Volodymyr Zelensky issues urgent plea after Russian blitz kills 9

Russian ballistic missile strikes on Saturday killed at least nine people and left dozens more injured. 20:58, Sat, Aug 1, 2026 Updated: 21:15, Sat, Aug 1, 2026 Russian ballistic missile strike targeted a residential building in Kyiv (Image: Getty)Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued an urgent plea for more air defence systems after a wave of Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv Saturday killed at least nine people and left dozens more injured. 18 residential buildings, a school, the Lithuanian Embassy, and infrastructure facilities were damaged. Fires broke out across several districts, and power cuts were reported in parts of the city.Mayor Vitali Klitschko said emergency crews were searching for survivors after a residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district was partially destroyed, leaving people trapped beneath the rubble. Ukraine's emergency services said seven people were killed in the Darnytskyi district, where another 14 people, including two children, were injured. In the Solomyanskyi district, two more people died and eight others, including two children, were hurt after a five-storey apartment building was hit.The strikes came just days after an...