Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked Donald Trump to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine, following a devastating Russian attack that killed at least 18 people and injured dozens more.
According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia launched 73 missiles and 656 drones overnight, including eight hypersonic Tsirkon missiles. The main targets were Kyiv, the central cities of Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia, and the eastern cities of Poltava and Kharkiv.
Loud explosions shook the capital as residents took shelter in basements, hallways, and metro stations. Black smoke rose over the city. Officials said six people were killed and 66 injured, including three children.
[Image description: People look through the shattered windows of their apartments in Kharkiv. Photo: Pavlo Pakhomenko/NurPhoto/Shutterstock]
“This was a large-scale attack and a completely clear statement from Russia,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “If Ukraine is not protected from ballistic and other missile strikes, these attacks will continue.
“Europe needs its own anti-ballistic missiles so this war can finally end. And we definitely need help from the United States in supplying missiles like Patriots. We count on our partners’ support and effective responses to today’s strike.”
Ukraine’s president has repeatedly said the country is running out of Patriot interceptors supplied by the US. These are the only air defense system capable of stopping fast-moving enemy ballistic missiles. Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted about half of the missiles fired on Tuesday, but more than 30 hit civilian targets.
[Image: Patriot missile defense system graphic]
Last week, Zelenskyy took the unusual step of writing to the White House and Congress asking for help. He described Patriots as a “vital tool” for saving lives. Ballistic missiles, he stressed, were Moscow’s “last major advantage on the battlefield.”
So far, though, the Trump administration has ignored Zelenskyy’s requests. Hundreds of scarce and expensive Patriots were used up in February during the US-Israeli war against Iran.
[Image description: A firefighter puts out a fire at a car dealership in Kyiv. Photo: Tetiana Dzhafarova/AFP/Getty Images]
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said on Tuesday that Russia’s latest strikes showed Vladimir Putin was running out of options. In recent weeks, Ukraine has carried out an increasingly successful aerial campaign using long-range drones, hitting oil refineries and ports in Russia, as well as a key land corridor linking occupied southern Ukraine to Crimea.
“Putin is a war criminal and a loser who has no cards left except terror,” he said. “Moscow is losing on the battlefield. No number of missiles can change that.”
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At least 12 people were killed and 37 injured in Dnipro. Among the dead was a three-year-old boy who was buried when a four-story residential building collapsed. Six people were missing under the rubble. A rescuer was also killed in a second “double-tap” strike.
Dnipro’s mayor, Borys Filatov, accused Moscow of deliberately using cluster munitions in populated areas to cause more civilian casualties. He posted a photo on Telegram showing holes torn in a road.
[Image description: A photo posted on Telegram by Dnipro’s mayor, Borys Filatov, showing what he says are cluster bomb impacts. Photo: @borys_filatovv/Telegram]
“Almost all of you have seen the photos of the horror those bastards have caused again in Dnipro. Just look down at your feet. The entire tarmac is shattered,” he wrote.
The regional governor, Oleksandr Hanzha, posted pictures on social media of heavily damaged residential buildings, burnt-out cars, and a destroyed children’s playground. Nearly half of those wounded were being treated in hospital for fractures, shrapnel wounds, and cuts.
[Image description: A resident inspects a destroyed car at the site of a Russian strike in Dnipro. Photo: Reuters]
In Kharkiv, at least 14 people were injured, and residential homes, garages, and cars were damaged.
Another air alert followed.Later Tuesday morning, explosions rang out across Kyiv, forcing residents back into shelters. Ukrainian writer and blogger Illia Ponomarenko compared the city’s relentless bombardment to the German V2 rocket attacks on London during World War II. He said the “senseless and futile killings” would not bring Putin victory.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, reported that a missile strike on a 24-story apartment building caused a collapse. Other buildings, including a nine-story apartment block, caught fire. “In the Obolon district, cars are burning after being hit by falling missile debris. There are also fires in two open areas, one near a kindergarten,” Klitschko said.
In the Podilskyi district, the upper floors of a nine-story building were partially damaged, trapping people under the rubble. Rescue operations continued into the early morning, even as the air raid alert remained active.
Olena Dniprovska, 65, and her husband, Yevhen, 64, were injured in their apartment in Kyiv’s Podilskyi district during the attack. “I went into the hallway with my phone, and before I knew what happened, everything fell on my head—the glass, and the door blew off,” Dniprovska told the Associated Press, with dried blood on her face and a bandage around her chin. “I ran to the front door and started calling for my husband from the room, but the blast wave had blown him out too,” she said. “Now I have nowhere to live. The apartment is completely destroyed—no doors, no windows, no balcony. You can step straight from the room onto the street.”
Electricity was cut off for 140,000 residents of the capital, according to power company DTEK, which told Reuters that utility workers had restored power to 110,000 residents, and two of its engineers were injured.
On Monday, Zelenskyy repeated warnings of a potentially major attack and urged residents to pay close attention to air raid alerts. “Intelligence warnings about Russian strikes are still in effect. A massive strike is possible; they have prepared one,” Ukraine’s president said in his nightly video address. “Our defenders are ready 24/7, as much as possible with the supplies we currently have.”
Last week, Russia said it planned to launch “systematic strikes” on targets in Kyiv linked to the Ukrainian military, as well as decision-making centers, and urged foreigners to leave. This followed a drone strike on a dormitory in the Russian-held Luhansk region of Ukraine, which killed 21 people. Ukraine said it had targeted a drone command center.
Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about President Zelenskyys request for missiles from President Trump following Russian strikes on Ukraine
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 What happened Why is Zelenskyy asking for missiles now
After a series of heavy Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure President Zelenskyy has publicly asked former President Trump to provide more advanced missiles to help defend Ukraine and strike back at Russian forces
2 What kind of missiles is he asking for
He is specifically asking for longrange missiles most notably ATACMS These can hit targets deep inside Russiancontrolled territory like airfields and supply depots which are used to launch attacks on Ukraine
3 Isnt the US already sending weapons to Ukraine
Yes but the request is for specific longrange weapons that the US has been hesitant to provide fearing escalation with Russia Zelenskyy argues these are necessary to stop the daily terror attacks on civilians
4 Why is he asking Donald Trump specifically
Zelenskyy is addressing Trump because Trump is the current Republican presidential nominee and could become the next US president Zelenskyy is trying to secure a commitment from a potential future administration as continued US support is critical for Ukraines defense
AdvancedLevel Questions
5 What is the difference between the missiles Ukraine already has and the ATACMS they are asking for
Ukraine has shorterrange missiles ATACMS have a range of about 190 miles which is nearly four times farther This would allow Ukraine to strike Russian command centers logistics hubs and air bases deep behind the front lines disrupting the entire Russian offensive
6 What are the main arguments against sending these missiles
The main concern is escalation The US worries that if Ukraine uses USsupplied longrange missiles to hit targets deep inside Russia Moscow could view it as a direct US attack and retaliate against NATO potentially starting a wider war
7 Has the US changed its policy on this yet
As of now the Biden administration has sent some ATACMS but with restrictions They have not allowed their use to strike deep inside
