In the early hours of February 27 local time, Ukraine's capital Kyiv was rocked by multiple explosions as Russia carried out a ballistic missile strike. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that several non-residential locations in the city had caught fire and urged residents to take shelter.
According to reporters from the Kyiv Independent at the scene, the explosions began at 1:18 a.m. local time (10:18 p.m. GMT on February 26). No immediate reports of casualties or damage were available.
The attack came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of a major Russian offensive. On social media platform X, Zelenskyy emphasized that the safety of Ukrainian people depends on allies' willingness to provide air defense missiles, especially interceptors for existing missile shields.
Zelenskyy recently returned from a visit to the United States, where he met with President Donald Trump at the White House. According to the Ukrainian leader, Trump agreed to license Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles — the only type capable of shooting down Russian ballistic missiles. However, Ukraine is currently facing a severe shortage of PAC-3 interceptor missiles, a situation that has worsened since the war launched by the U.S. and Israel in Iran erupted in February.
The hour-long meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump took place as both Kyiv and Moscow escalate long-range strikes, while U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to end the war remain stagnant. After the meeting, President Trump posted a photo on social media with the caption: “Many issues were discussed. The meeting went very well!”
Relations between Zelenskyy and Trump have warmed since the start of the U.S. president's second term. Earlier this month, Trump suggested that Ukrainian strikes deep into Russian territory could “help” end the war.
In a related development, President Zelenskyy also stressed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has lost the initiative on the battlefield due to heavy losses.
