Ukraine says Russia fired war’s largest ballistic barrage at Kyiv
Ukrainian officials said the overnight attack killed one person in Kyiv and injured at least 15 as air defences face missile shortages.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Russia struck Kyiv overnight with what Ukraine’s foreign minister described as the largest ballistic missile attack on the capital since the war began. Local officials said the hours-long assault early Sunday killed one person and wounded at least 15, underscoring the pressure on Ukraine’s air defences during a month of repeated attacks.
Ukraine’s national police said the strikes hit six districts of Kyiv. The State Emergency Service said fires broke out across the city and that residential buildings, offices, industrial sites, a dormitory and vehicles were damaged.
Emergency crews rescued four people from a burning private home in the Sviatoshynskyi district, according to the State Emergency Service. In the Shevchenkivskyi district, rescuers evacuated residents from a burning three-storey building and later found one person dead, the service said.
Firefighters also responded to fires in the Solomyanskyi, Desnianskyi and Dnipro districts, according to Ukrainian emergency officials. A fire at a nonresidential building was contained.
Ukraine presses for stronger air defences
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the barrage “a brutal terrorist attack on the Ukrainian capital” in a post on X. He said Ukraine needed “devastating pressure on Moscow to end this terror.”
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 41 missiles overnight and that Ukrainian forces shot down 18 of them. Ukraine has relied heavily on Patriot systems to intercept ballistic missiles, and officials have warned that supplies of Patriot interceptor missiles are strained.
Russia has carried out several large attacks on Kyiv in July, according to Ukrainian officials. Al Jazeera, citing Ukrainian accounts, reported that ballistic missiles had been used against the capital on at least seven occasions during the month.
The attack came as Ukraine faces political strain at home. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s removal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov in a cabinet reshuffle has prompted street protests and criticism from many Ukrainian soldiers, according to Al Jazeera. Some critics described the move as the biggest mistake of Zelenskyy’s presidency, Al Jazeera reported.
Strikes reported beyond Kyiv
Russian attacks were also reported in other parts of Ukraine. Oleksandr Ganzha, a regional official in Dnipropetrovsk, said a Russian drone strike killed one person in the central region, which borders the front line.
In Zaporizhia, Ukraine’s national railway company said a Russian drone hit a passenger train and killed its conductor. The company released images showing rail cars on fire.
Ukraine also said its forces struck two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea. Ukrainian officials have described attacks on shipping as part of an effort to cut fuel and supplies to Russian-occupied Crimea.
United States President Donald Trump has said he is prepared to grant Ukraine licences to produce Patriot interceptor missiles domestically, according to Al Jazeera. The details of that plan, including timing, have not been made clear.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.