Russian attack on Kyiv kills at least 2, injures 16 as Slovakia blocks EU sanctions
A massive overnight Russian attack has hit Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, killing at least two people and injuring 16, local authorities and BBC News report.
According to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the attack involved 18 missiles and about 400 drones, primarily targeting the capital.
Authorities in Kyiv said drone wreckage hit the roof of a residential building in the central Shevchenkivskyi District and fires burned across the city.
Firefighters attended the scene of a strike on another residential block in Kyiv on ThursdayIt followed what Ukraine described as the largest Russian aerial attack on Tuesday night, when 728 drones and 13 cruise or ballistic missiles struck cities across the country.
In the early hours of the morning of July 10, 2025, the National police reported that Russian drone strikes had hit eight districts in the Ukrainian capital.
“Residential buildings, vehicles, warehouses, offices, and non-residential buildings are burning,” administration head Tymur Tkachenko said.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed that a 68-year-old woman and a 22-year-old police officer, Maria Dzyumaha, at a metro station had been killed.
Dzyumaha joined the police force in 2023 and worked in the Metro Police Department of the capital’s Main Directorate of the National Police.
Maria Dzyumaha“We share the pain of this heavy loss with Maria’s family, relatives, and friends. We bow our heads in sorrow. She will forever remain in our hearts,” the statement of the police reads.
In a comment to “UP. Life,” Olena Huban, a spokeswoman for the Kyiv City Main Directorate of the National Police’s Metro Police Department, said that Maria Dzyumaha was born in the Zhytomyr region and lived in the capital. The young woman had dreamed of working in law enforcement and was true to her oath of office.
“She was a fair and responsible police officer. A cheerful, kind, bright, and sincere person. She loved life very much,” Huban said. The deceased loved sports, practiced boxing, and adored dogs.
“She always tried to help everyone in need. She never declined to give: Maria regularly participated in blood drives and saved the lives of others,” Huban added.
According to the press officer, Maria is survived by her parents. The young woman was only 22 years old; she did not have the chance to start a family or have children.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said the outpatient clinic of Primary Health Care Center No. 1 in Podilskyi District was “almost completely destroyed.”
City residents were urged to shelter until the air raid siren was lifted and also close windows when they returned to their homes because there was a “lot of smoke” in Kyiv.
Overnight, Ukraine’s air force reported a threat of Russian drone attacks in a number of regions. It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties outside Kyiv.
ZMINA also reported that the Russian army killed 10 people, including a 1-year-old, in Ukraine over the past day.
Russia’s military has not commented on the reported latest attack.
“Russia is obviously stepping up terror,” Zelenskyy said. “It is necessary to be faster with sanctions and pressure Russia so that it feels the outcomes of its own terror. Our partners need to act faster investing in weapons production and developing tech.”
He said that on July 10, he would be speaking to partners about additional financing for producing interceptor drones and air defence supplies.
On July 9, the EU ambassadors were unable to agree on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia due to Slovakia’s veto during a meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper), the European Pravda reported.
Slovakia continues to block the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, and EU ambassadors will next consider the issue at a meeting on Friday, July 11.
The European Parliament called on the governments of Hungary and Slovakia to cease blocking the European Union’s sanctions pressure on Russia and to avoid jeopardizing the bloc’s common objectives.
The call came in a resolution titled “On the human losses as a result of Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine and the urgent need to stop Russian aggression,” approved by the European Parliament in Strasbourg on July 9.
