Russia launches ballistic missile strikes on Ukrainian cities killing five
Russia conducted ballistic missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, resulting in at least five deaths.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Russia launched a major ballistic missile attack on Ukrainian cities on Monday, killing at least five people and wounding dozens more, according to Ukrainian officials. The strikes targeted the capital, Kyiv, and the eastern city of Kharkiv, with reports of multiple waves of missiles and drones over several hours.
In Kyiv, the mayor reported that at least three people were killed and several were trapped under rubble after a five-storey building was hit by falling rocket debris. The attack involved around 20 ballistic missiles and 10 hypersonic missiles fired in under an hour, according to Ukrainian sources. One missile struck the entrance of the Lukianivska metro station, sending dust and debris into the underground passage where people were sheltering. A large logistics hub on the outskirts of the city was also destroyed, requiring more than 200 firefighters and three helicopters to bring the blaze under control.
In Kharkiv, a post office depot was hit, killing at least four people and injuring 19 others. The attacks came as a response to Ukrainian strikes on Saturday against two large warehouses in Russia owned by the online retailer Wildberries, which Kyiv said were involved in supplying sanctioned drone components. Seven people were killed in those strikes.
President Volodymyr Zelensky described the assault as one of the biggest ballistic attacks on the capital since the war began. He said his main priority was securing more anti-ballistic weapons from allies, particularly Patriot interceptor missiles, which are the only system effective against ballistic missiles. However, Ukraine has run out of these interceptors, and a potential deal to allow Ukraine to produce them under license from the United States has been thrown into doubt after President Donald Trump said he was not sure about granting such a license.
The attack also highlighted growing domestic tensions in Ukraine. Days of protests have erupted over President Zelensky's decision to dismiss the popular defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, and calls for the head of the armed forces, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, to be sacked. Demonstrators in Dnipro said the dispute was not just about military strategy but about competing visions for the country's future. Zelensky acknowledged the discontent in his nightly address and met senior military commanders, including one widely tipped as a potential successor to Syrskyi.
Casualty figures varied across reports. Some sources put the overall death toll at 20 with 140 injured, while others gave lower numbers. The discrepancies likely reflect different stages of the attack and ongoing rescue efforts. The United Nations nuclear watchdog said it was monitoring the situation.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC News | Channel 4 | ITV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| About 30 ballistic missiles were launched at Kyiv and none were intercepted. | · | |||
| Ukraine struck two large warehouses in Russia owned by Wildberries, killing seven people. | · | · | ||
| A post office depot in Kharkiv was hit, killing at least four people and injuring 19. | · | · | · | |
| At least six people were killed and dozens injured in a five-hour raid on Kyiv and Kharkiv. | · | · | · | |
| President Trump said he is not sure about letting Ukraine build Patriot missiles. | · | · | · | |
| Russian attacks killed 20 and injured 140 across Ukraine in the past 24 hours. | · | · | · | |
| Ukraine currently lacks the defences to intercept ballistic missiles. | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Channel 4 provided the most detailed on-the-ground reporting, focusing on the human impact of the strikes and the political turmoil inside Ukraine. It included vivid eyewitness accounts and a long analysis of the domestic protests over the defence minister's dismissal, linking the military crisis to broader questions about Ukraine's future.
- “We barely managed to get out. We escaped via the first floor because it was impossible to leave through the entrance.”
- “10 hypersonic missiles and 20 ballistic missiles fired at the city in under an hour.”
- “For the demonstrators, both of those men represent competing visions of what kind of country Ukraine should be into the future.”
ITV1 gave a very brief summary, focusing on the scale of the attack as the biggest since 2022 and explicitly linking it to Ukraine's previous strikes on a Russian retailer. It did not cover domestic protests or provide detailed casualty figures beyond six killed.
- “Russia has carried out the biggest missile strikes on Kiev and Kharkiv since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.”
- “At least six people have been killed and dozens injured during the five-hour raid, according to Ukrainian officials.”
- “The attack came as a response to Ukraine strikes on Russia's largest online retailer on Saturday.”
5 News provided a very short, factual update with a lower death toll of five and 35 wounded. It included President Zelensky's description of the attack as one of the biggest ballistic attacks on the capital since the war began, but offered no further context or analysis.
- “Russia has launched a wave of ballistic missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, killing five people and wounding at least 35.”
- “Ukrainian President Zelensky described it as one of the biggest ballistic attacks on the capital since the war began.”
BBC News focused on the ongoing attack in real time, the lack of Ukrainian defences against ballistic missiles, and the political implications of US President Trump's comments on Patriot missile production. It included expert analysis from a Kyiv-based editor and highlighted the frustration in Ukraine over the missile shortage.
- “Explosions in the city Kiev under ballistic attack stay in cover.”
- “Ukraine desperately needs help from its Western partners to defend against ballistic missiles.”
- “Trump backtracking even on that.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.