Ukraine downs five Russian ballistic missiles as Kyiv warehouses burn

Ukraine said it intercepted five Russian ballistic missiles, though other missiles and drones struck Kyiv overnight. The attack underscored Kyiv's urgent push for stronger air defences before winter.

In Short

• Fires broke out at two warehouses and a school was damaged
• Air force said debris fell across ten places after overnight strikes
• Patriot systems likely stopped missiles but ammunition shortages remain a concern

Ukraine said its air defences intercepted five Russian ballistic missiles in overnight attacks, although other missiles and drones got through and struck Kyiv. The attacks caused fires at two warehouses in the capital and damaged a school, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Russia said the strike targeted military manufacturing facilities in Kyiv that produce long-range missiles and drones. The overnight attacks came as Ukraine pushed to strengthen its air defence network before winter and continued its own long-range strikes on Russian targets, especially oil facilities.

Ukraine's air force said it was the first time in almost two weeks that the country had downed Russian ballistic missiles, which are harder to stop than drones or cruise missiles. It said one ballistic missile and 25 drones struck 17 locations, while falling debris was reported in 10 places.

Ukrainian air defences likely used the US-made Patriot surface-to-air guided missile system, which is considered the most effective way to counter ballistic missiles. But ammunition for the system has been in short supply amid the Iran war.

Ukraine has been seeking to reinforce its air defence shield as another winter approaches, with much of the country vulnerable to Russian missile attacks that have repeatedly hit the power grid since Moscow's invasion in February 2022. In a move seen as important for Kyiv's air defence effort, nine other countries joined Ukraine in a coalition announced on Monday to build a shared ballistic missile shield for Europe.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine and its partners could jointly develop a mass-produced, low-cost system within the next 12 months. Zelenskyy was still in Paris on Tuesday after attending France's annual Bastille Day celebrations. At last week's NATO summit, President Donald Trump said the US would give Ukraine a licence to make Patriot systems itself. However, the systems are expensive, in high demand and take a long time to produce, meaning any Ukrainian-made units are likely to take at least a few years to be ready for deployment.

At the same time, Ukraine kept up its long-range attacks on Russian territory. In Russia's southern Krasnodar region, local authorities said an attack caused a fire at the Afipsky Oil Refinery, which was later put out. Unconfirmed media reports said an oil refinery in Salavat in the Bashkortostan region, about 1,400 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, was also hit. Bashkortostan head Radiy Khabirov confirmed an attack on an industrial area in Salavat but did not specify what was struck.

The Russian Defence Ministry said its air defences intercepted 288 Ukrainian drones overnight over several Russian regions, as well as the illegally annexed Crimea peninsula and the Azov and Black seas. Moscow is seeking to curb Ukrainian strikes on oil facilities deep inside Russia, which Western analysts say have caused serious fuel shortages and affected the Russian army's advance on the front line in Ukraine. Overall, the latest exchanges underlined both Russia's continued pressure on Kyiv and Ukraine's attempts to improve its air defences while maintaining strikes on targets inside Russia.

With PTI Inputs

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