Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted 175 Russian aerial targets overnight, but President Volodymyr Zelensky said ballistic missiles remain a major challenge as Kyiv steps up efforts to secure additional interceptors and develop its FREYJA anti-ballistic system.
In a Telegram post on Tuesday, Sept. 8, Zelensky said the overnight Russian attack combined ballistic and cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles and Shahed drones, in what he described as a complex assault designed to inflict maximum damage.
“Despite very good results with cruise missiles, it is especially difficult with ballistics,” Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine continues to need additional interceptors.
He said Ukraine had already raised the issue with its US and European partners.
“We have already talked about this with the Americans and Europeans, and there will be more meetings, in particular today, with representatives of states and companies that can help with supplies and with our FREYJA anti-ballistic system,” Zelensky said.
“Thank you to all our partners who make air defense assistance to Ukraine a priority. This directly means saving people’s lives,” he added.
Russian attack causes damage across Ukraine
The overnight attack targeted Kyiv and several other Ukrainian regions.
In Kyiv and the surrounding region, emergency crews continued working on Tuesday to clear the aftermath. Zelensky said residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure sustained significant damage.
Thirteen people were rescued by State Emergency Service (DSNS) workers, while 10 people in Kyiv were reported injured. Two people were killed, Zelensky said.
Critical infrastructure was also targeted in the Kyiv region.
In the Odesa region, a regular market was struck. Additionally, two people were wounded in Kharkiv, where an apartment building was damaged.
In the Sumy region, Russian forces attacked a diesel locomotive of the Kyiv-Sumy train at a railway station. No one was injured, but an evacuation was underway, Zelensky said.
Strikes were also reported in Zaporizhzhia and the Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Failed pause
Russia’s three-day pause on strikes against Kyiv appeared to unravel hours before its stated deadline on Monday, as Russian drones were detected over the capital while US envoys were still in Kyiv seeking to revive peace talks.
On Monday, at 8:45 p.m, Ukraine’s Air Force warned of a Russian jet-powered drone over Kyiv and several others approaching the capital – more than three hours before Moscow’s stated 11:59 p.m. deadline.
The attacks intensified overnight, with explosions heard across Kyiv at around 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday after authorities issued an air raid alert and warned of a missile threat.
Russian drones also struck the Boryspil and Fastiv districts of the Kyiv region. Fires broke out at industrial facilities in Boryspil, seven trucks were destroyed, and a logistics complex was hit twice, according to Ukraine’s DSNS.
Limited ceasefire
Russian state news agency TASS reported that the three-day suspension ordered by President Vladimir Putin had expired. Russian accounts said the pause began at midnight between Friday and Saturday and was to last until 11:59 p.m. on Monday.
The halt was limited largely to Kyiv and Moscow rather than being a broader ceasefire. Russian attacks elsewhere in Ukraine continued throughout the weekend.
Putin announced the pause as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Moscow and Kyiv as part of Washington’s latest push to revive negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The temporary lull followed more than eight consecutive days of Russian drone and missile attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region, putting further strain on Ukraine’s air defenses.
During their meeting in Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky joked about the apparent effect of the envoys’ visit on the capital’s security.
“Today, you worked even better than the Patriot systems for our citizens here in the capital,” Zelensky told Witkoff and Kushner, urging them to visit more often.