Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced Russia’s latest deadly attacks on Kyiv on Saturday during his visit to Serbia, one of the few European countries maintaining friendly relations with Moscow throughout its invasion of Ukraine.
Four people, including a child, were killed in overnight strikes targeting Kyiv and the surrounding region. Ukrainian forces subsequently struck Russian oil facilities.
Zelenskyy arrived in Belgrade on Friday for his first official trip to Serbia.
Speaking at a news conference in Belgrade, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic described Ukraine as a “friendly nation” and stated he was honored to host the Ukrainian leader—the first visit by a Ukrainian president in eight years.
The two leaders discussed their nations' efforts toward joining the European Union, bilateral ties, and methods to expand cooperation.
Kyiv residents face regular drone and missile barrages that Ukraine’s depleted air defenses are struggling to counter amid Moscow’s four-year full-scale invasion, while repeated Ukrainian strikes on oil facilities have caused fuel shortages and unsettled Russians.
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Vucic, who has maintained close ties with Moscow and refused to sanction Russia over the invasion—despite pressure from the EU to change course—reiterated that Serbia respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity, adding that this position would not change.
“The situation in Ukraine is difficult,” Zelenskyy said at the press conference. “There was another missile strike last night — ballistic missiles targeting our infrastructure. There were also attack drones.”
Zelenskyy noted that deliveries of Patriot air defense interceptors—the only air defense weapon in Ukraine’s arsenal capable of shooting down ballistic missiles—have slowed compared to a year ago.
“There are fewer of these missiles in 2026. In 2025 there were more, I’ll tell you honestly, in terms of monthly supplies,” he stated.
Zelenskyy mentioned that Washington has agreed to allow Ukraine to manufacture its own Patriot air defense interceptors, but they are currently “stuck dealing with paperwork.”
“The process for some of these licenses is also taking a long time,” he added.
### Boy Killed With Grandparents in Kyiv Region
The discussions in Belgrade followed multiple Russian drones destroying a family home in the Brovary district, northeast of Kyiv, killing a three-year-old child and his grandparents, local officials reported.
Local authorities said three other members of the same family and a neighbor who assisted them were hospitalized. The attack reduced the house to rubble and damaged outbuildings and cars.
Zelenskyy stated that at least one other person died in a “strike involving six ballistic missiles against civilian infrastructure” in the capital.
In its daily report, Ukraine’s air force reported downing or intercepting 135 of 151 drones launched by Russia overnight. The attack also involved six ballistic missiles and other guided missiles.
Russia has continuously bombarded civilian areas of Ukraine, even though Moscow insists its forces only target military facilities.
Ukraine’s defense ministry reported on Friday that its air defenses shot down around 5,300 drones and missiles last month, representing just under 60% of the approximately 9,000 attack drones and missiles Russia fired in the same period.
Moscow is exploiting Ukraine’s critical shortage of interceptors for the U.S.-made Patriot systems, which are the sole air defense weapon in its arsenal capable of shooting down ballistic missiles.
Zelenskyy has appealed to other countries, particularly the U.S., to send more ammunition, which is becoming scarcer due to the Iran war. Failing that, he seeks permission to manufacture Patriot ammunition within Ukraine or gain authorization from Elon Musk to utilize his Starlink satellite communications system to guide strikes inside Russia targeting its missile launchers.
Following the recent attacks, Zelenskyy appealed on X for increased sanctions to “prevent the production of these ballistic missiles,” alongside securing “anti-ballistic capabilities” and “interceptor missiles.”
### Ukraine Strikes Russian Oil Facilities
In Russia, six people were wounded when a fire erupted at the Ilsky Oil Refinery in the southern Krasnodar region due to debris from a falling drone, local officials confirmed.
Ukraine’s General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces struck the refinery in Krasnodar, as well as the Syzran Oil Refinery in the Samara region, located more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) inside Russia.
Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, governor of Russia’s Samara region, stated that drones hit an “industrial enterprise,” but he did not specify a refinery.
Ukraine’s nearly daily long-range drone and missile strikes utilizing domestically developed weapons have impacted Russian oil facilities for months, leading to a fuel crisis embarrassing the Kremlin.