Zelenskyy: More Than 100 Ballistic Missiles Targeted Kyiv in Two Weeks
Key Facts
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 100 ballistic missiles at Kyiv and the Kyiv region over two weeks, from October 14 through October 27. The figure puts the capital and its surrounding area in the path of a sustained wave of missile attacks, according to a tally announced by Zelenskyy. He said his country does not have enough Patriot missiles to counter ballistic missiles. He added that delays in air-defense packages make them harder to intercept, with supplies heavily constrained. "We do not have enough missiles for Patriot systems," he said, adding that air-defense packages were also delayed.
Zelenskyy said the attacks damaged residential buildings, a metro station and metro lines in Kyiv. They also targeted the Southern Bridge, which he described as one of the city's main logistics arteries. The reported damage shows the attacks' effects extending to transport and housing facilities, alongside what he said about strikes on energy facilities, logistics infrastructure and civilian areas. He said the latest attacks included Kyiv and 11 Ukrainian regions. These incidents put the defense of infrastructure and logistics services among the things Ukraine is trying to protect, he said.
In the attack on the night of October 27, Zelenskyy said Russia launched 16 ballistic missiles and more than 280 drones across 11 Ukrainian regions. The Associated Press reported that ballistic missiles damaged the grounds of a university in Kyiv, killing one person and injuring 12 others, according to city officials. Ukraine's air force said in preliminary figures that it intercepted two ballistic missiles and neutralized 255 drones. The figures show the difference between the scale of the attack and what Ukrainian forces said they managed to intercept or neutralize. Energy facilities, logistics infrastructure and civilian areas were among the targets Zelenskyy said were hit.
The October 27 attack followed a large assault on Kyiv on October 22, when Zelenskyy said 21 ballistic missiles reached the capital in three waves. The Associated Press reported that the strikes hit residential buildings, energy facilities, a railway station, the metro system, shopping centers and businesses. Ukraine said three of the 21 missiles carried cluster munitions. The attacks reported by the Associated Press came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed "in principle" to resume trilateral talks, and killed at least four people and injured dozens in Ukraine. Zelenskyy said Russia carried out 170 strikes on critical energy facilities from October 11 through October 22.
In the attack on the night of October 19, Ukraine said Russia launched 16 ballistic missiles at Kyiv and the surrounding region, and more than 200 drones across the country. Zelenskyy said the attack cut power to more than half a million homes and damaged more than 10 energy facilities. The tally adds a direct measure of the strikes' effect on electricity supplies, alongside reported damage to transport facilities and buildings. The figures for October 19, 22 and 27 fall within the period from which Zelenskyy counted more than 100 ballistic missiles launched at Kyiv and the region. Air-defense supplies, Zelenskyy said, remain constrained and delayed as the country faces repeated attacks.
Zelenskyy said his country expects a trilateral meeting at the team level between Ukraine, the United States and Russia in the first half of November. The expected meeting was announced after reports that Putin had agreed in principle to resume trilateral talks. Zelenskyy did not give a specific date for the meeting in his statement, but set its timeframe as the first half of the month. At the same time, he said delays in air-defense packages and supply constraints make it difficult to counter ballistic missiles. The next meeting, according to his announcement, is to be held at the team level.