As Ukraine destroys a Russian container ship, nine people are murdered in strikes on Kyiv

According to local officials, Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv have killed at least nine individuals. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine reports that an additional 28 persons were hurt in the Saturday morning attack on the nation’s capital. President Zelensky has stated that missile interceptors are desperately needed in response to Moscow’s recent escalation of lethal ballistic missile attacks against Kyiv.

The attacks take place two days after a suspected Russian cruise missile made landfall in Poland as part of a large-scale assault on Ukraine that claimed the lives of at least eight people, including six members of one family.

Zelensky reported that a Russian-owned container ship was sunk in the Black Sea by Ukrainian drones. Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, reported that the capital was hit by a ballistic missile attack on Saturday, with over ten explosions. Power outages were reported in certain places, and fires broke out throughout the city.

According to Klitschko, a Shevchenkivskyi residential structure was partially demolished, trapping occupants. According to the emergency services, a strike in the Darnytskyi district claimed the lives of at least seven persons. It stated that another 14 people, including two children, were hurt. A five-story residential structure in the Solomyanskyi area was largely demolished, resulting in two fatalities and eight injuries, including two children, according to officials.

In a post on X, Zelensky stated that the 100,000-ton Yanina had been “sent to the bottom” and confirmed the attack on the sanctioned Russian container ship. The ship, which belonged to Rosatom, the state-owned nuclear operator of Russia, was sunk early on Saturday, forcing its 17-person crew to evacuate. According to Rosatom, it has been shipping civilian products, such as building supplies and frozen food. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the government has targeted Russian-flagged ships in the Black Sea. Moscow has been accused by Kyiv of exploiting it to transport oil and other sanctioned products.

He said the US had to be “very careful about letting somebody build them”. Emphasising concerns about sharing advanced US weaponry, Trump called it “a big step”. Weeks after he proposed granting Ukraine the authority to manufacture Patriot missiles, Trump made his most recent remarks about the weapon. Ukraine has ran out of Patriots, the sole weapon in its arsenal that can destroy ballistic missiles, as Russia has increased its airstrikes.

“I don’t think this would ever happen, but, you know, those people that you give that technology, they can someday turn on you,” Trump said. Zelensky said in a post on X on Friday that he had followed up on his meeting with Trump with a “good” phone call with US Vice-President JD Vance “As Russia’s air attacks on our country continue unabated, air defence – specifically Patriot interceptors against ballistic missiles – remains a top priority,” Zelensky wrote.