Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack on Kyiv overnight, killing two people, injuring at least 16, and sparking fires across five districts of the capital, city officials said Thursday, July 10.
Kyiv Post reporters across the capital were jolted awake shortly after midnight by a new wave of explosions. From different districts of the city, they reported hearing dozens of drones buzzing overhead and detonating in multiple locations, followed by the thunderous blasts of ballistic missile strikes.
The assault lasted around ten hours, making it one of the longest and most intense attacks on Kyiv in recent months. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said debris from intercepted drones and missiles hit multiple residential areas, damaging buildings and setting off large fires.
In the Shevchenkivskyi district, fragments struck several multi-story apartment buildings, damaging upper floors and igniting blazes. In Darnytskyi, a gas station and nearby garages caught fire.
A non-residential building burned in Solomianskyi, and in Podil a primary care clinic was nearly destroyed. Drone debris hit a truck in Holosiivskyi.
Ten of the injured were hospitalized, Klitschko said. Thick smoke covered parts of the city as emergency crews worked to put out fires. Kyiv’s military administration chief, Tymur Tkachenko, urged residents to keep windows closed after returning from shelters.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that among the dead in the Podil district were a 68-year-old woman and a 22-year-old police corporal, a Metro transportation officer.
“My condolences to the families, loved ones, and colleagues of the victims,” Klymenko wrote.
More than a dozen people were wounded, and authorities warn the toll could rise as residents continue to seek medical help. Police are conducting door-to-door searches in affected buildings to ensure no one is left without assistance.
Emergency teams quickly set up operational headquarters at strike locations. Roughly 400 rescue workers and 90 units of fire, engineering, and robotic equipment have been deployed, including climbers and bomb disposal experts.
Police are securing strike zones, documenting evidence of what Kyiv calls a Russian war crime, and helping evacuate residents.
Kyiv region was also hit. Authorities said damage was reported in four districts, where homes and farm buildings caught fire. A 51-year-old man was wounded in the Obukhiv district and hospitalized.
President Volodymyr Zelensky urged allies to speed up imposing new sanctions on Russia.
“Sanctions must be imposed faster, and pressure on Russia must be strong enough that they truly feel the consequences of their terror,” he said on social media, specifying Russia had launched some 18 missiles and around 400 attack drones.
The attack followed a record-setting drone barrage the night before, when Russia launched 728 drones of various types across Ukraine – the highest number since the start of the full-scale invasion. The previous largest strike was on July 4.
Moscow has stepped up airstrikes following peace talks in Istanbul and US President Donald Trump’s call for a ceasefire. Kremlin-linked sources told The New York Times that Russian President Vladimir Putin believes Ukraine’s defense could collapse within months.
In late June, the US paused military aid to Ukraine as the Pentagon reviewed its weapons stockpile. Following the intensified Russian strikes, Trump ordered deliveries to resume and is considering sending another Patriot air defense system.
Ukrainians “have to be able to defend themselves.” Trump said. “So many people are dying in that mess.”