Russia pounds Kyiv, kills 10; Ukraine appeals for Patriot interceptors

KYIV, Aug 1:Russia pounded Kyiv and the region in a heavy ballistic missile attack early on Saturday, killing 10 people, as President VolodymyrZelensky warned that Ukraine had run out of interceptor missiles for its US Patriot air defence systems.

Zelensky said that Russia launched 35 missiles at Ukraine, including 27 ballistic missiles, and also 185 drones. Only one ballistic missile was intercepted, "simply because there are no interceptors for the Patriot system", he said.

More than a dozen explosions reverberated through the city during several waves of attacks, according to Reuters witnesses.
"Every package of ballistic missile interceptors saves the lives of our people. And every night without them results in more casualties," Zelensky said on the Telegram app.

With the war in its fifth year, fighting is raging along about 1,200 kilometres (750 miles) of front line. But Russian advances have slowed by more than half this year, and Ukraine has been launching strikes inside Russia hitting its oil facilities, logistics sites and weapons production.

Ukraine was bringing back war to Russia, Zelensky said, adding that his troops struck the infrastructure of three oil refineries in the Bashkortostan region and other targets that sustained Moscow's war effort.

Russia has also intensified its attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. Ukraine relies on US-made Patriot air defence systems, but the Iran war has seen supplies of interceptor missiles previously earmarked for Ukraine diverted to the US military and US allies in the Gulf.�" REUTERS