Russian Attack on Kyiv Kills at Least 30 After Ukrainian Strikes Cut Russian Refining Capacity by One-Third

Russian forces launched missiles and drones at Kyiv in an attack that lasted more than 11 hours overnight into July 2. The barrage killed at least 30 people and injured at least 85 others, striking residential buildings in the capital. Ukraine said Russia deliberately targeted civilian areas.

Russia described the attack as retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities. Ukrainian forces have carried out more than 50 strikes on oil refineries and energy facilities in Russia and occupied Crimea since March. Those operations reduced Russia's refining capacity by an estimated one-third, according to Chris Weafer, CEO of Macro-Advisory.

AP News reported that Russian gasoline production fell roughly 17 percent to 850,000 barrels a day. Semafor reported that June fuel output dropped about 25 percent to a two-decade low, while diesel prices rose more than 40 percent since spring. President Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting of government officials last weekend to address the shortages.

In televised remarks he described Russia as going through a “difficult period” and pledged to speed repairs of energy facilities while considering gasoline imports. ” He said Russian forces are advancing across the roughly 1,000-kilometer front line. Putin responded to an offer from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet by challenging him to come to Moscow.

He made any ceasefire conditional on Ukraine’s withdrawal from the portion of Donetsk region it still controls. Putin said a final peace deal must require Ukraine to abandon its NATO bid, reduce its military, and protect Russian language and culture. He rejected a Ukrainian proposal to mutually halt deep strikes into each other’s territory.

Zelenskyy urged Ukraine’s allies to supply interceptors to counter Russian ballistic missiles.