Russia pounds nine Ukrainian cities as Kyiv seeks more Patriot missiles

Russia unleashed overnight missiles and drones on Ukrainian cities, with Kyiv hit repeatedly through Thursday. The barrage exposed Ukraine's strained air defences even as Kyiv pressed allies for more ballistic missile cover.Stock photo used for illustrationRussia launched missiles and drones at cities across Ukraine from Wednesday night into Thursday morning, with explosions heard in Kyiv through the day. Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces carried out a "massive" overnight strike on targets in nine Ukrainian cities and said the targets were military-related facilities, including industrial sites, oil refineries, logistics hubs and port infrastructure.The attacks came as Ukraine faces an acute shortage of US-made Patriot air defence missiles needed to counter Russian ballistic missiles, while Moscow's fast-flying jet-powered drones have added to the pressure in the fifth year since Russia's invasion. Ukrainian officials say Russia builds up missile stocks and launches major attacks every few days in an effort to overwhelm Ukrainian defences with numbers, while Ukraine has answered with strikes on prominent targets inside Russia.Ukrainian officials said civilian areas, including apartment blocks, were damaged in the latest barrage. A 78-year-old woman was killed in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, and at least nine people were wounded elsewhere. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media, "Russia continues to invest in missiles and in expanding its war, and that means more countermeasures are needed," while referring to promises made earlier this week by European countries to provide more air defence help. "It is important that these (measures) are also supplemented by additional ballistic missile defence packages" through European purchases of weapons from the United States, he said.Zelenskyy was due to visit neighbouring Moldova on Thursday for its national day marking its 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. Ukraine announced its independence the same year. Russia's neighbours in Eastern Europe remain worried that the invasion could widen into a broader conflict, and drone flights into their airspace have added to those concerns. Moldova's Defence Ministry said five drones breached its airspace overnight, but did not say who fired them. Ukraine's air force said its defences shot down or suppressed seven Russian ballistic missiles, though it did not say how. In Kyiv, four districts were hit during the night, damaging residential blocks, a school building and a medical facility, though city police said there were no casualties. In the central Poltava region, Russian forces struck industrial facilities and energy infrastructure, according to regional military administration head Vitalii Diakivnych. The southern Odesa region also faced what regional military administration head Oleh Kiper described as a massive Russian attack lasting more than seven hours. He said a 16-storey residential building, two educational facilities and a grain elevator were damaged.Ukraine, meanwhile, continued its own long-range drone campaign against Russia. The Russian Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 267 Ukrainian drones over 14 Russian regions, illegally annexed Crimea, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. After destroying large warehouses in recent months belonging to Wildberries, Russia's biggest online retailer, Ukrainian drones have now targeted Ozon, the country's second-largest e-commerce company. Ozon said its logistics facilities in Orenburg and Ufa were attacked, but neither site caught fire. The latest exchanges underlined the continued tempo of strikes by both sides, with Russia pressing attacks across Ukraine as Kyiv seeks more air defence support and continues drone attacks on targets inside Russia.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 27, 2026 16:26 IST