Russian missiles and drones kill 8 and cause damage across Ukraine capital

Russia unleashed a massive overnight barrage of ballistic and cruise missiles, along with drones, on Ukraine's capital early Thursday, 2 July, killing at least eight people, injuring dozens and causing widespread destruction across Kyiv.

Loud explosions echoed across the city for hours as authorities urged residents to seek shelter. Many took refuge in Metro stations after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and local officials issued air raid warnings.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, said eight people were killed in the attack and damage was reported at 28 locations across the capital, primarily affecting residential buildings and civilian infrastructure. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least 34 people were injured.

The latest assault comes amid an escalation in Russian strikes on Kyiv in recent weeks, even as Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone attacks targeting Russian military installations and energy infrastructure, disrupting fuel supplies and logistics inside Russia.

Klitschko described the bombardment as a "furious enemy attack" and urged residents to remain in shelters.

In the Shevchenkivskyi district, five people were injured, including a paramedic who was left in extremely critical condition. Ukraine's emergency service said a hotel and two five-storey residential buildings were damaged there.

In the Desnianskyi district, rescuers rushed to a damaged nine-storey apartment block where residents were trapped inside. Tkachenko said part of a residential building in the district had been destroyed.

A fire broke out on the roof of a 16-storey residential building in the Holosiivskyi district, while in the Sviatoshynskyi district, two private homes caught fire. According to Klitschko, debris trapped people inside one of the damaged houses.

The Darnytskyi district suffered extensive damage, with six floors of a nine-storey residential building collapsing following a Russian strike. Another five-storey apartment building, a 16-storey residential block and several private homes were also damaged, according to city officials and the emergency service.

Tkachenko said fires also broke out near residential buildings at two locations in the Pecherskyi district and close to an administrative building in the Solomianskyi district. Damage was also reported in the Obolonskyi and Podilskyi districts.

Beyond the capital, Mykola Kalashnyk, head of the Kyiv regional administration, said five districts in the surrounding region were hit, though there were no immediate reports of casualties there.

With AP/PTI inputs