Conflict & Security
Kyiv barrage kills 17; no missiles downed, Ukraine says
Russian missile and drone strikes killed at least 17 people and wounded more than 40 in Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight, Ukrainian authorities said Wednesday, while Ukraine said it did not shoot down any of the missiles launched in the attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the death toll and said ballistic missile interceptors “could have saved the lives of those killed today”. He later said he had been in talks with NATO chief Mark Rutte about getting interceptor missiles and called for partners in Europe and the United States to move faster on air-defence decisions.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 115 drones overnight and that 98 were shot down. Preliminary air force figures showed Ukraine did not shoot down any missiles. An earlier Ukrainian air force account said Russia fired 28 high-speed missiles, including ballistic missiles.
AFP journalists heard explosions in Kyiv after midnight, after the Ukrainian air force warned of incoming ballistic missiles. A cloud of smoke hung over the capital at sunrise after fires broke out in several places.
Kyiv said the overnight attacks mainly targeted warehouses, with some strikes on infrastructure and a railway station. Eight people were killed in a strike on a train station on the eastern edge of Kyiv.
Logistics centres belonging to the general merchandise chain Epicentr were struck, the company said. It said one hub burned to the ground and an employee was killed. Three people working at a postal sorting centre were also killed, and online retailer Rozetka said it had suffered its third attack this week.
Moscow said it hit “transportation, logistics, and distribution centres” in Kyiv and the Kyiv region that it said were involved in storing and delivering weapons and military cargo, as well as producing and distributing drones.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned what she called “horrible atrocities”, while French President Emmanuel Macron called for increased sanctions on Russia.
Zelensky said the number of air-defence missiles supplied by allies had fallen threefold compared with 2025. He has repeatedly warned of critical air-defence shortages as Russia increases missile attacks on Ukraine.
Update
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had discussed getting interceptor missiles with NATO chief Mark Rutte.
Zelensky called for partners in Europe and the United States to cut through red tape on air-defence decisions.
Source note: AFP news report published on 5 August 2026 at 17:30:01 UTC.
Update
Eight people were killed in a strike on a train station on the eastern edge of Kyiv.
Epicentr said its logistics centres were struck, one hub burned to the ground and an employee was killed.
Three people working at a postal sorting centre were killed.
Online retailer Rozetka said it had suffered its third attack this week.
Moscow said it hit transport, logistics and distribution centres linked to weapons, military cargo and drones.
Source note: AFP news report published on 5 August 2026 at 14:01:44 UTC.
Update
An EU chief criticised Russian “atrocities” after the deadly attack on Kyiv.
Source note: AFP news report published on 5 August 2026 at 08:32:54 UTC.
Update
Local authorities said more than 40 people were wounded in Kyiv and the surrounding region.
A local official said eight people were killed in a strike on a train station on the eastern edge of Kyiv.
Epicentr said one employee was killed after its logistics centres were hit, including one hub that burned completely.
Three people working at a postal sorting centre were also killed.
Moscow said it hit transport, logistics and distribution centres allegedly involved in weapons, military cargo and drones.
Source note: AFP news report published on 5 August 2026 at 07:30:23 UTC.
Update
Russian strikes killed 17 people overnight.
Volodymyr Zelensky said ballistic interceptors could have saved lives.
Zelensky urged allies to send more anti-ballistic air defence.
Zelensky said delays in deliveries or failure to provide anti-ballistic measures lead to casualties and destruction.
Source note: AFP news report published on 5 August 2026 at 06:57:42 UTC.
Update
Ukraine's air force said Russia sent 115 drones and fired 28 high-speed missiles, including ballistic missiles, during the overnight attack.
Ukraine's air force said it did not shoot down any of the Russian missiles fired in the attack.
Source note: AFP news report published on 5 August 2026 at 06:08:39 UTC.
Update
Ukraine's air force said Ukraine failed to shoot down any Russian missiles overnight.
Source note: AFP news report published on 5 August 2026 at 05:48:00 UTC.
Update
One of the damaged buildings in Kyiv was Lithuania's embassy, and another was a five-storey residential building.
Moscow's mayor said Russian air defences destroyed at least 10 drones heading toward the Russian capital on Wednesday.
The governor of Russia's Tula region said defences destroyed 107 Ukrainian drones overnight and that two apartment buildings and a Wildberries logistics facility were affected.
Ukraine expressed outrage over a video it said showed a man being chased by a drone in Kherson city.
Source note: AFP news report published on 5 August 2026 at 04:50:43 UTC.
Update
Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's regional military administration, said 14 civilians were killed in the Kyiv region.
Kyiv officials said a woman was killed and at least two dozen people were wounded inside the capital.
Source note: AFP news report published on 5 August 2026 at 04:25:23 UTC.
Update
The emergency service said Russian strikes killed at least 15 people in Kyiv and the surrounding region.
Source note: AFP news report published on 5 August 2026 at 04:17:30 UTC.
Update
Kyiv's military administration now reports at least 24 people wounded in the capital, up from at least seven in the matched story.
The separate figures from Kyiv city and surrounding areas indicate at least 45 wounded overall.
Source note: AFP news report published on 5 August 2026 at 04:05:57 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The Ukrainian air force missile figures were described as preliminary.
The full extent of damage from the overnight strikes was not fully established in the supplied information.
Source
AFP news report published on .