'Everything just kept detonating' — Devastating Russian attack hits quiet Kyiv suburb of Vyshneve

Residents of the small town of Vyshneve, on Kyiv's western edge, have described scenes of terror amid Russia's latest devastating missile and drone attack on the capital, as they found themselves fleeing a series of massive explosions after a strike on the town.

"A huge mushroom cloud rose into the sky. Burning fragments kept flying behind us. They were so high, but it felt like everything was on fire," Diana Liashchuk, 21, told the Kyiv Independent.

"I called my mom just to tell her not to worry, that I was alive. Then another huge explosion happened. I was terrified she would hear me die over the phone."

According to Ukraine's State Emergency Service, seven people were killed, and 29 were injured in the town as a result of the Russian attack, which damaged a warehouse and set off secondary explosions.

Liashchuk was in her apartment during the initial strike and was blown over by the shockwave. She then joined dozens of others fleeing the secondary explosions, running through fields and a cemetery on the outskirts of Vyshneve in the darkness around 4 a.m. as debris continued to fall around them.

Yevheniia Denysiuk, 57, works at the local cement plant and lives in a nearby hostel. She spent almost the entire night in a bomb shelter.

"It was terrifying. Everything just kept detonating… I'm a strong woman, so I managed, but many people were crying," Denysiuk said.

Even those on the opposite side of town said the blasts felt overwhelming.

"The whole house started shaking. The walls were moving back and forth," said 34-year-old system administrator Kyrylo Melnyk.

"There were several explosions before dawn. The house shook like a house of cards. They're still clearing the rubble. The barbershop where I always got my haircut burned down completely," Melnyk said.

For 36-year-old Kate Vyshniak, the attack destroyed the house where she had spent her entire childhood and later raised her three-year-old child.

"My house is gone," she said, her voice shaking. "Everything burned."

She believes her family survived only because they reached a shelter before the explosions intensified. Now, she says, all that remains of the place where she spent all 36 years of her life are memories.

"I just feel empty."

On the morning of July 6, authorities ordered the evacuation of 600 residents due to the ongoing "threat of secondary detonations," Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. He did not provide further details.

Kyiv Oblast Governor Mykola Kalashnyk said the attack triggered a large-scale fire on the territory of a warehouse, adding that dozens of buildings were damaged.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, later on July 6, described the situation in Vyshneve as "serious," saying he had been receiving updates from Klymenko every 30 minutes on rescue efforts and had instructed Ukraine's security and intelligence agencies to investigate the cause of the secondary explosions.

The State Emergency Service said experts were inspecting every residential building and outbuilding to ensure no injured or deceased people remained inside. Liashchuk added that it remains unknown when she can return to her apartment building in Vyshneve.

By evening, the streets of Vyshneve remained unusually quiet hours after the attack. Most shops were closed, and few people ventured outside. Some residents continued to get around by bicycle.

The attack on Vyshneve was part of a much larger overnight Russian bombardment that mostly targeted Kyiv itself.

Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched a combined attack involving 23 ballistic missiles, 39 cruise missiles, six hypersonic Zircon anti-ship missiles, and 351 attack and decoy drones overnight.

Air defenses shot down 37 cruise missiles and 326 attack drones, while 23 ballistic missiles, six hypersonic Zircon anti-ship missiles, and 18 drones struck 34 locations across the country.

In the city of Kyiv, at least 15 people were killed, and 87 others were injured, including six children, according to the State Emergency Service.

The attack also damaged facilities operated by DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, including company buildings and premises, destroyed some office equipment, and damaged repair vehicles with shrapnel, the company said. No employees were injured, and Kyiv's power grid remained stable despite the damage.

DTEK said the hardest-hit communities were the towns of Boyarka and Vyshneve in Kyiv Oblast, which remained without electricity following the strikes.

Air raid alerts were issued for almost all of Ukraine's regions overnight. In response to the missile launches, Poland's Air Force said it scrambled fighter jets to preventively protect the country's airspace.