Moscow launches massive drone assault on Kyiv, following Trump-Putin conversation
In a shocking turn of events, Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine, was subjected to the largest drone and missile attack since the beginning of the war on the night of July 3-4, 2025. Russia orchestrated a record barrage, consisting of **550 air weapons**, targeting Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities over a period of more than seven hours.
The assault, which involved **539 drones and 11 missiles**, resulted in at least one civilian death and left 26 others injured in Kyiv. Explosions and debris caused damage to residential buildings, including in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district, and debris from intercepted drones fell across at least 33 sites in the city. Despite Ukrainian air defenses shooting down 270 targets, Russia successfully hit eight locations with nine missiles and 63 drones.
Ukraine's Air Force claimed to have destroyed 478 of the air weapons Russia launched overnight. However, Ukraine did not provide details of any militarily valuable targets that were hit. The attack on Kyiv resulted in minor damage to China's consulate in the southern city of Odesa.
The nature of the attack included a mix of ballistic missiles and kamikaze (suicide) drones, with Russia claiming to have targeted military factories producing drones and other equipment in Kyiv. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have struck drone factories, a military airfield, and an oil refinery in Kyiv with high-precision weapons.
The attack elicited strong condemnation from Ukrainian officials, who described the strike as "terror" and "cynical." President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as "deliberately massive and cynical." On Friday, Zelenskyy called for increased pressure on Moscow to change its behavior.
The attack occurred hours after a call between US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin. Trump stated that the call resulted in no progress towards ending the war. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy and Trump agreed to work on increasing Kyiv's capability to "defend the sky." Germany is in talks on buying Patriot air defense systems to bridge the gap.
Amidst the chaos, families sought shelter in underground metro stations during the attack, and acrid smoke hung over the city center following the attack. The attack caused damage to buildings across Kyiv, including 40 apartment blocks, passenger railway infrastructure, five schools and kindergartens, cafes, and many cars.
In the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, late on Thursday, Russian shelling killed five people. Russia intensified airstrikes on Kyiv in recent weeks, including some of the deadliest assaults on the city of three million people. The Kremlin reiterated that Moscow would continue to push to solve the conflict's "root causes."
[1] BBC News, "Ukraine conflict: Russia attacks Kyiv with drones and missiles," July 4, 2025. [2] Reuters, "Ukraine says it destroyed 478 Russian drones and missiles in overnight attack on Kyiv," July 4, 2025.
- The intense assault on Kyiv, involving 539 drones and 11 missiles, has raised political tensions and concerns about general news, with Ukrainian officials describing it as a terror act.
- In the aftermath of the assault on Kyiv, both international relations and regional dynamics are being affected, as evidenced by a call between US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin, resulting in no progress towards ending the war, and discussions about increasing Kyiv's air defense capabilities.
