Kyiv, July 20:
One person was killed and 16 others wounded in an overnight Russian attack on Kyiv that included ballistic missiles, local authorities said.
The attack began at around 1:30 am local time and continued for several hours, with explosions echoing across the capital.
Russia launched 41 missiles and 125 attack drones across Ukraine overnight, according to the Ukrainian air force. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said most of the missiles had targeted the capital.
The strikes on Kyiv sparked fires in five districts of the city, damaging residential buildings, office and industrial sites, a dormitory and vehicles, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
Rescue workers pulled four people from a burning private home in the Sviatoshynskyi district, while in the Shevchenkivskyi district they rescued residents from a burning three-story building. A fire in a nonresidential building was also contained. One person was later found dead.
Firefighters also responded to blazes in the Solomyanskyi, Desnianskyi and Dnipro districts.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed the attack on Kyiv targeted sites linked to the Ukrainian military — including plants producing Flamingo drones and parts for Neptune guided missiles, as well as a postal terminal “used for storing dual-use goods and assembling drones, robotic systems and electronic warfare equipment.”
Russia has launched several large-scale attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks as Ukraine faces a shortage of Patriot air defense missiles, which are its most effective means of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.
US President Donald Trump has said he is prepared to grant Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot interceptor missiles, potentially bolstering Kyiv’s defences against Russian ballistic missile attacks. However, the details and timeline for implementing the decision remain unclear.