Missile attack on Kyiv injures more than 50 as Ukraine pleads for more Western aid
A barrage of Russian missiles targeted Kyiv on Wednesday, wounding at least 53 people, officials said, as Ukraine’s president sought more military support in Europe after a trip to Washington secured no new pledges.
A series of loud explosions could be heard in Kyiv at 3 a.m. local time as the city’s air defenses were activated for the second time this week. Ukraine’s Air Force said that Russia launched 10 ballistic missiles toward the capital and that all were intercepted by air defenses.
The attack on the capital underscored the continuing threat to Ukraine from the Kremlin’s missile arsenal in the 21-month war. Russia has in recent months been stockpiling its air-launched cruise missiles from its heavy bomber fleet, according to a recent assessment by the British Ministry of Defense.
That may herald another heavy winter bombardment of Ukraine’s power grid. Moscow last year targeted energy infrastructure in an effort to deny Ukrainians heat, light and running water and break their fighting spirit.
As winter sets in and hinders troop movements, allowing little change along the front line, long-range air bombardment plays a growing role in the war.
Ukraine has dwindling supplies of air-defense munitions and other ammunition. That prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to visit Washington on Tuesday in an effort to persuade lawmakers to approve President Biden’s request for $61.4 billion for Ukraine. His trip achieved no breakthrough.
A deal to provide further U.S. assistance to Ukraine by year-end appears to be increasingly out of reach for President Biden.
Zelensky said on Telegram on Wednesday that he and Biden agreed to work on increasing the number of air-defense systems in Ukraine. “The terrorist state has just demonstrated how crucial this decision is,” Zelensky said, referring to Russia’s overnight strikes.
Zelensky on Wednesday met in Oslo with Nordic leaders who feel keenly the potential threat from nearby Russia and are among Kyiv’s staunchest supporters.
“Russia is eager to exploit divisions,” the senior leaders from Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden said in a joint statement in English. “We must continue to stand united against Russia’s illegal and immoral war.”
They vowed “comprehensive assistance” for Ukraine. “Now is not the time to tire,” the leaders said, amid signs of war fatigue among Kyiv’s foreign supporters.
To the delight of Vladimir Putin, further U.S. support for Ukraine is in real doubt for the first time since Russia invaded 21 months ago.
“We are in a critical phase where Europe must continue to show its support,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement. She said her government would unveil a Ukraine support package worth about $1.1 billion later this week.
Norway announced that it would give additional air defenses to Ukraine, taking them from its own stocks to ensure speedy delivery.
Separately, Latvia and Ukraine announced an agreement on the production of drones, which have become a key component of the war. They said they will aim to “enhance Ukraine’s technological superiority” in drone use.
Debris from intercepted missiles fell in Kyiv’s eastern Dniprovskyi district, injuring dozens of people, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. Twenty people, including two children, were hospitalized, and 33 people received medical treatment on the spot.
Vladimir Putin aims to prolong his repressive grip on Russia for at least six more years through a presidential election he is all but certain to win.
An apartment building, a private house and several cars caught fire, while the windows of a children’s hospital were shattered, Klitschko said. Falling rocket debris also damaged the water-supply system in the district.
It wasn’t immediately clear what type of missile was used in the Kyiv attack.
“It is difficult to imagine the consequences of these attacks if we don’t have air protection,” Ukrainian Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko said on X, formerly Twitter. “Each attack emphasizes the urgent need for more protection, as Russia shows no intention of stopping.”
In other parts of Ukraine, 10 Russian drones were shot down, most of them in the Odesa region, the Ukrainian Air Force said.
The Justice Department files war crime charges against four members of the Russian military accused of abducting and torturing an American in Ukraine.
The attack on Kyiv came as Zelensky visited Washington, where he made an impassioned plea to Congress to approve additional aid to fight Russia’s invasion.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, who was traveling with him, said the interception of the missiles fired at Kyiv showed how Western support is helping Ukraine resist Russian aggression.
“The effectiveness of Western weaponry in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers is beyond doubt,” Yermak wrote on Telegram.
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