A woman collapses in tears moments after her son was rescued alive from under the rubble. He had been trapped for three hours after a Russian missile strike devastated their apartment building. Kyiv, July 31. Photo by Josh Olley/UNITED24 Media
A woman sobs as rescuers pull her son from the rubble. A child’s toy lies waterlogged in the mud. Firefighters carry away dead bodies, while plumes of smoke rise over Kyiv’s skyline. This is what remains when Russia targets civilians.
In the early hours of July 31, 2025, Russia launched a massive missile and drone assault on Kyiv, striking more than 27 locations across the Ukrainian capital. The deadliest impact hit a residential building in the Sviatoshynskyi district, where at least 11 people, including a six-year-old boy, were killed. Over 135 civilians were injured, among them 12 children. As rescue teams searched for survivors through mangled concrete and twisted steel, UNITED24 Media photographers documented the human cost of Russia’s continued war against Ukraine.
Residents walk past destroyed buildings as smoke billows in the distance following a massive overnight Russian missile and drone attack that struck more than 27 sites across the Ukrainian capital. Kyiv, Ukraine. July 31, 2025. Photo by Josh Olley/UNITED24 Media
Emergency crews search through the ruins of a nine-story residential building hit by a Russian missile. Kyiv, Ukraine. July 31, 2025. Photo by Josh Olley/UNITED24 Media
Exhausted Ukrainian rescuers pause inside a shattered stairwell during recovery efforts after Russia’s missile attack. Many had been working nonstop since the early morning strike. Kyiv, Ukraine. July 31, 2025. Photo by Josh Olley/UNITED24 Media
A car lies flipped and charred after a Russian weapon exploded nearby during the overnight assault on the capital. The blast radius extended across multiple residential neighborhoods. Kyiv, Ukraine. July 31, 2025. Photo by Josh Olley/UNITED24 Media
A woman embraces a young girl with her dog. The Russian attack left dozens injured and entire families displaced in the Sviatoshynskyi district. Kyiv, Ukraine. July 31, 2025. Photo by Josh Olley/UNITED24 Media
Waterlogged children’s toys lie scattered in the wreckage of a Russian missile strike. Kyiv, Ukraine. July 31, 2025. Photo by Josh Olley/UNITED24 Media
At least 12 children were among the 135 injured during one of the deadliest Russian attacks on Kyiv this summer. Ukraine. July 31, 2025. Photo by Josh Olley/UNITED24 Media
A Ukrainian firefighter stands in front of a children’s metal sculpture, one of the few things left intact in a neighborhood shattered by a Russian missile strike. Kyiv, Ukraine. July 31, 2025. Photo by Josh Olley/UNITED24 Media
A woman’s bloodied foot wrapped in gauze, stepping through shattered glass and debris just hours after a Russian missile strike tore through her neighborhood. Kyiv, Ukraine. July 31, 2025. Photo by Josh Olley/UNITED24 Media
A Ukrainian rescuer surveys the ruins of a residential building leveled by a Russian missile. The impact left dozens injured and families buried beneath the rubble. Kyiv, Ukraine. July 31, 2025. Photo by Josh Olley/UNITED24 Media
A quiet bedroom, ripped open by a Russian strike. Kyiv, Ukraine. July 31, 2025. Photo by Josh Olley/UNITED24 Media
A child’s room, destroyed. Toys and drawings are all that remain intact after a Russian air weapon tore through this home. Kyiv, Ukraine. July 31, 2025. Photo by Josh Olley/UNITED24 Media
A family photo lies among broken branches and blown-out insulation—one of countless memories scattered by Russia’s overnight drone and missile attack. Kyiv, Ukraine. July 31, 2025. Photo by Josh Olley/UNITED24 Media
Caked in dust and wearing a makeshift mask, a Ukrainian emergency worker pushes through the ruins in search of survivors after Russia’s missile strike. Kyiv, Ukraine. July 31, 2025. Photo by Josh Olley/UNITED24 Media
Rescue workers carry away the body of a victim killed in Russia’s missile attack, one of at least eight confirmed dead. Kyiv, Ukraine. July 31, 2025. Photo by Josh Olley/UNITED24 Media
-0666d38c3abb51dc66be9ab82b971e20.jpg "Photo of Josh Olley")
-42696701342093d1cdbc4069f0f07d6c.jpeg "Photo of Mykyta Shandyba")
-73e9c0fd8873a094288a7552f3ac2ab4.jpg "Photo of Olena Blizniakova")
