Russia launches largest missile and drone barrage on Kyiv since war in
Ukraine began
[July 05, 2025]
By HANNA ARHIROVA
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Waves of drones and missiles targeted Kyiv
overnight in the largest aerial assault since Russia's invasion of
Ukraine began more than three years ago, officials said Friday, amid a
renewed Russian push to capture more of its neighbor's land.
Hours after the barrage that killed one person and wounded at least 26
others, including a child, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said
he had a “very important and productive” phone call with U.S. President
Donald Trump.
The two leaders discussed how Ukrainian air defenses might be
strengthened, possible joint weapons production between the U.S. and
Ukraine, and broader U.S-led efforts to end the war with Russia,
according to a statement by Zelenksyy.
Asked Friday night by reporters about the call, Trump said, “We had a
very good call, I think.”
When asked about finding a way to end the fighting, Trump said: “I don’t
know. I can’t tell you whether or not that’s going to happen.”
The U.S. has paused some shipments of military aid to Ukraine, including
crucial air defense missiles. Ukraine’s main European backers are
considering how they can help pick up the slack. Zelenskyy says plans
are afoot to build up Ukraine’s domestic arms industry, but scaling up
will take time.
The seven-hour bombardment of Kyiv caused severe damage across multiple
districts of the capital in a seven-hour onslaught, authorities said.
Blasts lit up the night sky and echoed across the city as air raid
sirens wailed. The blue lights of emergency vehicles reflected off
high-rise buildings, and debris blocked city streets.
“It was a harsh, sleepless night,” Zelenskyy said.
Russia has been stepping up its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Less than a week ago, Russia launched what was then the largest aerial
assault of the war. That strategy has coincided with a concerted Russian
effort to break through parts of the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile)
front line, where Ukrainian troops are under severe pressure.
Russia launched 550 drones and missiles across Ukraine during the night,
the country’s air force said. The majority were Shahed drones, but
Russia also launched 11 missiles in the attack.
Alya Shahlai, a 23-year-old Kyiv wedding photographer, said that her
home was destroyed in the attack.
“We were all in the (basement) shelter because it was so loud, staying
home would have been suicidal,” she told The Associated Press. “We went
down 10 minutes before and then there was a loud explosion and the
lights went out in the shelter, people were panicking.”
Five ambulances were damaged while responding to calls, officials said,
and emergency services removed more than 300 tons of rubble.
Trump, Zelenskyy talks
In Friday's call, Zelenskyy said he congratulated Trump and the American
people on Independence Day and thanked the United States for its
continued support.
They discussed a possible future meeting between their teams to explore
ways of enhancing Ukraine’s protection against air attacks, Zelenskyy
said.
He added that they talked in detail about defense industry capabilities
and direct joint projects with the U.S., particularly in drone
technology. They also exchanged views on mutual procurement, investment,
and diplomatic cooperation with international partners, Zelenskyy said.
Peace efforts have been fruitless so far. Recent direct peace talks have
led only to sporadic exchanges of prisoners of war, wounded troops and
the bodies of fallen soldiers. No date has been set for further
negotiations.
Ukrainian officials and the Russian Defense Ministry said another
prisoner swap took place Friday, though neither side said how many
soldiers were involved. Zelenskyy said most of the Ukrainians had been
in Russian captivity since 2022. The Ukrainian soldiers were classified
as “wounded and seriously ill.”
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A local woman walks past cars destroyed by a Russian strike in Kyiv,
Ukraine, on Friday, July 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
‘I’m very disappointed’
The attack on Kyiv began the same day a phone call took place
between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Asked if he made any progress during his call with Putin on a deal
to end the fighting in Ukraine, Trump said: “No, I didn’t make any
progress with him today at all.”
“I’m very disappointed with the conversation I had today with
President Putin because I don’t think he’s there. I don’t think he’s
looking to stop (the fighting), and that’s too bad,” Trump said.
According to Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign affairs adviser, the
Russian leader emphasized that Moscow will seek to achieve its goals
in Ukraine and remove the “root causes” of the conflict.
“Russia will not back down from these goals,” Ushakov told reporters
after the call.
Russia’s army crossed the border on Feb. 24, 2022, in an all-out
invasion that Putin sought to justify by falsely saying it was
needed to protect Russian-speaking civilians in eastern Ukraine and
prevent the country from joining NATO.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly called out Russian disinformation efforts.
Constant buzzing of drones
The Ukrainian response needs to be speedy as Russia escalates its
aerial attacks. Russia launched 5,438 drones at Ukraine in June, a
new monthly record, according to official data collated by The
Associated Press. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said
earlier this week that Russia also launched more than 330 missiles,
including nearly 80 ballistic missiles, at Ukrainian towns and
cities that month.
Throughout the night, AP journalists in Kyiv heard the constant
buzzing of drones overhead and the sound of explosions and intense
machine gun fire as Ukrainian forces tried to intercept the aerial
assault.
“Absolutely horrible and sleepless night in Kyiv,” Ukrainian Foreign
Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on social media platform X. “One of the
worst so far.”
Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko described “families
running into metro stations, basements, underground parking garages,
mass destruction in the heart of our capital.”
“What Kyiv endured last night, cannot be called anything but a
deliberate act of terror,” she wrote on X.
Kyiv was the primary target of the countrywide attack. At least 14
people were hospitalized, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
Zelenskyy called the Kyiv attack “cynical.” In Moscow, the Defense
Ministry claimed its forces targeted factories producing drones and
other military equipment in Kyiv.
Russia strikes 5 Ukrainian regions
Ukrainian air defenses shot down 270 targets, including two cruise
missiles. Another 208 targets were lost from radar and presumed
jammed.
Russia successfully hit eight locations with nine missiles and 63
drones. Debris from intercepted drones fell across at least 33
sites.
In addition to the capital, the Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Kharkiv,
Chernihiv and Kyiv regions also sustained damage, Zelenskyy said.
Emergency services reported damage in at least five of Kyiv's 10
districts.
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Vasilisa Stepanenko contributed to this report from Kyiv, Ukraine
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