Local residents react at the site of a missile and drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 2, 2026. (Photo by Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1590.
Russian attacks
Overnight on July 2, Russia attacked Ukraine with 74 missiles and 496 drones in the first sweeping attack in more than two weeks, according to Ukraine’s Air Force, most of which targeted the capital, Kyiv. Forty-eight missiles and 476 drones were shot down or suppressed, but 25 ballistic missiles and 12 drones struck 33 locations. In Kyiv, the attack damaged civilian infrastructure, including a hotel in the central part of the city and an entire multistory residential building.
City authorities said at least 22 people were killed and close to 100 others were injured in one of the deadliest recent attacks, prompting officials to declare July 3 a day of mourning.
KYIV, UKRAINE – JULY 2: Rescue workers continue to search for survivors digging through rubble in a residential building that collapsed after a missile attack on July 2, 2026 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
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In Kharkiv, at least three people, including a seven-year-old girl, were injured in a Russian strike on July 2. The day before, Moscow dropped guided aerial bombs on three residential districts of Kharkiv, killing a 15-year-old boy and injuring 32 people, according to the city council and the regional military administration. The attack damaged or destroyed private homes, a medical facility, a fire and rescue unit, an administrative building, and several vehicles.
Russia scaled down its aerial campaign in June, launching some 5,750 drones against Ukraine, almost 30% fewer than the record-breaking total in May. Even so, the figure is around 400 higher than in June last year.
Ukraine’s arms exports
Ukraine has officially approved its first controlled, transparent mechanism to export domestically produced weapons on July 1. Exports of weapons and technology will be limited to participant countries of the Drone Deal, a Ukrainian government initiative. Twenty-seven countries have signed up to the deal, including 15 NATO countries.
Ukraine’s defense manufacturers have long awaited the decision, as the gap between their production capacity and domestic procurement has steadily widened. The country’s defense industry has expanded from roughly $1 billion in annual output in 2022 to more than $50 billion in potential production four years later. But Ukraine’s government has lagged behind this exponential growth: last year, the industry’s capacity exceeded $35 billion, while contracts were worth less than a third of that amount.