Two Dead, 16 Injured as Kyiv Endures Relentless Russian Drone and Missile Assault for Second Night

Kyiv was rocked by a massive Russian attack overnight on July 9–10, as waves of drones and ballistic missiles struck the capital and surrounding oblasts for the second consecutive night. The assault, which lasted nearly 10 hours, killed two people and injured at least 16 in the city alone. The scale and intensity of the strikes echoed previous record-breaking attacks seen throughout late spring and summer of 2025.

The assault began just after 1 a.m. local time. Journalists from the Kyiv Independent reported the first explosions in the city and the distinctive buzzing of Shahed-type drones flying over central districts, including Pechersk. Aerial alerts had been issued earlier by Ukraine’s Air Force, warning of incoming “high-speed targets” and groups of Russian drones approaching various parts of the country, including Kyiv, as well as western regions like Ternopil and Rivne.

Residents were jolted awake by continuous explosions that lasted for over an hour, as ballistic missiles, drones, and air defense fire lit up the skies. The shockwaves from the blasts triggered car alarms across the capital. Fires broke out in multiple locations, including apartment buildings, gas stations, garages, warehouses, and office spaces. Flames were reported in Shevchenkivskyi, Darnytskyi, Solomyanskyi, Holosiivskyi, and Podilskyi districts, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

By 3:20 a.m., Kyiv City Military Administration (KCMA) chief Tymur Tkachenko confirmed significant damage across six city districts. He reported that residential buildings and vehicles were burning, with debris from Russian drones causing destruction on the ground. “The enemy attack is ongoing. The defence forces are responding to enemy aerial assets,” Tkachenko stated.

Casualty figures climbed steadily throughout the night. Initial reports spoke of three injuries, but the number rose rapidly: six by 3:49 a.m., eight by 4:30 a.m., and eleven by 4:58 a.m. A large plume of smoke settled over the capital by morning, prompting officials to urge residents to keep windows closed. By 7 a.m., Klitschko confirmed that 16 people had been injured in total, 10 of whom required hospitalization. The others received either outpatient or on-site medical care.

Tragically, two people were confirmed dead in the attack. “Unfortunately, we have two dead. These people were killed by the Russians. This is a terrible loss. My condolences to the family and friends,” Tkachenko said. Among the sites affected was a primary health care center in the Podilskyi district. Klitschko stated that the outpatient clinic of Primary Health Care Center No. 1 was “almost completely destroyed.”

Outside the city, Kyiv Oblast also came under sustained bombardment. The regional military administration reported that homes and private buildings in four districts - Brovary, Vyshhorod, Boryspil, and Obukhiv - suffered damage. In Brovary, a fire broke out after windows, doors, and facades were damaged. Two cars were also affected. A separate fire was extinguished in a garage in Vyshhorod. In Obukhiv, a 51-year-old man was injured and hospitalized, the oblast administration confirmed.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, Kherson also came under fire. Two people - a 63-year-old woman and a 41-year-old man - were wounded in a drone strike overnight. Both were hospitalized with multiple shrapnel injuries. On the evening of July 9, four more people were injured by Russian artillery in the same region.

This latest overnight assault came just hours after Russia launched what Ukrainian authorities described as the largest missile and drone attack since the full-scale invasion began. That barrage targeted Lutsk in western Ukraine, marking an escalation in Moscow’s campaign of aerial attacks far from the front lines.