Kyiv, 06 July (H.S.):

Russia launched a ballistic missile attack on Ukraine's capital Kyiv shortly after midnight on Sunday, with strikes continuing into the early hours, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. The attack came just ahead of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit scheduled to begin in Ankara, Türkiye, where US President Donald Trump is expected to participate. Ukraine also said Russia had launched nearly 2,200 drones and 1,730 guided aerial bombs against the country over the past week.

According to reports by The Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post and CNN, powerful explosions were heard in central Kyiv before dawn. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that Russia carried out the assault using drones and cruise missiles. At least three people were injured, while fires and debris caused damage in at least two districts of the capital. Klitschko said a multi-storey residential building in the Podilskyi district was severely damaged, with residents believed to be trapped inside.

Air raid sirens sounded across the city shortly before the attack. Earlier on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned that intelligence reports indicated Russia was preparing another large-scale assault. Last Thursday, Russia carried out a massive strike on Kyiv that reportedly killed at least 30 people. The Russia-Ukraine war is expected to be a key issue at the NATO summit beginning Tuesday in Ankara.

According to the reports, Russian forces, acting under Kremlin directives, have intensified efforts to capture most of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. Ukrainian cities continue to face almost nightly drone and missile attacks from Moscow. Russia's Foreign Ministry said President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump for about 90 minutes on Sunday, during which Trump again offered assistance in ending the war in Ukraine.

Kyiv City Military Administration chief Tymur Tkachenko said part of a residential building between the seventh and ninth floors in the Podilskyi district was partially destroyed. Three other apartment buildings in the Darnytskyi district were also hit. Mayor Klitschko later said at least seven people were injured within Kyiv city limits. Kyiv regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk said at least three people were hospitalised in Bucha, located just outside the capital in Kyiv Oblast.

According to the reports, several explosions were heard around 1:40 a.m. local time, followed by additional waves of attacks at approximately 2:10 a.m. and 3:15 a.m. The repeated blasts forced thousands of Kyiv residents to seek shelter in underground metro stations. In response to the missile attacks, the Polish Air Force said it had deployed fighter jets as a precaution to safeguard the country's airspace.

President Zelensky wrote on X that this was Putin's way of spreading destruction immediately after the United States' Independence Day and just before the NATO summit in Ankara. At the same time, Ukraine has also stepped up missile and drone strikes targeting key infrastructure inside Russia, including oil refineries, ports and military production facilities. Zelensky said Ukraine had faced nearly 2,200 Russian drones, more than 1,730 guided aerial bombs and 106 missiles in just one week. He also acknowledged that Ukraine continues to face a severe shortage of anti-ballistic missile defence capabilities.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar