Airstrikes on Kiev result in fatalities and numerous injuries
In the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the latest updates from late July 2025 show an intense and ongoing conflict with significant recent attacks on Kyiv and surrounding Ukrainian regions, as well as on Russian border areas.
On July 28-29, 2025, Russian forces launched drone and missile strikes targeting civilian sites near the frontline and deeper into Ukraine, including around Kyiv. These attacks caused high casualties. Russian-launched weapons included Iskander-M ballistic missiles from Rostov Oblast and shahed-type drones from directions including Kursk, Oryol, and occupied Crimea. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted many drones over northern and eastern Ukraine [1].
Ukrainian forces have intensified long-range strikes on Russian military industrial targets and logistics hubs. They reportedly struck a railway station and resource base in Salsk, Rostov Oblast—a key Russian logistics hub for frontline operations in Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Crimea. Ukrainian strikes may have hit fuel trains there. Russian authorities claimed to have repelled drone strikes overnight in Rostov Oblast but acknowledged fires at Salsk [1].
Russian forces are continuing ground offensives, gaining around 105 square miles of Ukrainian territory in the week July 22-29, with advances near Kostiantynivka, Lyman, Pokrovsk, Borova, and western Zaporizhia [2][4].
Russian missile and drone strikes have targeted western Ukrainian regions such as Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, and Volyn, in addition to Kyiv city and surrounding areas. These strikes resulted in civilian casualties, with at least 53 reported deaths from shelling, bombs, and drones in various Ukrainian regions including Kyiv [2].
A recent Russian strike on Kyiv on July 31 resulted in 6 civilian deaths [3]. Russia claimed to have liberated the city of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk People's Republic on July 31. Ukraine has not commented on this claim [3].
Ukraine launched an attack on Russian territory, causing a fire on the premises of an industrial facility in the Penza region, according to Governor Oleg Melnitschenko. However, no reported damages or injuries were reported in the fire [4].
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported nine injured minors, the highest number of injured minors in a single night in Kyiv since the start of the war. As part of its defensive efforts, Ukraine occasionally targets locations in Russia [4].
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reported that the death toll in Kyiv after an air strike has risen to six, including a six-year-old boy and his mother. Zelenskyy wrote that "Today, the world has once again seen Russia's response to our shared desire for peace with America and Europe" [4].
Zelenskyy released a video showing extensive destruction and emergency services in action in Kyiv. The air traffic authority Rosaviazija reported temporary restrictions at Volgograd and Saratov airports. There are reports of dozens injured and residential infrastructure damaged in Kyiv. Train delays of up to six hours were reported in the Volgograd region due to falling drone debris [4].
According to Zelenskyy, Kyiv was the main target of Russian attacks, but surrounding areas and the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Sumy, Mykolajiw were also targeted [4]. Flights in Russia are often disrupted due to Ukrainian drone attacks.
In summary, the conflict remains highly active with frequent and deadly missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, Ukrainian counterstrikes deep in Russian territory, and continued shifting control on the ground favoring Russia in certain areas. Civilian casualties remain substantial on both sides' territories, with all parties reinforcing their offensives [1][2][3][4].
Politics and general news provinces regular updates on the ongoing war-and-conflicts between Ukraine and Russia, including the intense and ongoing conflict that resulted in significant attacks on Kyiv and surrounding Ukrainian regions, as well as on Russian border areas. On July 28-29, 2025, Russian forces launched drone and missile strikes on civilian sites near the frontline and deeper into Ukraine, causing high casualties.
