KYIV, July 10 – Hundreds of Russian drones flying from all directions attacked Kyiv overnight into Thursday in what appeared to be a new tactic by Moscow, marking a second consecutive night of ferocious assaults on Ukraine.

At least two people were killed, including a 22-year-old female police officer, and more than a dozen were wounded, according to authorities.

CNN staff on the ground in Kyiv witnessed massive, fiery explosions that illuminated the night sky. Smoke filled the air, creating a burning smell and obscuring visibility in the city center.

Russia has been intensifying its aerial attacks against Ukraine in recent weeks, but Thursday’s assault appeared to mark a shift in approach.

Launching hundreds of drones and missiles, Russian forces attacked Kyiv from multiple directions. Some of the drones initially bypassed the capital before abruptly changing course and speeding back toward the city, further complicating the task for Ukraine’s already strained air defenses.

Many Kyiv residents spent another sleepless night in shelters, listening to the terrifying sounds of explosions and drones overhead.

Nadiya Voitsehivska, 63, told CNN that her brother-in-law had been taken to the hospital with injuries sustained when his apartment was struck.

“Everything in it was completely destroyed, and [my sister] escaped in her underwear. She managed to get out, but her husband didn’t make it—he was crushed by a slab. The ambulance took him away,” she said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“We don’t know where to turn. I don’t know who can help us. Everything there is burned down; there is nothing left of that apartment.

”The attack lasted more than 10 hours, with Russia launching 400 drones and 18 missiles—including eight ballistic missiles—at Ukraine, according to a Telegram post from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

As terrifying as the night was for Kyiv’s residents, such massive aerial attacks have become the new normal for Ukrainian civilians.

Just on Wednesday, Russia conducted its largest drone assault since the start of its full-scale invasion, launching 728 drones and 13 missiles in strikes that killed at least one person, according to Ukrainian officials.

“This is an obvious build-up of terror by Russia,” Zelensky said on Thursday, adding that he would be speaking to allies about additional funding for interceptor drones and air defenses.

The damage from the latest offensive appeared substantial.

Houses, residential buildings, cars, warehouse facilities, offices, and other structures across the city were damaged or caught fire, according to local authorities. A healthcare clinic was almost completely destroyed, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Russia has significantly scaled up its air attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks, launching near-nightly assaults involving hundreds of drones and missiles.

Work towards a peace deal has simultaneously slowed down, prompting frustration in the White House. U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday took aim at Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin.

“We get a lot of bullsh*t thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting. “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.

”Moscow downplayed Trump’s remarks during a press briefing Wednesday. A Kremlin spokesperson said it was reacting “calmly” to the U.S. president’s criticism. “Trump in general tends to use a fairly tough style and expressions,” said Dmitry Peskov, adding that Moscow hopes to continue dialogue with Washington.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Malaysia on Thursday.

Following Wednesday’s record drone attack, President Zelensk?y said there had been “so many attempts to achieve peace and a ceasefire, but Russia rejects everything.”

International law violations

Thursday’s attack on Kyiv came a day after a landmark ruling by Europe’s top human rights court, which found that Russia had committed major violations of international law in Ukraine.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on four cases concerning Russian military operations in Ukraine since 2022, as well as the conflict in eastern Ukraine that began in 2014 and includes the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

The court found that Russia had committed a pattern of human rights violations in Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The ECHR also ruled that Russia was responsible for the downing of flight MH17 in 2014. Moscow has repeatedly denied responsibility for the aircraft’s destruction, which killed 298 people. (cnn/ez)