Ukraine’s capital Kiev was attacked by a Russian ballistic missile early Monday morning, the country’s air force announced. It was the eve of an important NATO summit in Türkiye, which US President Donald Trump is also scheduled to attend.
Explosions could be heard across the city center in the early hours of the morning as the combined attack, which also included drones and cruise missiles, continued. Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said in a statement on Telegram that fire and debris damage had been reported in at least two districts of the city.
Immediately before the explosion, air raid sirens sounded throughout the city.
The attack came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned on Sunday that intelligence services indicated Russia was “preparing a new large-scale attack.”
It also follows a fierce Russian attack on Kiev last Thursday that killed at least 30 people, making it the third deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital since the start of the war.
Russia’s war in Ukraine provides the backdrop for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit that begins in Ankara on Tuesday. Russian forces are stepping up efforts to capture more of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, a key Kremlin target. Ukraine has also stepped up missile and drone attacks in recent weeks against key infrastructure such as refineries, ports and military factories, deep in Russian terrorism.
On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a nearly 90-minute phone conversation with President Trump on July 4, during which Trump again offered to help end the war in Ukraine, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
