Ukraine scrambles to supply air defenses as large-scale Russia attacks
kill 16
[April 17, 2026]
By VASILISA STEPANENKO and DAN BASHAKOV
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.
Zelenskyy on a mission to improve air defenses
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.
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A woman with a dog walks among the rubble of a house damaged after a
Russian strike on residential area in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday,
April 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
“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.
Ukrainian city grieves over death of young boy
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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