On the eve of the crucial G7 leaders’ summit, Russian forces launched a massive, coordinated missile and drone strike across multiple Ukrainian cities. The primary focus of the attack was the capital city of Kyiv, which was targeted by over 60 missiles, while a total of 70 missiles and 611 strike drones were deployed nationwide. As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on his official Telegram channel, the massive assault resulted in significant civilian casualties and extensive damage to critical infrastructure and historical heritage sites. The President urged G7 allies to respond decisively by increasing air defense support, particularly anti-ballistic systems, and intensifying economic pressure against the aggressor.
In Kyiv, the scale of destruction was catastrophic, resulting in four deaths and at least 28 injuries. Beyond the civilian casualties, one of the most alarming aspects of the attack was the strike on the historic Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The roof of the Dormition Cathedral (Uspensky Cathedral), a cornerstone of Eastern Christian culture dating back to the 11th century, caught fire. Emergency services managed to extinguish the flames, but the incident has sparked international outrage. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced that Ukraine is urgently initiating international mechanisms through UNESCO to address what he termed an act of state barbarism against global cultural heritage.
The tragedy was mirrored in Kharkiv, where Russian forces deployed a lethal “double-tap” strike tactic. While rescue workers were actively extinguishing a fire at a targeted local enterprise, a secondary strike was launched at the exact same location. This war crime resulted in the deaths of five people, including emergency responders, and left nine others wounded.
Other regions also suffered heavy damage. In Dnipro, Russian missiles hit a railway station, a college, and industrial plants. Additional strikes targeted Kyiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Mykolaiv oblasts.
This escalation clearly indicates Moscow’s attempt to exert psychological pressure on Western allies during their high-level diplomatic meeting. Analysts at Factage Ukraine emphasize that the timing of these strikes is designed to test Western resolve, making a robust and unified response from the G7 more critical than ever.