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Kyiv has declared July 3 a day of mourning for those killed in the massive Russian attack that occurred on the night of July 2. According to the latest data from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES), the death toll in the Ukrainian capital has risen to 30.
According to Kyiv police, approximately 100 people are injured. Search and rescue operations are ongoing at the site of one of the strikes in the Darnytskyi district. Rescuers are clearing the rubble, so the death toll may rise.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced that July 3rd has been declared a day of mourning in the city in memory of the victims of the most massive attack on the Ukrainian capital. Flags on all Kyiv municipal buildings have been lowered to half-mast. City authorities have also recommended lowering national flags on government buildings and private properties.
On the day of mourning, any entertainment events are prohibited in Kyiv.
74 missiles and 496 drones
On the night of Thursday, July 2, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 74 missiles and 496 drones. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Ukrainian air defenses shot down or suppressed 524 aerial targets—48 missiles and 476 drones of various types.
The Air Force stated that the massive attack was characterized by the simultaneous use of various air attack weapons from different directions. Russian forces also used a large number of ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Among the drones deployed were many jet-powered "shaheeds." These can travel at speeds exceeding 300 kilometers per hour, making them significantly more difficult for mobile fire teams and interceptor drones to destroy.
BBC correspondents in Kyiv reported numerous explosions, hits, and the sounds of air defense systems in various parts of the city.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian air defense forces managed to destroy a significant portion of the air attack assets, but were unable to down all targets. Commenting on the aftermath of the attack, he emphasized that air defense supplies remain critically important for Ukraine.
Rescuers are working at 15 locations.
According to the latest reports, 30 people have died as a result of the overnight attack on Kyiv. Previous reports put the number of injured at approximately 100. The death toll may rise as rescuers continue to clear the rubble.
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported that rescue units are working at 15 locations.
A nine-story apartment building partially collapsed in Kyiv's Darnytskyi district. Falling debris trapped people in one of the apartments. Rescuers managed to free them.
According to the State Emergency Service, 17 people were rescued at the site. Seven of them were freed from the rubble, which the agency called a "death trap." At least one person died as a result of the impact on the building.
Kyiv City Military Administration Head Timur Tkachenko reported that damage was recorded at more than 30 locations across the capital's districts.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stated that direct hits were recorded on 20 residential buildings in Kyiv. In total, she said, approximately 100 buildings in the city were damaged.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko also reported that a 10-year-old boy, rescued from the rubble, had been taken to the hospital in serious condition. The child's parents were not located at that time.
Damage in the Kyiv region
Destruction was also reported in the Kyiv region. According to the State Emergency Service, at least three people were injured there.
A fire broke out on the premises of an industrial facility in the Bucha district. A private home and a car were also damaged.
In the Brovarsky district, six private homes, a dormitory, and a car were damaged. In the Obukhovsky and Fastovsky districts, damage was reported to private homes. A vehicle was damaged in the Vyshgorodsky district.
Additionally, a 76-year-old man was killed in a guided bomb strike on the village of Shevchenkovo in the Kupyansk district. Five more people were injured, according to Oleg Sinegubov, head of the Kharkiv regional administration.
What the Russian Ministry of Defense stated
The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed a massive strike on Ukraine. The ministry stated that air, land, and sea-based weapons, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles, were used during the attack.
The Russian Ministry of Defense called the strike "a response to the Kyiv regime's terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure on Russian territory."
The department claims that the attack damaged Ukrainian military-industrial complex enterprises and fuel and energy facilities in Kyiv and the Kyiv region, as well as military airfield infrastructure in the Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, and Kyiv regions.
Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, as reported by Interfax, stated that on Thursday morning, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov reported to Vladimir Putin on the results of the attack on Kyiv and other populated areas.
According to Peskov, the discussion was about strikes “exclusively against military or near-military targets.”
The Ukrainian side has not yet commented on these statements.
Zelensky warned of a possible attack
The day before, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned the country's residents of the possibility of another massive Russian strike on Thursday night. He said Ukrainian authorities received this information from intelligence.
Russia attacks Ukraine with missiles and drones almost daily. Frontline and border areas are particularly frequently hit.
In recent days, attacks have targeted Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Poltava, Myrhorod, Zaporizhzhia, Kremenchuk, Odesa, and other Ukrainian cities. Dead and injured are reported daily as a result of the shelling.
Gas stations have also been among the main targets of attacks in recent days.
Previous massive attacks
The previous massive strike on Kyiv occurred on the night of June 15. At that time, the Russian military used ballistic missiles, Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missiles, Kh-101 cruise missiles, and Shahed drones.
As a result of that attack in the Ukrainian capital, five people were killed and another 30 were injured.
During the strike, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and the nearby Mystetskyi Arsenal suffered significant damage for the first time since the war began. In particular, damage was reported to the Assumption Cathedral. The Dovzhenko Film Studios was also damaged.
Prior to this, Russia launched a massive strike on Ukraine on the night of June 2. At least 23 people were killed in the attacks, including a three-year-old boy. Dozens were injured. Residential buildings burned in Kyiv and Dnipro.
A Red Cross humanitarian warehouse was destroyed.
As a result of the current massive Russian attack on Kyiv, a humanitarian warehouse of the Ukrainian Red Cross was destroyed.
According to the organization, 320,000 units of humanitarian aid and equipment worth more than 79 million hryvnias, or approximately $1.76 million, were lost.
The Ukrainian Red Cross reported that at the time of the attack, the rented warehouse contained supplies needed for emergency response, maintaining the operation of medical facilities, and providing vital assistance to hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people.
Among the destroyed equipment were generators, heat pumps and medical equipment, including stretchers, defibrillators, ultrasound machines and patient monitors.
A significant portion of these supplies were delivered to Ukraine through the European Civil Protection Mechanism to enhance the country's emergency preparedness.
The warehouse also housed a strategic reserve of humanitarian aid, intended for emergency response to the consequences of shelling, fires, evacuations, and other crisis situations.
The reserve included blankets, bed linen sets, hygiene kits, tarpaulins, film for temporarily covering damaged windows, sleeping sets, and other essential goods.
The Ukrainian Red Cross noted that the destroyed warehouse was one of the organization's key logistics centers.
