At least 17 people were killed and more than 40 injured after another horrific night of Russian attacks on Kyiv, with Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying that "ballistic missile interceptors could have saved the lives of those killed today," reports infohub.kz.
"It is very important for partners to realise that delays in their deliveries or failure to provide anti-ballistic measures lead to such terrible casualties and destruction," he said on social media. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko earlier warned that "there may still be people under the rubble."
Ukraine has for months been warning about its shortages of anti-ballistic measures, urging allies to increase their deliveries after the US president, Donald Trump, backtracked on his promise to let Ukraine manufacture Patriot missiles locally.
"Partners who are not yet ready to play a more active role in supplying interceptors can help by implementing new sanctions. A significant share of Russia's ballistic missile production is still not under sanctions. Even now. New steps are needed – from the G7, the European Union, and everyone who supports the protection of life," Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine's air force said it shot down 98 of the 115 drones fired by Russia overnight, but was unable to shoot down any of the missiles, preliminary statistics showed. Kyiv can intercept the vast majority of drones, but still relies on supplies from allies to counter missiles, AFP noted.
Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha responded to the latest overnight attacks, saying that "Russian strikes take no summer vacation." "Support for Ukraine and pressure on the aggressor must not pause either. Every interceptor counts," he said. "They are life-saving tools, and I urge all partners to expedite all relevant decisions. Russia's ability to produce these tools of ballistic terror must be disrupted. Additional, tough sanctions are critical and urgent."
Elsewhere, large parts of Europe will face another day of extreme temperatures after multiple records were broken in central and eastern parts of the continent yesterday. The Czech city of Plzeň reported an all-time high of 41.5°C, with the Slovak capital Bratislava recording an August high of 40.8°C. Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia will all see temperatures in high 30s and possibly into low 40s today, worsening the already tricky drought and energy crunch situation.