Missiles and drones hit Kyiv, killing at least 7 residents on eve of NATO summit

Russia launched waves of missiles and drones at Kyiv overnight into Monday, Ukrainian authorities said, killing at least seven people and wounding 24 more, hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that another large-scale attack was imminent. The assault came one day before a NATO summit is set to begin in Turkey, according to reporting on the timeline of the alliance meeting.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s City Military Administration, said a residential building in the Podilskyi district partially collapsed. In the Darnytsia district, several multistory buildings were also reported damaged, and people were believed to be trapped under rubble, as emergency responders carried out search-and-rescue work in the early morning hours.

The attack involved ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones, according to the account of how the assault unfolded. Explosions were heard across the city, and civilians sought shelter in the Kyiv subway as air defenses responded and air raid alerts sounded.

Zelenskyy had renewed calls for additional air-defense support, specifically citing the need for Patriot missile replenishment. In a message posted on Telegram late Sunday, he argued that delays in supplying such systems embolden Moscow to prolong its war, as he pointed to the sustained risk to civilian areas in and around the Ukrainian capital.

The strike occurred after a prior Russian attack on Kyiv in the days leading up to the NATO meeting, which officials said killed at least 31 people. In this Monday’s attack, multiple reports from early in the day offered differing casualty totals, with some outlets citing higher numbers based on Ukrainian official updates, underscoring the fluid nature of fatality counts during ongoing rescue operations.

For NATO, the timing raises the stakes for alliance coordination as member states prepare to discuss security priorities for Ukraine. NATO representatives were reported to be due to meet in the Turkish capital on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the Kyiv attack unfolded as leaders and officials were preparing to assemble.

Ukrainian officials did not provide details of specific weapons or targets beyond the nature of the mixed missile-and-drone barrage and damage to residential buildings. Authorities said the attack was still underway in the early morning, and the next updates were expected to come as rescuers cleared debris and counted casualties across affected neighborhoods.