Kyiv was hit hard overnight into Friday as Russian missile and drone attacks struck more than a dozen locations across the Ukrainian capital, including residential neighborhoods, local authorities confirmed.
The onslaught unfolded just hours after a phone call between United States President, Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin yielded no progress toward a ceasefire.
According to Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, at least eight people sustained injuries during the extended barrage, which damaged multiple apartment buildings in two city districts.
In the early hours of Friday, Ukraine’s Air Force alerted residents of incoming missiles and warned of an approaching ballistic threat to the capital.
A loud explosion soon followed, reverberating through the city as plumes of smoke rose in several central neighborhoods.
CNN journalists on the ground reported the presence of drones and thick smoke in affected areas.
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This attack is part of an ongoing wave of near-daily Russian aerial assaults. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its campaign, launching hundreds of missiles and drones across Ukraine.
Ukraine’s foreign minister revealed earlier in the week that Russian forces had fired more than 330 missiles, including nearly 80 ballistic missiles—as well as 5,000 combat drones and 5,000 gliding bombs in the month of June alone.
On Thursday, Trump held a phone call with Putin that lasted close to an hour. Speaking afterward, the U.S. president expressed clear dissatisfaction with the lack of progress on ending the war.
“We had a call. It was a pretty long call. We talked about a lot of things, including Iran and we also talked about, as you know, the war with Ukraine,” Trump said. “I’m not happy about that.”
Asked if he felt he made progress with Putin on a deal with Ukraine, Trump said firmly: “No.” He added, “I didn’t make any progress with him today at all.”
The airstrikes also came in the wake of the Trump administration’s decision to pause certain weapons shipments to Ukraine, including vital air defense systems.
The decision followed a review of U.S. military spending and foreign aid commitments. Trump stated that the move was necessary to safeguard American defense reserves.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, the U.S. has remained Ukraine’s largest military supporter, supplying a wide array of advanced weaponry.
However, the scale and nature of U.S. assistance have shifted notably since Trump’s return to office, raising questions about the long-term trajectory of American backing.
Though TASS, Russia’s state-run news agency, reported that the two leaders did not specifically discuss the arms shipment pause, it did note that Trump raised the topic of ending the war “as early as possible.”
Putin, however, reiterated that Russia would not retreat from its objectives in Ukraine.
