Russia Targets Kyiv With Ballistic Missiles As Zelenskyy Awaits US Patriot Decision
by RFE/RL · Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty · JoinRussia targeted the Ukrainian capital with ballistic missiles early on August 1, even as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed for Washington to grant licenses for Kyiv to produce its own Patriot air defense missiles amid apparent renewed reluctance by US President Donald Trump.
Emergency services in Kyiv said at least nine people were killed and 23 injured in a Russian missile strike and that several people were trapped inside a partially collapsed building in the capital.
“Explosions in the city. Kyiv under ballistic attack. Stay under cover!” Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko wrote on Telegram as the attacks struck.
Reuters cited witnesses as saying more than a dozen explosions were heard throughout the city in the early morning hours.
Moscow has stepped up its missile attacks on the capital as Ukraine faces severe shortages of air defense assets capable of downing high-speed ballistic missiles.
Zelenskyy's Pleas
Zelenskyy has issued repeated calls for Western allies to send additional military aid and urged Washington to follow through on its vow to make licenses available for Ukraine to produce Patriot air defense systems.
Zelenskyy on July 9 said Kyiv and Washington had reached agreement on licenses for production of PAC-3 Patriot interceptors, adding that parts for the missiles were expected to arrive in the next few days.
However, Trump on July 31 downplayed earlier suggestions that Washington was ready to grant Kyiv a license to produce Patriot missiles itself.
“These weapons are incredible. We have to be very careful about letting somebody build them," Trump told reporters at a Cabinet meeting at Camp David, adding that his administration has "not agreed" to that yet.
"We're talking about it. But it's a hard thing to give away that kind of technology," he said.
Zelenskyy returned to Kyiv from Washington, where the two leaders had discussed the possibility during what was described as a "good" meeting at the White House.
Writing on Telegram on July 31 after a phone call with US Vice President JD Vance, Zelenskyy said that "as Russia's air attacks on our country continue unabated, air defense -- specifically Patriot interceptors against ballistic missiles -- remains a top priority."
'Enormous Tragedy'
The latest attacks on Kyiv come after devastating Russian strikes elsewhere in Ukraine.
Reporting from the village of Radushne in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region on July 31, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service captured local residents mourning members of a family that had been almost entirely wiped out by a stunning Russian missile attack the previous day.
"This is an enormous tragedy for all of us, for our entire community," a neighbor of the family named Luchia said, as six of the family's 10 members were killed when the missile destroyed their home.
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Wildberries Facilities Hit
On July 31, Ukrainian drones continued to attack targets in Russia, including additional facilities belonging to the country's largest online retailer, Wildberries, with regional officials and monitoring channels on Telegram reporting strikes in at least two regions.
The retailer said the strikes sparked a fire at its warehouse in the Volgograd region, reporting no injuries following the attack.
Another attack on a Wildberries facility was reported in Zelenodolsk in Russia's oil-rich Republic of Tatarstan. According to videos published online, the strike caused minor smoke, but no large-scale fire broke out.
Local residents also reported explosions in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, while the republic's authorities said temporary restrictions had been imposed at airports in the region amid a drone alert, adding that no damage or casualties had been reported.
Reuters quoted Wildberries founder and CEO Tatyana Kim on July 31 as calling the Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian online retailer amount to "acts of terrorism" against civilians that affect millions of people in Russia and other countries.
Ukraine said it targeted Wildberries because of its role in providing supplies to the Russian military.
Kim claimed the company was no different than major global e-commerce platforms such as Amazon or Alibaba.
Struggling Peace Talks
The White House has increasingly sought a negotiated solution to end the war in Ukraine since early 2025, when Trump took office. However, despite a number of meetings held over the past year, Kyiv and Moscow remain far apart in their negotiating terms.
As the Kremlin is sticking to its hard-line position, demanding, among other things, full control over Ukraine's key eastern Donetsk region, during a July 31 meeting at Camp David, Trump said both sides "are going to have to make concessions" to end the more than 4-year-old war.
Russia Targets Kyiv With Ballistic Missiles As Zelenskyy Awaits US Patriot Decision
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