Russia launched a massive five-hour missile attack on Kyiv.

On the night of July 19, the Russian army launched one of the largest ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv since the start of the war. As a result of the strikes, which lasted five hours, at least one person was killed and seven were injured. The Guardian reported this.

 

It was reported that Russia fired nearly 40 Iskander-M ballistic and Zircon hypersonic missiles at the capital. Most of the missiles reached Kyiv in less than an hour. The powerful explosions shook buildings in the historic center of the city and triggered car alarms on the streets.

 

The greatest damage was recorded in the Shevchenkivskyi district. There, a three-story building caught fire, rescuers pulled several people from the rubble, and found one person's body.

 

Additionally, fires broke out in residential buildings, office buildings, and dormitories in several other districts of the city. The Lukyanivska metro station was temporarily closed because the ceiling of its vestibule collapsed due to the powerful blast wave.

 

The Ukrainian military stated that during the attack, they shot down 18 missiles and 108 out of 125 drones launched by Russia. However, the capital's infrastructure suffered serious damage.

 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that against the backdrop of Russia's increasingly intense missile attacks, protection against ballistic missiles has become the country's top priority. According to him, Ukraine needs interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems every day.

 

The attack occurred while anti-government protests were ongoing in Kyiv. The protests began after President Zelenskyy's decision to dismiss Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

 

At the same time, Ukraine also launched retaliatory strikes on Russian territories. According to Zelenskyy, logistics centers in the Moscow and Tambov regions, which stored sanctioned components and navigation equipment used in drone production, were targeted.

 

According to the UN, June 2026 was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since April 2022, with at least 293 people killed in one month. Currently, negotiations to end the war have stalled, and the situation on the front line remains largely unchanged.