Russia Pounds Ukraine With Missiles, Killing At Least Eight, Including Children
by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service · Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty · JoinLVIV -- A barrage of Russian missile and drone strikes pummeled Ukraine overnight, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens of others as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy returned from the United States, where he said President Donald Trump had agreed to provide Ukraine with licenses for Patriot missiles.
Zelenskyy had warned about a Russian "massive attack" just hours before it began while highlighting to Ukraine's western partners the need for Patriot missiles to defend the country from attacks like the one that Moscow ended up carrying out.
"It is important that our partners fully understand what is happening and that the protection of lives directly depends on their readiness, or lack thereof, to help us with air defense missiles," he wrote in a post on X.
The deadliest hit occurred in the Dnipro region near Zelenskyy's home town of Kriviy Rih, where a Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile killed six people, including three children, and injured at least 10 others according to local authorities.
Oleksandr Vilkul, the Kriviy Rih's defense council head, called it a "dark night" as the missile struck the home of a large family. He warned the death toll could increase as emergency workers clear away rubble.
"This Russian terror once again proves that protection against the Russian missile threat is the most important task when it comes to saving the lives of our people," Zelenskyy added.
In the capital, Kyiv, at least one person was killed in what Mayor Vitali Klitschko described as a ballistic missile attack, urging residents to stay in shelters as the threat of further strikes remained.
In the western city of Lviv, near the border with Poland, Russian missiles damaged dozens of apartment buildings and injured at least 30 people, officials said.
According to Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadoviy, the missile strike on the city damaged 21 residential buildings, two kindergartens, and a school, while two people remained missing as search and rescue operations continued.
"There was a huge explosion -- it was terrifying," a Lviv resident whose apartment was hit while she was inside during the attack told RFE/RL.
"We hid for a while and waited to see what would happen next," she said, adding that the kitchen in her apartment was completely destroyed, while the other rooms were also damaged, with cracks spreading throughout the apartment.
Poland, a member of the European Union and NATO, scrambled fighter jets to protect its airspace amid Russian air strikes, its armed forces said on X.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a Russian missile attack on western Ukraine resulted in a violation of Polish airspace, prompting him to convene a coordination team with the defense minister and relevant services.
Later, Tusk added that the object which violated Polish airspace was likely a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile. He said that he had contacted European leaders about the incident.
Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed what it described as large-scale strike at Ukraine using long-range precision weapons launched from land, air, and sea.
It also reported that the overnight strikes hit a cargo ship in the port of Pivdenniy and two cargo vessels near Odesa that were allegedly transporting weapons and military equipment.
Ukraine Carries Out Attacks On Wildberries, Russia's Amazon
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continued striking major Wildberries warehouses, across several Russian regions. Wildberries is widely regarded as Russia's equivalent to global retail giant Amazon.
On July 30, a drone attack set a Wildberries warehouse ablaze in Russia's Penza region, Governor Oleg Melnichenko said, while the company's press office also reported a strike on another facility in Sarapul, in the russian region of Udmurtia.
In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have struck several major Wildberries warehouses across multiple Russian regions, as Kyiv claims the company is used to transport military-related goods.
Media reports estimate the Ukrainian drone campaign may have disrupted roughly 10 percent of Wildberries' total warehouse capacity, potentially affecting the retailer's logistics network across Russia.
Russia Pounds Ukraine With Missiles, Killing At Least Eight, Including Children
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