In brief
In the early hours of Saturday, Russian ballistic missiles hit Kyiv, killing nine people and injuring 23. Ukraine officials reported widespread fires and power outages. The attack follows escalated Russian air raids and an appeal for Patriot interceptors.
Shortly after midnight on Saturday (08/01/2026), Ukrainian officials confirmed that a series of Russian ballistic missile strikes struck the capital city of Kyiv, leaving nine people dead and 23 wounded.
The State Emergency Service reported that the attacks caused a wave of fires across several districts, including Darnytskyi and Shevchenkivskyi, and shut out power supplies in parts of the city.
Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv’s mayor, said the missiles "caused several explosions" and that an apartment building was partially destroyed, trapping residents inside.
The missile strike follows an escalation of Russian air attacks that saw U.S. officials reckon that Ukraine urgently needs Patriot interceptor missiles, with President Volodymyr Zelensky telling the crowd that the country’s air‑defence systems are running low.
Zelensky subsequently met U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington to ask for permission to produce Patriot missile technology, while U.S. officials cited the risk that Russia could use the same technology in the future. Meanwhile, Ukraine has carried out retaliatory strikes on Russian supply hubs, targeting corporate warehouses.
For observers of the conflict, the recent attacks underline how deadly Russian ballistic missiles have become and how fragile Ukraine’s air‑defence capacity remains.
