Explosions in Kyiv after Zelenskyy warns of Russian strikes
At least one person was killed in a Russian airstrike on Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, the city's military administration said on Thursday.
Explosions were reported over the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia might conduct a "massive attack."
Both the Reuters and AFP news agency cited people on the ground as saying they heard explosions.
"Sadly, one death has been confirmed," the Kyiv city military administration wrote on Telegram in the early hours of Thursday.
Russia has struck Kyiv with ballistic missiles, said the city's mayor, Vitaly Klitschko, urging people to seek shelter. He added that a few non-residential sites in Kyiv caught fire.
"The enemy is attacking the capital with ballistic weapons. The threat of further attack remains present. Stay in shelters!" Klitschko said. ALSO READ: Iran war: US launches strikes on Iran as 'powerful response'
Several people killed in Kryvyi Rih
Russia also attacked other Ukrainian cities overnight. At least six people, including two girls, were killed in a Russian missile strike on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, according to the head of the local military administration.
"In a village on the outskirts of Kryvyi Rih, a direct strike by an Iskander-M ballistic missile, launched from Voronezh, hit a private house where a large family lived, killing girls aged five and 12 and four adults," Oleksandr Vilkul said.
He added that a further eight people were wounded and that the death toll may rise.
Russian missiles also damaged two apartment buildings and injured six people in Lviv, a city in western Ukraine close to the Polish border, according to local officials.
Meanwhile, the Polish Armed Forces announced on X that Poland had scrambled its fighter jets on Thursday to protect its airspace amid Russian air strikes on Ukraine.
"Fighter aircraft and an early warning aircraft have begun operations while ground-based air defense systems and radar reconnaissance systems have reached a state of readiness," the post said, adding that the actions are of a preventive nature.
What did Zelenskyy say ahead of the Kyiv explosions?
The strikes come as Zelenskyy had warned of a "high probability that the strike will be carried out tonight."
"I received a report from Air Force Commander Anatolii Kryvonozhko. The Russians prepared a massive attack several days ago," Zelenskyy said on X.
I received a report from Air Force Commander Anatolii Kryvonozhko. The Russians prepared a massive attack several days ago, and there is a high probability that the strike will be carried out tonight. It is important that our partners fully understand what is happening and that…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 29, 2026
The Ukrainian president stressed that Ukrainians' safety depended on the willingness of Kyiv's allies to provide anti-missile defenses. His statements came on the heels of a trip to the US where he said President Donald Trump had agreed to give Ukraine licenses for Patriot missiles.
