A local man inspects the aftermath of Russian missile strike on a residential area of Kyiv early Thursday. Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA
Aug. 20 (UPI) -- A Russian aerial assault on Kyiv overnight killed at least 13 people and injured 40, with officials saying Ukraine was effectively defenseless against ballistic missiles due to an acute shortage of missiles for air defense systems.
The 11-hour on-off attack began around midnight with the final all clear given just after 11 a.m. local time Thursday. Worst hit was the western Solomianskyi district where eight people were killed and 18 were injured, the Kyiv City State Administration said in an online update.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said two residential buildings in Solomianskyi sustained blast and fire damage and that windows were blown out at a children's hospital building with cars parked in the grounds set ablaze.
Damage was also reported in other residential buildings, a school and several warehouses, according to Klitschko who said that two other districts of the capital also came under heavy attack.
