'It was the end of the world' — Russian missile and drone strike on Kyiv kills at least 31, injures over 150
Locals gather near a residential apartment building in the Solomianskyi District damaged by a Russian missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 31, 2025. (Andriy Zhyhaylo / Oboz.ua / Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukraine
Editor's note: The article was updated after Kateryna Naralnyk's sister, Tamara, informed the Kyiv Independent after midnight that the son, daughter, and two grandsons were confirmed dead.
All Kateryna Naralnyk saw was black smoke after a Russia ballistic missile hit her apartment building in Kyiv early on July 31.
"I woke up, and I couldn't hear anything," the 66-year-old grandmother told the Kyiv Independent hours later outside her destroyed home, as rescuers cleared the rubble looking for more bodies.
"It was the end of the world (for me)."
Another large-scale overnight Russian missile and drone attack struck Kyiv on July 31, killing at least 31 people and wounding over 150, the local authorities reported. The death toll is expected to climb, as relatives continue to wait outside to find out the fate of their loved ones.
The National Police told the Kyiv Independent that 10 to 15 people were still missing as of 5 p.m., but they said they were still clarifying the information.
Naralnyk and her son were the only ones to make it out from her apartment on the first floor, which began to collapse as soon as the missile hit the ninth floor of the Soviet-era residential building.
Her daughter, along with two grandsons aged 21 and 17, were still under the rubble as of 6 p.m. on July 31.
"I don't even know what I am waiting for," Naralnyk said, tears flowing from her blue eyes.
No sign of peace
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the overnight attack saw the largest number of children injured in Kyiv since the beginning of the full-scale war.
As the U.S. tries to push Moscow into peace talks, Russia has ramped up its attacks across Ukraine, often targeting cities far from the battlefield.
Showing frustrations over Russia's continued attacks on Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, U.S. President Donald Trump said his country would impose new tariffs on Russia unless it agreed to end the war in 10 days.
"Ten days from today. And then we're gonna put on tariffs and stuff," Trump told reporters on July 29, shortening the previous ultimatum of 50 days.
The residents of the apartment building that endured the deadly attack said that they weren't surprised Russia launched drones and missiles despite Trump's ultimatum, adding that no such threats would stop Moscow.
The residents also told the Kyiv Independent that they expected Russian missile and drone attacks to continue, and admitted that they are not expecting the war to end soon.
Most of the apartments had broken windows or balconies, but the furthest section — where Naralnyk’s family lived — was completely destroyed.
Those whose apartments were largely intact said they would still live there as long as electricity, gas, and water resumed.
"It's not a war — it's a destruction of a nation."
What feels surreal is how normal it was last evening, Naralnyk says. As usual, she cooked dinner for the family — it was pasta that day — and everyone went to bed at their own time.
But Naralnyk says she couldn't fall asleep until about 3 a.m., which she thinks may have been due to a foreboding feeling. She slept on the sofa for about an hour till the explosion woke her up.
Naralnyk yelled out her loved ones' names, but heard nothing. After five minutes, she was escorted out through the windows, not knowing what had happened to others, including her still missing grandsons, Vladyslav and Roman.
Vladyslav had just graduated from a university, studying international relations, Roman finished high school, and was looking to start working to earn money, the grandmother recalls.
"Such a pity for kids, grandkids…" Naralnyk said, breaking into tears as she recalled how they would always try to help their grandmother with chores.
The silence after the missile attack was scarier than screams, Naralnyk said.
"It's not a war — it's a destruction of a nation."
Families destroyed
Another resident, Anton Melnychonok, who serves in the military, said he was on the balcony when the Russian missile hit his apartment building.
Melnychonok said he was smoking cigarettes and getting his bicycle ready for his upcoming bike trip to neighboring Zhytomyr Oblast. The glass from the balcony window flew in the other direction, saving him from possible injuries.
The air raid sirens began first, at around 4:30 a.m., and then the attack happened about two minutes later, he recalled.
"I didn't even hear how (the missile) flew (to us)," Melnychonok told the Kyiv Independent in his apartment, which remained mostly untouched by the attack.
Melnychonok went outside to see what had happened and saw his neighbor screaming and trying to get to his apartment, where his elderly, bedridden mother and younger sister remained.
The neighbor had a routine to walk his dog at 4 a.m., which ended up saving his life since his apartment was destroyed, Melnychonok said.
Valentyna Polivida, a cleaning lady who lives across the road, said she first heard the explosions from Shahed-type drones, and then she went to the kitchen to look out the window to understand what happened. Then, the missile hit.
Sixty-one-year-old Polivida said she wished for the Russians to feel what they forced on Ukrainians — pain and suffering.
