Russian attacks kill 17, exploiting Ukraine’s lack of missile interceptors

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Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said on Telegram that cleanup operations were under way following what it described as a “massive attack”, which took place overnight on Tuesday. Among the sites struck were warehouse facilities in the city of Brovary, while a fire broke out at another warehouse in the city of Bucha. Zelenskyy said in a post on X that Russia fired 24 ballistic missiles, four cruise missiles and 115 drones during the assault. He also said such “horrific casualties and destruction” were a direct result of Ukraine’s shortage of missile interceptors. “The main targets of the attack were warehouse facilities belonging to civilian businesses,” Zelenskyy said. “There were also strikes on infrastructure and a railway station. These facilities had nothing to do with the war – a brewing company, construction materials warehouses, and civilian logistics facilities,” he said. “Ballistic missile interceptors could have saved the lives of those killed today. It is very important that our partners understand that delays in supplying them, or an unwillingness to provide anti-ballistic systems, lead directly to such horrific casualties and destruction.” Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelenskyy, accused Moscow of targeting civilian infrastructure in a post on Facebook. “The war of attrition has entered its next phase. The enemy is attacking everything in its path: retail warehouses, food warehouses, logistics hubs, enterprises, and construction material warehouses,” Beskrestnov said. Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera’s Audrey MacAlpine said authorities told her that cluster munitions were used during the attack. “Other things that were hit around this city were Epicentr, which is essentially a Walmart. It carries everything from electronics to gardening equipment; things of that nature. You could hear the first explosions around 12:30am [21:30 GMT, Monday], and with the sheer number of missiles – right around 30 – you can just imagine how the successive booms and bangs could be heard by people living here in the capital,” MacAlpine said. Last week, United States President Donald Trump appeared to backtrack on a promise to grant Kyiv a licence to produce Patriot missile interceptors domestically. However, citing four sources, the Reuters news agency reported that US officials are discussing with Ukraine how to replenish its depleted stocks of Patriot missiles. One option under discussion would allow Ukraine to manufacture some of the components domestically before the final product is assembled in Germany. Two other options reportedly being considered include allowing Kyiv to manufacture a cheaper version of the missile or incorporating Ukraine into the US-European Patriot interceptor programme. Reports have surfaced in recent weeks that Washington has exhausted much of its stockpile of key munitions during the five-month war with Iran, which is currently paused as diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the conflict continue. Ukraine also launched strikes against Russia on Wednesday, hitting the sorting office of a warehouse belonging to Wildberries, the country’s largest online retailer. Ukrainian drones struck the facility in the town of Aleksin in Tula oblast, according to regional Governor Dmitry Milyaev. Milyaev said other local structures were also hit, including two apartment buildings. Ukraine has targeted more than a dozen Wildberries facilities in recent weeks. It says the attacks are justified, accusing the company of playing a crucial role in Russia’s war effort by allegedly supplying dual-use items that can be used for military purposes. Reporting from Moscow, Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova said Ukraine also struck an oil refinery. “According to the Ministry of Defence, Russia indeed hit logistics hubs and supply chains in Kyiv and the surrounding regions. The Defence Ministry has said those were used for military purposes. Russia has also hit three cargo vessels near the Black Sea port of Odesa. “It was also a turbulent night here in Russia. The Russian Ministry of Defence actually reported it had destroyed 475 Ukrainian drones over various regions and territories. Ukraine attacked an oil refinery in Ufa in Bashkortostan,” Shapovalova said. Meanwhile, as Ukraine struggles to defend itself from Russian air attacks, Moscow has received a missile unit from North Korea, according to Reuters. The agency reported that the unit could be equipped with as many as 120 missiles and six launchers and had been deployed to western Russia. Reuters cited Andrii Cherniak of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence as its source. Zelenskyy has called on countries unable to supply interceptor missiles to support Ukraine by imposing additional sanctions on Russia, specifically targeting those involved in manufacturing ballistic missiles. He urged the G7 and the European Union to take action. On Monday, Zelenskyy alleged that most of the 17 key companies involved in producing the missiles are exploiting loopholes to evade existing sanctions. 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