KYIV: Russia fired more than 30 missiles at Kyiv early on Thursday, the largest attack on the Ukrainian capital in weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed retribution for escalating strikes on Russia’s border regions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the West to deliver air defence systems after the attacks, which wounded 17 in Kyiv and the surrounding region.

A later missile strike on the southern city of Mykolaiv killed one woman and injured six when it hit an industrial site, Ukraine’s emergency services agency said. “Such terror continues every day and night,” Zelensky said in a Telegram post.

“It is possible to put an end to it through global unity... Russian terrorists do not have missiles capable of bypassing Patriot and other leading world systems,” he said.

“This protection is required in Ukraine now. From Kyiv to Kharkiv, Sumy to Kherson, and Odesa to the Donetsk region. This is entirely possible if our partners demonstrate sufficient political will.” For weeks a vital $60 billion US military aid package for Ukraine has been blocked in Congress amid domestic political arguments. Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 31 Russian missiles fired towards Kyiv.

Ukraine’s military intelligence unit said the missiles had been targeted at its facilities in the capital, local media reported, citing a spokesperson.

Local officials said falling debris from the missiles injured 17 people — 13 in Kyiv and four in the surrounding region. The air force said Russia fired two Iskander ballistic missiles and 29 cruise missiles, launched from strategic bombers.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2024