KYIV, July 2 — Russian missile and drone strikes hit the Ukrainian capital early Thursday, wounding at least five people and setting off fires, after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow was preparing a “massive attack”. The attack came after the Ukrainian air force warned that ballistic missiles were headed towards the capital and followed Mr. Zelenskyy cutting short a visit to Dublin on Wednesday, citing intelligence reports of an impending Russian strike. The mechanics here are familiar after more than four years of war.
Russia has routinely launched waves of missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, during its invasion — Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. The catch, on closer reading of the official accounts, is the apparent precision targeting of medical personnel.
Five healthcare workers were wounded in the Shevchenkivskyi district, one of whom was in a critical condition, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. The attacks set off fires, destroyed a residential building and damaged a medical facility, Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said on Telegram. AFP journalists in central and eastern Kyiv heard more than a dozen explosions and saw residents — some with children and pets — rushing into metro stations being used as shelters.
“Kyiv is under attack from ballistic missiles and UAVs,” Mayor Klitschko said on Telegram, adding that blasts could be heard across the city. “The enemy continues to launch missiles at the capital,” he said.
Hours earlier, an AFP reporter witnessed an explosion in central Kyiv during an air-raid alert, followed by a cloud of smoke and flames. Firefighters and ambulances were at the scene. Around 50 minutes later, a second blast erupted near the initial impact site, sending debris into the air.
Mr. Zelenskyy said earlier on Wednesday that he was rushing home from a visit to Dublin due to intelligence reports that Russia was preparing a “massive attack”. The president’s abrupt departure from Ireland underscores the persistent threat to the capital and the government’s reliance on real-time intelligence to keep leadership safe. The pattern of strikes — ballistic missiles followed by drones, hitting residential and medical infrastructure — follows a playbook seen repeatedly during the invasion.
What to watch next is whether the targeting of healthcare workers represents a tactical shift or a continuation of existing patterns. The Shevchenkivskyi district, the site of the worst casualties, is a central area of Kyiv that has been hit multiple times before.
The use of both ballistic missiles and UAVs in a single coordinated wave suggests Moscow is testing Ukrainian air defence capacity and seeking to overwhelm it with mixed salvos. The fact that five medical staff were wounded in one district, with one in critical condition, raises the question of whether the attack was aimed at disrupting emergency response capabilities — a tactic that, if confirmed, would mark a deliberate escalation in the targeting of civilian infrastructure.
