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Russian missiles and drones struck Kyiv and 12 other Ukrainian regions overnight, killing 19 civilians. The barrage exposed Ukraine's air defence strain as Zelenskyy urgently sought more Patriot missiles.
Kyiv,Oct 7, 2026 16:44 IST
Russian missiles and drones struck Kyiv and at least 12 other Ukrainian regions overnight into Wednesday, killing at least 19 civilians, including four children, and injuring around 60, Ukrainian officials said. The attack came after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned a day earlier that intelligence agencies had concluded Russia was preparing a "massive" strike.
While Ukraine had expected the assault, it was unable to fully stop it. The scale of the damage underlined Ukraine's difficulty in defending itself against Russian ballistic missiles and newer jet-powered drones, as Moscow and Kyiv continue a long-range air war with little movement on the battlefield more than four-and-a-half years after Russia's full-scale invasion.
A Russian strike destroyed an apartment block in Pryluky in the northern Chernihiv region, killing 13 people, including four children, and wounding about 50, Interior Minister Ihor Vyhivskyi said. Deaths were also reported in three other Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, according to Zelenskyy.
"The Russians wanted to strike painfully and demonstratively," Zelenskyy said on social media. He said Ukraine was searching around the world for available Patriot missiles, which are in short supply because of the war in Iran. "Russian ballistic missiles remain the greatest challenge. And air defence packages for us right now are a vital necessity," he said.
Ukraine cannot stop Russian ballistic weapons without ammunition for its US-made Patriot air defence systems. It is also trying to develop a new generation of interceptors fast enough to hit Russia's high-flying jet-powered drones.
In Kremenchuk in the Poltava region, two people were killed and seven were injured, according to Vitalii Diakivnych, head of the regional military administration, who said rescue operations were continuing. "That is exactly what the enemy is counting on. For us to be afraid to fall asleep. To let our children out of our sight. To plan anything. So that everyone thinks: next time it could be my address," he said.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its military carried out a massive overnight strike on industrial facilities involved in the production and storage of missiles and drones across Ukraine. It also said port and ship repair facilities in the southern Odesa region, as well as ships carrying cargo for the Ukrainian military, were hit.
Ukraine, too, has continued long-range strikes on Russian energy facilities. Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that Ukrainian forces targeted two oil facilities and a training ground in Russia's Perm, Samara and Astrakhan regions. Russian officials did not immediately comment.
Zelenskyy also suggested that Ukraine had struck in the Black Sea, posting images that he said showed an oil tanker burning near the Russian city of Sochi. The images could not be independently verified. Some Russian online media also posted the pictures late on Tuesday, while unconfirmed reports said the vessel was carrying oil from Novorossiysk to India and was attacked by Ukrainian sea drones.
US-led peace efforts appeared unlikely to bring any immediate relief, with the possibility of low-level technical talks still under discussion. As Russia presses on with its invasion, the latest exchange of strikes showed both the human cost of Moscow's aerial assaults on Ukraine and Kyiv's attempts to hit back at Russian targets.
With PTI Inputs
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