Russia Launches Largest Ballistic Missile Attack on Kyiv

At least one person has died and 16 have been injured in a major Russian aerial assault on Kyiv this morning, which Ukrainian officials said included a record number of ballistic missile strikes. The attack on Ukraine’s capital began at 1.30am local time and explosions could be heard across the city for several hours. The Kyiv government said firefighters were responding to blazes in five different districts after the attack, one of the biggest in recent weeks, hit residential buildings, office and industrial sites, a dormitory and vehicles.

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said the raid involved “around four dozen” ballistic missiles, the largest number in a single attack since the war began. The attack on Kyiv comes a day after Ukrainian drone strikes killed at least nine people at warehouses belonging to a major Russian shopping website. Around 60 people were also injured after two huge warehouses of Russia’s major online retailer, Wildberries, were hit by Ukrainian drones overnight, according to Russian officials.

Volodymyr Zelensky said the strikes targeted “significant logistical facilities”, accusing Wildberries of providing equipment for drones and navigation equipment for the Russian military. Russia has launched several large-scale attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks as Ukraine faces a shortage of Patriot air defence missiles. Ukrainian drones have struck Russian oil infrastructure, causing fuel shortages across Russia.

The mood regarding the war in Ukraine has changed in recent months. The hope is that an economic crisis in Russia leads to social unrest and political instability, possibly resulting in the collapse of the ruling regime. However, the contemporary Russian economy is still functional, and daily life in most of Russia has hardly changed.

Russia’s authorities also have some room for manoeuvre, and they can lower interest rates or devalue the rouble to boost income from energy exports. There is economic strain, but not at a level that would cause the Kremlin to accept a complete change of course. Ukraine is enjoying a good turn in the war, but its economy is only functioning due to western financial support.

Currently, Russia and Ukraine are responding to each other’s actions with countermeasures. Russia has shown in early July the devastating force with which it can strike Ukraine, carrying out a wave of attacks on the capital, Kyiv. Ukraine’s military has, in response, struck oil refineries in Russia’s Yaroslavl and Leningrad regions.

Given all this, it is extremely unlikely that Putin will give in to pressure and withdraw from Ukraine. With both sides convinced they can win, there is little prospect of the war ending any time soon.