Russia launched one of its largest air assaults on Ukraine on July 1-2-3, unleashing a massive wave of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and attack drones that devastated Kyiv and struck several other regions across the country. The capital suffered the heaviest damage, where the latest official figures put the death toll at 30 after rescuers recovered three more bodies from beneath the rubble of a collapsed residential building in the Darnytskyi district. At least 91 people were injured, including children, while emergency crews continued searching for survivors.
The barrage came only hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Ukrainian intelligence had detected preparations for another major Russian strike. According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia launched a total of 570 aerial weapons, including 74 missiles and 496 long-range drones. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted or electronically suppressed 524 of them, but 25 ballistic missiles and 12 drones still reached their targets, striking 33 locations. Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said Russia fired 28 ballistic missiles at Kyiv alone, the highest number ever recorded during a single attack on the capital.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko described the assault as the largest of the war against the Ukrainian capital. "It was a terrible night for Kyiv," he said, adding that "damage has been recorded in every district of the city." July 3 was declared an official day of mourning.
