Russia Strikes Kill 26 in Ukraine as Patriot Missiles Run Out

Russia launched a massive missile and drone assault on Ukraine early Monday, killing at least 26 people and laying bare the country’s deepening vulnerability as stocks of US-made Patriot interceptors run critically low — just days before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to meet President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in Ankara.

Kyiv Unable to Down a Single Ballistic Missile

Ukraine’s air force reported that its defenses failed to intercept any of the 23 ballistic missiles fired by Russia in Monday’s attack — a stark illustration of the country’s depleted air defense capacity. While Ukraine did shoot down 37 other missiles and more than 90% of the 351 drones deployed in the assault, ballistic missiles remain the most dangerous threat, flying at speeds and trajectories that make them exceptionally difficult to stop without Patriot systems.

In July alone, Ukrainian air defenses have intercepted just four of 49 ballistic missiles fired by Russia, according to air force data. Zelenskyy has repeatedly appealed to Western allies for more interceptors. “As long as Patriot missiles sit in our allies’ stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep destroying residential buildings,” he wrote on X. “The US and Europe have the power to stop this terror.”

16 Dead in Kyiv, 10 More in Surrounding Region

At least 16 people were killed in Kyiv, Ukraine’s Emergency Services confirmed, with 10 more deaths reported across the wider Kyiv region. A drone strike on a fuel station in the Zaporizhzhia region killed an additional two people later Monday. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said nearly 30 buildings in Kyiv were significantly damaged.

Rescue crews spent the day digging through the rubble of a multi-story residential building whose upper floors had been torn open by the strike. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the bodies of an entire family — two parents and their child — were pulled from the wreckage. A 22-year-old woman named Alyona waited at a nearby playground for news of her 19-year-old friend Vika, who remained missing. “She’s so kind, only 19 years old,” Alyona told Reuters.

Monday’s attack came just days after the deadliest single strike on Kyiv this year, which killed 31 people last Thursday.

Zelenskyy Calls for “Strong Decisions” at NATO Summit

In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy described as “simply absurd” the fact that production of air defense interceptors had not been scaled up to meet Ukraine’s needs. He said Ukraine has the technical capability to manufacture Patriot systems domestically and called on Washington to grant the necessary production licenses. “Our production would be sufficient not only to defend Ukraine but also to assist partners who need them,” he said.

Ahead of his planned meeting with Trump at the NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday, Zelenskyy urged alliance leaders to make “strong decisions” to ensure Ukraine can defend its civilian population from what he called “ballistic terror.”

Russia Escalates Air War as Battlefield Progress Stalls

Russia’s defense ministry described Monday’s operation as a “massive” attack using long-range, high-precision weapons launched from the air, land, and sea, targeting military and energy infrastructure in Kyiv and surrounding regions, as well as military airfields across several Ukrainian oblasts.

Moscow has intensified its air campaign this year as its ground offensive has slowed to a near standstill, hampered by Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian military logistics networks and oil infrastructure. Ukraine has recaptured territory in some areas along the 1,200-kilometer frontline, though Russia continues to press toward the strategically important eastern city of Kostiantynivka. Zelenskyy denied Russian claims on Saturday that the city had fallen.

Ukraine Strikes Deep Into Russia

In a significant long-range counterstrike, Kyiv’s military said Monday it had hit three Russian oil refineries, including the country’s largest facility in Omsk — located more than 2,400 kilometers from the Ukrainian border — as well as two so-called shadow fleet vessels in the Sea of Azov. Zelenskyy called the Omsk strike “an important achievement” for Ukraine’s armed forces.