On 10 July 2025, Russia launched an overnight drone and missile bombardment on Kyiv. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and local officials in the capital, the massive combined strike lasted for nearly 10 hours, killing two people in Chernivtsi, the country’s southwest. At least 28 others were injured in the attack, which stretched from the Kharkiv and Sumy regions in the east to the Lviv region in the west. Drone strikes were recorded in eight locations and falling drone debris was reported in 23 locations, with 33 strike drones impacting. This marked the heaviest drone attack so far in over three years of warfare. 

During the attack, four districts in Kyiv were hit, damaging residential buildings, a clinic, and a TV station. An outpatient clinic was also destroyed. The barrage lasted ten hours, with two civilians killed in Kyiv and at least 22 injured. Across the capital, civilians took cover in metro stations, subways, and on the lower floors of residential buildings. Makeshift shelters were packed, with people lying on the floors and stairs of metro stations. Kyiv officials said the attack damaged around 40 apartment blocks, impacting five schools and kindergartens, passenger railway infrastructure, cafes, and cars in six of Kyiv’s 10 districts. 

Russian raids have dramatically worsened since the beginning of the conflict, exceeding its casualty tally with each new onslaught. In June, Ukraine reached the highest monthly civilian casualty count since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, with 232 killed and 1,343 injured. This marks a 17% increase in civilian deaths and a 64% increase in injuries, primarily driven by Russia’s increased use of long-range missiles and drones in urban areas.

From the beginning of the war until now, Russia and Ukraine have engaged in two rounds of direct peace talks, with no progress on stopping the fighting and no set date for the next round of negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for increased pressure on Moscow, and U.S. President Donald Trump has reversed an earlier decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine.

by Megan Xing