The most significant story of the day was the devastating Russian missile and aerial assault on Kyiv — described by multiple outlets as the worst single attack on the Ukrainian capital since the full-scale invasion began. At least 21 people were killed, according to reports from Le Monde, Ta Nea, and O Globo.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded with an urgent call for allies to accelerate the delivery of air defense systems. “In the coming days there will be a NATO summit and other meetings, and this — air and missile defense — must be one of the key outcomes,” Zelensky said in his daily address, underscoring the need for an immediate reinforcement of Ukraine’s defensive capabilities.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres “strongly condemned” the Russian attack, adding to a chorus of international denunciation.
The timing is no coincidence. The NATO summit in Ankara is scheduled for next week, and the strike appears calculated to test allied resolve at a critical juncture. A study cited by O Globo put the war’s cumulative toll at a staggering figure: more than two million military personnel on both sides have been killed or wounded since the conflict began — a number that underscores the industrial scale of the bloodshed.
