BySertac Aktan&EuronewswithAFP
Published on •Updated
Russian forces launched massive overnight strikes on Kyiv, killing at least 13 people and wounding dozens, city authorities announced.
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The attack came after Ukraine’s air force warned that ballistic missiles were headed towards the capital and followed Zelensky cutting short a visit to Dublin on Wednesday, citing intelligence reports of an impending Russian strike.
The heavy missile and drone barrage triggered explosions that affected five districts of the wider Kyiv region.
“During the night, the enemy once again launched a massive attack on the Kyiv region using strike drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles,” regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk said.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said it was Russia’s biggest attack on Kyiv to date.
“Tomorrow, July 3, has been declared a Day of Mourning in Kyiv, in memory of the victims of the enemy’s most massive attack on the capital,” he wrote in a post on Telegram.
Responding to news of the strikes, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said she would be proposing further sanctions against Russia on Thursday.
“Today, I will propose to sanction more entities supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex in response to the strikes. The more Moscow attacks civilians, the more sanctions must be imposed,” she wrote on X.
Ukraine has also stepped up long-range drone attacks inside Russia in recent weeks, targeting energy infrastructure and military targets.
Russian officials have reported repeated strikes in border regions, while Moscow has said its air defenses have intercepted hundreds of drones from Ukraine in recent days.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused more than two million military casualties, with Moscow’s forces bearing the majority of the losses, according to a study published Wednesday by US think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Moscow has routinely launched coordinated waves of missiles and drones at Ukrainian urban centers throughout its invasion, which has now lasted more than four years and stands as Europe’s deadliest conflict since the Second World War.
Our journalists are working on this story and will update it as soon as more information becomes available.