Russia's missile and drone attacks on Ukraine kill at least 22

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. World Russia's missile and drone attacks on Ukraine kill at least 22 Updated July 6, 20263:38 PM ET Originally published July 6, 20263:41 AM ET By The Associated Press The damaged apartment interior in the ruined apartment building following Russia's missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday. Efrem Lukatsky/AP hide caption toggle caption Efrem Lukatsky/AP KYIV, Ukraine — Russia unleashed waves of missiles and drones at Ukraine early Monday, killing at least 22 people in attacks that exposed widening gaps in the country's air defenses more than four years into Moscow's full-scale invasion, authorities said. Ukraine invasion — explained Inside a secretive Ukrainian team launching deep drone strikes at Russia All of the ballistic missiles launched by Russia struck their targets, underscoring Kyiv's need for more U.

-made Patriot interceptor missiles — a point Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will likely reiterate at a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, this week. Fifteen people were killed in the capital of Kyiv, which was Russia's main target, and 56 were injured, according to administrative head Tymur Tkachenko. Another seven people were killed in the wider Kyiv region and 29 were injured, according to Ukraine's emergency service.

The Details

Emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following Russian missile attacks in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, July 6, 2026. Danylo Antoniuk/AP hide caption toggle caption Danylo Antoniuk/AP Emergency workers searched for survivors in the rubble of residential high-rises in two locations that suffered direct hits. Sponsor Message Witnesses recount harrowing escape Moscow has stepped up attacks on Kyiv in retaliation for Ukraine's recent long-range strikes, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Those Ukrainian attacks have caused severe fuel shortages and put pressure on President Vladimir Putin. 🎧 Listen to NPR's State of the World podcast, a human perspective on global stories in just a few minutes, every weekday. On Thursday, a Russian strike killed 31 people in Kyiv, the deadliest attack in the capital this year.

Ukraine's advances in drone technology have given it an edge in recent months, analysts and Western officials say, striking supply routes behind the front line, stripping the Russian army of momentum on the battlefield and slowing its advance. Rescuers work the scene of a building damaged by Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, July 6, 2026. Efrem Lukatsky/AP hide caption toggle caption Efrem Lukatsky/AP But Russia now is exploiting vulnerabilities in Ukraine's air defenses, which remain heavily reliant on the Patriot missile systems to intercept ballistic missiles it can rarely shoot down.

The war in the Middle East has strained the global supply of Patriot interceptors — a shortage now felt keenly in Ukraine.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.