Jet-powered drones attacking Kyiv in a rare hours-long Russian aerial assault

Russia launched an hours-long aerial attack on Kyiv on August 27, firing ballistic and cruise missiles as well as waves of drones, including jet-powered UAVs, at the Ukrainian capital.

Explosions and air defense fire were heard throughout the city from early morning into the evening. Debris fell in the Podilskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts, damaging two schools, while a drone also fell on a major road in the Holosiivskyi district. At least four people were reported injured.

The attack also damaged several commercial and logistics facilities. Forbes Ukraine reported strikes on a Fora warehouse and distribution centers belonging to Toy House and electronics retailer Comfy. The Kolos supermarket chain said one of its warehouses was hit, while an Avrora distribution center in Kyiv Oblast was destroyed. A Roshen confectionery warehouse near Boryspil was also destroyed. No employees were reported injured at the Avrora or Roshen facilities.

The attack disrupted railway traffic, with some trains delayed by up to 13 hours. Ukraine’s Air Force said it shot down seven Iskander-M or North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles, as well as an Onyx missile, three Banderol cruise missiles and 222 drones.

Kyiv residents faced repeated air raid alerts throughout the day as Russia continued launching jet-powered drones, which have posed an increasing challenge for Ukraine’s air defenses due to their high speed.

Putin could decide to attack Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in the coming months

CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s unannounced visit to Moscow on August 25 was primarily intended to deliver a clear warning to Russia not to attack NATO countries, according to multiple U.S. media outlets citing sources familiar with the trip. The Wall Street Journal reported that the visit followed new American intelligence assessments indicating that Russian President Vladimir Putin could attempt to test NATO with a limited assault on an allied country in the coming years. Politico added that Ratcliffe specifically urged Moscow to refrain from escalatory actions against the Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

U.S. officials and sources familiar with the discussions said the warning was prompted by growing concerns that Russia, frustrated by the dead end in Ukraine, might consider limited military or hybrid actions against NATO members to create leverage or force concessions related to the war. Ratcliffe also used the meeting to press Russia to reduce its military and economic support for Iran. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the CIA director held talks with Russian intelligence chiefs rather than with Putin himself, though the substance of the discussions was reportedly relayed to the Kremlin.

In related developments, Ukrainian intelligence has previously warned of Russian plans for a large-scale mobilization that could free up forces for potential operations beyond Ukraine. Some Western assessments do not rule out scenarios in which Moscow might seek to raise the stakes through actions against NATO territory or even targets in countries such as the United Kingdom. Russian propagandist Alexander Dugin publicly suggested after the visit that Moscow could demand concessions on Ukraine in exchange for not attacking NATO. Baltic officials have largely downplayed any immediate change in the threat level, emphasizing that a united NATO remains the strongest deterrent.

Poland shows readiness to establish joint Patriot production with Ukraine

Poland says it has the capacity and is ready to begin producing PAC-3 interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems on its territory, potentially in cooperation with Ukraine.

Paweł Zalewski, Poland’s deputy defense minister, said Warsaw is open to joint production with Ukrainian and other European partners. He said expanding PAC-3 production in Europe would strengthen both European security and Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian attacks.

“We don't want to compete,” Zalewski said. “We want to strengthen our security.”

He added that the production could support NATO and Ukraine, potentially with Ukraine as a primary beneficiary. Poland is already in close contact with Patriot manufacturer Lockheed Martin and the U.S. administration, Zalewski said, though industrial and political decisions are still needed before production can begin.

Europe won't be able to intercept Russian ballistics

Patriot missile stocks in Europe have fallen to a “beyond critical” level, according to U.S. and NATO officials speaking to the Associated Press. The shortage has been caused largely by focusing the use of interceptors in the Middle East to support operations related to the war with Iran. American forces in Europe now have only a very limited ability to defend against even a single ballistic missile strike, not to mention a sustained Russian attack.

The scale of the deficit is significant. The United States has used roughly 1,500 of its estimated 2,330 Patriot missiles — about 65% of its total stockpile — primarily during the Iran conflict. By comparison, Ukraine has received only around 600 Patriot missiles since 2022. Production is being ramped up, with plans to manufacture about 600 this year and a long-term goal of 2,000 annually by 2030, but current inventories remain severely constrained.

Pentagon and NATO officials have acknowledged the vulnerability. If Russia were to launch ballistic missile strikes against key targets such as a military headquarters or a power plant, NATO could find itself in a situation similar to Ukraine’s — forced to absorb successive hits because there would simply not be enough interceptors available to stop them all.

The shortage underscores the competing demands on limited Western air-defense resources amid two major conflicts.