Russian Forces Launch 5th Missile Attack on Kyiv This Month; Zelenskyy Urges Allies to Approve New Sanctions

Russia intensified its aerial assaults on Ukraine, launching a wave of drones and ballistic missiles at the capital Kyiv early this morning. This marks the fifth such attack by Russian forces on Kyiv this month.

According to Reuters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the assault damaged 16 locations in Kyiv, including a school and a business facility. City officials reported multiple fires.

Zelenskyy noted that Russia simultaneously targeted critical infrastructure in central and southern Ukraine. He added that the attacks injured seven people in Kharkiv Oblast in eastern Ukraine and three in Chernihiv Oblast in the north.

On the social media platform X, Zelenskyy posted: "Last night, Russian forces launched 135 drones and 10 missiles of various types at our cities and communities, most of them ballistic missiles."

He emphasized the need for "greater pressure on Russia" and urged European allies to approve a new round of sanctions this week.

Russia has intensified its air raids on Ukraine this summer, bombing Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure almost nightly. Ukraine's air defense ammunition is increasingly strained as it counters ballistic missile threats.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched eight ballistic missiles overnight, with five intercepted by air defense units—a higher interception rate than earlier attacks this month. Additionally, 108 out of 135 drones were shot down.

Ukraine has also increased drone strikes inside Russia, targeting weapons production sites and oil facilities to weaken Russia's economic capacity to sustain the war. The conflict has now entered its fifth year.

Russian authorities reported a fire at the Afipsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region in southern Russia and drone debris falling in the Salavat industrial zone in the Republic of Bashkortostan.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated this week that Russia would retaliate against Ukrainian attacks with several times greater force and on a larger scale.