Published On 7 Jul 20267 Jul 2026
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Updated: an hour agoUpdated: an hour ago
Russian forces have bombarded Ukraine with dozens of drones and missiles, targeting the capital, Kyiv, for the third time in less than a week.
Ukraine’s defences intercepted more than 80 percent of the 169 drones used in the overnight attacks on the country, but were again unable to down any of the five ballistic missiles used by Russia, air force data showed.
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A woman was killed and two people were wounded in the overnight attack on Kyiv, said the head of the city’s military administration, Tymur Tkachenko.
A mother and daughter were killed and two others were wounded in the southern region of Mykolaiv when Russian forces attacked with guided aerial bombs, regional military head Vitaliy Kim said.
Four people were wounded in Dnipropetrovsk after Russia attacked with drones and artillery, according to the head of the eastern region’s military administration.
Another two people were wounded in a Russian attack in Zaporizhzhia, according to the military chief there.
The mayor of Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, said two people had been wounded in another attack.
In Russia, the governor of Saratov region said one person was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack.
Moscow also launched a large-scale attack on Kyiv on Monday, killing at least 14 people and damaging more than a dozen buildings.
Russia and Ukraine have recently expanded their use of long-range weapons, including missiles, in an escalation of Moscow’s four-year war.
Ukraine has focused its attacks on energy facilities as it seeks to disrupt the Russian economy.
Ukraine said on Tuesday that its drones attacked a dozen tankers from Russia’s “shadow fleet” over the past two days that were delivering fuel to Moscow-occupied Crimea. Kyiv’s military said it had struck eight vessels subject to sanctions in the Sea of Azov, each with a deadweight of about 7,000 metric tonnes. Two more tankers were hit later in the day.
The Sea of Azov is a key supply route for Russian forces in Crimea and other occupied parts of southern Ukraine.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 – in a move that has been unrecognised internationally – eight years before launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow has not publicly commented on this week’s attacks on Ukraine, which also included strikes on electrical substations, radar systems, and missile installations.
Attacks amid NATO summit
The latest exchange of fire between Russia and Ukraine comes amid NATO’s annual summit, which began on Tuesday. The military alliance’s leaders have gathered in Turkiye’s capital, Ankara, for the two-day conference, where defence spending and Russia’s war on Ukraine are under discussion.
NATO is expected to pledge further military support for Ukraine, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urges the alliance to step up aid for the country’s air defences following the deadly escalation of Russian attacks on Kyiv.
Zelenskyy, who has renewed his call for Ukraine to be allowed to join the alliance, wrote on social media on Tuesday that he had signed new agreements with Estonia, the Netherlands, and Denmark in Ankara.
The deals create “new opportunities for joint production, the development of innovative defense technologies, systematic exchange of expertise, and the export of Ukrainian battlefield-proven solutions”, he said.
Further agreements are expected with Germany, Norway, Finland, and Canada.
United States President Donald Trump is also expected to meet Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the summit on Wednesday, having spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin before the NATO gathering.
Asked about Russia’s war in Ukraine, Trump said he hoped it would be settled “soon”.
“I think they both want to make a deal,” Trump said.
“It’s too bad it took so long, but I think something’s going to come out.”