Russia launched a new ballistic missile attack on Ukraine’s capital overnight, with multiple explosions rocking Kyiv, killing at least three people and injuring five others, according to city officials. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the Ukrainian capital was under ballistic missile attack as smoke filled the sky and blasts echoed across the city. The strikes came as Ukraine and Russia continued to intensify long-range attacks after US-led efforts to end the war stalled.
According to reports, a rapid succession of “very loud” explosions began at approximately 1:33 AM local time, shortly after Ukraine’s Air Force warned that multiple ballistic missiles were heading toward Kyiv. Another round of explosions followed less than 30 minutes later, with additional blasts reported around 2:16 AM.
Missile strikes hit Kyiv as Russia launches attack on Ukraine’s capital. pic.twitter.com/dliJqsR4wB
— AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) July 31, 2026
Klitschko urged residents to seek shelter as Russian ballistic missiles targeted the city.
The mayor said the attack struck both residential and non-residential sites, including apartment buildings, warehouses, a car wash, and a parking lot. Fires were reported in the Holosiivskyi, Darnytskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, and Solomianskyi districts.
Authorities said residential buildings were hit in several parts of the capital. In the Solomianskyi district, missile debris struck a five-story residential building, sparking a fire in the courtyard and trapping residents inside. “People are trapped,” Klitschko wrote on Telegram.
A similar situation was reported in the Shevchenkivskyi district, where part of a building collapsed, leaving additional residents trapped as emergency services rushed to the scene.
Klitschko’s latest update said at least three people were killed and five others injured, including a 17-year-old boy. All of the injured were taken to city hospitals for treatment. Officials said attacks were ongoing and the full extent of the damage was not yet known.
The latest bombardment marks Russia’s second large-scale attack on Ukraine within 48 hours. Overnight on July 30, Russia launched drones and missiles at multiple Ukrainian cities, including Lviv, killing at least eight people and injuring more than 50 others. That attack also triggered air raid alerts in eastern Poland after a Russian missile reportedly landed in a field in the Lublin region.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Kyiv with ballistic missile barrages throughout the spring and summer of 2026. According to the report, Moscow’s recent tactic has been to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses with large-scale missile attacks aimed at inflicting maximum damage on residential neighborhoods and cultural sites.
The report added that ballistic missiles such as Russia’s Zircon and Iskander are particularly difficult to intercept, with Patriot missile systems remaining Ukraine’s primary defense. Although US President Donald Trump recently said he would grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missiles domestically, he later told reporters during a Cabinet meeting, “We have not agreed to that. We’re talking about it, but it’s a hard thing to give away that kind of technology.”