Russia launched a deadly wave of ballistic missiles and drones across Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday. The attacks, which focused on the capital city of Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk province, and the western city of Lviv, killed at least eight civilians, including children and a family of five, and wounded more than 50 others. Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents of Kyiv to seek shelter as the blitz expanded Russia's almost daily bombardment of Ukrainian cities.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously warned that Russia had prepared a massive attack, citing air force reports and stating that Moscow had been planning the operation for several days. In response to the strikes, Kyiv bombed a Russian logistics center.
During the strikes on western Ukraine, an unidentified object believed to be a missile entered Polish airspace before disappearing from radar. While Russian missiles have briefly entered Polish territory in the past, officials noted that a missile has never hit Poland itself.
President Zelenskyy attributed the destruction to untimely assistance and delays in the delivery of anti-ballistic missiles. Returning from the US, he stated that Ukraine's safety depends on the willingness of allies to provide anti-missile defenses, as Kyiv continues to push for additional Patriot interceptor missiles to counter the surge in Russian ballistic attacks.