Russia fires 40 ballistic missiles at Kyiv in 40 minutes; Ukraine strikes shadow fleet

Russia fires rockets at Kyiv in minute intervals during the night. Ukraine reports increasingly effective drone attacks against Russia's shadow fleet.

19 July 2026 | 18:27 Uhr

Dawn: A street in Kyiv, early Sunday morning after the night of attacks | Photo: Reuters

By Dominic Johnson

"After the first explosions, you stop counting the seconds. Then comes the next impact. And the next. Your phone fills with warning messages. People stop talking. They just listen and wait to see if the next rocket comes closer."

This first-hand account was posted on X by Katerina Mathernova, the EU ambassador in Kyiv, on Sunday morning, describing the latest night of attacks in the Ukrainian capital. She counted 40 ballistic missiles in 40 minutes; other sources report 53 minutes.

The Most Intense Night Since the War Began

Many observers agree that this was the most intense night of attacks on Kyiv since the start of Russia's large-scale war of aggression in February 2022. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described it as "one of the most massive ballistic attacks on Kyiv," reporting one dead and 16 injured. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called it "brutal terror" on X, noting that Russia had used the largest number of ballistic missiles against Kyiv since the beginning of the war.

Ukrainian Air Force tally:

• 41 missiles and 125 drones launched
• 23 of the 41 missiles and 10 of the 125 drones penetrated defenses

In total, Russia had used approximately 1,450 drones, more than 1,640 glide bombs, and 99 missiles and cruise missiles this week.

The interception rate was better than in some recent attacks, when Ukraine could not shoot down any missiles at all. This suggests that the latest Western pledges to strengthen Ukrainian air defense with new Patriot missiles have already yielded results.

Damage and Casualties

Despite improved defenses, the damage was considerable. In Kyiv, three rockets hit the entrance area of the Lukyanivska metro station within 30 seconds, where numerous people had taken refuge from the air raids. Videos from the morning after show a landscape of rubble covered with debris and dust, with a hole leading underground in the center.

Other attacks on Saturday evening:

• Kharkiv: Three people died when a post office was shelled
• Odesa: A 16-year-old was killed during shelling of an amusement park; 12 others, including children, were injured
• Zaporizhzhia: 13 people were injured
• Kyiv outskirts: A factory and warehouse complex was destroyed
• Sumy: Industrial facilities were damaged

Ukrainian Attacks in Russia Cause Shortages

Ukraine continued its shelling of Russian oil infrastructure, causing increasing supply shortages in Russia. The Ukrainian government announced on Sunday that three oil depots near Stavropol and four oil tankers of the Russian shadow fleet in the Black Sea had been hit.

According to the Ukrainian drone command, this brings the total since the beginning of the month to:

• 179 ships of the Russian "shadow fleet" (which transports sanctioned Russian oil) hit in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov
• 59 oil facilities hit on Russian territory

The US Institute for the Study of War reports in its latest situation report that these Ukrainian attacks are increasingly forcing Russian forces to move their drone defenses back from the war front in Ukraine to the homeland.

This has enabled increased Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian military positions in the occupied eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, as well as the recapture of smaller areas on the northern part of the war front, above Kharkiv and near the border.