Russian strikes on Ukraine kill 8, Zelenskyy blames 'insufficient' air defense

Russia launched 74 missiles into Ukraine overnight, Kyiv said.

LONDON -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed "insufficient or delayed" air defense supplies for the deaths of several people across Ukraine in the latest wave of Russian drone and missile strikes, launched on Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

During the attack, authorities in Poland -- which borders Ukraine to the west -- said that "an unidentified object" violated national airspace, prompting the deployment of a fighter jet and a helicopter. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha alleged on X that the object that crossed into Poland was a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in a post to X that he was in contact with NATO command and other European leaders "regarding the violation of Polish airspace. Everyone declares full solidarity and readiness for any assistance."

Zelenskyy said that at least eight people had been killed across the country with dozens more injured. The attacks targeted Kyiv and nine other regions, the president said, stretching from Lviv in the country's west and its border with Poland to Sumy and Kharkiv in the northeast of the country, close to the border with Russia.

The Ukrainian air force said Russia launched 284 drones and 70 missiles -- among them nine ballistic missiles. The air force said that it intercepted or suppressed 265 drones and 55 missiles, while "preliminary information" indicated that 11 missiles and 17 drones impacted across 20 locations.

"In a situation where we critically lack missiles for air defense from our partners, our soldiers are doing the seemingly impossible, demonstrating a very high level of professionalism," Zelenskyy said, noting the number of missiles downed. "This extraordinary expertise saves lives when the supply of missiles for air defense systems is insufficient or delayed," he wrote in a post to Telegram.

"This Russian terror once again proves: protecting against the Russian missile threat is the most important task for preserving the lives of our people. And this is a task that cannot be solely undertaken by Ukraine, by one country alone," Zelenskyy wrote.

"All partners know how and what they can do to help. The lack of timely assistance, the delays in supplying anti-ballistic missiles -- these are the very destructions and the very casualties that, unfortunately, we are experiencing today. It is crucial to support the protection of life."

At least one person was killed in the Kyiv region, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a post to Telegram. A record number -- more than 50,000 people -- sought shelter in Kyiv's metro through the night, transport authorities said.

Elsewhere, a Russian ballistic missile hit a residential building near Zelenskyy's home town of Kryviyh Rih, killing several members of a family including at least three children, officials said.

Among the other areas targeted overnight was the western city of Lviv. Its mayor, Andriy Sadovyi, posted a video to X showing widespread destruction in part of the city. At least 20 people were injured, Sadovyi said, "In total, more than 20 residential buildings, as well as a school and two kindergartens, have been damaged," he wrote.

Serhiy Kiral, Lviv's deputy mayor, told ABC News by text message that rescue operations were ongoing at the impact sites in a residential area of the city. Wednesday night's attack was the most significant on Lviv since a drone strike on the city in March, Kiral said.

Across Lviv's western border, Polish leader Tusk confirmed "a violation of Polish airspace" during the Russian attack. Tusk said he had convened a team to investigate the incident.

Poland's Operational Command said that fighters were scrambled and air defense systems put on alert in response to the "intense combat activity" over the border in Ukraine.

The command said that it detected "an unidentified object moving westward" in Polish airspace in the early hours of Thursday morning, with an F-16 fighter dispatched to the area to investigate. "Before a definitive identification could be made, the object disappeared from radar system indications."

A helicopter was then sent to the area and "located the probable crash site of the object in an undeveloped area near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia in the Lublin Voivodeship," the command said, with a ground search and rescue team then deployed to the location to investigate further.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's "terror clearly demonstrates that the need to strengthen ballistic protection for Ukraine and all of Europe is urgent," Ukrainian minister Sybiha wrote, reporting that the object that entered Poland was a Russian cruise missile.

"Every decision on additional air defense capabilities for Ukraine now needs to be taken without delay and all agreements on additional interceptors need to be implemented as quickly as possible," he added.

Russia's Defense Ministry described its overnight barrage as "a massive strike" targeting military positions, military-industrial facilities, military communication hubs and logistics centers.

The ministry in Moscow also said that its forces shot down at least 258 Ukrainian long-range drones overnight.

ABC News' Patrick Reevell contributed to this report.

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