Kyiv hit without warning as Zelenskyy alleges US pressure to capitulate
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A Russian ballistic missile strike hit the capital without the usual advance warning from international partners. A 21-year-old woman was killed and several metro stations were closed. The damage to the city's infrastructure was precise: a 25-story building was hit, a shopping mall was damaged, and the data center for the major operator Datagroup was destroyed. Restoration of the center, the company said, is impossible.
President Zelenskyy claimed that while the missiles arrived without notice, the US has been attempting to persuade Ukraine to capitulate. He also disclosed a frustrated offer to the White House: that Ukraine would stop striking Russian oil facilities if the US finally delivered the Patriot systems it has already been paid for. Shipments are currently arriving at a rate of only 12 missiles per month.
The morning's reports from the front were no more encouraging. Infantry in Kostiantynivka are reportedly contending with hunger and instances of friendly fire. Back in the capital, the former banker and army officer Andriy Onistrat questioned whether the city is ready for the winter, noting that Mayor Vitali Klitschko’s preparations appear more robust on paper than in practice.