--- title: "Von der Leyen: Russia is 'revenge-attacking' civilians; EU bets on Ukraine's anti-ballistic defense" description: "Von der Leyen stated that Russia is 'taking revenge' with strikes on civilians because, in her assessment, it is losing the war. The EU is increasing support for Ukraine's anti-ballistic potential against the backdrop of attacks on the night of August 20." date: 2026-08-20T14:16:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/von-der-leyen-russia-revenge-attacks-eu-supports-ukraine-anti-ballistic-defense tags: [ukraine-war, eu, ursula-von-der-leyen, air-defense, russia, kyiv-attacks] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Von der Leyen: Russia is 'revenge-attacking' civilians; EU bets on Ukraine's anti-ballistic defense ![Ursula von der Leyen on Russia's 'revenge' strikes and the EU's focus on Ukraine's air defense systems](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/21/es-nazval-rossiyu-mstyashchey-za-porazhenie-ues-usilivaet-antiballistiku/es-nazval-rossiyu-mstyashchey-za-porazhenie-ues-usilivaet-antiballistiku-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Von der Leyen stated that Russia, in her assessment, is losing the war and is 'taking revenge' with strikes on the civilian population and infrastructure. - The EU is cooperating with member states and partners to support Ukraine's missile defense potential. - On the night of August 20, the RF carried out a combined strike with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones against Kyiv, Brovary, and the Boryspil district; the shelling lasted almost 9 hours. 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. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [EU calls strengthening Ukraine's anti-ballistic defense an 'urgent priority'](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/es-nazvali-terminovim-prioritetom-posilennya-1787234620.html) - Подтверждает акцент ЕС на усилении антибаллистической/противоракетной защиты Украины, что согласуется со словами фон дер Ляен о поддержке противоракетного потенциала. - [Ukraine has fulfilled its part of the work on the path to the EU - von der Leyen](https://gazeta.ua/ru/articles/politics/_ukraina-vypolnila-svoyu-chast-raboty-po-puti-v-es-fon-der-lyaen/1252757) - Даёт контекст публичных заявлений фон дер Ляен о сотрудничестве ЕС и Украины, но не подтверждает тезис о «проигрыше» войны. - [Towards the EU-Ukraine Summit: new EU military aid and the European Commission delegation in Kyiv](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B0/20230202-%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B4-%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BC-%D0%B5%D1%81-%E2%80%93-%D1%83%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F-%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%B8-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B1%D1%8B%D0%BB%D0%B0-%D0%B2-%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B5%D0%B2) - Подтверждает линию военной помощи ЕС Украине; не содержит данных по атакам 20.08. - [Ukraine and the EU concluded a historic agreement: von der Leyen announced new financing](https://www.unian.net/economics/finance/90-mlrd-evro-ukraina-i-es-zaklyuchili-istoricheskoe-soglashenie-v-sfere-oborony-13441905.html) - Подтверждает оборонное финансирование со стороны ЕС; не опровергает и не подтверждает оценочный тезис о ходе войны. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What exactly did Ursula von der Leyen say about Russia? **A:** According to her, Russia, in her assessment, is losing the war it started itself and is 'taking revenge' by striking the civilian population and civilian infrastructure. ### Q: What is the EU's goal in supporting Ukraine? **A:** The European Commission is cooperating with member states and partners to support Ukraine's missile defense potential and give it the means to prevent human casualties. ### Q: What happened on the night of August 20? **A:** The RF carried out a combined attack with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones against Kyiv and the region; there are fatalities and dozens of injured in Kyiv and Brovary, food warehouses and 'Red Cross' facilities were hit in the Boryspil district, and the shelling lasted almost 9 hours. ### Q: Is the thesis of 'losing' the war confirmed by independent fact-checking? **A:** No, in the provided sources this is a political assessment by the head of the European Commission, not a neutrally confirmed fact; in the article this is reflected as a caveat.