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 wave of ballistic missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, killing at least five people and wounding dozens more. The attacks targeted the capital Kiev and the eastern city of Kharkiv, with Ukrainian officials describing it as one of the heaviest bombardments since the war began.
In Kiev, dozens of missiles struck within an hour, including 10 hypersonic and 20 ballistic missiles. One missile hit the entrance to Lukianivsk metro station, sending debris into the underground passage where people were sheltering. A major logistics hub on the outskirts of the city was also destroyed, requiring more than 200 firefighters to bring the blaze under control. In Kharkiv, a post office depot was hit, killing at least four people and injuring 19 others.
Casualty figures varied across reports. Some sources said at least five people were killed and 35 wounded, while others put the death toll at six or higher, with one broadcaster citing 20 killed and 140 injured across Ukraine over the past 24 hours.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said his main priority was securing more anti-ballistic weapons from allies, noting that Ukraine had run out of Patriot interceptors, the only system effective against ballistic missiles. The attacks were seen as retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on two large warehouses in Russia owned by the online retailer Wildberries, which killed seven people.
The strikes came amid domestic political turmoil in Ukraine. Protests continued over Zelensky's decision to sack Defence Minister Mikhailo Fedorov, with demonstrators also calling for the dismissal of General Syrskyi, the head of the armed forces. Zelensky acknowledged the discontent and met with senior military commanders, including a potential successor to Syrskyi.
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 | Channel 4 | ITV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 hypersonic and 20 ballistic missiles were fired at Kyiv in under an hour. | · | · | |
| 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. | · | · | |
| Russia launched ballistic missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, killing five and wounding at least 35; President Zelensky described it as one of the biggest ballistic attacks on the capital since the war began. | · | · | |
| Russian attacks killed 20 and injured 140 across Ukraine in the past 24 hours. | · | · | |
| The attack was a response to Ukrainian strikes on Russia's largest online retailer on Saturday. | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Channel 4 provided the most detailed coverage, including on-the-ground accounts from survivors, a breakdown of missile types, and extensive analysis of the political fallout in Ukraine. The report highlighted the domestic protests over the defence minister's sacking and the military leadership, framing the story as both a military and political crisis.
- “We barely managed to get out. We escaped via the first floor because it was impossible to leave through the entrance. Everything burned. The car was on fire, everything.”
- “the Ukrainians have run out of those Patriot interceptors, that's the only thing any good at taking ballistic missiles out of the air.”
ITV focused on the scale of the strikes, calling them the biggest since the invasion, and explicitly linked the attack to Ukrainian strikes on a Russian online retailer. The report was brief and did not include domestic political context or detailed casualty figures.
- “Russia has carried out the biggest missile strikes on Kiev and Kharkiv since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.”
5 News gave a very brief summary of the strikes, reporting the lowest casualty figure (five killed) and quoting President Zelensky's description of the attack. The coverage was straightforward and lacked additional context or analysis.
- “Ukrainian President Zelensky described it as one of the biggest ballistic attacks on the capital since the war began.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.