[Source: Reuters]

Russia hammered Kyiv and the surrounding region with missiles and drones early on Monday, killing at least ‌28 people and exposing Ukraine’s critical shortage of U.S.-made air-defence interceptors, officials said.

Rescuers were digging bodies from the rubble of a Kyiv high-rise ripped open in the overnight bombardment.

The latest attack came on the eve of a NATO summit where U.S. President Donald Trump is due to hold talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a renewed push for peace.

Ukraine’s military was unable to down any of the 23 ballistic missiles fired by Russia, ​according to air force data, reflecting its increasing vulnerability to Moscow’s strikes as stocks of its prized Patriot missiles run out.

Zelenskiy has pleaded for interceptors — the only weapon in ​Ukraine’s arsenal that can shoot down ballistic projectiles, whose high velocity and steep flight path make them difficult to stop.

Speaking in his nightly video ⁠address, Zelenskiy said it was “simply absurd that, in the modern world, production has still not been scaled up to the level actually required to protect people from ballistic terror.”

He said that ​Ukraine had the know-how to produce the weapons and if it received U.S. licences to manufacture U.S. Patriot systems “our production would be sufficient not only to defend Ukraine but also to assist partners ​who need them”.

Earlier, the president called for “strong decisions” at the NATO summit in Turkey, which begins on Tuesday, to ensure Ukraine can defend itself. Ukrainian air force data shows air defences shot down just four of 49 ballistic missiles in July.

“As long as Patriot missiles sit in our allies’ stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep destroying residential buildings,” Zelenskiy said on X. “The U.S. and Europe have the power to stop this terror.”

Ukraine intercepted ​37 other missiles and more than 90% of the 351 drones used during Monday’s attack, the air force said.