Ukraine war latest: Poland scrambles jets as Putin launches ‘massive’ strikes

At least 13 people, including two children, have been killed across Ukraine after Russia launched a wave of ballistic missiles and drones across the country overnight, hours after Volodymyr Zelensky warned of an impending “massive attack” by Moscow. Explosions echoed across Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday as air raid sirens sounded in the capital. Ukrainian officials said at least one person was killed in the capital, where falling debris sparked fires at several non-residential sites in the Sviatoshynskyi and Obolon districts. The western city of Lviv, close to the Polish border, also came under attack. Two apartment buildings were damaged and at least six people were injured, according to local authorities. At least six people, including children, have been killed and eight others injured in a Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian officials said. As the attacks unfolded, Poland protectively scrambled fighter jets to protect its airspace . Zelensky earlier pleaded for help from the US and allies, saying Ukraine urgently needed more air defences as there was a “high probability” that Vladimir Putin would execute the planned strike. Pictures: Residents evacuated from buildings after Russian strikes Medical workers assist residents at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine (Reuters) Medical workers evacuate a wounded resident at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike (Reuters) A woman holds the hand of an injured child as medical workers evacuate him at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike, (Reuters) Shweta Sharma 30 July 2026 06:48 Poland secures 10m-wide crater after explosion Polish firefighters are ⁠securing the site of a 10-metre-wide ⁠crater ​in ⁠Tarnawa-Kolonia, in ⁠the Lublin ​region of ⁠eastern ‌Poland, after receiving reports ‌of an explosion, Radio ‌Zet reported ⁠on Thursday. Sirens sounded overnight in the Lublin region ‌due to Russian ​air ‌strikes ⁠on Ukraine, ⁠PAP reported. ⁠The Polish military said an unidentified object was detected ⁠in Polish airspace overnight and ⁠later ​the ⁠probable crash site of ⁠the ​object was ⁠found ‌near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia. Poland had ‌earlier scrambled ⁠fighter jets ⁠due to ‌the ongoing Russian strikes ​across the border in ‌Ukraine. Shweta Sharma 30 July 2026 06:29 Russia confirms attack on cities including Kyiv and Lviv Russia's defence ministry said on Thursday its forces ⁠struck what it called military facilities across ⁠Ukraine, ​in areas ⁠from the capital ⁠Kyiv to ​Lviv ⁠and Dnipropetrovsk, as ‌well as three cargo ships. The ‌dry cargo ‌vessels, which the ministry ⁠accused of carrying weapons and military equipment, were hit around the Black Sea city ‌of Odesa, ​it ‌added on ⁠the Telegram ⁠messaging app. Shweta Sharma 30 July 2026 06:21 At least 13 killed across Ukraine as strikes expand to Zelensky's hometown Russian air strikes killed at least 13 people so far in Ukraine on Thursday, including two young girls aged five and 12, as Moscow unleashed a wave of missile and drone attacks. The attacks reached from president Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown of Kryvyi Rih to the capital Kyiv and the western city of Lviv. The attacks came as Zelensky returned from the US where he said president Donald Trump had agreed to grant Ukraine licences to produce Patriot interceptor missiles. Air raid alerts sounded across most of Ukraine overnight, with explosions heard in Kyiv. Fires broke out at several non-residential sites in the capital after falling debris, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. One person was killed and two others injured in Kyiv, emergency services said. Six more people, including the two children, were killed in the Dnipropetrovsk and Poltava regions. Rescuers work at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike (Reuters) In Zelensky's hometown of Kryvyi Rih, the two girls were among six people killed when a Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile struck a private home, according to Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city's defence council. Eight others were injured. "A dark night," Vilkul wrote on Telegram, saying the missile was launched from Russia's Voronezh region and hit the home of a large family. He warned the death toll could rise as rescuers continued clearing the rubble. In Lviv, near the Polish border, Russian missiles damaged two apartment buildings and injured 15 people. Rescue workers were searching through the debris for anyone trapped beneath the wreckage. Residents sit at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike (Reuters) Shweta Sharma 30 July 2026 06:18 Death toll in Ukraine rises to eight in Russia's 'massive' overnight strike One person has been killed in Ukraine's Poltava region, bringing the death toll from Russia's