News Feed

Russia attacks Ukrainian cities with ballistic missiles overnight

3 min read
Russia attacks Ukrainian cities with ballistic missiles overnight
A view of the city during a blackout on March 25, 2024 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Russia launched ballistic missiles against Ukraine overnight on July 26, with the heaviest attacks targeting Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

The northeastern city of Kharkiv came under fire throughout the night, as Russian drones, missiles, and guided aerial bombs struck the city and surrounding region.

Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that four Russian KAB aerial bombs struck the city's Kyivskyi district. Later, the same neighborhood was hit twice by ballistic missiles. A drone strike in the Kyvskyi district also injured a 57-year-old man, Syniehubov reported.

Attacks in the Kharkiv Oblast city of Zmiiv injured three other people, including a 50-year-old man, Syniehubov reported. The full extent of the damage and casualties of the attack are still being investigated.

Earlier in the day, a Russian glide bomb killed at least one person in Kharkiv and injured another 17, including a child.

Article image
Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent)

Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk Oblast also suffered a Russian missile and drone attack overnight. As of the morning on July 26, one person was reported killed.

Earlier in the night, Governor Serhii Lysak reported that the Kamianske district was hit by missiles, causing fires to blaze in the city.

As a result of the attack in the regional center of Dnipro, one person died and one was injured.

Article image
Smoke rising over Dnipro as seen from an ambulance following an attack the morning of July 26, 2025. (Andrea Januta / Kyiv Independent)

In Zaporizhzhia, Governor Ivan Fedorov reported that Russia launched at least nine Shahed drones overnight. Multiple fires broke out in the Zaporizhzhia district, and several civilian buildings were damaged. In the Polohiv district, a farm warehouse was damage,d and a private home was destroyed.

The mass attack comes two nights after Russia and Ukraine held their third round of peace talks in Istanbul on July 23. The negotiations did not result in a ceasefire agreement, despite U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to impose severe tariffs on Russia if Moscow does not agree to a deal within 50 days of his announcement.

The Kremlin has continuously rejected calls from Ukraine and the international community to accept a 30-day unconditional ceasefire.

At the same time, Russia has pursued a campaign of relentless aerial strikes against Ukrainian cities in the spring and summer, repeatedly breaking its own record for missile and drone attacks.

Zelensky’s big blunder, explained
For many who came to know Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky only after Russia’s full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the president’s recent move on anti-graft agencies was jarring. In the early days of the invasion, Zelensky gained hero status after refusing to evacuate as Russian forces closed in on Kyiv. His daily addresses and global appeals rallied Western support and helped secure the military and financial aid that have kept Ukraine afloat. To much of the world, Zelensky became the
Article image
Avatar
Abbey Fenbert

Senior News Editor

Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.

Read more
News Feed
 (Updated:  )

Explosions rocked Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts as Russia launched waves of missiles, drones, and guided aerial bombs overnight on July 26. Kharkiv's Kyviskyi district has been hit twice by ballistic missiles.

 (Updated:  )

Ukrainians on July 25 participated in mass protests against a controversial new law impacting anti-corruption agencies for the fourth day in a row. President Zelensky earlier addressed criticism of the law, saying there should have been a dialogue between parliament and society before its adoption.

Show More