Russia launches record number of drones at Kyiv after latest Trump-Putin phone call

RNZ News

3 days ago

By
Victoria Butenko, Svitlana Vlasova, Gul Tuysuz, Jessie Yeung
and
Lauren Said-Moorhouse,
CNN
Firefighters work on fire following a mass Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, on 4 July 2025.
Photo:
Handout / State Emergency Service of Ukraine / AFP
The smell of smoke and explosives saturated the air in Kyiv as residents emerged from shelters across the city following a record Russian drone attack that came just hours after US President Donald Trump said he had made "no progress" towards a ceasefire in a call with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
The massive aerial assault on Friday (local time) struck multiple buildings and residential areas in the capital, in what has been described by Ukrainian officials as one of the worst attacks of the three-year conflict.
At least one person died in the overnight attack, according to local Kyiv emergency services. Earlier Friday, city and military authorities said at least 23 people were wounded in the attack, which lasted 13 hours.
Ukraine intercepted 476 out of a record 539 Russian drones, according to the country's air force. It said Russia also launched 11 cruise and ballistic missiles.
Sixty Russian drones were taken down by Ukraine's new interceptor drones, regional officials said.
Thousands of residents spent the night in shelters, including in subway stations or underground parking lots, as explosions and the sound of drones echoed through the city in the early hours.
"Absolutely horrible and sleepless night in Kyiv. One of the worst so far," said Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it "one of the most large-scale air attacks" the country had seen.
"Notably, the first air raid alerts in our cities and regions yesterday began to blare almost simultaneously with media reports discussing a phone call between President Trump and Putin," Zelensky said.
"Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror."
Initially, the sound of the city's air defences and its new drone-to-drone interceptors could be heard working to thwart the Russian attack. But as the hours passed by, the relentless buzz of drones in the air continued, and, later, the sounds of impacts could be heard.
The strikes sparked fires in buildings and structures across several city districts, and partially destroyed multi-story buildings, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
They also destroyed part of Kyiv's railway and damaged five ambulances that were responding to calls from those wounded.
The Polish consulate was also damaged during the attack, according to Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who called on the US to "restore supplies of anti-aircraft ammunition to Ukraine and impose tough new sanctions on the aggressor."
In recent weeks, Russia has launched near-nightly air attacks on Ukraine involving hundreds of missiles and drones. The last record-setting night of attacks came just five days ago, when
Russia fired 537 drones and missiles
at Ukraine.
An elderly couple cross the street following a mass Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine's capital Kyiv, on 4 July, 2025.
Photo:
Handout / State Emergency Service of Ukraine / AFP
On Thursday, Trump held a nearly hour-long call with Putin and voiced frustration afterwards about the stalled ceasefire negotiations.
"We had a call. It was a pretty long call. We talked about a lot of things, including Iran, and we also talked about, as you know, the war with Ukraine," Trump said.
"I'm not happy about that."
Asked if he felt he made progress with Putin on a deal with Ukraine, Trump said firmly: "No." He added that he was "very disappointed" with the conversation with the Russian president, whom he believes is "not looking to stop" the war.
In a phone call with reporters on Friday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia pays "close attention" to all statements from Trump.
Peskov said that during the call, Putin had "reiterated that we are interested in achieving our goals in the course of the special military operation and preferably doing so by political and diplomatic means."
Trump spoke to Zelensky on Friday morning.
The Ukrainian leader said they discussed air defence opportunities and "agreed that we will work together to strengthen protection of our skies," before adding that their teams would hold a meeting in the future.
He also said in a post on social media that Kyiv was ready for "direct projects with the United States and believe this is critically important for security, especially when it comes to drones and related technologies."
Nights of Russian attacks pummeling Ukraine have become the new normal for Kyiv residents.
A man walks past the wreckage of cars following a mass Russian drone and missile strike on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, on 4 July 2025.
Photo:
Oleksii Filippov / AFP
On Friday, air pollution levels in the city were "high" after the overnight attack, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources.
Civilians were warned to stay indoors, not to ventilate rooms and use air purifiers at maximum if possible, while people with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases were asked to take particular care until the situation had stabilised.
Once air raid warnings had ceased, residents expressed their frustration at what they described as Trump's tolerance of Russia's aggression.
"This attack happened immediately after Putin's conversation with Trump, and it confirms that Trump is a scoundrel, just like the fact that the US wants to stop aid deliveries and he is not helping in any way during his presidency," said one Kyiv resident, Yuriy, told CNN.
Another Kyiv resident, Yulia Ryzhkova, felt there was "a connection between calls such as yesterday's between Putin and Trump and attacks like these."
She said, "Everyone knows that Putin has the mentality of a thug. He only understands power, and unfortunately, Trump is not demonstrating that power. Russia feels it can act with impunity and knows that it will not suffer any consequences for its actions. This is terror, pure and simple."
The strikes come as the Trump administration pauses some weapons shipments to Ukraine, including air defence missiles, following a review of military spending and American support to foreign countries.
Trump acknowledged that the decision had been made to protect US stockpiles.
The move has caused concern for many in Ukraine. On Friday, the commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces warned that the number of long-range drones used by Russia to attack Ukraine could reach 1,000 or even more per day, citing intelligence data.
The US has been the biggest single donor of military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, supplying Ukraine with air defence systems, drones, rocket launchers, radars, tanks and anti-armour weapons, leading to concerns over dwindling US stockpiles.
But the balance of aid to Ukraine has changed significantly since Trump returned to power, casting doubt over the future of US support for Kyiv.
- CNN