In a devastating barrage overnight, Russian forces launched 309 Shahed and decoy drones alongside eight Iskander-K cruise missiles at Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, killing at least 13 people—including a 6-year-old boy—and injuring 132 others, authorities reported Thursday, July 31, 2025. Among the wounded are 14 children, the highest number in a single attack on the city since the invasion began in early 2022.
A nine-story residential building in the Solomianskyi district partially collapsed under the strike, trapping residents under its rubble. City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said rescue teams are working around the clock to free survivors. “It is just stress and shock—there is nothing left,” said 35-year-old Yana Zhabborova, whose doors and windows were blown off as she slept with her two young children inside.
Ukraine’s air defenses managed to intercept and jam 288 drones and three missiles, but the remaining five missiles and 21 drones struck their targets, authorities said. In total, more than 100 buildings—including homes, schools, kindergartens, medical facilities, and university buildings—sustained damage across 27 locations in Kyiv, with severe hits reported in both Solomianskyi and Sviatoshynskyi districts.
Simultaneously, Russian attacks hit other regions: in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, a five-story residential block was struck, killing one person and wounding at least 11 others, according to regional military chief Vadym Filashkin. In response, Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed it shot down 32 Ukrainian drones targeting sites within Russia, including an industrial facility in Penza and railway infrastructure in Volgograd.
On the eastern front, Russia’s military announced “full control” over Chasiv Yar, a strategically vital city in Donetsk that has been fiercely contested for 18 months. Ukrainian spokesperson Victor Trehubov dismissed the claim as “fabrication,” noting continued clashes and contested zones around the town, per both Ukrainian General Staff reports and independent mapping by DeepState.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strikes in a Telegram post:
“Today, the world once again saw Russia’s answer to our desire for peace with America and Europe. New demonstrative killings. That is why peace without strength is impossible.”
He urged Ukraine’s allies to honor defense commitments and increase pressure on Moscow toward genuine negotiations.
