Putin pounds key Kyiv highway with deadly drone attack, Zelensky slams US for delaying Patriot missiles | Gravitas

As Russia continues to pound Ukraine with a barrage of missiles and jet-powered drones, fears are growing that the country's air defences and battlefield communications are being weakened at the same time.

After Starshield curbs and a lack of advanced warnings, Zelensky has now accused the US of delaying delivery of Patriot interceptor missiles.

In the latest from the battlefield, three people were killed in Kyiv after an alleged Russian drone struck vehicles on the Kyiv-Odesa highway. At least four others were wounded, and several cars were damaged.

Over the past day, four more people were killed in the Ukrainian capital after residential buildings, shops and warehouses were hit in alleged Russian missile and drone attacks. Twenty-seven people, including eight children, were injured.

According to Ukrainian authorities, in the northeastern part of the country, a Russian attack sparked a large fire at an apartment building in Sumy. Due to the threat of further attacks, firefighters temporarily suspended operations before returning to extinguish the fire.

This is not all. Three civilians were killed in the city of Kramatorsk in another attack blamed on Russian forces.

On its part, Russia claimed to have intercepted and destroyed 405 Ukrainian drones a day earlier.

Now, Ukraine's retaliatory attacks on data centres of Russia's internet giant Yandex in October have drastically impacted Russians.

According to NBC News, millions of Russians are finding it tough to access their money, order taxis and food owing to temporary disruptions to Yandex, whose services are deeply integrated into daily life in Russia.

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Now, in an online meeting with American lawmakers, Zelensky highlighted that Starshield speed restrictions are undermining frontline operations. Complaining of unexplained delays in American military support, he revealed that Ukraine has almost no Patriot interceptors left.

A few hours earlier, Zelensky said that he had a constructive discussion with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding issues such as the delivery of Patriot missiles and curbs on Starshield.

Rubio, who is in India at present, made it clear that Trump was “frustrated” by accusations that he had deliberately harmed Ukraine.

Previously, Trump insisted that America was still sharing intelligence with Ukraine but lamented that Kyiv had given the US nothing in return.

In another sign of his growing disenchantment with the Ukrainian president, Trump suggested that some other leader should negotiate on Ukraine's behalf for the war to end.

Amid this, US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Zelensky, the Norwegian prime minister and the Finnish president in Oslo for talks aimed at improving relations between Kyiv and Washington.

The Kremlin, too, expressed hope for a meeting with Trump's negotiating team at the earliest and appreciated the efforts of American negotiators.

Meanwhile, the EU issued a key warning. As attacks in the Black Sea continue, the bloc's foreign policy chief warned of a food crisis across the world.