant it a licence to make its own.
US President Donald Trump, who vowed to end the Russia-Ukraine war ‘on day one’ of his re-election, said talks for this are still ‘ongoing’ on Friday.
Washington, he cautioned, had to be ‘very careful about letting somebody build them’.
He added: ‘ We’re talking about it, but it’s a hard thing to give away that kind of technology. And I don’t think this would ever happen, but, you know, there’s people that you give that technology, they can someday turn on you.’
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