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Russia Strikes Kyiv After Ukraine’s Drone Attacks on Russian Sites, Killing at Least 17
Russia launched 74 missiles and 496 drones at Kyiv overnight into July 2, 2026. At least 17 people were killed and scores wounded, with damage reported across 30 locations.
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Russia launched missiles and drones at Kyiv overnight into July 2, 2026, in its largest attack on the capital since the start of the full-scale invasion more than four years ago. Ukraine's air force reported that Russia fired 74 missiles and 496 drones during the assault. The State Emergency Service said at least 17 people were killed and scores wounded.
Damage was recorded in 30 locations across the city, mainly residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said 20 residential buildings were damaged. A nine-story apartment building in the Darnytskyi district suffered partial collapse of six floors.
A 15-year-old girl and her family were among those trapped under the rubble. Fires broke out on the roof of a 16-story building in the Holosiivskyi district and in two private residences in the Sviatoshynskyi district. An ambulance station was hit, damaging nine ambulances, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Six station employees, including medical staff and drivers, were injured. Damage was reported in all districts of the city. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed the strikes targeted key military plants in Kyiv.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia will continue to increase pressure on the Kyiv regime to achieve its goals. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy requested a license from Washington to manufacture Patriot missiles and called air defense supplies an absolute necessity.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the night of July 1-2 as a night of horror in Kyiv and called on allies to strengthen Ukraine's air defenses without delay.
He said the death toll may rise as rescue teams continue their work and rejected Russian claims that the strikes were retaliation, asserting Ukraine was exercising its right to self-defense under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter. Klitschko described the attack as the enemy's most massive attack on Kyiv.
