Zelensky pleads for air defense help as Russian missile, drone attacks kill at least 8 in Ukraine

Russian missiles and drones pounded Ukrainian cities with “pure terror” overnight into Saturday, killing at least eight civilians and wounding 67 others, officials said.

The capital city of Kyiv was hit with a ballistic missile attack that killed two people and injured 10 in the early hours Saturday.

“Explosions in the capital,” Mayor Vitali Klitschko alerted on Telegram during the onslaught, as loud bangs were heard around 4 a.m. local time. “The city is under ballistic attack.”

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“Russian terrorists are hitting our civilian and residential infrastructure with ballistic missiles,” added Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, on Telegram. 

“All we see is pure terror.” 

The drone strikes sparked fires and falling debris that crushed apartment buildings, cars, warehouses and a kindergarden, according to the mayor. 

The frontline region of Kherson, north of Crimea, suffered the heaviest toll.

Three people were killed and as many as 29 injured, including three children, Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said, as the strikes destroyed close to 100 apartment buildings and homes. 

In Kharkiv, the blasts targeted the region’s energy infrastructure, leaving some 25,000 people without power, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov reporeted.

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The overnight attacks prompted renewed pleas from Ukraine’s president for Western air defense systems.

“It is precisely because of such attacks that we pay special attention to Patriot systems — to be able to protect our cities from this horror,” Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X Saturday.“It is critical that partners who possess relevant capability implement what we have discussed in recent days. No country should be left alone in the face of such evil.

“Our partners have the necessary systems and they can already help defend Ukraine. America, Europe and the G7 countries can help ensure that such attacks no longer threaten lives.”

Zelensky is hoping Ukraine can purchase 25 more Patriot missiles from the US to fortify its air defenses, particularly in its cities.

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After his meeting with President Trump in Washington last week, the Ukrainian leader told journalists in Kyiv the two countries were preparing the contract for the Patriots. 

The interceptor missiles are considered to be one of the most effective defenses systems against Russian ballistic missiles that have been targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as the war enters its fourth winter.

Ukraine has received at least seven Patriots since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, and the 25 additional ones would be acquired over several years, according to Zelensky. 

President Trump appeared, however, to rule out providing Ukraine with its highly coveted Tomahawk missiles on Wednesday, fearing the long range weapons could escalate the war. Trump said the long-range weapons are also too complex for Kyiv to deploy without substantial US training.