European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in an interview with RBK-Ukraine, expressed the conviction that Russia, in her assessment, is losing the war it itself initiated, and is therefore continuing to shell peaceful Ukrainians. According to the top EU official, the motives of the aggressor state are 'understandable': 'And it is taking revenge by striking civilian populations and civilian infrastructure,' von der Leyen stated. This statement came against the backdrop of ongoing night attacks on Ukrainian cities, giving the head of the European Commission's words a specific context of recent days.

Attacks on the night of August 20: Kyiv, Brovary, Boryspil

According to RBK-Ukraine data, on the night of August 20, Russia carried out a combined attack using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones against Kyiv and the Kyiv region. In the capital and Brovary, as reported, there are fatalities and dozens of injured. In the Kyiv region, according to the same data, strikes hit the premises of 'Fora' and Yves Rocher warehouses, where significant destruction was recorded. In the Boryspil district, food warehouses and 'Red Cross' facilities were hit at night. The shelling of Kyiv and the region, according to available information, lasted almost nine hours.

EU Response: Supporting Missile Defense Potential

Von der Leyen emphasized that the European Commission is cooperating with EU member states and partners to support Ukraine's missile defense potential. 'So that Ukraine has the means to prevent human casualties,' she clarified. Thus, Brussels is focusing not only on diplomatic pressure but also on practical military support aimed at protecting the civilian population from missile and drone strikes.

Contradictory Data

There is a difference in emphasis in the provided materials that is important to reflect honestly. The formulation that Russia is 'losing the war' is a political assessment by the head of the European Commission, not a neutrally stated fact; in independent sources checked for this article, there is no direct fact-checking of this conclusion. At the same time, in a number of publications (including rbc.ua and unian.net), the emphasis is on defense and anti-ballistic financing for Ukraine by the EU, without confirming or refuting the thesis of 'losing' in a military sense. In addition, specific figures for the dead and injured on the night of August 20 are not detailed in the provided sources, so they are quoted in the article in the phrasing 'there are fatalities and dozens of injured,' as in the primary text, without clarification.

Context: EU-Ukraine Defense Cooperation

Von der Leyen's statement fits into the broader context of defense interaction between the European Union and Kyiv. In open materials, initiatives for new military financing and anti-ballistic protection were previously recorded, as well as assessments that Ukraine has fulfilled its part of the work on the path to EU integration. This shows that the issue of protection against missile attacks has become one of the priority areas of bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

What this means for future dynamics

The words of the head of the European Commission signal that Brussels is ready to link further military aid to a specific result — reducing the number of human casualties from strikes on civilian infrastructure. For Ukraine, this means the continuation of air defense and anti-ballistic supplies; for the EU — the coordination of efforts between member states and partners. At the same time, political rhetoric about 'revenge' and 'losing' on the part of Russia remains evaluative and does not replace independent verification of the course of military operations.