An Indian citizen was among 12 people killed in a Russian missile and drone attack across Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
On X, Zelensky said Russian forces used a significant number of jet-powered drones and ballistic missiles in the overnight strikes. They damaged residential and civilian infrastructure across several regions.
“Overall, 12 people were killed, including an Indian citizen, and dozens more were wounded as a result of the attack,” Zelensky said.
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This came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the ongoing 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Kyrgyzstan's Bishkek and again during the event. Modi urged Putin to help end the Ukraine war “for humanity's sake” and said India supported efforts towards peace.
Seven killed at railway depot in Kyiv
In Kyiv, seven people were killed in a strike on a railway depot, Zelensky said. Nearly 350 rescuers have been deployed in Kyiv and the surrounding region to deal with the aftermath.
{{/usCountry}}In Kyiv, seven people were killed in a strike on a railway depot, Zelensky said. Nearly 350 rescuers have been deployed in Kyiv and the surrounding region to deal with the aftermath.
{{/usCountry}}In Boryspil, a five-storey apartment building was damaged and 50 people were evacuated. Four people were killed and 13 injured in the city, according to Zelensky. Businesses were also damaged in the attack.
Odesa, other regions hit
Russian strikes using glide bombs and drones have also continued in Odesa and the surrounding region, leaving thousands of families without electricity. Emergency crews were working to restore power, the Ukrainian president said.
He also said a border checkpoint with Romania and export infrastructure were damaged. Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions also came under fire.
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Zelensky calls for more air defence
Zelensky said the scale of casualties was linked to gaps in Ukraine's air defence capabilities and called for increased deliveries of anti-ballistic systems.
“Russia always calculates its strikes precisely this way, to destroy lives as much as possible, and it succeeds only when air defence resources are insufficient,” he said.
He thanked countries supporting Ukraine through the PURL initiative and bilateral supplies, and urged allies to increase deliveries in the coming months.
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PM Modi meets Russia's Putin
India's PM Modi met Putin on Monday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, a day before Modi and other SCO leaders signed the summit declaration on Tuesday. The two leaders discussed India-Russia ties as well as the Ukraine and other regional and global issues.
Russian attacks on Ukraine
On August 29, a Russian strike on an ammunition depot near Kyiv killed 38 people and injured 52, AP reported, citing Ukrainian authorities.
Zelensky said around 1,500 drones were launched over four days, more than half of them jet-powered.