Russia launched one of its most intense air assaults on Ukraine in recent months on Monday, killing at least 14 people and injuring around 60 in Kyiv as NATO scrambled fighter aircraft to protect its eastern flank.
The overnight barrage of missiles and kamikaze drones struck residential districts across the Ukrainian capital, destroying apartment blocks and triggering major fires.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Vladimir Putin of deliberately targeting civilians, saying Russia was “waging war against residential buildings” as emergency crews searched for survivors.
The scale of the attack prompted neighbouring Poland to place its air force and air defence systems on high alert. Warsaw confirmed NATO fighters were deployed in a precautionary operation as Russian long-range aviation carried out strikes close to the alliance’s border.
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Military aviation has begun operations in Polish airspace,” Poland’s Armed Forces Operational Command said, adding that fighter jets and ground-based air defence systems had been activated to safeguard NATO territory.
Among the most significant strikes was a reported hit on the Zhulyansky Machine-Building Plant Vizar near Kyiv, where secondary explosions forced an emergency evacuation over fears of further detonations and toxic smoke. Residents reported coughing and breathing difficulties as authorities warned people to stay indoors.
Residential neighbourhoods suffered extensive damage, with multiple apartment buildings hit in Kyiv’s Podilskyi district. Several upper floors collapsed, trapping residents beneath the rubble as firefighters battled blazes across the city.
At least seven people have been killed and 24 injured in last night’s Russian attacks on Kyiv.
What appears to be a direct hit by a Zircon missile, still yet to be officially confirmed, caused the partial collapse of an apartment block, with rescue workers continuing to search… https://t.co/656MvfvaEG pic.twitter.com/ATloxsj5oh
— Shaun Pinner (@ShaunPinnerUA) July 6, 2026
The assault came only hours after Zelensky warned that intelligence suggested Russia was preparing a major missile offensive, urging Ukrainians to take air raid alerts seriously.
The timing is politically significant, arriving on the eve of a NATO summit where Western leaders, including Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer, are expected to discuss military support for Ukraine and the alliance’s response to escalating Russian aggression.
Ukraine also continued its campaign against Russian infrastructure overnight, reportedly striking the Yaroslavl oil refinery, power substations in occupied Crimea and facilities near the Kerch port, causing widespread electricity outages.
Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its strikes targeted Ukraine’s defence industry, fuel infrastructure and military airfields, describing the attacks as retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory. Kyiv, however, said the mounting civilian casualties underscored Moscow’s continuing strategy of using mass aerial bombardment against populated areas as the war enters another increasingly dangerous phase.
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