KYIV, Ukraine – Ukraine received no early warning from its partners regarding a Russian ballistic missile strike on Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated Tuesday in a post on X. The attack involved five missiles striking civilian infrastructure within the capital.
Zelenskyy described the barrage on Kyiv as “particularly vile,” emphasizing the critical importance of intelligence from partners on such ballistic missile attacks. He noted that early warnings “helps save lives, and this is one of the most critical issues,” further adding, “This is precisely what helps prevent people from being killed — when there is an early warning about ballistic missiles.” The Ukrainian leader did not attribute blame for the lack of prior notification.
While the war in Ukraine has not seen significant shifts on the ground since last year, Ukraine continues to contend with intensified aerial assaults from Moscow, which include rapid ballistic missiles and high-flying jet-powered drones.
According to Zelenskyy, Russia has launched more than 100 weapons against Ukraine since Monday evening. Among the reported damage, a residential building in the northeastern city of Kharkiv was destroyed, resulting in four fatalities despite an all-night rescue operation. Additionally, 41 people were wounded in Kharkiv in a single evening.
Casualties and damage were also reported in other regions. A woman sustained injuries in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district when a Russian strike hit a private home, as confirmed by the Kyiv city military administration. In the Fastiv district of the Kyiv region, one person was killed and at least two others were hurt in a Russian attack, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the regional military administration. Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi reported that a Russian drone struck a residential building in the village of Murovane, near the western city of Lviv, during a morning attack on Tuesday. In Rivne, northwest Ukraine, 14 people were wounded after a Russian drone hit an educational institution in the city center, said Oleksandr Koval, head of the Rivne regional military administration.
The Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement Tuesday claiming its forces overnight “launched coordinated strikes using ground-based precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles against Ukrainian military-industrial facilities, logistics centers, railway and port infrastructure, as well as vessels involved in delivering military cargo to Ukraine.” The ministry also specified that a bulk carrier en route to the port of Mykolaiv with military cargo was hit in the estuary of the Bug river along the Black Sea.
Russia’s strategy has increasingly involved targeting civilian infrastructure, such as energy facilities, in an effort to deprive Ukrainians of power, heat, and running water during the 4 1/2-year conflict, aiming to erode public support for Ukraine’s defense against Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Zelenskyy commented on Russia’s actions, stating, “These are absolutely clear signals that they have no intention of refraining from strikes on Ukraine.”
Regarding Ukrainian actions, the claim that Ukraine has ceased its strikes on energy sites could not be independently verified. However, neither Russian officials nor media have reported Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries since an energy truce was announced.
Separately, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday that its air defenses overnight shot down 604 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions and the Sea of Azov. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin specified that 417 drones targeted the Moscow region, with most being downed far away and 65 intercepted as they approached the Russian capital. Governor Vladislav Shapsha noted that a school, two private houses, and a car were damaged in an attack in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow.
