Ukraine-Russia War: 13 Killed in 'Night of Horror' Attack on Kyiv

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Ukraine-Russia war latest: Children among 13 killed as Putin unleashes ‘night of horror’ on Kyiv

Massive attack on Kyiv comes hours after Ukraine said Putin wanted to capture the capital again

At least 13 people have been killed as Russia launched a major aerial attack on Kyiv overnight, with several residential buildings set ablaze across the Ukrainian capital.

Another 86 people were injured in the Russian drone and missile barrage. A hotel in Kyiv’s central boulevard was also on fire, officials said.

The attack comes hours after president Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russia was planning a massive night-time attack and said he was cutting short his visit to Dublin for the start of Ireland's six-month term in the rotating presidency of the EU.

Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi had also said Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to find ways in which Russia can launch new offensive operations on Ukraine to capture Kyiv.

These include Russian offensives launched from Belarusian territory to capture the Ukrainian capital and its surrounding areas, Syrskyi said.

In Russia, attacks have reached northwestern Leningrad region, Putin's home and where large export and oil refining facilities are located, and air defences brought down six drones today, officials said.

Watch: Explosions light up Kyiv skyline as Russian attacks rain down on Ukraine's capital

Alex Croft2 July 2026 08:30

Ukraine strikes oil refinery in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region, says Kyiv

Ukrainian forces struck the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery in the town of Kstovo in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region overnight, the Ukrainian General Staff said on Thursday.

According to preliminary data, a primary crude oil processing unit was hit, the General Staff said on Telegram, adding that the extent of the damage was being clarified.

We’ll bring you more on the attack as we get it.

Alex Croft2 July 2026 08:11

Russia launches 74 missiles and 496 drones at Ukraine overnight

Russia launched 74 missiles and 496 drones overnight at Ukraine, Ukraine's air force said on Thursday.

It said on Telegram that air defence units downed or neutralised 48 missiles and 476 drones, but 25 ballistics missiles and 12 drones hit 33 locations.

The capital Kyiv was the main target of the attack, it said.

Alex Croft2 July 2026 07:55

Death toll rises to 13, with 86 injured

The death toll in Russia’s huge attack on Kyiv has increased to 13, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko has said.

Another 86 were injured, he added.

Damage was recorded in 30 locations across the city, mainly residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said 20 residential buildings were damaged across the city.

The Emergency Service says it deployed nearly 500 personnel and 100 units of specialized vehicles, including a helicopter, to deal with the aftermath of the attack.

Alex Croft2 July 2026 07:39

In pictures: Kyiv in ruins after Russia launches 'furious' attack

Alex Croft2 July 2026 07:32

'Night of horror' in Ukraine as foreign minister calls for air defence support

Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has called on Ukraine’s allies to strengthen the country’s air defences following what he described as a “night of horror” in Kyiv, urging partners not to delay decisions on supplying air defence systems and missiles.

"Do not delay decisions on air defence for Ukraine! This is our main request to our partners after Kyiv suffered a night of horror," he said.

Writing on X, Sybiha said the death toll after the attack may rise as the rescue teams continued their work.

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

Sybiha rejected any attempts to justify Russian strikes as retaliation for Ukraine’s long-range attacks, saying Ukraine was exercising its right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter while Russia remained the aggressor.

Arpan Rai2 July 2026 07:15

Russian military losses surge to 8:1 against Ukraine, says think tank

Russia has suffered significant military losses in recent months, with casualties occurring at a significantly higher rate than earlier in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, said Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

In a new report published on Wednesday, CSIS said Russia has suffered an estimated 1.4 million military casualties, including troops killed, wounded or missing since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The toll is significantly higher than what Kyiv has seen, about 600,000 on the Ukrainian side, the think tank said.

Around 400,000 and 450,000 Russian troops have been killed, compared with 125,000 to 150,000 Ukrainian military deaths, the CSIS said.

Russian military losses were recorded to be around 325,000 in January this year and its monthly losses are now exceeding what it manages to recruit in the armed forces, the CSIS said.

The ratio of Russian to Ukrainian casualties has risen to 8:1 in the first half of this year, up from 2:1 and 3:1 seen initially during the war, it added.

Arpan Rai2 July 2026 07:00

11 killed in Russian missiles and drones attacks across Ukraine

At least 11 people have been killed so far after Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine's capital overnight into Thursday.

The attack with ballistic and cruise missiles and drones damaged buildings and civilian infrastructure across the city.

Many residents took shelter at metro stations after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and other authorities issued the first warnings of the attack.

The attack killed 11 people in Kyiv and damaged 20 residential buildings, according to interior minister Ihor Klymenko.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said 54 people were injured, including two children. Damage was recorded in 30 locations across the city, mainly residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, he added.

Arpan Rai2 July 2026 06:46

One killed in Ukraine drone attack on Russia's Novgorod

One person was killed and an industrial facility damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region, the local governor Gleb Nikitin said this morning.

Four people were also injured in the attack, the governor added.

The region is home to NORSI ‌oil refinery, ​one ‌of Russia's largest.

Arpan Rai2 July 2026 06:34

Gasoline prices up 30 per cent in Crimea's Sevastopol after Ukraine's strikes

Gasoline prices in Sevastopol, the largest city in the Russian-controlled Crimea peninsula, have jumped by 30 per cent in the last week, state statistical agency Rosstat said on Wednesday, as the region grapples with fuel shortages.

Ukraine has attacked supply lines in occupied Crimea in what it says is a campaign to hurt Russia's war effort. To deal with the resulting fuel shortages, authorities there have suspended fuel sales to private ⁠motorists and reduced the time that public transport and ⁠cafes operate.

In some Russian regions, retail gasoline prices have risen to some of the highest levels in Europe and to twice those of the United States, according ⁠to Reuters calculations.

Rosstat said that average gasoline prices in Russia rose by 1.6 per cent last week, slowing from a record-high weekly rise of 3 per cent in the week before.

Prices declined by 1.6 per cent and 0.7 per cent in the wider Moscow region and the city of Moscow respectively, it said.

In Sevastopol, where prices jumped by 30 per cent, the price of popular AI-95 gasoline reached 129.68 roubles per litre.

The Russian central bank said it would take into account the impact of rising domestic fuel prices and their secondary effects at its next rate-setting meetings.

Arpan Rai2 July 2026 06:22