Russian strikes on Ukraine kill 13; Poland scrambles fighter jets

(Reuters)

July 30 – Russian air strikes killed at least 13 people ​in Ukraine on Thursday, including one in Kyiv, in attacks extending as far as the western city of Lviv, forcing neighbouring Poland to scramble ‌fighter jets to secure its airspace.

The attacks come as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy returns from the United States, where he said President Donald Trump agreed to give Ukraine licences for Patriot missiles.

July 30 (Reuters) – Russian air strikes killed at least 13 people ​in Ukraine on Thursday, including one in Kyiv, in attacks extending as far as the western city of Lviv, forcing neighbouring Poland to scramble ‌fighter jets to secure its airspace.

The attacks come as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy returns from the United States, where he said President Donald Trump agreed to give Ukraine licences for Patriot missiles.

“A dark ​night,” Vilkul said on Telegram, adding that the missile, launched from Russia’s Voronezh region, struck the home of a large family, and warned the death toll could ​increase as emergency workers clear away rubble.

In Lviv, close to Poland, rescue workers were scrambling to clear rubble to reach those trapped after Russian missiles damaged two apartment buildings and injured 26, officials said.

Earlier, Zelenskiy had warned a massive Russian attack was likely, saying the safety of Ukrainians depended on the willingness of allies to provide anti-missile defences.

“It is important that our partners ​fully understand what is happening and that the protection of people’s lives depends directly on their willingness,” Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram.

Russia’s defence ministry said on Thursday ​its forces struck what it called military facilities across Ukraine, in areas from the capital Kyiv to Lviv and Dnipropetrovsk, as well as three cargo ships.