Russia Attacks Kyiv for 3rd Time in a Week

A firefighter works at a site of Russian missile and drone strikes, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 6, 2026. Viacheslav Ratynskyi/ReutersRussian forces launched another overnight ballistic missile attack on Kyiv on July 8, marking the third strike on the Ukrainian capital in under a week.Ukrainian officials said the attacks continue to expose the country’s severe shortage of U.S.-supplied air-defense interceptors capable of stopping ballistic missiles.The assault coincided with the NATO summit in Turkey, where U.S. President Donald Trump was scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.According to Ukraine’s air force, its defenses intercepted 139 of the 169 drones launched overnight. However, none of the five ballistic missiles fired by Russia were destroyed.Witnesses reported hearing explosions in Kyiv shortly before air raid sirens sounded. Officials said the overnight attack killed one woman and injured two others.Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the strikes sparked fires at a storage facility and a nonresidential building in two districts located on opposite sides of the Dnipro River. Footage showed firefighters working from elevated crane platforms to extinguish large warehouse fires that continued into the morning.Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, was also hit by overnight missile strikes. Local officials reported damage to homes and a church. Later on Wednesday, another missile strike hit a residential building, killing two people, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov.Meanwhile, Russian officials said Ukrainian drone attacks overnight killed one person and caused damage to several industrial facilities.Russia has intensified its aerial campaign in recent months as progress on the battlefield has slowed. At the same time, Ukrainian attacks on Russian military supply routes and oil facilities have contributed to fuel shortages inside Russia.Russian strikes in and around Kyiv have killed 60 people so far in July. Air force data also show that since the beginning of the month, Ukraine has intercepted only four of the 54 ballistic missiles Russia has launched.Zelenskyy has repeatedly urged the United States to provide additional air-defense interceptors, describing them as the only weapons Ukraine currently has capable of effectively destroying ballistic missiles because of their speed and flight paths.Ahead of the summit, Trump held separate conversations with both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking in Ankara on Tuesday, Trump said the conflict could be resolved “hopefully soon.”Putin has indicated that Russia will continue its military campaign despite increasing challenges. Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine surrender the remainder of the eastern Donetsk region, much of which Russian forces have failed to capture after more than four years of fighting.Reuters contributed to this report.