Russia Unleashes Its Largest Ballistic Missile Assault on Kyiv to Date

Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Russian forces launched a large-scale ballistic missile attack on Kyiv overnight on July 19, with repeated explosions reported across the capital as the assault continued.

Ukrainian monitoring channels estimated that Russia launched around 40 missiles toward Kyiv within 53 minutes, potentially marking the largest ballistic missile attack on the capital since the beginning of the full-scale war.

Ukraine’s Air Force initially warned at 1:21 a.m. that ballistic missiles had been launched from Russia’s Bryansk region and were moving through the Chernihiv region toward the capital.

A series of powerful explosions was heard in Kyiv minutes later. Residents were urged to remain in shelters as further waves of missiles approached the city.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported smoke rising near a shopping center in the city’s Desnianskyi district. Cars were also burning at a separate location, while another strike reportedly hit a non-residential building.

Emergency medical crews were dispatched to the Shevchenkivskyi district, Klitschko said. No information about possible casualties was immediately available.

Part of the ceiling at Kyiv’s Lukianivska metro station reportedly collapsed following the strikes. The extent of the damage and whether anyone was injured at the station remained unclear.

In the Shevchenkivskyi district, falling missile debris damaged an apartment building and sparked a fire. A separate fire broke out in a non-residential building, while emergency medical crews were dispatched to the district.

In the Dniprovskyi district, falling missile debris sparked a fire at a dormitory, according to Klitschko. A shopping center and several vehicles were also reported burning in the district.

In the Solomianskyi district, a missile reportedly struck an apartment building, while a supermarket caught fire at another location. Emergency crews were responding at both sites.

A shopping center and several vehicles were burning in the Dniprovskyi district, while a private house caught fire in the Sviatoshynskyi district.

At least two people have been injured in the attack. Both were hospitalized, Klitschko said.

Emergency services were responding at several locations across the capital. The full scale of the damage was still being assessed as the Russian missile attack continued.

Earlier, on July 8, a Russian ballistic missile strike on Kyiv killed one woman and injured two others, damaging a warehouse and several non-residential buildings across the capital.

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