Two killed as Russian missiles strike Kyiv

A Russian missile attack on Kyiv early Thursday, July 16, killed two people and wounded at least five others, including a child, Ukrainian officials said, as the capital endured another wave of strikes. The bombardment came just hours after a high-level European Union official visited the city to announce a new defense partnership.

The attack began shortly after midnight, with air raid sirens sounding and a series of explosions reported across the capital. Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated on Telegram that the Sviatoshynskyi and Darnytskyi districts were hit, with a warehouse struck and missile debris falling on nonresidential buildings, triggering fires. Ukraine's state emergency service confirmed the casualties. The all-clear was issued approximately one hour later. Simultaneously, the northeastern city of Kharkiv was targeted by combat drones.

The strikes followed a visit to Kyiv by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who used the occasion of Ukraine's Statehood Day to announce a new drone cooperation agreement between Ukraine and the EU. The deal aims to combine Ukrainian battlefield expertise with European industrial capacity to scale up production.