Russia Strikes Kyiv With Ballistic Missiles as Ukrainian Drones Force Emergency Measures Inside Russia

Russian missiles and strike drones hit Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight, and the death toll rose through the day to at least 12 people, with dozens more wounded, according to the Associated Press, making it the sixth consecutive day of Russian strikes on the capital. Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the Kyiv regional military administration, called it a massive attack, Euronews reported. A ballistic strike on a railway depot killed seven people, six of them employees of the state rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia, Interfax-Ukraine reported, and Ukraine's interior ministry said three children were among those wounded in strikes elsewhere in the city. The attacks came as Ukrainian children were returning to school after the summer break. Euronews noted that Ukraine is short of interceptor missiles and cannot stop every ballistic launch.

Russian state media described the same night in different terms. RIA Novosti reported that Russian forces struck industrial enterprises in Kyiv, describing the targets as production facilities rather than residential districts. Neither side's account has been independently verified.

Ukraine carried out long-range strikes of its own on Russian territory. Authorities in Novokuybyshevsk, a refining town in Russia's Samara region, declared a state of emergency after an attack by Ukrainian forces, according to RIA Novosti. TASS reported that flight restrictions imposed for safety reasons at the airports in Penza and Saratov were lifted after the night's attacks ended. The Kyiv Independent reported drone strikes on refineries, warehouses, airfields and ships.