Russia Launches Largest Ballistic Missile Attack on Kyiv Since War Began
Russia launched a massive air strike on Kyiv early Sunday morning, deploying the largest number of ballistic missiles against the capital since the war began. The attack killed at least one person and injured 16 others.
The assault lasted several hours and struck six districts of the Ukrainian capital. The State Emergency Service reported that fires broke out in residential buildings, offices, industrial facilities, a dormitory, and vehicles.
Rescue workers evacuated four people from a burning house in the Sviatoshynskyi district. In the Shevchenkivskyi district, emergency services rescued residents from a three-storey building that had caught fire. One person was later found dead following the series of strikes.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the ballistic missile attack as a “brutal terrorist attack on the capital of Ukraine” that requires a firm response. Fires were also reported in the Solomianskyi, Desnianskyi, and Dniprovskyi districts.
The latest strike adds to the pressure on Ukraine as it enters the fifth year of the war. The country faces near-daily Russian attacks amid a shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles, a key component of its air defence system against ballistic missiles. The Ukrainian Air Force stated it shot down 18 of the 41 missiles launched by Russia during the early morning attack.
Russia has launched several waves of major strikes on Kyiv throughout July. Ballistic missiles have been used in at least seven attacks as Ukraine grapples with a deficit of Patriot interceptors.
Russian attacks also targeted the Dnipropetrovsk region, where a drone strike killed one civilian, according to regional official Oleksandr Ganzha. In the Zaporizhia region, a Russian drone struck a passenger train, killing a conductor, Ukraine’s national railway company reported, releasing photos showing several carriages on fire.
Meanwhile, Ukraine claimed its forces struck two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea. The attack is part of Ukraine’s strategy to disrupt fuel and logistics supplies to the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula by targeting supply vessels.