At Least 13 Killed in Kyiv as Ukraine Grapples with Air Defence Shortages
BBC News
Image source: Reuters
Image caption: Firefighters battle a blaze at warehouse in Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday
By Imogen James and Harry Sekulich
Published 20 August 2026, 02:43 BST
Updated 10 minutes ago
At least 13 people have been killed and 40 injured in the latest Russian strikes targeting the Ukrainian capital, Ukraine’s prime minister said, as Kyiv continues to face a shortage of air defence missiles. Apartment blocks and warehouses were struck across the city overnight, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS) said, while a children’s hospital and school were also damaged.
The Russian defence ministry claimed it used air, land, and sea-based weapons to target military facilities and warehouses.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the deaths were due to a shortage of air defence missiles, which Kyiv relies on Western allies to supply. He wrote on Telegram:
"As long as Ukraine does not have enough anti-ballistics, Russia will not seriously think about peace."
"The interceptors for the Patriots have not yet been replaced, and they are needed every day. Each additional missile saves the lives of our people."
Ukraine has relied on American supplies of Patriot interceptor missiles to counter Russian ballistic missiles, but the US has been providing Ukraine with fewer of these weapons as it uses its stockpile in the Middle East.
An update from the Ukrainian Air Force early Thursday morning indicated that none of the Russian ballistic missiles launched during the night were intercepted.
Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that his country "can’t do anything" without the interceptors, describing cities as "absolutely unprotected" from ballistic missile attacks:
"Russia is using this trying to destroy as much infrastructure as possible."
"For us it’s very painful because we are dying here every day without these interceptors."
Zelensky’s renewed plea for more military aid comes amid a direct political challenge from popular former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who has called for an election and launched a scathing attack on the government, alleging corruption has deprived the military of weapons.
The latest strikes on Kyiv began around midnight local time as air raid sirens sounded across the city, followed by the impact of approximately 20 Russian missiles. The strikes left thousands without power in parts of the Kyiv region.
A day of mourning for those killed during the overnight attacks was declared on Friday.
Russia used 168 drones and 44 missiles in the attack, mainly targeting Kyiv, according to Ukraine’s air force. It added that air defences shot down 146 drones and 39 cruise missiles.
In other parts of the broader Kyiv region, an attack in Brovary and Boryspil districts resulted in one death and seven injuries. One person was killed and 11 injured in Donetsk Oblast, according to a local official.
In Russia, the defence ministry claimed that 726 Ukrainian drones had been shot down after being launched at various regions across the country. Romania’s defence ministry reported that a drone crossed into its territory at the northern border with Ukraine, triggering an air alert siren before crashing into an "uninhabited area."
