Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Russian forces launched a massive overnight drone and missile attack on the Ukrainian capital, killing at least 13 people and injuring scores more as explosions rocked Kyiv for hours into the early morning of Thursday, July 2, 2026.
The barrage, which Ukrainian officials described as the first large-scale attack on the capital in more than two weeks, involved 74 missiles and 496 drones, according to Ukraine's air force. While air defences intercepted many of the incoming projectiles, 25 ballistic missiles and 12 drones struck 33 locations across the city. Residential buildings and civilian infrastructure bore the brunt of the assault.
The attack caused widespread damage, with 30 locations across Kyiv affected, mainly residential buildings. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that 13 people were killed and 86 injured in the capital. Of the injured, 70 required hospitalisation. A nine-storey apartment building partially collapsed in the Darnytskyi district, with rescue teams pulling people from the rubble. A hotel on the central Shevchenko Boulevard also caught fire after being struck. An ambulance station was damaged, critically injuring at least one person.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said 20 residential buildings were damaged across the city, while the State Emergency Service deployed nearly 500 personnel and 100 units of equipment, including a helicopter, to deal with the aftermath.
The attack came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing a "massive" assault. Cutting short a visit to Dublin, he urged Ukrainians to "protect themselves, their children, and, of course, their families". "We know that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has been preparing a massive strike against Ukraine for some time," he said.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration, accused Russia of "deliberately targeting residential areas and killing civilians". Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on international partners to provide more air defence systems, saying the country needs "not only words of condemnation but concrete action to stop Russian terror".
Russia's Defence Ministry claimed the strikes targeted Ukrainian defence and energy infrastructure in response to recent Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian power stations. The assault on Kyiv follows a series of Ukrainian long-range drone strikes deep inside Russia, including an attack on a major oil refinery in the Moscow region. The escalation comes as Russian troops recently advanced into the city of Kostyantynivka, a key Ukrainian stronghold in the east.
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