Three people, including a child, were killed and three others wounded in Russian strikes in the Boryspil district outside Kyiv on Saturday, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the regional administration.
Explosions were reported across the capital after an early air-raid alert, with fires breaking out in two Kyiv districts and residents describing powerful blasts that shook nearby buildings.
At a glance:
- The strikes hit three locations in the Boryspil district, just outside Kyiv.
- Ukraine’s air defences are struggling to stop Russia’s growing ballistic-missile attacks, officials say.
- Patriot systems supplied by the United States are described as the only Ukrainian weapons able to reliably intercept those missiles.
- A US Senate sanctions bill still requires approval by the House of Representatives and President Donald Trump before it can become law.
What happened near Kyiv
Tkachenko said the strikes hit three locations in the Boryspil district, a region just outside the Ukrainian capital. The attack killed three people and wounded three more, according to the official.
Related coverage: Deadly Russian missile attack hits defence event near Kyiv amid ongoing conflict.
Fires also broke out in two districts of Kyiv after the air-raid warning sounded. The reported explosions added to a Russian bombardment that Ukrainian officials say is increasingly exposing the limits of the country’s air-defence coverage.
Why ballistic missiles are difficult to stop
Russian ballistic missiles travel at several times the speed of sound and descend towards their targets at a steep angle, leaving Ukrainian defenders only seconds to respond, according to the supplied reporting.
Patriot air-defence systems provided by the United States remain the only weapons in Ukraine’s arsenal described as reliably able to intercept the missiles. Kyiv officials say they do not have enough batteries or interceptors to protect the country’s cities properly.
More context: Kyiv court detains organiser of weapons expo hit by Russian missile attack.
Ukraine reports a missile shortfall
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this week that Ukraine received only one-third as many air-defence missiles in the first half of this year as during the same period in 2025. He attributed the reduction to the US-Israel war on Iran, which has reduced global stocks of air-defence interceptors.
Ukrainian government advisers estimate that Russia can launch about 100 ballistic missiles a month. Officials have also warned that Moscow is preparing to intensify its campaign when winter arrives.
Senate sanctions measure has not become law
The latest strikes came as the US Senate passed a sanctions bill targeting Russian energy exports. The measure, approved 86-11, would impose 100 percent tariffs on countries that continue buying Russian oil and gas and was named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham.
Also read: Deadly Russian and Ukrainian strikes deepen war’s toll.
The bill must still pass the House of Representatives and be signed by President Donald Trump before it becomes law. Zelenskyy welcomed the vote, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it would help reduce Russia’s ability to continue the war.
Questions readers ask
Where did the deadly strikes occur?
They hit three locations in the Boryspil district, just outside Kyiv, according to regional administration head Tymur Tkachenko.
Are the new US sanctions already in force?
No. The Senate passed the bill, but it still requires House approval and the president’s signature before becoming law.
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