Russian forces carried out a combined missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s Kyiv region on Saturday, Ukrainian officials said, killing at least four people and wounding 15.
Mykola Kalashnyk, head of the regional administration, said in a social media post that the strike hit four districts and damaged residential buildings, educational institutions, enterprises and critical infrastructure. He said three of the wounded were in critical condition.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the main target of the strikes was the energy infrastructure of the Kyiv region. He said Russia launched around 430 drones and 68 missiles, and he posted warnings about what he said the strikes meant for the wider fight in Europe.
Zelenskyy said Russia would try to exploit the war in the Middle East to cause “even greater destruction here in Europe, in Ukraine,” in a post on social media. He called on Kyiv’s Western partners to pay “one hundred percent attention” to boosting the production of air defense missiles, including those capable of countering ballistic threats.
He added: “We must be fully aware of the real level of the threat and prepare accordingly, namely: in Europe, we need to develop the production of air defense missiles — especially those capable of countering ballistic threats — as well as all other systems necessary to truly protect lives,” describing the steps he said were needed to protect civilians.
Zelenskyy’s remarks came after the United States postponed Russia-Ukraine talks planned for the week, citing the Middle East war with Iran. The AP report said the pause followed the timing of U.S. actions tied to the conflict, and it framed the move amid ongoing exchanges between Kyiv and Moscow about the wider direction of the war.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the nighttime strikes targeted energy and industrial facilities serving Ukraine’s armed forces, as well as military airfields. The ministry also said its forces shot down 87 Ukrainian drones during the night, including 16 over the Krasnodar region and 31 over the nearby Sea of Azov.
Separately, Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery and a port in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, local officials reported. Krasnodar authorities said three people were hurt in a strike on Port Kavkaz, opposite Crimea, and that a service vessel and pier infrastructure were damaged, with one person hospitalized.
Russian officials said falling drone debris sparked a fire at the Afipsky oil refinery, one of the largest in southern Russia, in a Telegram post. They said no one was hurt, but they did not immediately comment on damage.
Ukraine’s General Staff said in a Facebook post that both the refinery and port are used to supply Moscow’s armed forces. It said it was assessing the impact of the strikes.
Moscow’s aviation authorities brought in temporary flight restrictions at three international airports—Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky—during the same period, according to the AP report. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that as of late afternoon, 31 drones had been downed on approach to the Russian capital.
Earlier this week, both Russian and Ukrainian officials claimed front-line progress, with Ukraine saying it pushed Russian forces back across sections of the front line and the Kremlin saying its invasion was making progress.