Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv come after Zelenskyy’s warning

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing its staff, AFP and Reuters, reported that Russia struck Kyiv with ballistic missiles early Thursday, July 30, 2026, shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that a major Russian attack was likely. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said several non-residential locations in the capital caught fire, and people were told to take shelter. The report said explosions were heard in Kyiv at about 1:18am local time, with rescuers later working at a missile strike site in the Kyiv region.

The attack followed Zelenskyy’s return from the United States, where he said he met President Donald Trump and discussed Ukraine’s air-defence needs. According to Al Jazeera, Zelenskyy said Trump had agreed to provide licences allowing Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missiles. Zelenskyy also appealed again to allies on X to supply missiles for Ukraine’s existing air-defence systems.

The report highlighted Ukraine’s shortage of PAC-3 interceptor missiles, which are used by Patriot systems. Al Jazeera said Patriot batteries are the only US systems capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles, making the availability of interceptors a central issue as Moscow increases missile attacks. The article also linked the shortage to heightened demand since the US- and Israel-launched war on Iran in February.

The Kyiv strikes came amid intensified long-range attacks by both Russia and Ukraine and stalled US-led diplomacy aimed at ending the war. Al Jazeera reported that Zelenskyy described his White House meeting with Trump as positive, while Trump later posted that many issues had been discussed and that the meeting had gone well.