Russian missiles kill at least seven across Ukraine as Zelensky meets Trump at NATO summit

Overnight attacks

Russian forces launched a large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukraine overnight, targeting the capital Kyiv and several other regions. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia fired five ballistic missiles, two cruise missiles, and 169 attack drones. Air defense systems managed to shoot down 139 of the drones, but failed to intercept the ballistic missiles, which struck before air raid sirens could sound. Explosions were heard across Kyiv, and fires broke out in the Desnianskyi and Sviatoshynskyi districts, where warehouses and a non-residential building were hit.

Casualties and damage

At least seven people were killed across the country. In Kyiv, one person died, according to emergency services. In the southern Mykolaiv region, a 38-year-old woman and her 15-year-old daughter were killed in strikes, with two others injured. In Kharkiv, a missile hit a residential building, killing two and injuring more than ten. In the Kherson region, near the front line, two people died when explosive-laden drones struck a bus and a car. Earlier, a separate missile attack on the port of Odesa injured ten people, eight of whom were hospitalized.

Zelensky's appeal at NATO

President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is in Ankara for the NATO summit, used the attacks to renew his call for more air defense systems. He stressed that Ukraine's stock of interceptor missiles for the U.S.-made Patriot system is nearly exhausted, leaving the country vulnerable to ballistic missiles.

The main thing left to do in Europe is to build a strong defense against Russian ballistic missiles. It is a big challenge and Russia's last major strategic advantage.

Zelensky is also scheduled to meet former U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the summit.

Escalation pattern

The overnight barrage is the third large-scale attack on Kyiv in less than a week. On July 2, Russian missiles and drones killed 31 people and wounded over 100 in the capital. On July 6, another raid killed at least 26 in Kyiv and the surrounding region. The repeated strikes, often using ballistic missiles that evade current Ukrainian defenses, have intensified since the beginning of July.

1. Jul 2, 2026Russian missiles and drones kill 31 people in Kyiv, injuring over 100.
2. Jul 6, 2026Overnight raid kills at least 26 in Kyiv and surrounding region.
3. Jul 8, 2026Ballistic missiles and drones strike Kyiv and other cities, killing at least seven.

Broader context

More than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion, Moscow has increasingly relied on mass drone and missile barrages to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses. Ukrainian forces, though outgunned, have stepped up their own long-range drone strikes on Russian oil production and trade infrastructure. The current wave of attacks on Kyiv comes as Ukraine's ability to intercept ballistic missiles has been severely degraded by ammunition shortages, making the capital more exposed than at any point since the early months of the war.