Russia unleashed one of its heaviest air assaults on Kyiv early Saturday, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had run out of interceptor missiles for its U.S.-supplied Patriot air defense systems, leaving the capital increasingly exposed to ballistic missile attacks.
Zelenskyy said Russia fired 35 missiles at Ukraine overnight, including 27 ballistic missiles, along with 185 drones. Ukrainian forces intercepted only one ballistic missile, which he said underscored the country's growing shortage of Patriot interceptors.
"Every package of ballistic missile interceptors saves the lives of our people," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. "And every night without them results in more casualties."
Reuters witnesses reported more than a dozen explosions echoing across Kyiv as successive waves of missiles and drones struck the city before dawn.
The latest bombardment came as the war entered its fifth year. Fighting continues along roughly 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) of front lines, although Russia's territorial gains have slowed significantly this year.
