Russia kills eight in overnight missile and drone barrage; Zelenskyy presses US for Patriot production license

Overnight barrage across Ukraine

Russia launched 121 drones and 12 missiles at Ukrainian cities in the early hours of 11 July, killing eight civilians and wounding dozens more. Ukraine’s air force intercepted 111 of the Shahed-type drones and two of the six cruise missiles, but all six ballistic missiles struck their targets before air-raid alarms could be activated. President Wolodymyr Selenskyj said civilian infrastructure was hit and posted video of rescue workers digging through rubble. A reporter on the ground described two series of explosions in Kyiv, with the first blasts echoing before the sirens.

Kyiv: a city under fire

In the capital, the city administration reported 12 wounded, including two children, while mayor Vitali Klitschko initially gave a lower figure of at least six injured; other sources cited between three and ten. Fires broke out in several districts, damaging residential buildings, offices and an uninhabited structure. Military governor Tymur Tkatschenko confirmed damage in eastern and western parts of the city, and emergency crews tackled a blaze in a west-Kyiv office block.

Deaths in Sumy, Odesa and Sloviansk

Outside Kyiv, the most lethal single strike hit the northern city of Sumy, where mayor Artem Kobsar said a Russian guided bomb killed five people, among them a young girl. In the southern port of Odesa, regional governor Oleg Kiper said a rocket attack took two lives, while authorities in the eastern city of Sloviansk reported one fatality. The attacks ranged across the country, and rescue operations continued through the morning.

Zelenskyj renews his Patriot appeal

The Ukrainian president used his X account to urge the United States to deliver a promised licence for domestic production of Patriot air-defence systems. “Most of the projectiles were intercepted, only not the ballistic ones,” he stated. He insisted that the moment required “a new level of cooperation with our partners to ensure that agreements on weapons deliveries are fulfilled,” calling the licensing decision overdue.

Civilian infrastructure was hit before the air alarm was sounded.

Wadephul calls for negotiations

German foreign minister Johann Wadephul told Der Tagesspiegel that now was the right time for serious talks. “We should now make a very serious attempt,” he said, arguing that neither the war in Ukraine nor the one in Iran would be decided on the battlefield. He described the Russian and Iranian attacks coinciding with the NATO summit as a show of strength, but added that the financial commitments made at the summit sent a clear message to Vladimir Putin that Ukraine had the longer breath and Russia must negotiate.

Neither the Ukraine war nor the Iran war will be decided on the battlefield.