Kyiv, July 2: At least 20 people were killed and around 90 others injured after Russian forces launched what Kyiv’s mayor described as the largest drone and missile assault on the Ukrainian capital overnight, targeting multiple locations across the city.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the attack was the “most massive” ever witnessed by the capital in terms of the number of drones and missiles used, with strikes hitting a wide area of the city. An ambulance station was among the facilities damaged, while Friday has been declared a day of mourning.
Ukrainian officials said children were among the casualties. Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, accused Russia of deliberately targeting residential neighbourhoods and civilian infrastructure.
The overnight bombardment forced thousands of residents to seek refuge in underground metro stations. Kyiv’s metro authorities said nearly 52,500 people, including about 4,500 children, took shelter in the city’s subway network—the highest number recorded in recent years.
One of the worst-hit locations was the Darnitskyi district in southeastern Kyiv, where two missiles struck a residential area. One missile created a massive crater near a kindergarten, while another slammed into a nine-storey apartment building, causing part of the structure to collapse. Rescue teams continued search operations amid fears that several residents remained trapped beneath the debris.
The strikes came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing a major offensive.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said the attacks targeted military-industrial facilities in retaliation for what it described as Ukrainian strikes on Russian civilian infrastructure. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would continue increasing pressure on Kyiv to achieve its military objectives.
Ukraine rejected Russia’s justification, maintaining that the attacks were directed at civilian areas and underscoring the distinction between what it called the actions of the aggressor and a nation defending itself.
The latest barrage marks a significant escalation in the conflict, further intensifying humanitarian concerns as rescue operations continue and authorities assess the full extent of the damage.
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