Russian ballistic missiles have struck Kyiv near university, ’Kioto’ Park and metro station: there are casualties,- Zelenskyy. VIDEO

On 26 October, Russia launched ballistic missiles at Kyiv, striking the area around a university, "Kioto" Park, a metro station and residential buildings. There are casualties and injured; people may be trapped under the rubble.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this on social media, according to Censor.NET.

The aftermath of the attack

According to him, the missiles struck the grounds of one of the universities and the area adjacent to it — "effectively the campus" — as well as "Kioto" Park, the area near the metro station and residential buildings.

"It is not yet known exactly how many people have been affected. But, unfortunately, there are fatalities. There are injured people. Rescue operations are ongoing. There is extensive damage, and there are reports that people may be trapped under the rubble. All emergency services are on the ground and carrying out their work — rescuing people," said the president.

He noted that the strikes hit very crowded areas, and there are no military facilities nearby: "This is simply an attack on the city, on its infrastructure."

According to him, there may be further strikes, and the ‘shahed’ attack is continuing against both Kyiv and other cities and communities.

On air defence and political agreements

"And it is precisely in such conditions, when the threat is constant, when strikes can happen at any moment and simply target cities and villages, that artificial delays in air defence for Ukraine aid the terrorists. It is important that political agreements are implemented promptly at the operational level. It is important that our partners understand that Ukraine needs the appropriate tools to destroy Russian ballistic missile launchers. This would be the most effective way to save lives," Zelenskyy stated.

According to him, the world must see that Russia "shows nothing but a desire to kill and continue the war".

"Ukraine must not be left to face this alone, and it is entirely Russia’s fault that the war is still ongoing and people are still dying. Please, take care of yourselves. All partners should stand with Ukraine in defending life," added the head of state.

Ballistic attack on Kyiv on 26 October

On the evening of 26 October, Russian forces launched a ballistic missile attack on Kyiv. Paramedics responding to an emergency call were caught in the crossfire.
In Kyiv’s Desnianskyi district, the Russians struck near one of the metro stations. The station in question is ‘Lisova’.
As a result of the shelling, one of the medical facilities in the Dniprovskyi district has been damaged. The blast wave shattered the windows in the intensive care unit there. No one was injured.
At another medical facility in the same district, windows were also shattered in two wards. Neither patients nor medical staff were injured.

In the Dniprovskyi district, a building on a non-residential site was also hit. Preliminary reports suggest there is one fatality near one of the supermarkets in the vicinity.
In the Desnianskyi district, there was a strike near a residential block. People may be trapped inside, according to preliminary reports.
In the Desnianskyi district, a strike hit near a university hall of residence. Windows in the hall of residence were shattered. There is confirmed information of one casualty.