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dpatopbilder – Residents walk through the rubble in Kyiv, Ukraine, following a Russian missile attack. Photo: Efrem Lukatsky/AP/dpa
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Russia fired dozens of ballistic missiles at the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, once again causing devastating destruction. Dozens of explosions—some from anti-aircraft missiles—were heard overnight in the center of the city of three million, according to a dpa reporter on the ground. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it “one of the most massive ballistic attacks on Kyiv.” According to reports, one person was killed and 16 were injured.
Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha spoke on X of “brutal terror”—Russia had launched the largest number of ballistic missiles against Kyiv since the start of the war. The head of state and the minister called on the West to quickly deliver anti-aircraft missiles.
“The enemy fired more than 40 missiles of various types, most of which were aimed at the capital, as well as 120 attack drones,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram. Authorities reported that several houses and cars had been destroyed. As a result, one subway station had to suspend operations.
A company in Kyiv that manufactures protective gear for soldiers reported that its production facility had been completely destroyed. It was also reported that one of the country’s largest logistics centers in the Kyiv region had been destroyed. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on strikes and damage in several city districts. Fires had broken out.
According to Ukrainian air defense authorities, 23 missile strikes and 10 drone strikes were recorded. A large portion of the flying objects were reportedly destroyed. In a suburb of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, officials reported three deaths and 16 injuries following Russian attacks.
“We need to exert overwhelming pressure on Moscow to put an end to this terror,” said Minister Sybiha, calling on EU member states to adopt the 21st package of sanctions against Russia, which has been the subject of intense debate in Brussels for weeks.
Ukraine has been fighting off the Russian invasion for more than four years. With Western aid, particularly from Germany, its air defense system has been modernized. Recently, however, Kyiv has complained of a shortage of guided missiles for the Patriot air defense system, which is used to intercept ballistic missiles.
"Protection against ballistic missiles is currently a constant and top priority," Zelenskyy said. "Interceptor missiles are needed every day." In total, Russia has deployed about 1,450 drones, more than 1,640 glide bombs, and 99 missiles and cruise missiles this week. Foreign Minister Sybiha warned that no allied country should withhold air defense missiles, because otherwise Ukrainians would pay for it with their lives.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that a large postal logistics center in Kyiv used for storing weapons components, as well as several facilities for the production of missile components, had been targeted in the attacks. In the Kyiv region, a center for the storage and distribution of components for the production of long-range drones was reportedly struck. This information could not be independently verified.
The ministry in Moscow also reported that port infrastructure in the south on the Black Sea had once again been attacked. Specifically, facilities for storing military supplies and fuel depots used by the armed forces in the Odessa area were shelled. Like Russia, Ukraine does not release any information regarding damage to military facilities.
Meanwhile, Kyiv sparked several major fires with new drone attacks on Russian oil industry facilities. According to media reports, three oil depots caught fire in the Stavropol region in southern Russia. Governor Vladimir Vladimirov confirmed that several fires had broken out at industrial sites as a result of Ukrainian drone attacks—and that explosive materials had detonated. No injuries were reported.
The International Caspian Pipeline Consortium also reported yet another Ukrainian drone attack in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. The company stated that a terminal there had come under fire while oil was being loaded onto two foreign tankers. A fire was extinguished on a ship flying the flag of the West African country of Liberia. There were no injuries; both ships remain seaworthy. This marks the “fifth act of aggression against a civilian facility” belonging to the consortium, the company said.
Ukraine is targeting facilities in the Russian oil industry in order to strike at energy exports, which are vital to Moscow’s war chest. On Saturday, President Zelenskyy also confirmed attacks on logistics centers belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer. At least eight of the company’s employees were killed in the attacks. More than 80 others were injured, according to Russian authorities. Major fires broke out at Wildberries warehouses in the Tambov and Moscow regions.
19.07.2026, 14:42
