Russia's Drone and Missile Attacks on Ukraine Leave Civilians Dead and Injured

Strategic Insights -

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky began a visit to the UK on Sunday, meeting with King Charles and Sir Keir Starmer, amidst a surge in attacks by Russian drones and missiles on Ukrainian cities. At least 14 civilians were killed and several dozen injured in the attacks, with nine deaths reported in the capital, Kyiv, where a block of flats partially collapsed.

Key Takeaways:

  • Russia fired 352 drones and decoys, as well as 11 ballistic missiles and five cruise missiles, with air defences intercepting or jamming 339 drones and 15 missiles.
  • The attacks occurred nearly a week after a Russian attack killed 28 people in Kyiv, with 23 of them dying in a residential building that collapsed after a direct missile hit.
  • Zelensky said preliminary data indicated that Russian forces used North Korean missiles in the strike on Kyiv, describing the coalition of Russia, North Korea, and Iran as a "coalition of murderers."
  • The Ukrainian leader met privately with King Charles and stayed for lunch at Buckingham Palace, with meetings also planned with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Nato summit in The Hague.
  • The most severe damage was in Shevchenkivskyi district, where part of a five-storey apartment building collapsed, with nine people killed and dozens of vehicles burned or mangled by flying debris.
  • The French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, promised more European sanctions on Moscow, describing the latest strikes as demonstrating "unlimited cruelty" by deliberately aiming at civilian targets.
  • Ukraine's interior minister, Ihor Klymenko, said the country will take at least a year to identify the thousands of soldiers' bodies repatriated by Russia and establish whether Moscow has mistakenly included more of its servicemen.

Statistics:

  • 352: Number of drones and decoys fired by Russia
  • 11: Number of ballistic missiles fired by Russia
  • 5: Number of cruise missiles fired by Russia
  • 339: Number of drones intercepted or jammed by Ukrainian air defences
  • 15: Number of missiles intercepted or jammed by Ukrainian air defences
  • 620: Mileage of the Ukrainian front line
  • 14: Number of civilians killed in the attacks
  • 28: Number of people killed in the previous Russian attack in Kyiv
  • 23: Number of people killed in the residential building that collapsed after a direct missile hit
  • 9: Number of people killed in the Shevchenkivskyi district attack
  • 20: Number of Russian dead soldiers included in recent exchanges with Ukraine

Sources:

  • Reuters
  • The Institute for the Study of War
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement
  • Ukrainian interior minister, Ihor Klymenko's statement
  • French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot's statement