Russian ballistic missiles struck at least two districts of Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday, killing two people and injuring six, including a teenager, Ukrainian officials said. The attack, which set warehouses and trucks ablaze in the Darnytskyi and Sviatoshynskyi neighbourhoods, occurred shortly after midnight, just hours after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen concluded a visit to the capital to announce a new defence partnership. Ukraine’s Air Force reported that at least eight ballistic missiles were fired at the city, while waves of Shahed drones targeted Kharkiv and other regions. Emergency services said the two fatalities occurred when debris fell on non-residential buildings in Darnytskyi.

According to the Russian Defence Ministry, the strikes were aimed at military industrial enterprises in Kyiv and port infrastructure in the Odesa region used for supplying Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian officials, however, described the barrage as part of an intensified campaign against civilian areas, noting that the capital has been hit by ballistic missiles six times in July alone. In parallel, Ukraine’s drone forces commander said Ukrainian uncrewed systems struck the Engels-2 strategic bomber base deep inside Russia’s Saratov region, causing fires, and hit 20 Russian vessels in the Black Sea, including gas and oil tankers. The tit-for-tat long-range strikes underscore the expanding geographic scope of the conflict.

Viewed from Brussels, the overnight attack lent urgency to the defence agreements signed during von der Leyen’s visit. The European Commission launched a defence industrial partnership with Kyiv, anchored by a ‘Drone Deal’ that aims for joint production of drones and anti-drone systems by the end of 2026, and cooperation on anti-ballistic missiles by 2028. The initiative is designed to progressively integrate Ukraine’s defence industry into Europe’s through joint ventures, technology transfers, and common investments, while also advancing Ukraine’s EU accession process, where a new negotiating cluster was recently opened. Western military analysts note that Kyiv has been suffering from a shortage of PAC-3 interceptor missiles for its US-made Patriot batteries, a gap that the planned domestic production of Patriot missiles—announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky for end-2026 following a US green light—seeks to address.

In Washington, President Donald Trump repeated his assertion that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is ready to halt the war, telling Fox News he consistently urges Putin to stop, though no diplomatic track has been announced. Meanwhile, Kyiv is undergoing a political reshuffle: Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov resigned, and Zelensky proposed Naftogaz chief Sergii Koretskyi as the new prime minister, with parliament expected to vote on the nomination in the coming days. The EU’s 21st sanctions package against Russia remains stalled. The next concrete steps include the Ukrainian parliament’s confirmation hearings and the operational rollout of the EU-Ukraine defence industrial roadmap.