27 Killed as Russian Missiles Strike Kyiv
At least 27 people were killed in a Russian missile strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 2, 2026, as Ukraine strikes on energy facilities in occupied territories preceded the barrage. [1] Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, reported the death toll from the attack. [1] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed retaliation and called for more Patriot air-defense systems along with U.S. licenses to manufacture related munitions. [5]
Deadly Russian Strike Hits Kyiv
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, stated that at least 27 people were killed in the Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital. [1] The state emergency services reported at least 25 people had been killed with others missing after the overnight assault. [5] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy inspected a partially destroyed apartment block and said his forces would definitely retaliate. [5] The European Union's top diplomat proposed new sanctions on Moscow, while Zelenskyy pressed the United States for licences to manufacture Patriot air-defence missiles. [5] UN chief secretary-general Antonio Guterres condemned the barrage and repeated a ceasefire call, with his spokesman noting that attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are a clear violation of international humanitarian law. [5] Russia vowed to further ramp up pressure on Ukraine. [5]
Scale of the Barrage
Russia fired 496 drones and 74 missiles, including hard-to-intercept ballistic projectiles, according to Ukraine's air force. [5] The air force said it shot down 48 of the missiles and 476 drones. [5] Mayor Vitali Klitschko described the assault as the enemy's most massive attack on the capital. [5] Blasts started echoing out late on Wednesday local time and lasted into the early hours of Thursday as Russian missiles and drones rained down on residential areas in the city centre. [5] Journalists from the Agence France-Presse news agency in central and eastern Kyiv heard more than a dozen explosions and saw residents rushing to shelter in metro stations. [5]
Civilian Impact and Shelters
Some 52,000 people, including 4,500 children, packed into underground stations to shelter from the barrage, the highest number in recent years according to the Kyiv metro. [5] Others hunkered down in basements or corridors through the night as blasts shook buildings across the city. [5] AFP reporters met several Kyiv residents outside an apartment building largely destroyed in the attack. [5] Thirty-two-year-old factory worker Sabina Mambetova said half the building had been destroyed and the roof was gone, leaving her without an apartment alone with her child. [5] Thirty-two-year-old doctor Kateryna Kucheryava told AFP from the metro that her child was used to sleeping in complete silence and darkness but woke up after being carried down. [5] The Ukrainian branch of the Red Cross said its key warehouse had been destroyed and around US$2m worth of humanitarian aid lost. [5] Debris also damaged a building hosting a number of diplomats, though EU spokeswoman Anitta Hipper said the EU diplomats were safe. [5]
Ukrainian Retaliatory Strikes on Infrastructure
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces struck 12 power substations and one gas distribution station in Russian-occupied territories during a 48-hour operation on July 1-2, USF Commander Robert Madyar Brovdi reported on July 2. [2] The operation shut down energy facilities in occupied Crimea as well as in the occupied parts of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. [2] Ukrainian drone units shut down 12 electrical substations in the occupied territories, including 10 in Crimea and one each in occupied Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, Brovdi reported, while a gas distribution station in Luhansk was also hit. [2] Brovdi also said Ukrainian forces struck a Russian fuel depot in Melitopol, occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast. [2] The military released footage of the operation on social media. [2]
Vows to Escalate and International Response
Both Ukraine and Russia vowed a renewed escalation of hostilities in their four-year war following the attack. [5] Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin has been preparing this massive strike against Ukraine for some time now. [5] Russia vowed to further ramp up pressure on Ukraine, sticking to its no-compromise rhetoric. [5] The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said she would propose new sanctions on Moscow over the attack. [5] A US official told AFP President Donald Trump wanted a peace deal to end the senseless killing in Ukraine. [5]
Context of Recent Attacks
The latest operation comes as Crimea faces an escalating fuel and energy crisis triggered by Ukrainian strikes. [2] In late June, Russian-installed authorities announced a state of emergency in Crimea after attacks on fuel facilities and infrastructure on the peninsula. [2] Widespread power outages have afflicted the region in recent weeks, leading to electricity restrictions while also impacting the water supply. [2] Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on July 1 that the success of Kyiv's drone campaign in Crimea was making it difficult for Moscow to resolve one crisis after another. [2] The attack came hours after Zelenskyy cut short a visit to Dublin on Wednesday, citing intelligence reports of an impending Russian strike. [5] Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone attacks inside Russia in recent weeks, targeting energy infrastructure and military targets. [5]
What to watch next: Zelenskyy is expected to continue pressing allies for additional air-defense support while Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces maintain pressure on occupied energy infrastructure amid ongoing vows of escalation from both sides.
