Russian missile barrage kills at least 6 in Kyiv, injures 33
Summary
Russian missile barrage killed at least 12 people in Kyiv overnight Thursday and wounded at least 33, local authorities said. The strikes hit 12 locations across the capital’s Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts, damaging homes, a medical facility and an educational institution. Emergency crews pulled people from rubble as the air raid alert stayed active into the early morning. The article says Russia has intensified ballistic missile attacks to strain Kyiv’s air defenses.
Key Facts
- The strikes hit 12 locations across Kyiv’s Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts.
- Emergency crews pulled people out from under the rubble after the overnight barrage.
- In Solomianskyi district, the top two floors of a 9-story residential building were destroyed and fires broke out on other floors.
- Russia has intensified ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv to constrain the city’s air defense stocks.
- Ukraine’s air defenses rely heavily on limited systems capable of intercepting ballistic threats and chronically constrained supplies of Patriot missiles.
A rescuer evacuates a resident from an apartment building hit by Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Aug. 20. Reuters-Yonhap
KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian missile barrage overnight Thursday killed at least 12 people in Kyiv as explosions echoed across Ukraine's capital throughout the night, local authorities said.
At least 33 people were wounded, according to Ukraine's Emergency Service. The air raid alert remained active into the early morning hours Thursday.
The strikes hit 12 locations across Kyiv’s Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts, damaging residential buildings, a medical facility and an educational institution. Emergency crews were at the scene and pulled people out from under the rubble.
In Solomianskyi district, the top two floors of a 9-story residential building were destroyed and fires broke out on other floors. People were also trapped in two residential buildings and a school shelter.
60-year-old Larysa Bondaruk sat on the ground, holding her cat, Chanel, which had been rescued by firefighters.
With tears in her eyes, she said that her neighbor’s grandson had been trapped under the rubble and died. Her apartment was badly damaged.
“A rocket hit the roof. It was incredibly loud, immediately, debris and doors were blown out. There were columns of smoke, columns of fire, screams, crying and despair," she said. “Two people were killed in our building, but the rescuers responded quickly and professionally. I am grateful to them for that.”
Relatives of a person killed during an overnight Russian attack comfort each other, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Aug. 20. AP-Yonhap
Russia has intensified ballistic missile attacks on the capital to constrain Kyiv's air defense stocks. Kyiv has limited systems capable of intercepting ballistic threats, while supplies of missiles for its U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems remain chronically constrained.
U.S. President Donald Trump had authorized Ukraine to obtain licenses to produce Patriot air-defense systems, but later reversed that decision.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has intensified its own campaign of long-range strikes against weapons depots, military facilities and other strategic targets deep inside Russian territory, seeking to degrade Moscow’s ability to sustain its attacks on Ukrainian cities.
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