Kyiv authorities issued an air raid alert early this morning, urging residents to seek shelter. AFP correspondents heard more than 10 explosions during the initial wave, followed by multiple streaks of light in the sky and a series of blasts about 30 minutes later.
The attack, which marks the second major strike on the capital in less than one week, occurred just before the NATO summit scheduled to be held in Turkey on 7-8/7. US President Donald Trump is expected to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the event, and then discuss the situation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
AMK Mapping, an X social media account tracking the Ukraine conflict, released a video recorded by Kyiv residents. The footage shows a large fireball accompanied by numerous secondary explosions, sending debris flying into the surrounding area. An object launched from the scene before turning and plummeting to the ground, appearing to be a missile inadvertently activated by the blast.
The explosion at a suspected "S-300 missile factory" in Kyiv on 6/7. Video: X/AMK Mapping
"The facility was hit by Iskander-M ballistic and Kh-101 cruise missiles. The target was likely a factory for manufacturing and maintaining S-300 air defense missiles. Secondary explosions continued for over one hour after the strike. Residents in the area were asked to stay indoors," the account stated.
Satellite data from NASA's Fire Information Resource Management System (FIRMS) today showed a series of large fires breaking out at this location, as well as at the Kuznia na Rybalskomu shipyard and the Sakhavtomat-Inzh engineering plant in the capital Kyiv.
Ukrainian officials reported that at least 8 people were killed in the attack, including 7 victims in the capital Kyiv and one person in the Bucha district northwest of the city. Additionally, 34 people were injured in Kyiv and the surrounding area. Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv province military administration, stated that 4 apartment buildings caught fire, without mentioning the large explosion or the industrial facilities hit.
Russia's Ministry of Defense and the Ukrainian military have not yet commented on the attack.
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Signs of a large fire at the suspected S-300 missile factory in Kyiv on the morning of 6/7. Graphics: NASA
On the same day, Ukraine launched attacks on energy infrastructure on the Crimean peninsula, causing power outages in Sevastopol. President Zelensky had previously announced that Ukrainian forces conducted a coordinated drone attack on oil infrastructure at the port in St. Petersburg and a military facility in Kronstadt, resulting in fires.
Nguyen Tien (According to AFP, AP, Reuters)
