Russian attacks escalate as EU defence ministers meet in Ireland to discuss Ukraine air defence shortages.
Published On 1 Sep 2026
At least 12 people have been killed and 21 wounded in a wave of Russian air attacks on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and the surrounding region, authorities said.
“Kyiv region came under a massive attack by Russian missiles and strike drones tonight,” Kyiv regional military administration chief Tymur Tkachenko said on Telegram on Tuesday.
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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced “Russian terror” and said an Indian citizen was among the dead, calling on allies to boost Ukraine’s air defences.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least eight people were killed and five others, including two children, were injured during the overnight drone and missile attacks on the city.
Another four people were killed in the Kyiv region, Ukrainian prosecutors announced, saying a residential building was damaged in the suburb of Boryspil.
Zelenskyy said 50 people were evacuated from the building in Boryspil.
“Russia always plans its strikes specifically to cause as much destruction to people’s lives as possible, and it succeeds only when air defence capabilities are insufficient,” he said on social media.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said it hit military and energy facilities in Kyiv and Odesa, as well as regions surrounding these cities overnight.
Ukraine’s border service also said Russian forces hit the ferry checkpoint at Orlivka on the border with Romania, a NATO member.
Ukraine targets Russian port
In Russia, a Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire in the port area of Ust-Luga, a major export outlet in the northwest, and Moscow was repelling drones.
In the Samara region, a Ukrainian drone attack hit the town of Novokuibyshevsk, blowing out windows in an apartment building, Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said on Telegram.
Novokuibyshevsk and the surrounding area on the Volga River are home to a number of Russia’s major oil refineries run by the state oil company Rosneft.
The acting governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said a Ukrainian attack killed one person.
Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately attacking civilians.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Drone Forces commander says it hit 54 Russian “shadow fleet” vessels in August to prevent illegal oil sales funding Russia’s war in Ukraine.
EU meeting
The attacks come as European Union defence and foreign ministers gather in Ireland for talks on strengthening Ukraine’s air defences.
Ukraine faces a shortage of interceptor missiles, particularly United States-made Patriot systems used against ballistic threats.
Both sides have escalated long-range strikes in recent months, hitting infrastructure such as warehouses, businesses, and oil and port facilities, as well as ships, increasing civilian casualties.
