KYIV — At least 13 people were killed and more than 50 more injured, including children, in an overnight Russian missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, city authorities reported.
“There were multiple devastating direct strikes on residential buildings,” Kyiv military administration head Tymur Tkachenko said on July 2, adding that rescuers were recovering both survivors and the bodies of those killed from beneath the rubble.
“Nine deaths have been confirmed, while reports of several more possible victims are still being verified as rescue operations continue,” he added.
Kyiv is under attack by ballistic missiles and drones, with explosions being heard across the city, Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote in the early hours of July 2 on Telegram, warning residents to stay in shelters.
Fires and extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and residential buildings were reported across several districts of the city, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
“Response efforts are ongoing, with 570 rescuers and more than 125 pieces of rescue equipment deployed to the affected areas,” the service said in a Telegram post.
RFE/RL correspondent Maryan Kushnir reported from the site, showing the aftermath of the overnight attack on a residential building in Kyiv’s Shuliavka district.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has strongly condemned the Russian strikes, describing them as “grave war crimes,” and called on partners and international organizations to provide “strong responses.”
“War criminal Putin can only wage a vile and terroristic war against civilians, women and children,” Sybiha wrote in a post on X.
On the evening before the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of “another massive Russian strike,” citing relevant intelligence. He said he was returning to Ukraine “immediately” from Ireland, where he had been on an official visit.
In the Kyiv region, at least three people were injured in a Russian drone and missile strike, regional officials reported on July 2.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on July 2 that it carried out a large-scale strike using long-range precision weapons and drones in response to alleged Ukrainian attacks on civilian infrastructure in Russia, targeting military industry facilities, energy infrastructure in Kyiv and the Kyiv region, and military airfield infrastructure across several Ukrainian regions.
It also said that Russian air defense forces intercepted and shot down 327 Ukrainian drones over Russia, including over the Moscow and Leningrad regions.
Ukraine consistently denies targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure in Russia, saying that its military operations are strictly directed at legitimate military targets, logistics networks, and energy infrastructure powering the Russian military machine.
