Returning from the US, Zelenskyy says Ukrainians’ safety depends on allies’ willingness to provide anti-missile defences.
Attacks extended as far west as the city of Lviv, forcing neighbouring Poland to scramble fighter jets to secure its airspace, according to an armed forces statement on X.
Multiple explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital soon after 1am local time on Thursday (22:00 GMT Wednesday), local media reported. Hours later, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the deaths of eight people in several areas across the country.
One person was killed and two injured in Kyiv, emergency services said. At least six were killed in Dnipropetrovsk and another in Poltava.
In Zelenskyy’s hometown, Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk, two girls aged five and 12 were among six killed and eight people injured in a direct hit from a Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile, said Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city’s defence council.
“A dark night,” Vilkul said on Telegram, adding that the missile, launched from Russia’s Voronezh region, struck the home of a large family.
In Lviv, close to Poland, rescue workers scrambled to clear rubble to reach trapped survivors after Russian missiles injured 26 people and damaged two apartment buildings, officials said.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said forces struck what it called military facilities across Ukraine, in areas from Kyiv to Lviv and Dnipropetrovsk. Three cargo ships in the Black Sea city of Odesa were hit for allegedly carrying weapons and military equipment.
“This Russian terror once again proves that protection against the Russian missile threat is the most important task when it comes to saving the lives of our people,” Zelenskyy posted on X on Thursday, adding that the work cannot be “left to Ukraine alone or to any one country alone”.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, reported that a Russian missile crossed into Polish airspace, as authorities in eastern Poland found a crater and scattered debris in a field following reports of an explosion.
Poland’s Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, said it appeared to be a “Russian Kh-101 ballistic missile” and authorities were continuing to investigate. He said “there was no direct threat” as the object “landed in an uninhabited area” and “we were ready to shoot it down had it continued its flight”.
After the incursion, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, General Alexus Grynkewich, spoke with Poland’s Chief of Defence, General Wieslaw Kukulan.
“NATO and Poland activated their air and ground defences,” in response to the Russian missile entry into Polish airspace, a NATO spokesperson told Reuters. Grynkewich “underlined that NATO will continue to take all necessary measures to defend NATO territory,” the spokesperson added.
The French president referred to the “violation” in eastern Poland, while condemning Russia’s latest attacks. “France condemns in the strongest possible terms the Russian strikes that killed civilians in Ukraine, as well as the violation of Polish airspace,” Emmanuel Macron posted on X.
Zelenskyy’s warning
Zelenskyy warned on Wednesday that a “massive” Russian attack on Ukraine was likely. He said the safety of Ukrainians depended on the willingness of allies to provide anti-missile defences.
He was returning from the United States, where he said President Donald Trump had agreed to license Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles at home.
In an X post, Zelenskyy also repeated his plea to Ukraine’s allies to give Kyiv the missiles its air defences lack.
Earlier this month, Trump expressed his intention to allow Ukraine to build surface-to-air missiles at a time when Russia had stepped up its ballistic missile strikes.
Only US Patriot systems are capable of shooting down Russian missiles, but Ukraine is short of PAC-3 interceptor missiles. The shortage has worsened since the war on Iran launched by the US and Israel in February.
The European Union announced on Thursday that it paid 3.5 billion euros ($4bn) to Ukraine as part of its 90 billion euro ($103bn) Ukraine Support Loan to help cover “urgent military needs”, including the procurement of more drones, missiles, air defence and fighter jets.
“With this new disbursement … we are helping Ukraine defend its people,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“Let this new support send a clear message: every Russian strike strengthens Ukraine’s determination to be free and our determination to stand with Ukraine, for as long as it takes,” she added.
