Zelensky has renewed urgent calls for more air-defence systems after Russian missiles struck Kyiv, killing seven people, including Nataliia Khodemnchuk, the widow of a Chernobyl plant worker. Ukraine also reported four deaths in the south the same day. Kyiv said it struck a Russian oil refinery near Moscow, while Ryazan authorities reported that air defences shot down 25 drones overnight, causing only minor damage.
Zelensky Urges Urgent Delivery of Air-Defence Systems After Deadly Kyiv Strike
Zelensky has renewed urgent calls for more air-defence systems after Russian missiles struck Kyiv, killing seven people, including Nataliia Khodemnchuk, the widow of a Chernobyl plant worker. Ukraine also reported four deaths in the south the same day. Kyiv said it struck a Russian oil refinery near Moscow, while Ryazan authorities reported that air defences shot down 25 drones overnight, causing only minor damage.
02:03 AM, 11/16/2025Conflict
Zelensky renews plea for more air defences after deadly Kyiv strike
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday renewed an urgent appeal for additional air-defence systems after Russian missile strikes on Kyiv a day earlier killed seven people and damaged multiple apartment buildings.
Friday's attacks shocked the capital and came as the conflict enters its fourth year, with diplomatic efforts to end the fighting stalled and growing concerns about Ukraine's energy security as it heads into another winter of war.
"Ukraine needs support that saves lives: more air-defence systems, more protective capabilities and greater resolve from our partners," Zelensky wrote on social media, calling for faster and stronger assistance to protect civilians.
Officials said the Kyiv death toll from the Friday attack rose to seven after an elderly woman died in hospital. Zelensky identified one of the victims as Nataliia Khodemnchuk, the widow of a Chernobyl power plant operator who died in the 1986 nuclear disaster. Other victims included a couple in their 70s and a 62-year-old.
Separately, Ukraine reported that Russian strikes on Saturday killed four people in the country’s south.
Ukrainian strike near Moscow and Russian air-defence response
Ukraine also announced it had struck a Russian oil refinery in the Ryazan region, outside Moscow. The Ukrainian army said the attack was "part of efforts to reduce the enemy's ability to launch missile and bomb strikes."
Ryazan governor Pavel Malkov said Russian air defences had shot down 25 Ukrainian drones over the region overnight. He added that falling debris caused a fire at the premises of one enterprise but that there were no casualties.
The exchanges underline how the conflict continues to extend beyond front lines, affecting energy infrastructure and civilian areas on both sides.
Reporting credit: bur-oc/jj