Russia escalates Kyiv bombardment: at least six dead, rescue efforts ongoing
Last night, in yet more escalation, Russia unleashed a wave of ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones on Kyiv, targeting civilian locations including apartment buildings, a university, a metro station, and other public areas. At least six civilians were killed and 19 others injured, with rescue operations still underway in the Shevchenkivskyi district and beyond.
The attacks began around 1 a.m., as Kyiv residents were jolted awake by explosions and the ominous hum of drones. Initial drone strikes were followed by ballistic missile barrages an hour later. The assault lasted roughly 4 hours, representing the latest crescendo in Russia’s now systematic bombardment of civilian infrastructure.
The most severe damage occurred in Shevchenkivskyi, where a five‑story residential building partially collapsed. Emergency workers confirmed six fatalities at that site alone, and dozens of civilians—including a pregnant woman—were rescued from rubble-damaged high-rises. Fires erupted across several districts, and a metro station used as an air-raid shelter suffered structural damage.
Local officials confirmed that Russian forces launched a staggering 352 drones and 16 missiles, including both ballistic and cruise variants. Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted or jammed nearly all incoming threats—339 drones and 15 missiles neutralized—but catastrophic debris and direct hits still inflicted extensive devastation.
In parallel, outside the capital, at least one civilian was killed and eight injured in Bila Tserkva, southeast of Kyiv. Reports indicate the assault damaged six metro area locations and six city districts in total.
This barrage follows just days after Moscow’s deadliest strike yet—on June 17, when over 440 drones and dozens of missiles in a relentless night-long attack killed at least 30 people and injured 172 across Kyiv. Over the past six months, the scale of these strikes has more than doubled, in volume, intensity, and frequency—shifting from intermittent raids to nightly bombardments designed to break civilian resilience.
Ukrainian leaders—including Kyiv military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi—warn that unless Kyiv receives robust new air defense systems, these escalations will continue and intensify. With Russia clearly “greenlit” to expand its campaign, Ukraine is calling for more powerful deterrents capable of countering mass drone swarms and missile salvos.
As the city endures yet another night of terror, rescue crews press on, determined to pull survivors from the rubble. But without a strategic shift in defense aid, the shadow of next night’s air raid looms ever larger over Kyiv.
