Russia launched one of its biggest-ever ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, with a five-hour assault that killed at least one person and injured seven others, causing fires and damage across the city.
Ukrainian officials said the capital was hit by around 40 Iskander-M and hypersonic Zircon missiles. Residents heard air raid sirens at 1:30 a.m., followed by the sound of air defenses and then a series of loud booms and explosions.
Houses in Kyiv’s historic center shook, and car alarms went off as dozens of missiles arrived in less than an hour. A second air raid siren sounded at 6:30 a.m., with more impacts reported.
A three-story building caught fire in the central Shevchenkivsky district. Rescuers dug out several people trapped inside and recovered one body. Four other areas were hit, with fires reported at office and residential buildings, as well as a dormitory.
Residents sheltering at Lukyanivska metro station shared footage after the ceiling in the ground-floor entrance collapsed due to a massive blast wave. The station is temporarily closed.
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“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.
Kyiv’s military said it had shot down 18 missiles in Sunday’s attack, which was mainly aimed at the Ukrainian capital. It added that 108 out of 125 drones had also been downed.
“The missiles just kept coming one after another, the explosions were powerful, it was horrible,” said Ganna Zagorodnia, a 47-year-old Kyiv resident, to the AFP news agency. “I thought life was about to end.”
Russia has been firing drones and missiles at Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities almost daily since it launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Zelenskyy said last week that the US and Ukraine had reached a political agreement on licenses to produce the prized Patriot interceptors, adding that he hoped production could begin by the end of the year. Ukraine’s own stocks of interceptors appear to have dwindled.
But the increasing Russian attacks in the fifth year of Moscow’s full-scale war are putting pressure on Kyiv’s foreign partners to speed up the supply of anti-ballistic defenses.
“Protection against ballistic missiles is our constant and top priority right now,” Zelenskyy said on X on Sunday. “Interceptors are needed every day.”
The attacks come amid large anti-government protests in Kyiv after Zelenskyy’s decision to dismiss the country’s popular and modernizing defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov. Demonstrators want Fedorov reinstated and the Soviet-style commander-in-chief, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, removed instead.
At one location in western Kyiv, emergency workers sifted through smoldering debris and doused bombed-out apartments.
A resident who identified himself as Vlad told Reuters he had been inside his apartment when a blast tore off his balcony door, which hit him in the head.
“My grandmother lives with me, and she can’t walk. How could I run away and leave her behind?” he said.
Rescue workers pulled four people from a burning private home in the Sviatoshynskyi district, while in the Shevchenkivskyi district they rescued residents from a burning three-story building. A fire in a non-residential building was also contained. One person was later found dead.
Firefighters also responded to blazes in the Solomyanskyi, Desnianskyi, and Dnipro districts.
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There have also been attacks on Russia. On Saturday, Ukraine sent attack drones to destroy e-commerce warehouses in the Moscow and Tambov regions, killing eight people and causing major fires.
Earlier on Saturday, Russian strikes killed five people and wounded nearly 20 in several regions.
“In response to Russian strikes on our civilian infrastructure and on our cities and communities, two”Major logistics facilities were hit in the Moscow and Tambov regions,” Zelenskyy said. The Ukrainian president claimed these centers were used “to supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment.”
According to the United Nations, June was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since April 2022, with at least 293 people killed.
Negotiations to end Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II remain stalled, while fighting on the front lines is essentially at a standstill.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs regarding the reported largescale Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv
Basic Factual Questions
1 What exactly happened
Russia launched one of its largest ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv The attack lasted about five hours with missiles hitting the city in waves
2 Why did the attack last for five hours
The attack was not a single launch It was a strike package involving multiple missile launches over several hours likely designed to overwhelm air defenses and keep the city under constant threat
3 What kind of missiles were used
Reports specifically mention ballistic missiles which are very fast and difficult to intercept They often travel high into the atmosphere before descending on their target
4 Was there any warning before the attack
Yes Air raid sirens sounded across Kyiv giving residents time to seek shelter The prolonged attack meant the sirens were active for the entire fivehour period
5 Were there any casualties or damage
Yes While specific numbers vary there were reports of casualties and damage to residential buildings and infrastructure Local authorities provide the most accurate updates
Advanced Contextual Questions
6 What is the difference between a ballistic missile and a cruise missile in this attack
Ballistic missiles are much faster and have a high arcing trajectory They are harder to shoot down than slower lowflying cruise missiles This attack focused on ballistic missiles making defense more challenging
7 Why would Russia use ballistic missiles specifically against Kyiv
Ballistic missiles are often used to target highvalue hardened or heavily defended locations Kyiv is heavily protected by advanced air defense systems Ballistic missiles are designed to try and penetrate these defenses
8 How effective are Ukraines air defenses against this type of attack
Ukraines air defenses including Westernsupplied systems can intercept ballistic missiles but it is not 100 effective The speed and trajectory make them a hard target The fivehour barrage was likely an attempt to exhaust the defense systems ammunition
9 Is this attack a sign of a major escalation in the war
It is a significant tactical escalation in the use of heavy longrange ballistic missiles against a capital city However it does not necessarily signal a change in overall war strategy but rather a demonstration
