Zelenskyy denounces deadly Russian strikes on Kyiv during Serbia visit

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - BELGRADE — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced Russia’s latest deadly attacks on Kyiv on Saturday during his first official visit to Serbia, one of the few European countries that has maintained friendly relations with Moscow throughout the war.

Four people, including a 3-year-old child, were killed in overnight strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding region, Ukrainian officials said. Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, struck oil facilities inside Russia.

Zelenskyy arrived in Belgrade on Friday for the first visit by a Ukrainian president to Serbia in eight years.

Speaking alongside Zelenskyy at a news conference, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic described Ukraine as a “friendly nation” and said he was honored to welcome the Ukrainian leader.

The two presidents discussed their countries’ efforts to join the European Union, bilateral relations and opportunities to expand cooperation.

Vucic, who has maintained close relations with Moscow and resisted imposing sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, reiterated that Serbia respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity and said that position would not change.

“The situation in Ukraine is difficult,” Zelenskyy said, pointing to another overnight attack involving ballistic missiles and drones.

Zelenskyy said deliveries of Patriot air defense interceptors — Ukraine’s only air defense weapon capable of shooting down ballistic missiles — have slowed compared with last year.

He said Ukraine was receiving fewer Patriot missiles each month in 2026 than it did in 2025.

Washington has agreed to allow Ukraine to manufacture its own Patriot interceptors, Zelenskyy said, but the process has been delayed by paperwork and licensing procedures.

The latest Russian attacks included a drone strike that destroyed a family home in the Brovary district northeast of Kyiv, killing a 3-year-old boy and his grandparents, local officials said.

Three other members of the family and a neighbor who came to help were hospitalized.

Zelenskyy said at least one other person was killed in an attack involving six ballistic missiles targeting infrastructure in the capital.

Ukraine’s air force said it downed or intercepted 135 of 151 drones launched by Russia overnight. The barrage also included six ballistic missiles and other guided missiles.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted around 5,300 drones and missiles in July, representing just under 60% of the roughly 9,000 attack drones and missiles launched by Russia during the month.

Following the latest strikes, Zelenskyy called for tougher sanctions to hinder Russia’s production of ballistic missiles and renewed his appeal for additional air defense systems and interceptor missiles.

In Russia, six people were wounded after a fire broke out at the Ilsky Oil Refinery in the southern Krasnodar region following falling drone debris, local officials said.

Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces struck the Ilsky refinery as well as the Syzran Oil Refinery in Russia’s Samara region, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) inside Russia.

Samara Gov. Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said drones struck an industrial facility but did not identify it as the refinery.

Ukraine has intensified long-range strikes against Russian oil infrastructure in recent months as it seeks to disrupt a sector that provides crucial revenue for Moscow.