Two Russian missiles struck an operational airfield in central Ukraine

Two Russian missiles struck an operational airfield near the central Ukrainian city of Kropyvnytskyi, a spokesman for the Ukraine Air Force said Sunday.

Four missiles headed for the airfield were intercepted, according to the spokesman, Yurii Ihnat.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said earlier Sunday that it had attacked a Ukrainian military airfield using "long-range precision-guided air-launched weapons," though the Kremlin did not say where the strike took place.

Ihnat declined to share the consequences of the attack, but said the incident showed the necessity of strengthening air defenses across Ukraine. He said Kyiv needed more than the US-made Patriots, an advanced long-range air defense system, but also medium-range and short-range anti-aircraft missile systems.

Echoing Zelensky: Ihnat’s call for more air defense systems comes amid similar pleas by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky has continually urged western leaders to provide Ukraine with air defense equipment in part to protect its cities from Russian drones and strikes. These systems successfully shot down all of the missiles heading for Kyiv overnight Sunday, according to the head of the Ukrainian capital's military administration, Serhiy Popko,

“For the second night in a row, Kyiv residents have not heard the sound of explosions over their heads,” Popko said on the messaging app Telegram.