Russia strikes Ukraine's capital in massive missile, drone attack, killing at least 21

Russia launched one of its largest combined missile and drone attacks of the war overnight into July 2, killing at least 21 people and injuring more than 80 in Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said, as Moscow intensified its aerial campaign against the Ukrainian capital.

Ukraine's Air Force said Russia fired 74 missiles, including ballistic and cruise missiles, along with 496 long-range drones, the largest number of ballistic missiles launched against Kyiv in a single attack since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022, according to The Kyiv Independent. 

Air defenses intercepted or electronically suppressed 48 missiles and 476 drones, but missiles and drones still struck dozens of locations across the capital, The Independent reported. 

The strikes damaged apartment buildings across multiple districts of Kyiv, partially collapsing a nine-story residential building, and hit a hotel, an ambulance station, energy infrastructure, businesses, a warehouse, and a scientific institute. Six emergency workers were injured after an ambulance station was struck, while power outages and internet disruptions were reported in parts of the city.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko called it the "most massive" attack on the capital during the war and declared July 3 a day of mourning. Search-and-rescue operations continued throughout July 2, with officials warning the death toll could rise.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned July 1 that Russia was preparing a large-scale strike and urged Ukrainians to seek shelter, The New York Times reported. After visiting damaged neighborhoods, he renewed calls for Western allies to deliver promised air defense systems more quickly, saying additional interceptors could have saved lives.

More than 52,000 people, including nearly 4,500 children, sheltered overnight in Kyiv's metro system, according to city officials, setting a record for the capital during the war.

Russia's Defense Ministry said it targeted military and energy facilities in retaliation for recent Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, which have contributed to fuel shortages in Russia. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha rejected that justification, saying Russia was attacking civilians while Ukraine was striking legitimate military targets.

“In this war there is an aggressor and a country defending itself under Article 51 of the UN Charter,” Sybiha wrote on X. “Russia has no right to make any strikes against Ukraine, while Ukraine has every right to respond, defend from aggressor, and strike any legitimate military targets in Russia. Do not equate an aggressor and a country defending itself from aggression.”

Sybiha added that it is “immoral to justify Russian atrocities against Ukrainians by saying that Moscow acts in response to Ukraine’s long-range strikes against Russia.”

The attack prompted Poland to scramble fighter jets as a precaution, while Finland temporarily restricted airspace over part of the Gulf of Finland. 

This is a developing story.