Russia strikes Kyiv again, killing nine ahead of NATO summit

Russian ballistic missiles hit Kyiv region in the early hours of Monday, killing at least nine people and wounding dozens in what Ukrainian officials saw as a blunt message on the eve of the NATO summit in Turkey. Rescue crews worked through shattered apartment blocks and residential streets as authorities said the assault was the second on Kyiv and its surroundings in less than a week.

Kyiv’s top military administrator, Timur Tkachenko, said 46 people were injured, including at least five children. The attack hit residential areas and left crews pulling survivors from buildings damaged by the overnight barrage, underscoring how Russia’s long-range strikes continue to reach deep into the capital even as the war enters its fifth year.

The timing sharpened the political stakes for NATO leaders gathering in Ankara on July 7-8. A draft summit text reported by Reuters would reaffirm an “ironclad commitment” to collective defence and pledge €70 billion in military assistance to Ukraine for 2026, with at least equivalent support in 2027. The wording suggests allies are preparing to signal continuity, but the strike in Kyiv has increased pressure on them to do more than repeat familiar assurances.

The attack came just days after a major Russian strike on Kyiv on July 2 that killed at least 21 people. Another barrage in late June killed at least 25 in the capital, a sequence that has turned Kyiv into the focal point of a renewed escalation in long-range warfare. The repeated strikes have also highlighted the widening reach of the conflict more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

Donald Trump is expected to attend the NATO summit and meet Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines, adding another layer of political weight to the timing. Zelensky had warned on social media a day earlier that intelligence suggested Russia was preparing a “massive strike,” and he has been pressing partners for faster weapons deliveries and stronger air defence support.

With Kyiv again under fire as summit leaders prepare to sit down in Ankara, Russia appears intent on shaping the diplomatic atmosphere through escalation. The question facing NATO is whether its response will stay with broad pledges, or move toward faster and more concrete military backing for Ukraine.