Russian drone, missile barrage on Kyiv leaves 6 killed, including child, 52 wounded, more people trapped under rubble
Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles against Kyiv overnight on July 31, killing at least six people and injuring 52, local authorities reported.
The attack killed four people in Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi district and two in Solomianskyi, including a six-year-old boy.
Three police officers were among the injured. Overall, 29 people required hospitalization as of approximately 7:00 a.m. local time. First responders have been working at the scenes of the attacks.
The overnight drone attack came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose new tariffs on Russia within 10 days unless the Kremlin agrees to halt its full-scale war against Ukraine.
“Kyiv is under massive drone attack. Make no mistake, this is (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s response to President Trump’s deadline,” Meaghan Mobbs, daughter of U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, wrote on X. “He is testing American resolve and strength. We must not be found wanting.”
At least 27 locations around the city were hit, mainly in the city’s Solomianskyi district, where an educational institution and a residential building had been targeted, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city’s military administration, wrote in his official Telegram channel.
Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi district also suffered an attack, with a resulting fire burning vehicles and debris striking the ninth floor of a residential building.
Damages were also reported in the Holosiivskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts.
Following the end of the air raid siren at 3:20 a.m. local time, the threat quickly resumed at approximately 4:30 a.m., with the Air Force warning of renewed missile threats toward Kyiv. Shortly after, another round of explosions was heard in the skies over Ukraine’s capital, local media reported.
The renewed missile barrage caused further damage, with a residential building in the Sviatoshynskyi district reported to be hit and partially destroyed, and victims trapped under rubble, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, who shared video footage of the scene. First responders have been dispatched to the site of the attack.
Windows were shattered in the children’s wing of a hospital in Shevchenkivskyi district, Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said, adding that no injuries were reported at the site.
This latest attack unfolded against the backdrop of Trump’s ultimatum to Russia. In an audio clip released by the White House on July 29, Trump said: “Ten days from today. And then we’re gonna put on tariffs and stuff.”
Trump acknowledged his uncertainty about its impact on Russia, adding, “I don’t know if it’s gonna affect Russia, because he (Putin) wants to obviously probably keep the war going, but we’re gonna put tariffs and various things.”
The new measures are expected to include secondary sanctions targeting countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas, and other commodities, including China and India.
Trump initially gave Russia 50 days to agree to a peace deal, warning on July 14 of “severe” tariffs of up to 100%. On July 28, he said he was no longer willing to wait that long. “There’s no reason in waiting,” Trump said. “It’s 50 days, I wanted to be generous, but we just don’t see any progress being made.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on July 26 that Trump is “losing his patience” with Russia over the war in Ukraine.
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