17 killed as Russia attacks Ukraine’s capital with 496 drones, 74 missiles

Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine’s capital Kyiv in the early hours on Thursday, July 2, 2026, blasting apart residential buildings and killing no fewer than 17 people.

Multiple explosions shook ‌buildings and reverberated across the capital throughout the night as thousands of residents rushed to bomb shelters and underground metro stations.

The latest attack was described as the second-deadliest Russian attack on Kyiv in 2026.

Ukraine Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Telegram: “Russia once again carried out a cynical, large-scale attack on Ukraine.

“The enemy launched dozens of ballistic missiles. Kyiv was hit the hardest.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky had cut short a visit to Dublin on Wednesday night and warned Ukrainians about the upcoming strike.

The Ukrainian Air Force disclosed that Russia launched 74 missiles and 496 drones during the attack.

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The Air Force said defence units downed most of those but 25 ballistic missiles and 12 drones struck 33 locations.

The Russian Defence Ministry, in a Telegram post, said its “massive ⁠attack” hit military and energy facilities, as well as airports in Kyiv and other locations.

The ministry said it was a retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian civil infrastructure.

On its part, the Ukrainian General Staff said it had hit an oil refinery in the town of Kstovo in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region overnight.

Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Governor Gleb Nikitin said one person was killed and four people wounded in a drone strike that damaged the industrial facility.