Russia Hit Kyiv With 5 Ballistic Missiles—Ukraine Says Allied Warning Never Came

Ukraine received no advance warning from its partners before five Russian ballistic missiles struck civilian infrastructure in Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, stressing that intelligence on ballistic launches is one of the most critical tools for getting civilians to safety in time.

Russia launched more than 100 aerial weapons against Ukraine from the evening into the following day, including jet-powered drones, loitering munitions, and ballistic missiles, Zelenskyy wrote on X on October 13.

Ukrainian defenses intercepted a significant share of the incoming weapons, but several strikes caused casualties and widespread damage.

“Since last evening and up to now, the Russians have attacked Ukraine with more than a hundred different weapons—jet-powered drones, loitering munitions, and ballistic missiles. A significant portion of these strike assets were shot down. But unfortunately, not all of them,” Zelenskyy said.

Kharkiv was among the hardest-hit cities. A Russian strike destroyed an apartment building, prompting an overnight rescue operation as emergency workers searched through the rubble. Four people were killed and 41 others injured in the city, according to Zelenskyy.

“An ordinary residential building was destroyed in Kharkiv; the rescue operation continued virtually all night as first responders searched for people under the rubble. Four people were killed in this strike on the building in Kharkiv. My condolences to all their families and loved ones,” he said.

He added that “In Kharkiv alone, 41 people were injured in just one evening.”

Kyiv was also struck by ballistic missiles, with five hitting civilian infrastructure. Zelenskyy described the attack as “particularly vile” and said Ukraine had received no advance intelligence from its partners indicating that the launches were coming.

“There was also a particularly vile ballistic missile strike on Kyiv—five missiles that hit civilian infrastructure. Unfortunately, we received no early warning from our partners about this strike,” Zelenskyy said.

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The Ukrainian leader emphasized that advance intelligence is especially important during ballistic missile attacks because of the extremely short flight time, which leaves civilians and air defense crews only minutes to react.

“Intelligence on Russian ballistic missile launches helps save lives, and this is one of the most critical issues,” Zelenskyy said. “This is precisely what helps prevent people from being killed—when there is an early warning about ballistic missiles.”

Today, a Russian drone strike on an educational institution in central Rivne left at least 14 people injured, with one victim in serious condition and three others suffering moderately severe injuries.

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