Russia fired ballistic missiles and dozens of jet-powered drones at Kyiv, according to Ukraine’s air force, as Moscow intensified its day-and-night bombardment of the capital and other Ukrainian cities, The Associated Press reported.
The attacks included new jet-powered drones that fly too fast and too high for Ukrainian ground-based air defences to intercept. Ukraine is developing faster interceptor drones, but officials said producing and deploying the systems will take time. F-16 fighter jets have also been used against the drones, although at greater expense.
Ukraine said its air defences shot down two ballistic missiles overnight. The country has been seeking more US-made Patriot interceptor missiles, which it says are the only reliable means of stopping Russia’s ballistic attacks. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X that Russia’s “terror against Ukraine is intensifying by the day,” accusing Moscow of escalating instead of accepting offers to cease fire and negotiate.
The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces struck data-processing centres in Kyiv that Moscow claims are used by the Ukrainian military, along with facilities where drones and cruise missiles were stored. It also reported strikes on an electrical substation, a drone manufacturing facility and port infrastructure in the Odesa region.
Ukrainian authorities said the barrage damaged apartment buildings, houses and public transport in Kyiv and wounded one person. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said four glide bombs struck the northern city of Sumy during classes after teachers and students had evacuated; he said two people were killed when the bombs also hit a residential area. Local officials reported eight people wounded in Odesa, where residential buildings, civilian infrastructure, a school, an animal shelter and port facilities were damaged.
Ihor Klymenko, head of Ukraine’s national security and defence council, said Kyiv had recorded more than 235 air-raid alerts since August 27, lasting a combined 261 hours. The National University of Kyiv said it would move to remote learning for the coming weeks because of safety concerns.
The attacks come as Ukraine prepares for winter, when strikes on the power grid in previous years have disrupted heating and water supplies. Ukraine is also using long-range drones against Russian missile and drone factories, launch sites and oil refineries.
The two armies remain largely deadlocked along the front line. Zelenskyy said Russia plans to increase recruitment for another battlefield push and that 10,000 more North Korean troops are heading to Russia, in addition to 8,000 he said were already there. Russia and North Korea have acknowledged their military cooperation.
Moscow says it wants a comprehensive peace settlement that includes Ukrainian territorial concessions, while US efforts to broker peace have made no significant progress. The Associated Press reported that Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev held talks in Washington with US officials about ending the war and possible postwar US-Russia energy initiatives; a US official described the discussions as constructive.
