Russian ballistic missiles hit Kyiv overnight, at least 4 dead and 15 injured; five-story building with people trapped
Overnight barrage of more than ten explosions damages residential and commercial buildings and sets cars ablaze; follows Thursday's nationwide assault that killed ten and sent a Russian cruise missile into NATO territory.
The overnight assault
In the early hours of Saturday, August 1, 2026, Russian forces launched a series of ballistic missiles at the Ukrainian capital. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said air defences were active as more than ten explosions rocked the city in quick succession.
Explosions in the city. Kyiv is under ballistic missile attack. Stay in shelters.
AFP journalists at the scene reported that the detonations were so powerful that car alarms were set off along the streets. According to Klitschko and local authorities, at least four people were killed and 15 others wounded, among them two teenagers.
Damage and rescue efforts
The strikes hit several districts of the city, damaging residential and commercial buildings. A five-storey apartment block was struck by falling rocket debris, leaving people trapped inside, Klitschko wrote on Telegram. Cars parked on the streets caught fire as falling fragments ignited them. The full extent of structural damage remained unclear in the immediate aftermath, with emergency crews still working at the sites.
Week of escalation and a NATO airspace breach
The night attack came barely a day after a large-scale Russian missile and drone assault on Thursday, July 30. Ukrainian authorities said that attack killed at least ten people across the country and injured dozens more. The western city of Lviv, close to the Polish border, was among the hardest hit. During that barrage, a Russian cruise missile entered the airspace of NATO member Poland and crashed there, the Polish government confirmed.
- Russian missiles and drones kill at least 10 across Ukraine; cruise missile enters Polish airspace
- Ballistic missile attack on Kyiv kills at least 4, injures 15, damages buildings
The back-to-back salvos mark a notable intensification of Russia's air campaign, which aims to overwhelm Ukraine's already strained defence systems.
Patriot shortage and Trump's caution
Among the most effective countermeasures to ballistic missiles are US-supplied Patriot interceptor systems, but Ukraine has repeatedly said it lacks enough of them. On Friday, US President Donald Trump addressed the question of whether Washington might license the production of Patriot missiles in Ukraine. Trump said the United States would need to be "very careful" about such a step. Ukraine has been relying on Western military aid to defend itself since the full-scale Russian invasion began in February 2022.
