Russia launched intense airstrikes on Kyiv, but Ukraine failed to intercept any missiles.
Ukrainian authorities reported that on the night of August 4th and the early morning of August 5th, Russia launched missile and drone attacks on the capital Kyiv and surrounding areas, killing at least 17 people and injuring dozens more. However, Ukrainian air defenses were unable to intercept any of the missiles in this attack.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched a total of 115 UAVs overnight, 98 of which were shot down. However, preliminary figures indicate that all the missiles used in the attack bypassed Ukraine's air defense system.
Explosions were recorded in Kyiv shortly after midnight, following warnings from the Ukrainian air force about the risk of cruise and ballistic missile attacks. By dawn, black smoke and a strong burning smell still covered many areas of the capital due to fires caused by the attacks in multiple locations. Local authorities confirmed that the attacks injured more than 40 people in the capital and surrounding areas.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that 17 people were killed in the attack, while emphasizing that interceptor missiles intended for the Patriot air defense system "could have saved the lives of those killed." He went on to call on allies to increase air defense capabilities, particularly with US-made interceptor missiles.
Ukraine said the main targets of the attack were warehouses and logistics centers, in addition to some infrastructure and railway stations. A local official said eight people were killed in the raid on a train station east of Kyiv.
Epicentr's chain of logistics centers was also hit by gunfire, resulting in one distribution center being completely destroyed by fire and one employee killed. Additionally, three workers at a postal sorting center were killed in the attack.
On the Russian side, the Ministry of Defense stated that the attacks targeted transportation, logistics, and distribution centers in Kyiv and the Kyiv region, which are believed to store and transport weapons and military equipment, and are involved in the production and distribution of drones for the Ukrainian army.
This attack comes amid a significant increase in Russian airstrikes on Ukraine's capital in recent months. These attacks are typically short but intense, involving multiple ballistic missiles that are considered difficult to intercept. Data from the Ukrainian air force shows Moscow launched a record number of missiles into Ukraine last July.
President Zelensky had previously repeatedly warned that Ukraine was facing a serious shortage of air defense systems, particularly the US-made Patriot systems to counter ballistic missiles.
Conversely, logistics facilities on Russian territory continue to be targets of attacks from Ukraine. The logistics network of Wildberries – one of Russia's largest e-commerce platforms – is believed to have been attacked around 12 times since mid-July, killing at least eight people and significantly disrupting its goods storage capacity. Kyiv accuses the e-commerce giant of storing drone components and providing support to the Russian military.