The Ukrainian Air Force Command issued an air raid alert in the capital, Kyiv, early this morning. The alert was lifted after 50 minutes, and the Ukrainian Air Force also canceled warnings about the risk of Russia continuing to launch missiles. The Ukrainian military has not yet announced the number of missiles targeting Kyiv or the interception rate by air defense forces.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that fallen missile debris caused fires in at least three inner-city districts. This included a blaze on the 7th and 8th floors of a high-rise apartment building in the city center. No information on casualties has been reported yet.
Explosions erupted in Kyiv during a Russian attack on the morning of 26/7. Video: X/AMK Mapping
AMK Mapping, an X account specializing in tracking open-source conflict data, assessed that Russia launched six Iskander-M ballistic missiles and modified S-400 anti-aircraft rounds targeting the Solomiansky district in Kyiv.
"This was a relatively small-scale attack. Ukraine's Patriot systems launched at least 9 PAC-3 interceptors and blocked two targets. The remaining four ballistic missiles hit their targets, causing large fires," the account wrote.
Satellite data from NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) today showed two fires breaking out in the industrial area of Solomiansky district.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not commented on the information.
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Signs of large fires in the industrial area of Solomiansky district in Kyiv on the morning of 6/7. Graphics: NASA
President Volodymyr Zelensky on 24/7 warned that Russia would likely launch large-scale attacks on Ukraine within the next 48 hours.
Russia has recently increased missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital. On 19/7, the Russian military launched 25 ballistic missiles at Kyiv in a single night. President Zelensky described this as one of Russia's largest mobilizations of ballistic missiles since the start of the conflict.
The Russian Ministry of Defense on 24/7 declared an attack on an exhibition displaying numerous unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), including upcoming models, manufactured by Ukraine and foreign countries. Russia claimed this was to "strike civilian targets on Russian territory". The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched three Iskander-M ballistic missiles or modified S-400 anti-aircraft rounds into the area, with only one being intercepted.
Ukrainian prosecutors and defense industry representatives stated that the incident resulted in at least 10 deaths and about 100 injuries. However, Ukrainian journalist Yuliya Kyriyenko said that the actual casualties were much higher, as Russian missiles hit an open area where hundreds of people were gathered, leaving many victims "without a trace".
Huyen Le (Reuters, AFP)
