Kyiv hit by largest combined aerial assault in months
KYIV, 4 July 2025 — Russia launched a massive overnight attack on the Ukrainian capital using a mix of ballistic, cruise, hypersonic missiles and Iranian-made drones, leaving dozens wounded and civilian infrastructure in flames, according to Ukrainian authorities.
The assault involved 539 Shahed kamikaze drones, 11 ballistic, 4 cruise, and 1 hypersonic missile, in what Ukraine’s Air Force described as one of the most complex and large-scale aerial bombardments on Kyiv since the start of the full-scale war.
Residential areas were struck across several districts, with emergency services confirming extensive damage to housing blocks, educational institutions and medical infrastructure. Five ambulances were hit while responding to the attacks, local officials said.
Escalation follows Trump–Putin contact
The barrage came in the immediate aftermath of another reported conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, fuelling concerns in Kyiv and among some NATO officials about a potential shift in geopolitical posture by the former U.S. president.
“This is not a military operation — this is coordinated escalation,” one senior Ukrainian security official told Reuters on condition of anonymity, citing the timing of the strikes. “The Kremlin interprets vague peace promises and ‘deals’ as Western weakness — and exploits them brutally.”
The latest bombardment appears to synchronise with international calls for a ceasefire or a political resolution — a pattern Ukrainian officials have warned often precedes intensified Russian aggression.
Western indecision leaves Ukraine exposed
The attack also comes at a time when U.S. military aid deliveries are stalled amid ongoing congressional gridlock. Kyiv has repeatedly warned that critical shortages of air defence interceptors and artillery rounds are weakening its ability to repel large-scale aerial or ground assaults.
“The West speaks of support, but missiles are hitting our homes,” said a frontline Ukrainian officer, sharing footage of burning buildings in Kyiv on social media. “Delays in ammunition aren’t abstract policy gaps. They’re real people dying.”
Analysts say the lack of sustained, predictable military backing for Ukraine is offering Moscow an opportunity to break through the front lines or increase its pressure on civilians via aerial terror campaigns.
Kremlin exploiting transatlantic uncertainty
Ukrainian officials and security analysts believe the Kremlin is increasingly emboldened by messaging from parts of the U.S. political establishment suggesting a rapid negotiated end to the war. Trump’s repeated claims that he could “end the war in 24 hours” are viewed by Kyiv as signalling a willingness to pressure Ukraine into making concessions.
Such rhetoric, combined with reports of direct lines of communication between Trump and Putin, undermines Western unity and emboldens Moscow’s belief that time is on its side.
“This is strategic manipulation,” a European diplomat told Politico Europe. “The Kremlin knows how to play factions in Washington — from Capitol Hill to presidential hopefuls.”
Risk of dangerous precedent growing
Ukrainian officials warn that a lack of firm, coordinated and long-term Western commitment risks setting a disastrous precedent: that by stalling, intimidating and waiting out democratic cycles, autocracies can extract territorial and political gains through war and terror.
“This is not just about Ukraine,” said Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the Ukrainian parliamentary committee on foreign policy. “It’s about the signal to every aggressor state: wait for elections, escalate attacks, and negotiate from a position of bloodshed.”
As smoke still lingers over Kyiv’s skyline, pressure is mounting on Western leaders to reassert unity, accelerate defence support, and push back against the growing perception — in Moscow and elsewhere — that time, hesitation and internal division are the Kremlin’s greatest allies.
