Russian missiles and drones hit Kyiv, injuring at least five and destroying a residential building
A wave of Russian ballistic missiles and strike drones struck Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities overnight, injuring at least five people and destroying an apartment block, while officials warned of further attacks.
Waves of Russian ballistic missiles and strike drones hit Kyiv and several other Ukrainian cities overnight on July 1-2, shortly after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of an upcoming large-scale strike. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least five people were injured and a residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district was destroyed, while a hotel in the same area and a multistory building in the Holosiivskyi district were also damaged.
Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko reported that air-defence units were engaging drones on the city’s outskirts and cautioned that drones could continue approaching the capital, adding that a combined attack might follow in the coming days. The Ukrainian Air Force had earlier warned of groups of drones heading for Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Konotop and Kherson, and later confirmed additional waves were en route.
Residents sought shelter in underground metro stations, many setting up tents for the night. At around 12:45 a.m. on July 2, Tkachenko and the Air Force issued alerts about an imminent ballistic missile threat, and open-source monitoring indicated that Russia had launched up to ten strategic bombers.
Explosions were also reported in Zaporizhzhia, Pavlohrad, Sumy and Kharkiv. Emergency crews responded to the attack sites, and a shelter in Kyiv’s Podil district was notably crowded as people, including children and pets, waited for the strikes to subside.
President Zelensky, speaking with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, said intelligence indicated Russia was preparing another mass air strike, noting that large-scale attacks have become a near-weekly occurrence. The warning came amid ongoing Russian strikes elsewhere, including a glide-bomb attack on Kharkiv that killed a teenager and injured dozens.
The Ukrainian fuel retailer West Oil Group announced temporary closures of its gas stations in Kyiv and several oblasts from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. due to the heightened threat.
The recent attacks follow a series of Russian mass strikes that have targeted civilian infrastructure, cultural sites and historic landmarks across Ukraine.
