At least 12 people were killed and 40 injured in a series of Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
A boy looks at a damaged residential building following a Russian strike in Kyiv. Photograph: Tetiana Dzhafarova/AFP/Getty Images“It was a massive attack – the Russians had been preparing for a long time, combining different types of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones, aiming to cause as much damage as possible to civilian infrastructure. There is destruction in Kyiv and the region, as well as in the Odesa and Chernihiv regions,” Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The attack will likely draw further attention to Ukraine’s shortage of air defence missiles.
“While Moscow is investing in ballistic missiles and escalation, such strikes do not always receive the response they should from the world. And as long as Ukraine does not have enough anti-ballistic defence, Russia will not consider peace seriously,” Zelenskyy warned this morning.
Pledging with allies to send more Patriot interceptors to help protect Ukraine, he stressed that “every additional missile saves the lives of our people.”
More drone attack warnings from Kyiv were going live this morning.
Responding to the overnight attacks, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko declared Friday a day of mourning in the city.
I will bring you more updates throughout the day.
It’s Thursday, 20 August 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
