Russia Launches Massive Retaliatory Strikes; At Least 13 Dead in Kyiv

Russia has launched an airstrike on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, killing at least 13 people and injuring over 50, in retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on its own civilian infrastructure.
In Ukraine, the attack has been described as one of the worst since the war began in 2022.
According to Reuters and the AP, Russia launched missiles and drones at Kyiv from the night of July 1 to the early morning of July 2.
Ukrainian authorities stated that 13 people were killed in Kyiv alone, and 54 others, including two children, were injured.
Damage was confirmed at approximately 30 buildings, as the strikes were concentrated on civilian facilities, causing a fire at a hotel and damaging 20 residential buildings.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated on Telegram that a six-story apartment building was hit directly by the airstrike and collapsed, leaving 34 people injured.
Mayor Klitschko reported that some of the injured remain trapped under the rubble, and that rescue workers and drivers at an ambulance station were among the casualties.
Footage obtained by Reuters showed rescue teams conducting operations in the rubble of a nine-story building at sunrise.
Photos were also shared online showing intense flames rising from the roof of a building on Shevchenko Boulevard in the center of Kyiv.
Reuters witnesses reported hearing simultaneous explosions as windows were shattered and vehicles were damaged across the city.
According to the DPA, the local Ukrainian media outlet The Kyiv Independent reported that this was one of the most intense attacks since the Russian invasion in 2022.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha referred to the attack as a "night of terror" on X (formerly Twitter) and stated that the death toll could rise further depending on the progress of rescue operations.
Air raid sirens sounded across most of Ukraine on this day.
Citizens took shelter in subway stations, bringing their children, pets, tents, and belongings.
Poland, which borders Ukraine, scrambled fighter jets as a precautionary measure, and Finland also issued and subsequently lifted a temporary no-fly zone in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was visiting Ireland, said prior to the attack that he had "unpleasant information" regarding a large-scale Russian strike.
President Zelenskyy urged Ukrainian citizens to pay close attention to air raid sirens while cutting his visit short to return immediately to Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated on Telegram that it had carried out a massive attack on Kyiv and other locations using long-range, high-precision weapons and drones.
The Russian Ministry of Defense added, "This attack is in retaliation for Ukraine's strikes on our civilian infrastructure," noting that it had targeted military airfields in Poltava and Dnipropetrovsk, as well as energy facilities around Kyiv.
Recently, Ukraine has intensified its offensive by using drones to strike oil refineries, energy infrastructure, and military communication facilities within Russian territory, including Moscow.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.