Zelensky and Macron speak during Russian ballistic attack on Kyiv; Zelensky urges more air defense and slams weakened sanctions
On 10 October, Russia struck Kyiv with ballistic missiles, wounding seven people in the Obolon district and damaging a restaurant, a pumping station and a residential building. Ukrainian air defense shot down part of the incoming missiles. During the attack, President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by phone with French President Emmanuel Macron, thanked him for France's support, warned of further Russian strikes in the coming days, and pushed for additional air defense packages. He also tied the attack to what he described as the weakening of sanctions on Russian oil products.
Key points
- On 10 October, Russia struck Kyiv with ballistic missiles; explosions were heard across the capital.
- Ukrainian air defense shot down part of the missiles used in the attack.
- The Obolon district was hit: seven people injured, five hospitalized (three in serious condition); a restaurant, a pumping station and a multi-storey residential building were damaged.
- During the attack, Zelensky spoke by phone with French President Emmanuel Macron and thanked him for France's support.
- Zelensky said Ukraine's need for additional air defense packages is obvious and that decisions are being worked on with partners.
- Zelensky warned of a particular threat of further Russian missile strikes in the coming days and said coordinated meetings with partners are being prepared.
- Zelensky linked the attack to the weakening of sanctions on Russian oil products, saying every extra billion dollars Russia earns will go to weapons, drones, missiles and mercenary recruitment.
Why it matters
The call is a direct wartime conversation between the Ukrainian and French presidents held while ballistic missiles were striking the Ukrainian capital, giving it symbolic as well as operational weight. Zelensky used the moment to publicly argue that weakening sanctions on Russian oil products is financing the very attacks hitting Kyiv, and to press partners for additional air defense packages at a time of repeated strikes on the capital.
What happened
On 10 October, Russia launched a ballistic missile attack on Kyiv. Ukrainian air defense shot down part of the incoming missiles. The Obolon district took the brunt: seven people were injured, five of them hospitalized and three in serious condition, and a restaurant building, a pumping station and a multi-storey residential building were damaged. During the attack, President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by phone with French President Emmanuel Macron. Zelensky thanked Macron for France's support, said Ukraine's need for additional air defense packages is obvious and that Ukraine is working with partners on the corresponding decisions, and warned of a particular threat of further Russian missile strikes in the coming days. He and Macron also discussed challenges related to the weakening of sanctions on Russian oil products. Zelensky framed the attack as a direct consequence of that weakening, saying every extra billion dollars Russia earns from oil product exports will be spent on weapons, drones, missiles and mercenary recruitment, and said the US the day before had given Russia signals that further attacks were acceptable — something he said needs to be corrected. He added that Ukraine and its partners are coordinating concrete steps and preparing meetings so that Russia feels it no longer has the potential to prolong the war.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All five sources in the supplied material are Ukrainian outlets and agencies, and the story is built around Zelensky's own statements. Ukrainian coverage foregrounds the impact inside Kyiv — explosions in the capital, injuries and damage in Obolon, and partial interception by Ukrainian air defense — and uses the attack to underline two political messages: that additional air defense packages are urgently needed, and that weakening sanctions on Russian oil products is, in Zelensky's framing, directly enabling the strikes on Ukrainian civilians.
Background
Zelensky has argued that the weakening of sanctions on Russian oil products directly finances Russian weapons production, drone modernization, missile output and the recruitment of mercenaries. He has also said the US the day before the call had given Russia signals that further attacks were allegedly acceptable, and that this needed to be corrected.