Russia hammers Kyiv in largest missile and drone barrage since war began
Russia launched 539 drones, 11 ballistic and cruise missiles at Ukraine on Thursday night, local time into Friday, the Ukrainian air force said.
Throughout the night, Associated Press journalists in Kyiv heard the constant buzzing of drones overhead and the sound of explosions and intense machine gun fire as Ukrainian forces tried to intercept the aerial assault.
Kyiv was the primary target of the attack, with at least 23 people injured and 14 hospitalised, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
Ukrainian air defences shot down 270 targets, including two cruise missiles. Another 208 targets were lost from radar and presumed jammed.
Russia successfully hit eight locations with nine missiles and 63 drones.
Debris from intercepted drones fell across at least 33 sites.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack was one of the largest yet, and that Russia would not stop without large-scale pressure.
"For every such strike against people and human life, they must feel appropriate sanctions and other blows to their economy, their revenues, and their infrastructure," Zelenskyy said on social media, calling the attack "deliberately massive and cynical".
The attack came hours after President Donald Trump held a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and made his first public comments on his administration's decision to pause some shipments of weapons to Ukraine.
That decision affects munitions, including Patriot missiles, the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile and shorter-range Stinger missiles.
They are needed to counter incoming missiles and drones, and to bring down Russian aircraft.
It has been less than a week since Russia's previous largest aerial assault of the war.
Ukraine's air force reported that Russia fired 537 drones, decoys and 60 missiles in that attack.
Emergency services reported damage in at least five of the capital's 10 districts.
In the Solomianskyi district, a five-storey residential building was partially destroyed and the roof of a seven-storey building caught fire.
Fires also broke out at a warehouse, a garage complex and an auto repair facility.
In the Sviatoshynskyi district, a strike hit a 14-storey residential building, sparking a fire.
Several vehicles also caught fire nearby. Blazes were also reported at non-residential facilities.
In the Shevchenkivskyi district, an eight-storey building came under attack, with the first floor sustaining damage.
Falling debris was recorded in Darnytskyi and Holosiivskyi districts.
Ukraine's national railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, said drone strikes damaged rail infrastructure in Kyiv.
AP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
5 hours ago
- ABC News
Russia becomes first country to recognise Taliban government
Russia has become the first country to formally recognise the Taliban's government in Afghanistan since it seized power in 2021, after Moscow removed the group from its list of outlawed organisations. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it had received credentials from Afghanistan's newly appointed Ambassador Gul Hassan Hassan. The official recognition of the Afghan government will foster 'productive bilateral cooperation", the ministry said in a statement. Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry called it a historic step, and quoted Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi welcoming the decision as "a good example for other countries". He said it was "a new phase of positive relations, mutual respect, and constructive engagement". The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021 following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces. Since then, they have sought international recognition while also enforcing their strict interpretation of Islamic law. While no country had formally recognised the Taliban administration until now, the group had engaged in high-level talks with many nations and established some diplomatic ties with countries including China and the United Arab Emirates. Still, the Taliban government has been relatively isolated on the world stage, largely over its restrictions on women. Although the Taliban initially promised a more moderate rule than during their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001, it started to enforce restrictions on women and girls soon after the 2021 takeover. Women are barred from most jobs and public places, including parks, baths and gyms, while girls are banned from education beyond sixth grade. Russian officials have recently been emphasising the need to engage with the Taliban to help stabilise Afghanistan, and lifted a ban on the Taliban in April. In July 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Taliban "allies in the fight against terrorism". Russia's ambassador to Afghanistan, Dmitry Zhirnov, said the decision to recognise the Taliban government officially was made by President Vladimir Putin on advice from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Mr Zhirnov said the decision proves Russia's 'sincere striving for the development of full-fledged relations with Afghanistan". AP/AFP
Daily Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
Russia launches largest attack after Trump-Putin call
Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News. Russia has launched its 'largest-ever' drone and missile attack on Ukraine just hours after President Donald Trump shared a 'disappointing' phone call with his Russian counterpart, during which 'no progress' was made to end the war. The attack – Russia's largest aerial strike since the start of the three-year invasion – saw Moscow fire a record 550 drones and 11 missiles at Ukraine on Thursday night into Friday local time, according to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 23 people were wounded in the Russian barrage, with air alerts beginning to echo out across the country as reports of the Presidents' call emerged. First responders work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kyiv region, Ukraine, Friday, July 4, 2025. Picture: Ukrainian Emergency Service/AP 'Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror,' Mr Zelensky wrote on social media. 'All of this is clear evidence that without truly large-scale pressure, Russia will not change its dumb, destructive behaviour,' he added, urging the US in particular to ramp up pressure on Moscow. A representative of Ukraine's air force told Ukrainian media that the attack was the largest of the Russian invasion. Mr Zelensky said the air alerts had begun echoing out across the country as reports of the presidents' call emerged, Picture: Ukrainian Emergency Service/AP 'Complete disregard' Taking to social media after the attack, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha slammed Mr Putin for 'his complete disregard', saying Kyiv experienced an 'absolutely horrible and sleepless night'. 'Right after Putin spoke with President Trump. And he does it on purpose. Enough of waiting!' he wrote on X. 