Rubble in Kiev after large-scale Russian attack

Russia launched 570 various weapons to attack Ukraine, primarily targeting the capital Kiev, resulting in at least 17 deaths and extensive damage to structures.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the capital Kiev experienced a "horrible night" and called on allies to enhance air defense capabilities. He warned that the death toll could rise as search and rescue operations continued.

The Ukrainian Air Force Command announced today that Russia attacked the country with four Zircon hypersonic missiles, 24 Iskander-M tactical ballistic missiles and S-400 missiles modified for ground attack, 34 Kh-101 long-range cruise missiles, eight Kalibr naval missiles, four Kh-59/69 tactical cruise missiles, and 496 suicide and decoy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

"This could be one of the largest aerial attacks Russia has conducted since the start of the conflict", the Kyiv Independent reported.

The image shows a plume of smoke rising in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, after the Russian attack in the early morning of 2/7.

Firefighters worked to extinguish a blaze at a building in Kiev following the assault.

"Air defense units shot down and jammed four Iskander-M/S-400 missiles, 32 Kh-101 missiles, eight Kalibr missiles, four Kh-59/69 missiles, and 476 unmanned aerial vehicles. 25 ballistic missiles and 12 UAVs struck 33 locations, with debris falling in 18 areas; we are clarifying information on the remaining missiles", the agency stated.

This information implies that all four Zircon hypersonic missiles, 20 Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles, and two Kh-101 missiles penetrated Ukraine's air defense network. It remains unclear why the number of ballistic missiles that hit targets exceeded the total Iskander-M and S-400 missiles reported by Ukraine.

Explosions in the capital Kiev on 2/7 as the city was attacked by Russia. Video: Reuters

Ukrainian officials stated that most of the damage occurred in civilian buildings. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed the attack targeted defense industry facilities, fuel and energy complexes in Kiev, and military airfield infrastructure in Kiev, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv provinces.

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that at least 17 people died and 90 were injured in the Ukrainian capital. Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kiev city's military administration, said damage was recorded at 30 locations across the capital, primarily residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko stated that 20 residential buildings in Kiev were damaged. Emergency response forces deployed nearly 500 personnel and 100 specialized vehicles, including a helicopter, to address the aftermath.

Residents in Kiev inspected damaged cars after the Russian attack.

The Russian Ministry of Defense released a list of targets in Kiev, including: Radionix's assembly plant, a company producing control systems for various cruise missile models such as Flamingo and Neptune-MD; Atlon Avia's workshop, specializing in manufacturing An-196 and Magura UA suicide UAVs; and Trimen-Ukraine's factory, which produces sights and UAV components.

The attack also targeted Kiev-25, an enterprise responsible for manufacturing and storing hardware and software for the Lima electronic warfare system, which Ukraine had advertised as capable of misleading Russian missiles into believing they were 12,000 km away from their actual position.

A volley of Kh-101 missiles struck a suspected Atlon Avia assembly plant in Kiev in the early morning of 2/7. Video: X/AMK Mapping

The MLP-Chaika long-range UAV and components storage facility, the Kiev-3 fuel and lubricants depot, gas distribution stations in Kiev and its surrounding province serving Ukrainian defense enterprises, along with military airfield infrastructure in Kiev, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv provinces, were also on the target list.

AMK Mapping, an X account specializing in open-source intelligence on the conflict, expressed skepticism regarding the Ukrainian Air Force Command's statistics.

"Ukraine claimed to have shot down 32 out of 34 Kh-101 cruise missiles. However, images show Kh-101 missiles deploying decoys and striking Atlon Avia's assembly plant in Kiev, with large plumes of smoke already rising from the area", the account stated.

A man sat amidst debris in a Kiev district on the morning of 2/7.

The Russian Ministry of Defense declared the attack "an act of retaliation for Ukraine's attacks on civilian infrastructure in Russia".

The operation followed several days of Ukrainian strikes targeting energy infrastructure and military bases deep within Russian territory. Russian officials reported their air defense forces intercepted hundreds of Ukrainian UAVs in recent days.