Smoke rises above the city after a Russian air raid on Kiev, July 2, 2026, during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian missile and drone strikes rocked Kiev in the early hours of July 2, killing two people and wounding more than a dozen others, after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned that Russia was preparing a “massive attack.” (Photo by Roman PILIPEY/AFP via Getty Images)
Roman Pilipi | AFP | Getty Images
Russia launched a major missile and drone attack against Ukraine on Thursday, targeting Kiev and other parts of the country.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced that it carried out a “large-scale attack using long-range precision air, land and sea weapons and attack drones.”
According to the Russian government, the airstrikes targeted military industrial facilities, fuel and energy complexes in the Ukrainian capital and Kiev region, as well as military airfields in the Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Cherkasy and Chernihiv regions.
“Kyiv is under attack by ballistic missiles and drones,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, adding that 10 people were killed and 34 injured.
It was not immediately clear how many missiles and drones were fired at Ukraine, or how many Ukraine was able to intercept.
Finland imposed a temporary “air restriction zone” on the country’s eastern Gulf coast on Thursday morning, but the measures were lifted soon after.
Poland also scrambled fighter jets in response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, telling X that “fighter aircraft have begun operations, and ground-based air defense systems and radar reconnaissance have reached a state of readiness.”
Residential buildings damaged by a missile attack on Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, can be seen on July 2, 2026, during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian missile and drone strikes rocked Kiev in the early hours of July 2, killing at least eight people and wounding dozens, after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned that Russia was preparing a “massive attack.”
Genya Savilov | AFP | Getty Images
The Polish Armed Forces Operations Command said the measures were of a precautionary nature and aimed at securing and protecting the airspace “in areas adjacent to particularly threatened areas.”
Olga Stefanishina, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, told X that residents had spent the night in evacuation centers. She said Kiev was experiencing fires and destruction of residential buildings in several districts of the city.
Ukraine’s President Putin says he refuses to end the war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned on Wednesday night that a “massive” attack by Russia was imminent and called on people to evacuate and pay attention to air raid warnings nationwide.
President Zelensky said he would cut short his visit to Ireland and return to Ukraine, but said it was known that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been preparing to launch another major attack on Ukraine for some time.
“The Russian leader completely refuses to end the war,” President Zelenskiy said on social media.
“And although President Zelensky has communicated through all possible formal and unofficial channels, including those close to him, that the war can and must end, and that we in Ukraine are ready for talks and meaningful negotiations, the president is only thinking of further aggression against Ukraine, other neighboring countries, and Europe as a whole.”
Ukraine’s president recently signed a 40-day operation aimed at influencing the Kremlin to end the war.
Russia’s latest attack comes as Kiev ramps up long-range drone attacks inside Russia, targeting oil refineries, military installations, and major cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The success of Ukraine’s barrage of attacks has led some analysts to suggest the conflict may be tilting in Kiev’s favor, with President Putin acknowledging for the first time the impact of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian fuel production.
“As envisioned in the Ukraine Defense Strategy, we are depriving our adversaries of resources to wage war,” the ministry said on Telegram on July 1, adding that the effort is aimed at pressuring Russia to end the war and is now in its fourth year.
Correction: The Polish Armed Forces Operations Command said the measure was of a precautionary nature and aimed at securing and protecting airspace. In previous versions, the agency name was misspelled.
