Russia launched a major overnight missile and drone barrage on the Ukrainian capital on July 19, killing one person and wounding 16 others, as Ukraine announced strikes on two Russia-linked oil tankers in the Black Sea.
"Overnight, Russia carried out one of its largest ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X, adding that Russia launched more than 40 missiles of various types, most of them targeting the capital, along with 120 attack drones.
Ukraine's air force said Russia launched a total of 41 missiles and 125 drones overnight in a combined assault primarily targeting Kyiv.
According to the military, air defenses intercepted 18 missiles and 108 drones, while 23 missiles and 10 drones struck 20 locations. Debris from intercepted missiles and drones fell at 18 other sites.
The barrage included 25 Iskander-M and S-400 ballistic missiles, 10 Zircon hypersonic missiles, three Onyx anti-ship missiles, three Kh-59/69 guided missiles, and 125 Shahed-type and other attack drones, it said.
Explosions rang out across Kyiv overnight as air defenses engaged incoming missiles.
Ukrainian authorities said strikes hit six districts of the capital, damaging apartment buildings, a shopping and entertainment center, a supermarket, and other civilian infrastructure.
Zelenskyy said emergency crews were still working at three locations with nearly 600 first responders deployed.
Authorities also reported damage in the Odesa region, while Russian attacks this week also struck several other regions across Ukraine.
Acting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha described the barrage as the largest use of ballistic missiles against Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war in February 2022 and urged what he called "devastating pressure" on Moscow to end the attacks.
Russia's Defense Ministry said it had targeted what it described as military infrastructure, including a logistics center allegedly used to store weapons components, facilities producing missile parts, a warehouse for drone components in the Kyiv region, as well as fuel depots and port infrastructure near Odesa.
The claims could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's General Staff reported that its forces struck two oil tankers said to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" in the Black Sea and a floating crane in the Sea of Azov overnight, saying all three vessels were being used to support Russia's military operations.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) -- a Russia-Kazakh joint venture -- condemned the strike, saying the vessels were on "legitimate" business.
"The republic of Kazakhstan is currently conducting a comprehensive assessment of the damage caused," the Central Asian nation's Foreign Ministry said.
"Upon completion of this assessment, Kazakhstan reserves all rights available under international law to protect its legitimate interests, including seeking full compensation for the damage caused," it added.
Previous drone strikes on oil-related assets off Russia’s Black Sea coast raised diplomatic tensions between Ukraine and Kazakhstan and exposed the Central Asian country’s reliance on a single oil pipeline for its exports.
The strikes followed a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on Russia a day earlier that targeted logistics centers in the Moscow and Tambov regions.
Zelenskyy said the facilities were used to supply sanctioned components for Russian drone production and navigation equipment.
Russian officials said one person was killed in the Kursk region in the Ukrainian attack, while the Russian Health Ministry said 10 people injured in a strike on a logistics center in the Tambov region would be transferred to specialized medical centers in Moscow for treatment.
