The Most Intense Russian Bombardment of Kyiv Since 2022
Russian forces launched their most intense attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Thursday since the outbreak of the war in 2022.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that the overnight Russian assault on the Ukrainian capital, which killed at least 13 people, was the most severe attack on the city since the war began more than four years ago.
In a series of social media posts, Klitschko wrote: “July 3 has been declared a day of mourning in Kyiv in memory of the victims of the largest enemy attack against the capital” since the beginning of the war.
The announcement came as rescue teams continued searching through the rubble of a residential building destroyed during the assault.
Reuters footage showed emergency workers searching through the ruins of a nine-story apartment building at daybreak, while fires burned across several parts of the city.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s Military Administration, said that 56 people, including two children, had been injured and that approximately 30 locations across different parts of the city had sustained damage as a result of the attacks.
A Reuters witness reported hearing multiple explosions throughout Kyiv, while authorities in the region surrounding the capital announced via Telegram that additional damage had also been recorded.
Metro stations were crowded with people carrying their children, luggage, tents, and pets after air raid alerts were issued across most of Ukraine.
In a statement published on Telegram, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said that its “large-scale strike,” carried out using high-precision long-range weapons launched from the air, land, and sea, in addition to drones, had targeted military facilities, energy infrastructure, airports in Kyiv, and other locations.
The ministry added that the attack was carried out in response to Ukrainian strikes against civilian infrastructure inside Russia, without providing further details.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has significantly intensified its deep strikes inside Russian territory, triggering a widespread fuel shortage in the world’s third-largest oil producer and forcing Russia to import gasoline from suppliers as distant as India.
