Ukraine scrambles to supply air defenses as large-scale Russia attacks kill 16

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia hammered civilian areas across Ukraine with drones and missiles Thursday, killing at least 16 people and wounding more than 100 others in the worst aerial attack in weeks, Ukrainian authorities said.

Nearly 700 drones and dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles were used, as Ukrainian officials acknowledged that vital stocks of advanced interceptors are running low.

Tetiana Sokol, a 54-year-old Kyiv resident, said two missiles hit near her home and she took cover with her dog in the hallway as flashes lit up the night and windows shattered from the blast wave.

“On the third attack everything broke, everything flew, we were shocked, we didn’t know where to run. I grabbed whatever came to hand and ran away with the dog,” she told The Associated Press.

Moscow's forces have hit civilian areas almost daily since its all-out invasion of its neighbor more than four years ago, with the regular assaults occasionally punctuated by massive attacks. More than 15,000 Ukrainian civilians have died in the strikes, the United Nations says.

Russia's Defense Ministry maintained the operation was launched against military-related targets “in retaliation” for Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia against oil refineries and weapons plants.

European Council President António Costa described Thursday's strikes in Ukraine as “yet another horrendous attack” while people slept in their homes.

The attacks came in the wake of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's 48-hour trip this week to Germany, Norway and Italy in an urgent search for more air defense systems that can stop Russian missiles.

Ukraine has developed a significant domestic arms industry, especially in the production of drones and missiles, but cannot yet match the sophistication of U.S. Patriot air defense systems.

Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for the Ukrainian air force, said the Russian attack made extensive use of ballistic missiles, which only Patriot systems can reliably shoot down.

“We desperately need more missiles for the Patriot systems," Ihnat told Ukraine’s private TV channel 1+1.

Ukraine fears the Iran war is depleting stockpiles of the advanced American-made air defense systems it needs, and strongly opposes a U.S. pause on Russian oil sanctions.

“Another night has proven that Russia does not deserve any easing of global policy or lifting of sanctions,” Zelenskyy said on X.

Thursday's strikes killed four people in Kyiv, including a 12-year-old, with more than 50 others injured, authorities said. Attacks killed nine people in the southern port city of Odesa and four in the central Dnipro region.

The central city of Cherkasy declared a day of mourning Thursday for the funeral of eight-year-old Bohdan Serhiiev, killed in a Russian drone strike earlier this week.

Mourners left flowers and stuffed toys next to the open casket before the burial, while friends and classmates held white balloons and a sign reading “Eternal Memory.”

“He was such a happy kid. He was always running around and he loved me so much,” Bohdan’s 15-year-old brother Denys Zhuk, told the AP. "We played together, went to soccer l together. I love my younger brother so much. I just wish he was here with me.”

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Hanna Arhirova and Derek Gatopoulos in Kyiv contributed.

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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine