Over 56,000 people in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, sheltered underground as Russia launched a large aerial attack on July 30, 2026. The attack included about 280 drones and 70 missiles. By morning, at least eight people were confirmed dead and many more were injured. The attack's impact even reached Poland, a NATO country.
In the town of Radushne, a missile hit a house, killing six people, including two adults and three children. Two other children were rescued from the rubble. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that such attacks destroy ordinary homes and highlighted the need for defensive weapons to protect families.
In the western city of Lviv, a missile injured over 30 people, including children, and damaged buildings and schools. A resident described losing her home. In Kyiv, one person died from a missile strike, and others were injured. Another person died in the Poltava region due to a drone attack.
Ukraine's air defenses struggled to stop the attack, especially the fast ballistic missiles. They could only stop one out of nine fired. This is partly due to a lack of Patriot missile interceptors, which are needed to stop these types of weapons. Ukraine is trying to get more interceptors.
The attack caused international concern when a Russian missile entered Polish airspace and crashed in a field. Poland activated its defenses, and NATO fighter jets were sent up. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called it a serious incident.
In response, Ukraine launched drone attacks on Russian e-commerce centers and destroyed several Russian oil tankers. However, Ukraine's focus remains on defending itself against the ongoing attacks.