Zelenskyy seeks NATO support, more Patriot missiles from US as Russian launches fresh strikes on Kyiv | World

At least 11 people, including a child, were wounded in Russian strikes that targeted Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said the strikes were conducted by Russian military using overnight missiles and drones.

In response, the Ukrainian forces targeted Russian vessels in the Azov sea, which damaged 21 tankers, Ukrainian forces said in a statement. They detailed the attack on the Russian commercial and auxiliary fleets, stating that the goal of the operation was to degrade the “military-economic potential of the Russian aggressor.”

“Thus, 21 tankers of the Russian Federation were hit,” Ukraine’s General Staff said. “The tankers are used to transport oil and petroleum products bypassing international sanctions, providing funds to finance the armed aggression against Ukraine.”

Russia’s attack on Kyiv

Russia fired around 12 missiles, including six ballistic ones, along with 121 drones at Ukraine overnight, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. 

Most of the drones and some of the missiles were intercepted, he added, but none of the ballistic missiles were shot down, a gap he pointed to again as evidence of Ukraine’s ongoing air defence shortfalls.

“We expect our partners to deliver on their promises regarding support packages agreed at the NATO Summit to help protect our people. We must move as swiftly as possible on licensing agreements for Patriots and the joint European anti-ballistic defense project. Currently, the top priority for all our institutions is to make this happen,” he said on X. 

Russia’s strikes on Solomianskyi, Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi

Explosions and fires were reported across Kyiv’s Solomianskyi, Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts. In Solomianskyi district, a strike ignited a blaze in a three-storey building, while another warehouse caught fire in the Dniprovskyi district after it was hit.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had struck drone production facilities in Kyiv, along with the ports of Izmail and Chornomorsk in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region. 

It also said Russian air defences shot down 178 Ukrainian drones overnight across eight regions, as well as over Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas.

What was Ukraine’s response?

Separately, Ukrainian forces struck Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov, damaging 21 tankers used to transport oil and petroleum products, Ukraine’s General Staff said in a statement. 

Four tugboats, two cargo ships, and a dredging vessel were also damaged in the attack, which took place overnight. These were used by the Russian forces for military logistics.

Why do the tankers matter for Russia?

Ukrainian military officials stated the targeted vessels were being utilised to transport oil products and support military logistics. 

The tankers hit in the Sea of Azov are reportedly believed to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” vessels with murky ownership and disabled tracking used to move oil amidst the sanctions imposed since 2022.

(Written by Bhavye Dhalla. He is an intern with IndiaTV Digital.)

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