Overview
- A large Russian raid that Ukrainian officials say fired 68 missiles and 351 attack drones hit Kyiv in the early hours of Monday, with officials reporting that 23 ballistic missiles struck the city without being intercepted.
- Ukrainian authorities say the failure to stop the ballistic warheads stemmed from a serious shortage of interceptor missiles, especially those used with U.S.-made Patriot batteries, and that the strikes caused dozens of deaths and many injuries.
- Hours after the Kyiv attack, Ukraine launched one of its biggest drone offensives into Russian regions, with Moscow and its mayor reporting more than 400 drones headed toward the Moscow area and Russian forces saying they shot down hundreds.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky has used the strikes to demand concrete NATO commitments at the Ankara summit, pressing allies for immediate interceptor deliveries, licences to produce Patriots in Ukraine, and expanded air-defence support.
- Patriot-style interceptors are among the few reliable counters to high-speed ballistic threats, global stocks are limited by production bottlenecks and other conflicts, and the shortfall raises the risk of further reciprocal escalation and growing civilian harm.