latest wave of strikes to eight. The victim was killed in a strike on a warehouse, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said. The nationwide death toll has now risen to eight following a massive Russian drone and ballistic missile attack that president Volodymyr Zelensky had warned was likely before it began. The apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Lviv (Reuters) Shweta Sharma 30 July 2026 05:56 Pictures from Lviv and Kyiv show extensive damage Latest pictures from Ukraine show residents reacting with shock as Russian missiles and drones strike residential buildings. Search and rescue operations are ongoing in the hard-hit cities of Lviv and Kyiv. A woman reacts near an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Lviv, Ukraine (Reuters) A woman reacts near an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine (Reuters) A firefighter works at the site of a Russian missile strike (Reuters) Residents stand at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Lviv (Reuters) Shweta Sharma 30 July 2026 05:51 Two girls among seven dead in Ukraine Two girls, aged 5 and 12, were among the seven people killed in the Russian attacks across Ukraine. In the early hours of Thursday, Russia launched multiple ballistic missiles and drones targeting cities across the country, the Ukrainian military said. The girls were killed when a Russian ballistic missile struck a private home in a village near the central city of Kryvyi Rih, a local official said. A man reacts near an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Lviv, Ukraine July 30, 2026. REUTERS/Roman Baluk (Reuters) Eight other people were injured in the attack, including two children, with authorities warning the casualty toll could rise. In the capital, Kyiv, one person was killed and fires broke out at three non-residential buildings after debris from intercepted missiles and drones fell across the city, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. Shweta Sharma 30 July 2026 05:42 Ukraine's ex-defence minister says changes to military procurements behind his dismissal Former Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said his efforts to overhaul the military's procurement system were the main reason behind his dismissal this ​month in a military and political shake-up. Fedorov, a technical expert seen by many ‌as an agent for change in the over four year old war against Russia, told the media outlet Ukrainska Pravda that the proposed changes met resistance from officials inside and around the ministry. "The reason is connected with ​procurement, tenders, to the fact that we began overhauling the processes in this ​area," Fedorov, 35, told Ukrainska Pravda. File: Ukraine's former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov and Sweden's Defence Minister Pal Jonson (not pictured) hold a press conference in Stockholm (Reuters) "This caused significant dissatisfaction among many people, ⁠who then started constantly exerting influence and spreading negativity, not just around the president but ​across the broader media space." Fedorov, who held office for six months, said his first undertaking ​in office was to introduce a tender system for procurement. "Our task was to fix the root of the problem as quickly as possible," he said. "First, launch tenders. Second, restructure the management system in the Defence Ministry, ​and choose the people working there differently, based on the goals we came in ​with." He said he saw pressure "from all sides as part of the process. That meant you needed simply to ‌rebuild ⁠the foundation and the issue will be resolved." Shweta Sharma 30 July 2026 05:29 Latest pictures show Kyiv residents taking shelter in metro stations Residents in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, took shelter in metro stations as Russia launched missile and drone attacks. Families stayed overnight in the crowded underground stations amid warnings of a large-scale Russian attack. People take shelter at a metro station during Russian missile strike on Kyiv, (AFP/Getty) People take shelter at a metro station during Russian missile strike on Kyiv (AFP/Getty) People take shelter inside a metro station during a Russian missile and drone attack in Kyiv (Reuters) A woman takes shelter with her dogs inside an overcrowded metro station during a Russian missile and drone strike (Reuters) Shweta Sharma 30 July 2026 05:00 F-16 fight jet crashes after a malfunction An F-16 fighter jet crashed on a frontline mission, the Ukrainian air force said on Wednesday. Its pilot was safe after he ejected and was transported to a medical institution for treatment. In a statement, the air force said the aircraft was carrying out a frontline assignment to intercept Russian airborne targets before it crashed. Experts were examining the crash site. Ukraine has ​received multiple ​F-16s from NATO countries, including ​the Netherlands and Denmark. Shweta Sharma 30 July 2026 04:56