Russia launches missile attack on Kyiv, Ukraine intensifies shelling.
On the morning of July 6th, the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and surrounding areas were rocked by a large-scale ballistic missile attack. The attack occurred just one day before the official opening of the NATO Summit in Türkiye, amidst urgent diplomatic efforts.
According to Ukrainian officials, air raid sirens blared throughout Kyiv in the early hours of July 6th. An AFP reporter on the scene observed more than 10 consecutive loud explosions, accompanied by numerous flashes of light in the sky as air defense systems intercepted targets.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv regional military administration, said that Russian forces used ballistic missiles in the attack. Local authorities reported that at least seven people were killed in Kyiv and one in the Bucha region.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has urged residents to take shelter immediately. This is the second major attack targeting the Ukrainian capital in less than a week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country's troops are still holding out and fighting in the strategic town of Kostyantynivka (Donetsk region), while rejecting Moscow's earlier claim that Russian troops had completely taken control of the area.
Meanwhile, the TASS news agency, citing sources from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) authorities, reported that Ukrainian forces had launched 22 attacks on DPR territory in the past 24 hours. The shelling, using various weapons, targeted Gorlovka, Makeyevka, Donetsk, and other areas, resulting in four civilian injuries, damage to eight residential buildings, and destruction of 12 civilian infrastructure facilities.
In addition, Ukraine has also increased drone strikes against Russian-controlled territory. In the Sevastopol region of the Crimean Peninsula, Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said that a Ukrainian attack had damaged energy infrastructure, causing a temporary power outage in the city.
In Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed that Russian air defense systems had shot down multiple waves of drones targeting the city.
The military escalation on the ground is taking place at a sensitive time as world leaders are gathering in Ankara, Türkiye, for the NATO Summit.
According to an announcement from the White House, US President Donald Trump is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky on July 8th on the sidelines of the conference.
Immediately following his meeting with the Ukrainian leader, Trump planned to hold a follow-up meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to seek a way out of the seriously stalled peace efforts.
