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Kyiv ballistic missile barrage: Russia’s biggest strike — Russia launched its largest ballistic missile attack on Kyiv

Editorial Team

Ukraine cites Patriot missile shortages as drones hit Kyiv

Russia launched its largest ballistic missile attack on Kyiv since the start of the war, Ukraine’s foreign minister said, in an hours-long overnight barrage early Sunday that Ukrainian officials reported killed one person and wounded at least 16.

Ukraine’s national police said the strikes hit six districts of the capital, triggering multiple fires and damage to homes and other buildings as emergency crews carried out rescues across the city.

The attack underscored Ukraine’s growing difficulty in protecting major cities from ballistic missiles as the war enters its fifth year and Russia continues near-daily strikes. Ukrainian officials say the country is short of Patriot air defence munitions, among the most effective tools for intercepting ballistic threats.

The latest escalation also comes amid heightened domestic pressure in Ukraine following a cabinet reshuffle by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that has sparked protests and criticism from some soldiers and political opponents.

Key developments from the overnight attacks

Kyiv authorities reported one death and at least 16 injuries after hours of strikes early Sunday.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said fires damaged residential buildings, offices, industrial sites, a dormitory and vehicles across the capital.
In Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian drone strikes killed one person, regional official Oleksandr Ganzha said.
In Zaporizhia region, a Russian drone hit a passenger train, killing its conductor, according to Ukraine’s national railway company.
Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 18 of 41 missiles launched by Russia overnight.

Background to Kyiv’s air defence challenge

Ukrainian officials say Kyiv and other cities are particularly exposed to ballistic missile attacks because Ukraine is running low on Patriot interceptor missiles, which are widely regarded as the most capable system in Ukraine’s arsenal for stopping ballistic threats. The pressure has intensified as Russia has repeatedly mounted large-scale waves of attacks on the capital in July, including multiple incidents involving ballistic missiles.

Alongside the military strain, political tensions have risen in Kyiv after Zelenskyy removed his defence minister as part of a cabinet reshuffle. The decision has prompted street protests and dismay among some Ukrainian soldiers. Critics have described the move as a serious political misstep at a time when they believe Ukraine had been gaining momentum in the war.

Since Russia’s initial push toward Kyiv failed in early 2022, long range strikes on cities have become a recurrent tool of attrition and coercion. Analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies describe Russia’s evolving pattern as mixed strike packages of drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles launched in waves to saturate air defenses, impose costs on civilians, and test Ukraine’s resilience and Western support.

Damage reports and official reactions

Emergency responders reported multiple rescues as fires spread following the strikes. In the Sviatoshynskyi district, crews pulled four people from a burning private home. In the Shevchenkivskyi district, responders rescued residents from a burning three-storey building and contained a separate fire in a nonresidential building; one person was later found dead.

Firefighters were also dispatched to blazes in the Solomyanskyi, Desnianskyi and Dnipro districts. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the ballistic missile barrage as “a brutal terrorist attack on the Ukrainian capital” and said it required a firm response.

Ukraine separately said its forces struck two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea, part of a strategy aimed at limiting fuel and supplies to Russian-occupied Crimea by targeting shipping.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office has issued post-attack readouts that, in some major raids on and around Kyiv, cited totals of 70 missiles of various types alongside 611 drones, underscoring the scale of combined salvos. Zelenskyy has argued that repeated barrages strengthen the case for accelerated cooperation on ballistic missile defense and faster delivery and production of interceptors.

What happens next

Zelenskyy said Sunday that “protection against ballistic missiles is our constant and top priority right now,” adding that interceptors are needed daily and thanking partners for ensuring deliveries of anti-ballistic capabilities.

US President Donald Trump has said he is prepared to grant Ukraine licences to produce Patriot interceptor missiles domestically, potentially strengthening air defences, although details and a timeline have not been confirmed.