The ‘furious enemy attack’ on Ukraine continues on Thursday morning after ballistic missile and drone strikes on the capital overnight

Andrea Hamblin

Published 02 July 2026 4:09am BST

Russia fired ballistic missiles and drones at Kyiv on Wednesday night hours after Ukrainians were warned a “massive strike” was imminent.

At least eight people were killed, including children, and dozens more seriously injured in the attack on the Ukrainian capital, city leaders reported. 

Explosions continued to be heard in the early hours of Thursday, while emergency crews were racing to find people reportedly trapped under the rubble of a collapsed apartment tower. There were reports of severe damage to at least 28 buildings in the city, including medical facilities.

Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, warned residents to remain in shelters while city remained under “furious enemy attack”.

Five of the people injured were medical workers, including a paramedic who was in a critical condition, Mr Klitschko said.

Ukrainians had packed into bunkers and underground railway stations in preparation for the strikes after Volodymyr Zelensky, who was on an official visit to Ireland, posted on social media urging them to be “especially careful” amid intelligence that Russia was planning a major attack.

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“We have information about another massive Russian strike – we have relevant intelligence data,” the Ukrainian president wrote on X on Wednesday evening, adding that he would “immediately” return home.

“We know that [Vladimir] Putin has been preparing a massive strike against Ukraine for some time. That is exactly the threat we are facing tonight.”

The attack plans showed the Russian president was “completely refusing to end the war,” Mr Zelensky added.

Hours after the president’s post, Ukraine’s air defence systems began shooting at incoming drones. The first major explosions were heard in Kyiv about 11pm local time, and fires then erupted in the city centre.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city’s military administration, reported falling debris, fires and damaged buildings in the Desniansky, Shevchenkivskyi and Solomyanski districts.

“Drones are targeting Kyiv from several directions. There is a threat of an attack in several stages,” Mr Tkachenko posted on Telegram.

Shortly before 2am Thursday, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian ballistic missiles were heading for the capital. Another powerful explosion rocked the city minutes later.

City and military leaders reported that a five-storey apartment building was hit, and said that after a nine-storey apartment had been struck there were fears residents had been trapped. There were also reports of damage to a market and medical facilities.

In the Sviatoshynskyi and Darnytskyi districts, fire broke out in homes and debris trapped people in buildings, Mr Tkachenko said.

The attack also reportedly sparked fires near residential buildings at two locations in the Pecherskyi district, and ignited a fire near an administrative building in the Solomianskyi district. Authorities reported further damage in the Obolonskyi and Podilskyi districts.

In an update shortly after 5am local time ( 3am UK time), Mr Tkachenko said authorities had identified 28 damaged locations across Kyiv, “mainly residential buildings and civilian infrastructure”.

“Meanwhile, there are still enemy strike planes over the city,” the military leader wrote.

Five districts of the wider Kyiv region were struck in the attack, according to regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk.

“During the night, the enemy once again launched a massive attack on the Kyiv region using strike drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles,” Mr Kalashnyk said on Telegram.

He said emergency crews were battling fires at warehouses and a house in the Bucha district, while the attacks damaged homes, a student dormitory and vehicles elsewhere in the region.

Putin has intensified his attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks, while Ukraine’s own long-range drone campaign against Russian military sites and energy facilities has caused fuel shortages and disrupted supply lines inside Russia.

A fortnight ago, Russian military leaders pledged to take revenge after Ukrainian forces launched more than 1,000 drones at the country including 200 which targeted Moscow. It was Ukraine’s largest-ever drone bombardment of the Russian capital.

Mr Zelensky said at the time that the Ukrainian strikes were a “fully justified response” to previous Russian attacks, including one against an ancient cathedral in Kyiv. “If Ukraine burns, so will Moscow,” he added.