Russia Strikes Kyiv Again as Ukraine Launches Massive Drone Attacks Deep Inside Russia

Russian strikes in Ukraine’s capital on Sunday resulted in one fatality and 13 injuries, as Kyiv launched a series of drone attacks targeting e-commerce warehouses in Russia. The ongoing conflict underscores the dual challenges faced by Ukraine in its fifth year of war: continuous Russian aggression and internal political instability caused by sudden changes in military leadership.

Residents in Kyiv heard explosions shortly after the Ukrainian air force issued warnings via Telegram about incoming ballistic missiles. One explosion was so intense that it triggered car alarms in the city center, according to a Daily News Lite journalist.

Ukraine’s state emergency services reported one death and 13 injuries from the attack, which targeted six districts. According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko and local authorities, an apartment building in the Solomianskyi district was hit, and a fire broke out at a supermarket. A house was also ablaze in the Sviatoshynsky district. Additional strikes were reported at a shopping and entertainment center in the Dniprovsky district, an apartment building in the Shevchenkivsky district, and a non-residential building.

In Dnipropetrovsk, a central region near the frontline, Russian drone strikes killed one person, regional official Oleksandr Ganzha said on Telegram. On the Russian side, a Ukrainian strike killed one person in the Kursk region, according to regional governor Alexander Khinshtein.

Russia has been launching daily drone and missile attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities since its invasion began in 2022.

Attacks Inside Russia

On Saturday, Ukraine deployed attack drones to destroy e-commerce warehouses in the Moscow and Tambov regions, resulting in eight deaths and major fires. In Ukraine, Russian strikes killed five people and injured nearly 20 others in the southeast region.

“In response to Russian strikes on our civilian infrastructure and on our cities and communities, two major logistics facilities were hit — in the Moscow and Tambov regions,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on X. He claimed the centers were used “to supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment.”

Kyiv has increased its strikes on Russian territory in recent months, disrupting daily life for ordinary Russians. These attacks are framed as retribution for over four years of bombardments against Ukraine. The campaign, referred to as “long-range sanctions,” has primarily targeted Russia’s oil infrastructure, causing a severe fuel crisis in one of the world’s largest oil-producing countries.

The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, reported that more than 370 drones were launched toward the Moscow region overnight. Between July 11 and 18, almost 1,892 Ukrainian drones heading towards Moscow were intercepted, he added.

Rare Wartime Protests

Despite the ongoing war, thousands of people gathered in major Ukrainian cities for a third consecutive day on Saturday to protest the removal of popular defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov. The tech-savvy minister was ousted by Zelensky in a surprise government reshuffle as Ukraine appeared to gain momentum on the battlefield, sparking rare public backlash.

The demonstrations occurred as Zelensky held two days of meetings with top military commanders, leading to media speculation that he might be seeking a replacement for army chief Oleksandr Syrsky.

During his brief six-month tenure, Fedorov had frequently clashed with Syrsky, 60, over efforts to digitize and modernize an army strained by four and a half years of conflict.