Russian forces launched a major missile attack on Kyiv, killing at least seventeen people and injuring dozens more. The strike lasted about two hours and was part of a growing pattern of large-scale missile assaults this summer. Ukraine’s air defenses were unable to intercept any of the incoming missiles, leaving many civilians exposed.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s limited supply of defensive missiles is now at only one-third the level from 2025. He emphasized that ballistic interceptors could have saved lives if they were available in sufficient numbers. The targets included a brewery, a construction material warehouse, and a mail sorting office not related to the war.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed these businesses had military connections, but that assertion was not independently verified. The day after the attack, Kyiv’s regional administration declared it a day of mourning for those who died. In addition to the deaths, at least forty-four people were injured in the assault.
Ukraine has increased its deep strikes on Russian targets, including oil refineries and logistics centers, in an effort to pressure President Putin into negotiations. The United States has offered peace talks, but Russia has refused to consider them. Ukrainian drones struck a Wildberries warehouse in the Tula region, which is south of Moscow.
This was one of over a dozen Wildberries facilities Ukraine has targeted in just a few weeks. Kyiv is also aiming to unsettle the Russian public with high-profile attacks on civilian infrastructure. Russia reported downing 475 Ukrainian drones over 16 regions overnight, including in Crimea and the Black Sea.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it struck logistics and transport centers that were involved in war-related activities. Ukrainian officials described the targets as indiscriminate, including retail and construction warehouses. There was no clear way to verify which side was correct about the military value of these targets.
A Kyiv warehouse worker recalled an air raid warning that included a ballistic missile alert just after midnight. He said people rushed to escape when the attack began. Nova Poshta, Ukraine’s biggest private postal company, reported that a Russian cluster munition destroyed one of its sorting centers.
The company also said two other logistics centers in the Kyiv region stored drones or drone components. Russia claimed to have hit three bulk carriers in the Black Sea, accusing them of transporting Ukrainian weapons. Ukrainian officials did not comment on that claim.
A Moldovan truck driver described how he and his colleague barely escaped a blast that struck their vehicle. He said they had no time to grab anything before running for safety. One of the businesses hit was Epicentr, a major retail and construction chain in Ukraine.
An employee was killed and three others were wounded during the attack. The Russian Defense Ministry said the Epicentr facility handled order processing and storage of dual-use goods for drone production. A Russian drone factory director was seriously injured in a car explosion near Yekaterinburg.
The explosion occurred outside the city, about 1,400 kilometers east of Moscow. His factory made a simple drone called the Upyr that was used by Russian troops for protection against jamming. Russian officials did not comment on the incident, but previous attacks on military figures have been blamed on Ukraine.
Ukraine is now using drones to strike Russian oil facilities. These attacks are part of a broader campaign. The strikes have disrupted Ukraine’s ability to ship grain and steel from its ports.
IMAGE: Photo: Bahareh Asadi / Wikimedia, taken 2021-01-07, Attribution