Second Day of Drone Strikes Targets Kyiv Residential and Commercial Infrastructure

Russian forces renewed their drone assault on Ukraine’s Kyiv region on Friday, striking over a dozen apartment buildings and storage facilities in a second consecutive day of aerial attacks, according to officials.

Extensive air raids on Thursday effectively paralyzed the Ukrainian capital for 15 hours, severely disrupting the economy and civilian life more than four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion. The Foreign Ministry noted that prolonged alerts remain a daily occurrence in areas closer to the front lines.

Ukrainian officials report that Russian drone and missile attacks are specifically targeting the power grid in what they describe as an annual campaign to “weaponize winter.” In the southern Kherson region on the Black Sea, where glide bombs forced a combined heat and power plant offline a day earlier, authorities predicted a winter of extended outages and advised residents to relocate if possible.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv regional military administration, stated that Friday’s strikes damaged 14 warehouses, 16 private homes, three apartment buildings, and 16 vehicles.

The State Emergency Service reported that a second drone struck a location after emergency crews arrived, a tactic the military calls a “double tap” designed to target first responders.

The attacks resulted in one death and two injuries, officials confirmed.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its forces struck a warehouse in the Kyiv region overnight that allegedly stores Ukraine’s Flamingo cruise missiles and rocket booster fuel. Ukrainian officials did not immediately verify the claim, and The Associated Press was unable to confirm it. Recent strikes have damaged numerous warehouses across Kyiv and the broader region, including facilities holding books, food, and other consumer goods.

As the attacks extended into daylight hours, Tkachenko urged residents to remain in safe locations and heed air raid alerts.

Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, stated that Russia is deploying small numbers of fast-moving, jet-powered drones in waves to paralyze the capital. On social media Friday, he noted, “The goal is to exhaust air defenses and the population.”

Kyiv region authorities reported that air quality deteriorated due to the attacks, warning residents in certain areas to keep windows closed and limit outdoor exposure.

In the southern Kherson region, which is approximately 70% under Russian control, officials urged tens of thousands of residents to relocate to safer areas due to the threat of prolonged power and heating outages. Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson regional military administration, stated in a late Thursday social media post, “Kherson may be without electricity and heat not for hours or days, but for a long time. And we need to prepare for this now.”

Prokudin reported that Russia has intensified its attacks on critical infrastructure in the region, dropping 170 glide bombs on Kherson since July 1—a figure exceeding the total for the first six months of the year.

He also noted that Russia has launched more than 1,700 attack drones over the past two months, increasingly utilizing jet-powered Shahed and Gerbera drones against critical infrastructure. Attacks by smaller drones surged to 6,500 in the past week alone.

Prokudin confirmed that authorities will provide evacuation assistance, transportation, resettlement, and social support for those who choose to leave.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy is lowering its 2026 GDP growth forecast due to the impact of Russian attacks, which have restricted exports, particularly grain through Black Sea ports. Economy Minister Oleksandr Kravchenko stated that while growth was expected to be around 1.3% this year, the attacks are expected to reduce it to 0.8%. Kravchenko noted that growth was 0.6% in the first quarter but recovered to post modest growth by the end of June. However, further expansion is being constrained by damage to energy and logistics infrastructure as well as port blockades.

Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia fired 164 drones at Ukraine overnight, though it did not mention missiles, which typically accompany Russia’s aerial attacks.

In the northern Sumy region, a Russian glide bomb attack on Friday killed one person and wounded seven others, according to Oleh Hryhorov, head of the Sumy regional military administration.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that its air defenses shot down 512 Ukrainian drones overnight over 18 Russian regions, as well as over illegally annexed Crimea and Black Sea waters.

Ukraine’s General Staff announced that Ukrainian forces struck the Slavneft-YANOS refinery in Russia’s Yaroslavl region overnight, causing a fire. The attack is part of Ukraine’s ongoing campaign against the Russian oil sector. The General Staff stated that the plant is located approximately 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from the Ukrainian border and produces gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, fuel oil, lubricants, and other petroleum products.

Gov. Mikhail Yevrayev reported that a Ukrainian drone attack on Friday morning in the Yaroslavl region killed one person and wounded 27 others. Ten of those wounded were injured when drone debris struck a bus. He stated that “industrial infrastructure,” residential areas, and unidentified retail facilities were hit.

In the Moscow region surrounding the Russian capital, Gov. Andrei Vorobyov reported on Telegram that a drone struck a supermarket, damaging it and shattering windows in a nearby outpatient clinic.

In Crimea’s port city of Sevastopol, the Russian-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, reported that a drone caused significant damage to a five-story residential building, wounding four people. He shared images of a charred building with knocked-out windows and balconies.

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