Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv kills 1, injures 16 in overnight strike

Kyiv,UPDATED: Jul 19, 2026 13:22 IST

At least one person was killed and 16 others were wounded in an overnight Russian attack on Kyiv that involved ballistic missiles, local authorities said. The assault lasted several hours and set off fires across parts of the Ukrainian capital.

Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 41 missiles and 125 attack drones across the country overnight, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying most of the missiles were aimed at Kyiv. The strikes damaged homes, offices, industrial sites, a dormitory and vehicles, while rescue teams were deployed to several parts of the city.

The attack began at around 1.30 am local time, with explosions heard across Kyiv for hours. According to Ukraine's State Emergency Service, fires broke out in five districts of the city.

In the Sviatoshynskyi district, rescue workers pulled four people from a burning private home. In the Shevchenkivskyi district, they rescued residents from a burning three-storey building. A fire in a non-residential building was also brought under control. One person was later found dead.

Firefighters also tackled blazes in the Solomyanskyi, Desnianskyi and Dnipro districts. Russia's defence ministry said the strike on Kyiv targeted sites linked to the Ukrainian military, including plants producing Flamingo drones and parts for Neptune guided missiles, as well as a postal terminal "used for storing dual-use goods and assembling drones, robotic systems and electronic warfare equipment."

Russia has launched several large-scale attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks as Ukraine faces a shortage of Patriot air defence missiles, its most effective system against Russian ballistic missiles. US President Donald Trump has said he is prepared to grant Ukraine licences to produce Patriot interceptor missiles, though the details and timeline remain unclear. In all, the overnight attack on Kyiv left one person dead, 16 injured and caused damage and fires across multiple districts of the capital.

With PTI Inputs

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