Russian ballistic missile strike on Kyiv kills at least nine, injures 23 including children

Kyiv was struck by Russian ballistic missiles in the early hours of Saturday, causing at least nine deaths and leaving 23 people wounded.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported that several explosions were recorded in the Ukrainian capital. As a result of the attack, fires broke out in various areas and power supply was disrupted.

According to Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, a residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district suffered partial damage, while several people remained trapped under the rubble, the BBC reported.

In the Darnytskyi district, Ukrainian authorities confirmed the deaths of seven people and the wounding of 14 others, including two children. Two more victims were recorded in the Solomyanskyi district, where damage to a five-story building also left eight injured, among them two children.

The strike on Kyiv came just two days after a cruise missile, suspected to be Russian, fell inside Polish territory during a massive assault against Ukraine, in which at least eight people were killed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, continues to call for more powerful air defense capabilities for the country. During his visit to Washington, he asked U.S. President Donald Trump for authorization for Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles, considered the most efficient system for destroying ballistic missiles.

Donald Trump said discussions are ongoing, but stressed that the U.S. must be careful in transferring advanced military technology. He described such a decision as “a big step.”