Russia launches first attack on Kyiv in over a month

Russian forces on Thursday fired 31 cruise and ballistic missiles at the Ukrainian capital city for the first time in 44 days. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on Thursday said its troops shot down all of the missiles. The falling debris still reportedly caused some damage. At least 13 people in the city were injured, according to a social media post by former deputy minister of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs Anton Gerashchenko. Officials evacuated about 80 people from their homes, Ukraine’s Emergency Service told the Associated Press.

How has Ukrainian leadership responded? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed his calls for more international aid and air defense systems. Meanwhile, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Wednesday traveled to Kyiv to meet with Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials. He reiterated the United States’ support for Ukraine despite Congress’ hesitation to approve more aid for the country.

What are other countries doing to support Ukraine? The European Commission on Wednesday proposed using up to $3 billion per year in profits generated by Russian assets frozen in Europe to support Ukraine, according to The New York Times. Members of the commission were set to discuss the plan during a meeting Thursday.

The European Union on Wednesday disbursed the first nearly $5 billion in support to Kyiv through the new Ukraine Facility. The program is the EU’s mechanism for providing Ukraine with financial support from 2024 through 2027. 

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report in The Stew about how American lawmakers plan to push forward aid to Ukraine.