Russian ballistic missiles killed at least nine people and wounded 28, including four children, in Kyiv on Saturday, hours after former President Donald Trump withdrew his pledge to back Ukraine's air defenses. Prediction markets put the odds of a NATO-Russia clash by the end of 2026 at 27.5%, as the strike marked the second major assault on the capital this week.
Russian ballistic missiles tore through seven districts of Kyiv on Saturday, killing at least nine people and wounding 28 others, including four children, Ukrainian officials said. More than a dozen explosions shook the capital across several waves of strikes, according to Reuters witnesses on the scene.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called it "a hell of a night in Kyiv" in a post on X. Seven people were killed in the Darnytskyi district and two more died in the Solomyanskyi district, prosecutors said, as fires broke out and power outages hit parts of the city.
Second major strike on Kyiv this week
The attack was the second major strike on Kyiv this week, following a Thursday assault that killed nine people, including six members of one family near Kryvyi Rih, and a suspected Russian cruise missile that landed in Poland. Fighting still rages along more than 1,200 kilometres of front line, though Russian advances have slowed by more than half so far this year, military analysts said.
Trump's shift and rising clash odds
The strikes came shortly after Trump withdrew his pledge to support Ukraine's air defense systems, according to Crypto Briefing. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia fired 35 missiles and 185 drones overnight across multiple regions, adding to the pressure on Ukraine's air defenses.
Traders are pricing that geopolitical risk directly: prediction markets currently put the odds of a NATO-Russia clash by December 31, 2026 at 27.5% YES. Sybiha framed the stakes in similar terms, saying the battle for control of the skies would decide the war's trajectory and that a stronger air shield over Ukraine brings peace closer.
Sources: Crypto Briefing, Investing.com
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