Russia has conducted one of its most significant ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv to date, initiating a five-hour assault that caused at least one fatality and left seven individuals injured. The attack, which began with air raid sirens at 1:30 am on Sunday, saw dozens of missiles striking the capital in less than an hour, followed by a second wave of sirens at 6:30 am.
Ukrainian officials identified the weaponry used as approximately 40 Iskander-M and hypersonic Zircon missiles. Kyiv’s military reported that its air defenses successfully intercepted 18 of the incoming missiles, along with 108 out of 125 drones launched during the broader operation. Despite these efforts, the impact was severe; a three-storey building in the central Shevchenkivsky district caught fire, where rescuers later recovered a body from the debris.
The destruction extended across multiple districts, including Solomyanskyi, Desnianskyi, and Dnipro, where firefighters battled blazes at residential and office buildings. In the Sviatoshynskyi district, emergency crews evacuated four people from a burning private home. Residents taking shelter in the Lukyanivska metro station reported that the ceiling of the ground-floor vestibule collapsed due to a powerful blast wave, leading to the station's temporary closure. A resident who identified himself as Vlad told Reuters he had been inside his apartment when a blast tore off his balcony door, which smashed him in the head.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the urgent need for enhanced anti-ballistic capabilities, stating that protection against such missiles remains a top priority. He noted that Ukraine is pursuing a political agreement with the United States to manufacture Patriot interceptors locally, hoping production can commence by the year's end. “Interceptors are needed every day,” Zelenskyy remarked on social media.
The escalation follows a series of strikes by both sides. On Saturday, Ukraine utilized attack drones to target logistics and e-commerce facilities in Russia's Moscow and Tambov regions, which the Ukrainian government alleged were being used for drone production and navigation equipment. Those strikes reportedly resulted in eight deaths. Earlier on Saturday Russian strikes killed five people and wounded almost 20 in several regions. According to UN data, June marked the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since April 2022, with at least 293 deaths reported. Talks on ending Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II remain frozen, while fighting at the front is effectively at a standstill.
Houses in Kyiv’s historic centre shook, and car alarms blared, as dozens of missiles arrived in less than an hour. There was a second air raid siren at 6.30am, with more impacts reported.
“According to preliminary information, one person was, sadly, killed as a result of the attack,” the city military administration said on Telegram. Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said seven people were wounded.
