Russia launched a large overnight missile and drone attack against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, killing at least 21 people in the capital and injuring more than 90, Dzerkalo Tyzhnia reported on July 2. Ukraine said Russia had fired 74 missiles and 496 drones, with Ukrainian air defenses intercepting 48 missiles and 476 drones.

Russia's defense ministry said the attack was a response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries and other infrastructure, just as Ukrainian forces struck the Kstovo oil refinery in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region the same day. Moscow also claimed that Ukraine had fired a long-range operational-tactical missile, which, if confirmed, would suggest Kyiv may be closer to fielding a domestic ballistic capability, though such systems are unlikely to meaningfully constrain Russian missile output in the near term.