Ukraine requests more air defences after Russian attacks

**Valerie Sanderson** (0:00)
This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Valerie Sanderson, and at 14h's GMT on Monday the 6th of July, these are our main stories. Ukraine pleads for air defences after revealing that none of the ballistic missiles in Russia's latest deadly barrage overnight were intercepted. In Iran, the funeral procession for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is moving through the capital Tehran. Our correspondent hears from people in the country.
Also in this podcast, there's condemnation of FIFA's decision to abolish a one-match suspension for America's top goalscorer in the World Cup after a phone call from Donald Trump.

**Wayne Rooney** (0:43)
I think it's absolute disgrace. Infantino, he should be ashamed of this because I think for the sportsmanship of this game is in question here.

**Valerie Sanderson** (0:55)
A two-day prison riot in Sri Lanka has left at least 25 people dead and more than a hundred injured. And the Zulu language drama, The Polygamist, produced by daughters of a former South African president.
We start in Ukraine where at least 21 people have died after Russia carried out another barrage of air attacks in and around Kyiv. Russia says they were aimed at defense installations, but three blocks of flats have partially collapsed. The assault included 23 ballistic missiles launched by Moscow, none of which were shot down because of a shortage of missiles that could intercept. Alexandra is a student in Kyiv and she told us what last night was like.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:42)
Last night was outstanding one. Usually they strike drones, like massive groups of drones before striking the ballistics right away or other types of arms. But this night they began only with the ballistics straight away, which was kind of unexpected. Drones could be intercepted easily. When we see the ballistics approaching the city, you should know like the first thing that comes to my mind is that, okay, so I have like 10 seconds and then I can hear.
Mentally, this is absolutely horrendous. Like it is so hard to get back to your usual life.

**Valerie Sanderson** (2:23)
Meanwhile, in Russian-occupied Crimea, electricity was cut in Sevastopol, following a Ukrainian attack on energy infrastructure near the city. Here's the view of one resident.

**SPEAKER_4** (2:36)
The situation is catastrophic. We have blackouts, water cuts, the beaches are empty. When you step outside in the morning, there are hardly any cars.
People thought the war would be far away, in Ukraine.

**Richard Kugoi** (2:51)
But now it's here.

**Valerie Sanderson** (2:53)
A correspondent in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Sarah Rainsford, told me more.

**Sarah Rainsford** (2:58)
I'm actually at the site in one region of Kyiv, where the authorities say one of the missiles hit the block of flats that I'm looking at. It is a big nine-story building, and there's a big hole right through the middle of it. Multiple flats have collapsed in on themselves. There are huge slabs of concrete that have just crashed down to floors below. It is a scene of massive destruction. And there are scenes like this all across Ukraine's capital, because Russia launched dozens of missiles last night, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and it also launched hundreds of drones. And the striking statistic, I think, if we can talk about numbers, is how few of those missiles, this time Ukraine, managed to intercept. Just over half of those missiles were knocked down on their way to their targets here in Ukraine. And that is significant, because the damage that they cause when they strike is enormous. And if Russia was aiming at military targets, well, this is not a military target. This is a block of flats. And we know in this one location, five people have lost their lives. And there is a lady sitting on a bench in tears who, we are told, has two relatives still missing somewhere in the ruins of this apartment block.

**Valerie Sanderson** (4:06)
And why didn't Ukraine intercept the missiles?

**Sarah Rainsford** (4:09)
Because it is really, really difficult to do it, because ballistic missiles travel very, very fast. And Ukraine right now doesn't have enough interceptor missiles to knock them out of the sky. It says it really clearly. It says it time and time again. And in fact, I've just been speaking to a lady called Elena, who lives in this building and who luckily escaped with her life. But she has told me she has one question. She says, why are Ukraine's allies not giving us the interceptor missiles that we need? President Zelensky has said the same. He said these are the missiles that save lives and every delay in providing them to Ukraine, he said, is causing destruction like this. So it is a massive problem for Ukraine right now as Russia is clearly increasing the number of missiles specifically that it launches at Ukraine in every attack. And it is quite clearly focusing very heavily right now on Kiev itself.