Ukraine Destroys 80% of Russian Missiles

Ukraine says it shot down more than three quarters of the missiles launched at the country during Monday's nationwide attack.

According to a post on Telegram by Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk, strikes on several Ukrainian cities commenced on Monday morning.

"Around 10 a.m., the enemy launched a combined missile attack on Ukraine using air-, sea-, and land-based missiles," Oleshchuk said. "According to preliminary data, Russian war criminals launched 38 missiles of various types."

These included one Kinzhal "dagger" missile, four Iskander-M ballistic missiles, 30 cruise missiles, and three guided air missiles.

However, Oleshchuk claimed that the country's anti-aircraft defenses managed to destroy 30 of these missiles before they hit their intended targets.

The intercepted projectiles were the Kinzhal, three Iskanders, 13 of the cruise missiles, and all three guided air missiles.

The Ukrainian emergency services reported that the missiles which made it through Ukraine's defenses struck and destroyed the Okhmatdyt medical center in Kyiv, the country's largest children's hospital.

Other parts of the country were also targeted in the daytime attack, including Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih and the Donetsk oblast.

"This morning once again proved that Russia is a country of terrorists and freaks. Dozens of rockets in cities during rush hour. An attack on the country's largest children's hospital," the emergency services wrote on Telegram.

As of 3:30 p.m., a total of 31 people died in the country-wide assault, with a further 125 injured, according to the Ukrainian emergency services on Telegram.

"There should be no discussion about whether it is possible to strike military facilities on the territory of Russia," Oleshchuk's post continued. "We will take revenge for every Ukrainian."

Last week, Ukrainian Air Force Colonel Serhiy Yaremek told Ukrinform that the country had downed every Kinzhal missile launched at Kyiv since it received its first Patriot missile defense system from the U.S. earlier in the year.

"Since the beginning of May 2023, not a single ballistic [missile] has reached its target in our country's capital. More than 20 Kinzhals were launched at Kyiv and all of them were successfully intercepted," Yaremek said.

The MIM-104 Patriot is manufactured by American defense contractor Raytheon, and is considered one of the most sophisticated systems of its kind in the world.

Since the invasion began in 2022, Zelensky has begged Western powers for help in upgrading Ukraine's air defenses.

In April, the president said that the country required at least seven Patriot systems to protect its cities, scaled back from an earlier request for 25 to "cover Ukraine completely."

The latest assault by Russia, the deadliest in months, will fuel calls for more of these high-tech defenses.

The attack also comes a day before heads of state are scheduled to meet in Washington D.C. for the annual N.A.T.O summit.

Zelensky has already made his expectations for the conference known, and is hoping for attendees to provide "concrete steps" toward strengthening the country's "air defenses, civilian infrastructure, and energy network."

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