President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the United States and European allies to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses after Russia launched a massive overnight missile and drone attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region, killing at least 14 people.
In a Telegram post on Monday, July 6, Zelensky said Russia launched 68 missiles and 351 attack drones overnight.
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
According to the president, 11 people were killed in Kyiv, while three others died in the surrounding Kyiv region. Around 60 people were injured in the capital, while 16 more were reported wounded in the Kyiv region.
Emergency responders rescued 64 people, including two children, from damaged buildings in Kyiv. Damage was recorded at more than 10 locations across the city, including residential buildings.
Zelensky calls for more Patriot interceptors
Zelensky said Ukraine’s air defense forces performed well against Russian drones and cruise missiles but were unable to intercept all ballistic missiles because of a shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles.
“Our warriors showed good results in shooting down drones and cruise missiles today, but unfortunately not Russian ballistic missiles. The reason is the insufficient supply of interceptor missiles,” he said.
“As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies’ warehouses, Russia will continue ‘defeating’ residential buildings. The United States and Europe have enough power to stop this terror.”
Trump Eyes New Ukraine Peace Push With Zelensky Meeting at NATO Summit
Zelensky urged allies to adopt “strong decisions” on strengthening Ukraine’s air defense during the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara.
Hundreds of rescuers respond to attack
Zelensky said rescue and recovery operations continued throughout the day following the overnight strike.
In the Kyiv region, a fire continued to burn at the site of a missile strike in the Kyiv suburb of Vyshneve, where authorities were evacuating residents from nearby homes.
More than 400 emergency service workers and police officers were involved in responding to the aftermath of the attack.
Russia steps up large-scale aerial assaults
Russia has significantly expanded the scale of its combined missile and drone attacks against Ukraine in recent months, increasingly pairing ballistic missiles with hundreds of attack drones in a single overnight assault.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned that while the country has improved its ability to intercept drones and cruise missiles, additional Patriot systems and interceptor missiles remain critical for defending cities against Russian ballistic missile attacks.
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter
