Russia launches massive overnight air strike across Ukraine

On the night of July 29-30, 2026, Russia launched a massive and coordinated air offensive across Ukraine, involving over 70 missiles and more than 280 drones, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Strikes targeted numerous provinces, reaching as far west as Lviv, which prompted Poland to scramble fighter jets to secure its airspace. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated the attacks were aimed at military facilities across the country, while Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported fires in non-residential buildings within the capital.

The most lethal strike occurred near Kryvyi Rih, where a missile hit a private home in the Novopillia village, killing six members of the Voronov family, including two girls aged 5 and 12. Local official Oleksandr Vilkul reported that eight others, including two boys aged 6 and 15, were injured. While local authorities initially identified the weapon as an Iskander-M, reports from multiple sources suggest that a North Korean missile was likely used in this specific attack, marking the first such incident in nearly a year. In total, regional reports indicate at least 13 fatalities across the country, including casualties in Kyiv and Poltava. President Zelenskyy has condemned the strikes and reiterated urgent calls for international partners to provide additional air defense systems to address critical shortages.