Massive Russian missile and drone strike on Kyiv kills nine people
Overnight, Russian forces launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on Ukraine, primarily targeting Kyiv, killing nine people and wounding about 30. The Institute for the Study of War says Russia is deliberately exaggerating its advances to reduce Western support for Ukraine.
In the early hours of August 1, the Russian military carried out a massive combined missile and drone strike against Ukrainian territory, with Kyiv as the main target. The attack killed nine people and wounded approximately 30 others. Residential buildings and critical infrastructure in the capital were damaged.
Alongside Kyiv, the strikes affected the Kherson, Sumy, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions, where destruction and casualties were also reported. Precise figures for these areas have not yet been released.
Analysts' assessment
Experts at the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believe that the Russian command is deliberately exaggerating its troops' progress in northern Ukraine. According to their analysis, this tactic is aimed at convincing Kyiv's Western partners to scale down military assistance. Ukrainian units, however, deny these claims and continue launching counterattacks along that section of the front.
Frontline situation
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported 243 combat engagements on the frontline over the past day. The highest activity was recorded in the Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka directions, where intense fighting continues. Elsewhere along the front, the situation remains difficult, but Ukrainian forces are holding their ground.
