KYIV — Russian drones and ballistic missiles killed four people, including a three-year-old boy, in overnight attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday, as Moscow continued an intensified campaign of air strikes against the Ukrainian capital.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the child and his grandparents were killed when Russian drones struck a house in the village of Puhivka, about 30 km (19 miles) northeast of Kyiv. The boy's parents, 15-year-old brother and a neighbour were wounded, Zelenskiy said.
The attack destroyed the house and damaged other buildings in the Brovarskyi district, according to local officials. Kyiv regional administration head Tymur Tkachenko said strikes were recorded at three locations in the district and damaged 10 private homes as well as commercial and production facilities.
A fourth person was killed in a separate overnight ballistic missile strike on Kyiv, Zelenskiy said. Fires were reported in three districts of the capital, while commercial premises and warehouses were damaged, according to city authorities.
Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched six ballistic missiles and 151 drones during the overnight attack. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted or destroyed 135 of the drones, but no ballistic missiles, the Air Force said.
The latest strikes came as Russia has increased the frequency of attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian officials have warned that shortages of air-defense interceptors, particularly for U.S.-made Patriot systems capable of engaging ballistic missiles, are putting additional pressure on the country's defenses.
Zelenskiy, speaking during a visit to Serbia, called for greater international pressure on Russia and additional air-defense capabilities. He has repeatedly appealed to Western allies for more interceptor missiles as Ukraine seeks to protect its cities and critical infrastructure.
Russia's Defence Ministry did not immediately provide a detailed account of the strikes. Moscow has repeatedly said its forces target military and strategic infrastructure and denies deliberately attacking civilians.
Ukraine has also continued long-range strikes against targets inside Russia. Ukrainian officials said its forces attacked oil facilities in Russia's Krasnodar and Samara regions overnight, while Russian authorities reported casualties following a Ukrainian drone attack in Krasnodar. Those claims could not be independently verified.
The latest Russian strikes underscore the continuing intensity of the air war more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
