Russian forces launched a large missile and drone strike on Kyiv early July 6, killing between 8 and 22 people and injuring at least 46 more, officials said [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The attacks involved around 68 ballistic missiles including Iskander-M, cruise missiles, and approximately 350 drones [2, 4, 5]. At least 15 buildings were damaged, including residential apartments and historic sites in Kyiv’s Podil district [1, 6, 5].

Rescue teams were searching for people trapped in the rubble, with some still reported stranded on upper floors of damaged buildings. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said, "People are trapped on the seventh to ninth floors," and noted fires broke out alongside damage to warehouses and garages during the assault [6, 3]. Ukrainian air defenses were active but struggled to intercept incoming missiles amid shortages of interceptor systems. Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said, "The main reason was a shortage of Patriot missiles. None of the 23 ballistic missiles fired were shot down." [2]

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned the day before that Moscow was preparing a second massive strike after attacks on July 2–3 that killed 30 people [1, 4, 5]. He said, "Any delay with missiles for our air defense... means the loss of lives, and it encourages Russia to continue the war." Ukrainian officials accused Russia of targeting civilian areas deliberately to inflict maximum damage, while Moscow claimed it was hitting military and energy facilities [1, 3].

The assault also hit Russian-occupied Crimea near Sevastopol, knocking out electricity temporarily, Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said, "Following an enemy attack on energy infrastructure near Sevastopol, our city was temporarily left without electricity." [1, 3]

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on NATO to urgently supply long-range air defense missiles. „Protect Ukrainian children from Russian ballistic terror. There is no more urgent task. All decisions on air defence are needed now, not later," he said [7, 4]. The attacks came on the eve of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where Zelenskyy was expected to meet US President Donald Trump [1, 3, 8]. During the summit on July 7, Ukraine signed new drone cooperation agreements with Denmark, Estonia, and the Netherlands [9].

Kyiv suffered another missile attack on July 8 that caused fires and injured two people [10].