'Putin clearly shows his complete disregard for the United States and everyone who has called for an end to the war.' In Kyiv, AFP journalists saw dozens of residents of the capital taking shelter in a metro station. Overnight, Russia attacks have escalated over recent weeks as concerns mount in Kyiv over the continued delivery of US military aid, which is key to Ukraine's ability to fend off the drone and missile barrages. An AFP tally shows Moscow launched a record number of drones and missiles at Ukraine in June, as direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow appeared to stall. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin for showing 'complete disregard'. Picture: Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool/AP 'Very disappointed': Trump said he made no progress with Putin on call The strike came hours after Mr Trump said he made no progress with Mr Putin on ending the war during a phone conversation on Thursday, which left him 'very disappointed'. 'It was a pretty long call, we talked about a lot of things including Iran, and we also talked about, as you know, the war with Ukraine. And I'm not happy about that,' the US President told reporters before boarding Air Force One for a flight to Iowa. Asked if he had moved closer to a deal to end the war, Mr Trump replied: 'No, I didn't make any progress with him at all.' He later told reporters on his return to Washington from Iowa: 'I'm very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don't think he's there.' 'I don't think he's looking to stop and that's too bad,' he added. President Donald Trump said he 'didn't make any progress with him at all'. Picture: Jacquelyn Martin/AP Mr Trump's view of the call was unusually bleak. After most of his previous five calls with Mr Putin since returning to power in January, he has given optimistic reports of progress towards a deal. But he has shown increasing frustration with Mr Putin after an early pivot towards the Russian leader. In recent weeks, he knocked back Mr Putin's offer to mediate in the Iran-Israel conflict, telling him to focus on the Ukraine war instead. The wreckage of cars following mass Russian drone and missile strikes on Kyiv on July 4, 2025. Picture: Oleksii Filippov/AFP In Moscow, the Kremlin said the call lasted almost an hour and said that Putin had insisted he would not give up on Russia's goals. 'Our president said that Russia will achieve the aims it set, that is to say the elimination of the root causes that led to the current state of affairs,' Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters. 'Russia will not give up on these aims.' A representative of Ukraine's air force told Ukrainian media that the attack was the largest of the Russian invasion. Picture: Oleksii Filippov/AFP Moscow has long described its maximalist aims in Ukraine as getting rid of the 'root causes' of the conflict, demanding that Kyiv give up its NATO ambitions. Mr Trump's grim assessment came as US-led peace talks on ending the more than three-year-old conflict in Ukraine have stalled, and after Washington paused some weapons shipments to Kyiv. Moscow's war in Ukraine has killed hundreds of thousands of people since it invaded in February 2022, and Russia now controls large swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine. Originally published as 'Very disappointed': Putin launches largest attack on Ukraine since start of war after call with Trump
SBS Australia
7 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Russia hits Ukraine with largest drone attack of the war after Putin-Trump call
Russia has pummelled Kyiv with the largest drone attack of the war, injuring at least 23 people and damaging buildings across the capital only hours after US President Donald Trump spoke with Russia's Vladimir Putin. Air raid sirens, the whine of kamikaze drones and booming detonations reverberated from early evening until dawn as Russia launched what Ukraine's air force said was a total of 539 drones and 11 missiles. Residents huddled with families in underground metro stations for shelter. Acrid smoke hung over the city centre. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is due to speak to Trump later on Friday about the war and a US pause in some deliveries of air defence missiles, called the attack "deliberately massive and cynical". "Notably, the first air raid alerts in our cities and regions yesterday began to blare almost simultaneously with media reports discussing a phone call between President Trump and Putin," Zelenskyy said on X. LISTEN TO SBS News 05/06/2025 05:27 English "Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror," he said, calling for increased pressure on Russia and more air defence equipment. Kyiv officials said the attack damaged about 40 apartment blocks, passenger railway infrastructure, five schools and kindergartens, cafes and many cars in six of Kyiv's 10 districts. Poland said the consular section of its embassy was damaged in central Kyiv, adding that staff were unharmed. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that 14 of the injured were hospitalised. Ukraine's state-owned railway Ukrzaliznytsia, the country's largest carrier, said on Telegram that the attack on Kyiv forced them to divert a number of passenger trains, causing delays. Damage was recorded on both sides of the wide Dnipro River bisecting the city and falling drone debris set a medical facility on fire in the leafy Holosiivskyi district, Klitschko said. Russian air strikes on Kyiv have intensified in recent weeks and included some of the deadliest assaults of the war on the city of three million people. 'No progress at all' in Trump-Putin talk Trump said the call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday resulted in no progress at all on efforts to end the war, while the Kremlin reiterated that Moscow would keep pushing to solve the conflict's "root causes". "I'm very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don't think he's there, and I'm very disappointed," Trump said. "I'm just saying I don't think he's looking to stop, and that's too bad. "I didn't make any progress with him at all," Trump told reporters. A decision by Washington this week to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine prompted warnings by Kyiv that the move would weaken its ability to defend against intensifying air strikes and battlefield advances. Russian strikes on Kyiv have intensified and included some of the deadliest assaults on the city. Source: AP / Ukrainian Emergency Service On Friday, Zelenskyy called for increased pressure on Moscow to change its "dumb, destructive behaviour". "For every such strike against people and human life, they must feel appropriate sanctions and other blows to their economy, their revenues, and their infrastructure," he said. Ukraine's Air Force said that it destroyed 478 of the air weapons Russia launched overnight. However, air strikes were recorded in eight locations across the country with nine missiles and 63 drones, it said. Social media videos showed people running to seek shelter, firefighters fighting blazes in the dark and ruined buildings with windows and facades blown out. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched with a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Thousands of civilians have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian. Many more soldiers are believed to have died on the front lines, although neither side releases military casualty figures. Late on Thursday, Russian shelling killed five people in and near the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a key target under Russian attack for months, Ukraine said.
