Russian missile, drone barrage kills 17 in Kyiv region as Ukraine steps up strikes inside Russia

A massive Russian missile and drone barrage on Kyiv and the surrounding region killed at least 17 people and injured 44 others overnight, Ukrainian authorities said on Wednesday, as Russia and Ukraine intensified long-range strikes amid stalled peace efforts.

The attack, which lasted about two hours, damaged a railway station, warehouses, a brewery, construction material facilities and a postal sorting centre, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Russia's Defence Ministry, however, said the facilities were linked to Ukraine's military logistics and drone production, denying that it had deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure.

The latest strike comes as Ukraine grapples with a worsening shortage of interceptor missiles for its US-made Patriot air defence systems, the only weapons in its arsenal capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.

Zelenskyy said deliveries of air defence missiles in the first half of 2026 had fallen to about one-third of last year's level and urged Kyiv's allies to accelerate supplies.

"Ballistic interceptors are what could have saved the lives of those killed today," he said, adding that delays in supplying missiles and anti-ballistic systems were directly contributing to civilian casualties and destruction.

According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia launched 24 ballistic missiles, four additional missiles identified as either hypersonic Zircon or supersonic Oniks missiles, and 115 drones, many of them jet-powered and more difficult to intercept.

The Russian Defence Ministry said it had struck transport, logistics and distribution centres involved in supporting Ukraine's military, including four facilities in Kyiv.

Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelenskyy, alleged that Russia's campaign had entered a new phase in which civilian infrastructure was being targeted indiscriminately.

Ukraine's largest private postal operator, Nova Poshta, said one of its sorting centres in Kyiv was destroyed by a Russian cluster munition. Russia claimed the facility stored dual-use goods, including components used in drone and electronic warfare systems.

One of the worst-hit businesses was Epicentr, one of Ukraine's largest retail and construction chains, which said Russian missiles destroyed infrastructure built over decades. The company said one employee was killed and three others injured. Moscow claimed the facility processed goods used in drone production.

Warehouse worker Mykhailo Hukov said an air raid warning shortly after midnight prompted workers to evacuate before powerful explosions shook the area.

"So everyone started running," he said. "Minutes later, in the shelter, we heard very loud explosions."

Truck driver Ivan Braga from Moldova said he narrowly escaped after shrapnel struck his vehicle.

"We didn't even have time to grab our documents," he said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine continued its campaign of long-range drone strikes inside Russia.

Ukrainian drones struck a warehouse belonging to Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, in the Tula region south of Moscow. According to Ukrainian officials, it was the 14th Wildberries warehouse to catch fire in less than three weeks. Kyiv alleges the company supplies goods that can be used by the Russian military.

Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences intercepted 475 Ukrainian drones overnight across 16 regions, as well as over annexed Crimea and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.

The ministry also claimed Russian forces struck three cargo vessels south of Odesa that were allegedly transporting military equipment for Ukraine, though Kyiv did not immediately comment on the claim.