The situation on the fronts of the air war between Russia and Ukraine sharply escalated in the early hours of today, July 14.
Just after midnight, both sides launched new massive offensives with missiles and drones, targeting critical infrastructure and strategic sites. As of 4:00 a.m. Bulgarian time, rescue services and air defense (AVO) systems continue to contain the consequences of the midnight bombings.
Missile strike on Kiev: Large fires broke out after midnight
Shortly after midnight (around 00:16), Russian forces launched massive ballistic missile attack directly against the Ukrainian capital Kiev. According to data from the Ukrainian Air Force and radar systems, between 6 and 8 high-precision ballistic targets were detected in the sky above the city.
- Fires in warehouse areas: The head of the Kiev military administration, Timur Tkachenko, officially confirmed that as a result of the strikes, two large warehouses were hit and set on fire in the Holosiivskyi district, located not far from the center of the capital.
- Debris in residential areas: Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that parts of intercepted targets fell in open areas in the eastern suburbs of the city (Darnytskyi district). The falling debris set several parked cars on fire. Fire and emergency teams were immediately dispatched to the scene.
- Air defense depletion: Local authorities emphasize that the capital's air defenses were activated immediately, but the ballistic pressure is putting modern systems under peak load due to the progressive depletion of interceptor missile stocks.
Ukrainian response: Drone attacks and explosions on Russian territory
Ukrainian forces were not late in responding and in the hours after midnight launched waves of drones deep into Russian-controlled zones and regions.
- Explosion at an ammunition depot in Donetsk: In the early hours of July 14, a powerful explosion was recorded in the temporarily occupied city of Donetsk. Monitoring channels reported a subsequent large-scale and prolonged detonation of shells in a burning ammunition depot of the Russian army.
- Repelling an attack in Sevastopol: At around 2:00-3:00 in the morning, an air alert was declared in the annexed Sevastopol. The Russian-appointed governor Mikhail Razvozhaev reported that the air defense forces and mobile fire groups repelled an attack by the Ukrainian Air Force, managing to shoot down 5 Ukrainian drones in the Balaklava region. According to preliminary Russian data, no civilians were injured.
- Mode “Carpet“ and closed skies over Samara: At exactly 3:00 in the morning, the Russian authorities declared an emergency regime of “drone danger“ in the Samara region due to the threat of approaching drones. The federal agency “Rosaviation“ introduced flight restrictions and activated the “Kover“ (Carpet) plan, completely stopping the reception and take-off of aircraft at the “Kurumoch“ international airport.
Diplomatic and military pressure
The nightly escalation coincides with a key moment in the international efforts to defend Ukraine. A few hours ago in Paris, the leaders of the so-called „Coalition of the Willing“ approved the joint project "Freyja" to build a European anti-missile shield as an alternative to the American "Patriot" systems.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed in his latest address that, along with the new agreements, Kiev needs urgent supplies of existing air defense missiles now to withstand the increasing ballistic pressure on major cities before the autumn-winter period.