Russia Launches Ballistic Missile Strikes on Kharkiv and Kyiv

Russia has carried out a wave of ballistic missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, killing four people and injuring at least 36, officials said.

In Kharkiv in the north-east, three people were killed and 20 others were injured. In Kyiv, one person died and 16 were hurt.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strike on the capital was among the most extensive ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

Air defences intercept missiles and drones

The Ukrainian military said air defences in Kyiv shot down 18 of 41 missiles overnight. It also said 108 drones were intercepted.

Kharkiv regional head Oleh Syniehubov said the strikes hit a postal terminal in the city’s suburbs, killing three men aged between 24 and 62. He said three injured people were in a serious condition.

Zelensky also said that in the past week Russia used about 1,450 strike drones, more than 1,640 guided bombs and 99 missiles of various types against Ukraine.

Damage across Kyiv region

Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said residential and non-residential buildings were damaged, including a supermarket and a dormitory. Firefighters were working at fires at two warehouses, and Ukraine’s emergencies ministry said a logistics hub in the Bucha district, near Kyiv, was hit, with two people injured.

The Ukrainian air force said the Kyiv strikes involved a range of Russian systems, including Iskander and hypersonic Zircon missiles, as well as 125 drones.

Ukraine retaliates with attacks on Russian targets

While the ballistic strikes were reported, Ukraine said it continued operations against Russian sites. Zelensky said SBU security service units struck three oil depots in the Stavropol region and that Armed Forces units hit another fuel-sector facility in the same area.

He also said precise strikes damaged three Russian “shadow fleet” tankers in the Black Sea.

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which ships Kazakhstan’s Caspian oil to Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, said its terminal had been hit. It said two tankers were damaged and that oil loading was suspended. The consortium said there were no injuries or oil spills.

Stavropol’s governor said a drone attack caused a fire in an industrial park.

Zelensky said Ukraine’s actions came after Russian strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and cities and communities.

He later linked the broader campaign to Russia’s energy links, saying Ukraine has intensified long-range drone attacks on Russia’s critical energy infrastructure, contributing to fuel shortages. Kyiv said earlier this month that nearly 43% of Russia’s oil refining capacity had been “disabled” as a result; the BBC has not independently verified that figure.

Wildberries warehouse blasts follow earlier drone attacks

The latest wave of strikes on Kyiv followed Ukrainian drone attacks on two warehouses belonging to Wildberries, which Zelensky said killed eight people and caused major fires.

In Tambov, about 295 miles (475km) south-east of Moscow, the emergencies ministry reported seven deaths and 25 injuries at a facility. In Elektrostal near the capital, it reported one death and 37 injuries at another warehouse.

Wildberries is often described as the Russian equivalent of Amazon. Forbes Russia valued the RWB group, which combines Wildberries with advertising company Russ, at about $12.6bn (£9.3bn) in 2026.

Kyiv seeks more ballistic missile defences

Kyiv has asked European allies for more ballistic missile interceptors. Zelensky said on Sunday that protection against ballistic missiles is its top priority and that interceptors are needed every day.

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19 July 2026

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