Ukraine announced on Sunday that Russia launched a barrage of “hundreds” of drones and missiles overnight, resulting in at least four fatalities in the capital. In response, Poland scrambled fighter jets to protect its airspace.
This wave of attacks followed Russia’s warning to NATO against escalated actions regarding alleged breaches of airspace within the military alliance’s purview.
The onslaught came shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed that Ukraine received a U.S.-manufactured Patriot air defense system from Israel to counteract Russian aggressions.
“While people were asleep, Russia executed another large-scale aerial assault on Ukrainian cities,” stated Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga on X.
He added, “There were again hundreds of drones and missiles that struck residential buildings and led to civilian injuries,” sharing dramatic footage of flames erupting from the windows of a high-rise apartment, which he attributed to the attack.
Early reports from Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, indicated the initial death toll was “three,” including a 12-year-old girl. This figure was later updated to four following the discovery of another victim’s remains.
He cautioned that further casualties might emerge as rescue operations continued.
In the broader Kyiv region, at least 27 individuals were reported injured due to the Russian strikes, according to Mykola Kalachnyk, head of the military administration. The governor of the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region indicated that Russian bombardments there had also left at least four people injured.
Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, condemned Moscow for conducting a “war against civilians” and called for increased support from Western allies.
“There will be a response to these actions. However, the economic measures taken by the West against Russia need to be more impactful,” Yermak stressed.
In reaction to Russia’s strikes, Poland’s armed forces announced on X that they had deployed fighter jets and placed ground-based air defense systems on high alert to secure Polish airspace and safeguard citizens, especially those near the Ukrainian border.
In recent weeks, several European nations have accused Russia of violating their airspace with both drones and fighter jets, which NATO views as a challenge to its resolve.
Russia has denied any responsibility for these airspace breaches and has dismissed claims of plans to attack any NATO country.
In his remarks at the UN General Assembly in New York on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that “any aggression against my country will be met with a decisive response.”
Later, Lavrov warned that if any nation shoots down objects still within Russian airspace, “they will deeply regret it.”
After returning from his trip to New York, during which he also spoke at the UN, Zelensky informed reporters that “the Israeli (Patriot) system is operational in Ukraine,” and noted that two additional systems would be delivered this autumn.
Although initially neutral, Israel’s relations with Russia have soured as Moscow has aligned more closely with Iran and condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Furthermore, both Kyiv and Moscow reported on Saturday that the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant—Europe’s largest—had been offline for four days, raising alarms about a possible nuclear crisis.
