Sybiha urges partners to send interceptors, F-16 missiles and more aircraft after massive Russian attack

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged international partners to bolster Ukraine's air defenses, bolster arms supplies, and tighten sanctions on Russia in response to a recent barrage of strikes. Sybiha emphasized that Russia should face an air defense system that grows more formidable each winter, more of its missiles and drones being intercepted, and industries, technologies, revenues, and supply chains supporting its attacks facing greater disruption and higher costs.

To achieve this, Sybiha urged swift action: additional air defense systems and interceptors, especially for countering ballistic missiles, more missiles for F-16s and additional aircraft, tougher sanctions on Russia's defense industry and sanctions-evasion networks, and intensified pressure on Moscow. He stressed that closing Ukraine's skies is no longer simply about responding to individual Russian attacks; rather, it's about denying Russia the confidence to continue its terror indefinitely while paying a price it can bear.

Sybiha pointed out that Moscow's hesitation will only intensify its attempts to test limits. The foreign minister urged partners to change this calculation by making clear that such behavior is no longer tolerated. The situation continued to unfold on September 9, as Russian forces struck a 24-story residential building in Kyiv's Darnytskyi district, with 23 people rescued and six injured.

The strikes also hit Kyiv's Darnytskyi and Holosiivskyi districts, setting ablaze two trucks, a garage, and a nonresidential building. One person was killed and five others injured in Mykolaiv. Civilian facilities, including residential buildings, cafes, stores, and warehouses, were damaged, prompting ongoing emergency response efforts.