Star Metro - Deadly strikes rock Kyiv, as Ukraine sinks Russian cargo ship

The exchange of strikes comes amid a prolonged lull in US-led talks aimed at ending the conflict, Europe's deadliest since World War II.

Both Moscow and Kyiv have escalated long-range attacks on each other in recent weeks, with Russia more than doubling its use of missiles last month, according to an AFP analysis.

Civilian casualties in Ukraine have meanwhile soared to their highest since Russia invaded in 2022, according to UN human rights monitors, with Kyiv pressing its allies to provide more air defences.

In a statement on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed for supplies of Patriot air defence systems, Kyiv's only effective counter against Russian ballistic missile attacks.

"It is this shortage of ballistic missile interceptors that only encourages Russia to launch such attacks that take human lives," Zelensky said in a post on X.

More than 30 people were wounded in Saturday's attacks on Kyiv, which struck five districts of the city, Ukrainian authorities said.

Among the buildings damaged was the embassy of Lithuania, with the Baltic country's foreign minister publishing images appearing to show a cracked door and damaged light fixture.

AFP journalists reported hearing more than 10 explosions in a row early Saturday, triggering car alarms on the streets.

In Kyiv's eastern Darnytsky district, the attacks damaged multiple buildings and vehicles, with authorities reporting seven people killed and 14 wounded in the area.

Two people were killed and eight others were wounded in the western Solomiansky district, where strikes damaged a five-storey residential building.

One other person was killed in an attack on the Kyiv suburb of Brovary, authorities said.

"Everything was smashed, the windows, everything," 75-year-old resident Kateryna Kravchenko told AFP of her apartment.

"I can barely stand. I don't know how I'm going to get through all this."

Another resident, 46-year-old Oksana, said her plan was to leave.

"You can't stay here after something like this... What guarantee is there that it won't happen again?"

Russia's defence ministry said it had struck "military-industrial complex enterprises and logistics centres".

AFP reporters saw dark clouds of smoke rising over Kyiv in the morning hours.

- Strike on cargo ship -

As Kyiv has faced near-nightly attacks, Ukraine has escalated its retaliatory strikes on Russia in recent months, partly to pressure Moscow to the negotiating table after nearly four-and-a-half years of war.

Ukrainian drones sank a Russian-owned container ship in the Black Sea early Saturday, forcing its 17-member crew to abandon the vessel, the ship's owner said.

The Russian-flagged "Yanina", owned by the shipping arm of Russia's state-owned nuclear power operator Rosatom, was sailing near the Russian port of Novorossiysk when it was hit.

The ship was carrying civilian goods including frozen food and construction materials, Rosatom said.

There was no immediate indication that the vessel was carrying out activities related to Rosatom's nuclear arm or carrying nuclear material.

"All 17 crew members have been rescued and are in good condition," Rosatom said on Telegram in a statement.

Zelensky confirmed Ukraine was behind the strike in a post on X, describing it as a "sanctioned Russian container ship".

Kyiv has accused Russia of using the waterway to transport sanctioned goods, including oil.

Both Ukraine and Russia deny targeting civilians.

- Trump walks back Patriot offer -

The attacks come as Ukraine presses its allies for Patriot air defences.

Zelensky had met with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday for talks, partly to lobby Washington for licenses to produce Patriots domestically.

The Ukrainian leader said following the meeting that Trump had agreed to license the production of the missiles to Kyiv.

But the US president appeared to express reservations on Friday, saying that Washington would have to be "very careful" about the decision.

On Saturday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said Russia's attacks showed Ukraine needed the weapon urgently.

"It is the battle for the skies that will define the trajectory of this war. The stronger the air shield over Ukraine, the closer peace becomes," he said.

Russia fired a record number of missiles at Ukraine in July, an AFP analysis of Ukrainian air force data showed Saturday.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Tens of thousands have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes due to the fighting, while Moscow now occupies around a fifth of its neighbour -- including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

O.Lessard--SMC