Kyiv, July 6: Russia launched a combined missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, early Monday, a day before the NATO summit in Ankara, where the war in Ukraine is expected to be a key agenda item.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, the attack involved ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. Explosions were reported across central Kyiv during the early hours of Monday as air defence systems responded to the assault.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said fires and damage caused by falling debris were reported in at least two districts of the city. Air raid sirens had been activated across the capital shortly before the explosions.
The attack came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said intelligence reports indicated that Russia was preparing another large-scale strike.”Intelligence once again indicates that the Russians are preparing a new massive strike. This is typical of Putin: right after America’s Independence Day and before the NATO Summit in Ankara. Russia wants to bring more evil and kill people,” Zelensky wrote on X on Sunday.
The latest strike follows a Russian attack on Kyiv last Thursday that killed at least 30 people, making it one of the deadliest attacks on the Ukrainian capital since the start of the war.
The conflict is expected to dominate discussions at the NATO summit, which begins on Tuesday in Ankara. Russian forces have continued operations in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, while Ukraine has intensified missile and drone attacks on military and energy infrastructure inside Russia, including oil refineries, ports and defence facilities.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held a phone conversation on July 4 that lasted nearly 90 minutes. According to Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Trump reiterated his willingness to help facilitate an end to the war.