LONDON — At least two people were killed and 22 others were injured in Kyiv in an overnight Russian drone and missile bombardment, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and local officials in the Ukrainian capital said on Thursday.
The “massive combined strike” lasted for nearly 10 hours, Zelenskyy said. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 397 drones of various types — among them nearly 200 Iranian-designed Shahed attack craft — and 18 missiles.
Fourteen missiles and 164 attack drones were shot down, the air force said, with another 204 drones and missiles neutralized by electronic warfare measures.
The main target of the attack was Kyiv and the surrounding region, with Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava, Kirovohrad and Kharkiv regions also attacked, the president said.
The air force said drone strikes were recorded in eight locations, with 33 strike drones impacting. Falling drone debris was reported in 23 locations.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a Telegram post that it “carried out a group strike using high-precision long-range weapons and strike drones against military-industrial complex facilities in Kyiv and the infrastructure of a military airfield. The strike achieved its objectives. All designated targets were hit.”
Women sit at a bus stop damaged during Russian drone and missile strikes in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 10, 2025.
Alina Smutko/Reuters
“This is an obvious escalation of terror by Russia: hundreds of ‘Shaheds’ every night, constant strikes, massive attacks against Ukrainian cities,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post to social media.
“This means that acceleration is needed. We need to be faster with sanctions and put pressure on Russia so that it feels the consequences of its terror. Partners need to be faster with investments in weapons production and technology development,” he continued.
On Thursday, Zelenskyy said he will speak with foreign partners “about additional funding for the production of interceptor drones and the supply of air defense for Ukraine. The tasks are absolutely clear. Such Russian strikes must be responded to harshly. That is exactly how we will respond.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces shot down 14 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions and the Black Sea overnight.
In Russia’s western Belgorod region, Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram that two people were injured by debris from a downed drone.
Russia’s attacks on Wednesday night followed the largest single barrage of the full-scale war to date, with 728 drones — a mix of attack drones and decoys — and 13 missiles launched into the country on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
Moscow is expanding its aerial attacks on Ukraine despite ongoing U.S.-led peace efforts. June saw a new monthly record for the number of long-range drones and missiles launched into Ukraine — 5,438 drones and 239 missiles — according to figures published by the Ukrainian air force.
The first 10 days of July have already seen Russia launch 2,464 drones and 58 missiles into Ukraine, according to Ukrainian air force data.
Russia’s expanded attacks appear to have frustrated President Donald Trump, who despite repeated threats is yet to impose additional sanctions on the Kremlin for its failure to commit to American ceasefire and peace proposals.
Trump said of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, “We get a lot of b——- thrown at us by Putin,” adding, “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
Firefighters work at the site of the apartment building hit by Russian drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 10, 2025.
Stringer/Reuters
Sen. Lindsey Graham told ABC News Wednesday that Trump is “ready” to act on a sweeping Senate bill that would impose tariffs of up to 500% on countries that buy oil and gas from Russia.
Trump, Graham said, is “trying to get Putin to the table, but Putin’s not responding.” The legislation will include a waiver allowing Trump to lift sanctions on countries purchasing Russian oil or uranium for 180 days, Graham said.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Moscow is “calm” about the president’s rhetoric. “We hope to continue our dialogue with Washington and our efforts to repair the badly damaged bilateral relations,” he told journalists during a briefing.
Kyiv is also pressing the White House to resume the supply of U.S.-made key weapons systems, a shipment of which were frozen last week.
Among the munitions held up were Patriot surface-to-air missile interceptors, which have proven vital for Ukraine’s defense against Russian missile and drone strikes.
A U.S. official confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday that the flow of some weapons had resumed as of Monday night, including 155mm artillery rounds and GMLR rockets used by HIMARS launchers.
ABC News’ Luis Martinez, Anne Flaherty, Selina Wang, Patrick Reevell, Will Gretsky and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.
