Ukraine says 29 of 30 Russian missiles shot down

Ukraine said it shot down all but one of the 30 cruise missiles Russia fired at it overnight on Thursday, with one person dying and two others injured after a missile hit an industrial building.

Ukrainian officials said the one missile that got through its air defense system hit the building in the southern region of Odesa.

The Ukrainian military said the missiles were launched from sea, air and land, with debris from missiles that were struck by defense systems causing fires in the eastern part of Kyiv, the capital city. No casualties were reported from the debris.

Ukraine also said two Iranian-made attack drones were shot down.

The missile attack Thursday follows Tuesday’s strikes, when the Ukrainian military said Russia launched 18 missiles at numerous parts of the country. All 18 were destroyed, according to the military.

The Russian offensive comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky completed a trip to visit European allies earlier this week. During the visits, he secured commitments for more military assistance, including missile defense systems. 

Germany committed to an assistance package of more than $3 billion to Ukraine, which includes tanks, anti-aircraft systems and ammunition.

Zelensky also stopped in the U.K., where Prime Minister Rishi Sunak committed to providing Ukraine with hundreds of more air defense missiles and attack drones. He also visited Italy and France.

The attack also came as China’s special envoy to Ukraine met with Zelensky and the country’s top diplomat in Kyiv this week, as China attempted to broker a peace deal in the war. The effort appears to have led to no breakthrough.