At least two people were killed and 15 injured after Russia launched another massive assault on Ukraine overnight into Monday, as hundreds of missiles and drone attacks rained down on the capital of Kyiv and other cities.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched roughly 450 missiles and drones, CNN reported. The strikes occurred just hours before NATO officials were expected to meet to discuss President Donald Trump’s plan to provide more weapons to Ukraine.
“Rescue and emergency efforts are underway in our cities and communities following the Russian attack. Damage has been reported in Kyiv and the region, as well as in the Kharkiv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. Attack drones were also intercepted over the Sumy, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Poltava, and Kherson regions,” Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky posted on X. “Russian strikes are always an assault on humanity — in Kyiv, a kindergarten caught fire, along with residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure. Ordinary apartment buildings were damaged in Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk and the region.”
Zelensky said a 12-year-old child was among those killed in the strikes. The entrance to a subway station was hit, and officials say a kindergarten caught fire due to falling debris or a direct hit.
“I am grateful to everyone working in Ukraine and with Ukraine to defend lives — to expand weapons production, strengthen our air defense, and continue work on sanctions,” he continued. “Only real pressure on Russia can stop this aggression.”
Rescue and emergency efforts are underway in our cities and communities following the Russian attack. Damage has been reported in Kyiv and the region, as well as in the Kharkiv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. Attack drones were also intercepted over the Sumy, Khmelnytskyi,… pic.twitter.com/wuNfaMwWk8
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 21, 2025
In early June, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated that Ukraine has suffered between 60,000 and 100,000 deaths since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. “The Kremlin has enlisted convicts from its prisons and welcomed more than 10,000 troops from its ally North Korea, but it has left the children of Moscow and St. Petersburg elites largely untouched,” CNN noted, adding:
Instead, Moscow has recruited in the far north and far east of the country, where men have been lured by pay packages that are life-changing among poorer communities in those regions. “Putin likely considers these types of soldiers more expendable and less likely to undermine his domestic support base,” the study noted.
CSIS reported in October 2024, “From September 28, 2022, to September 1, 2024, Russia launched a total of 11,466 missiles. … there were 17 days during the study period when missile launches exceeded 82 missiles in a single day. … Maintaining an average of over 23 missiles launched daily over nearly two years demonstrates a high level of sustained military capability in Moscow and logistical support from countries like Iran, North Korea, and China.”