POLAND PERSPECTIVE

Warsaw, July 3, 2026. In the night of July 2-3, Russia struck Kyiv with 570 air vectors — 74 missiles and 496 drones — according to the Ukrainian Air Forces. The toll worsened throughout Thursday: Tymur Tkaczenko, head of the municipal military administration, confirmed 20 deaths in the afternoon, before a later count reached at least 25 victims and 86 injured. Mayor Vitali Klitschko described this night of strikes as the most massive on the Ukrainian capital since the start of the conflict, and declared Friday a day of mourning. For Warsaw, the attack had a direct resonance. The Polish air forces deployed fighter jets in response to the detection of Russian missiles in neighboring airspace, according to RMF24. This deployment illustrates the permanent vigilance that geographical proximity imposes on Poland, a NATO country bordering Ukraine. In Kyiv, the destruction affected over 30 buildings in several districts. The hotel on Shevchenko Boulevard, in the city center, caught fire. A high-rise residential building partially collapsed, blocking evacuation routes for residents of the upper floors. "There are very significant direct impacts on residential buildings, from which the dead and injured are being extracted," Tkaczenko said. Ballistic and cruise missiles and drones struck the city from several directions simultaneously; rescue teams were still searching through the rubble at the end of the day. President Volodymyr Zelenski visited the strike sites. Facing the press, he stated: "Putin is losing the war, he has problems on the front and in his economy. He will only intensify his attacks on Ukraine, including with ballistic missiles." He also warned that the volume of ammunition fired during each assault was constantly increasing. Zelenski made an urgent appeal to Western partners for additional anti-missile systems. He cited the case of Norway, which had agreed to fund the purchase of 200 missiles for Ukraine: "Of these 200 missiles, none have arrived," he lamented. "We need an adequate security package, intercepting ammunition. We are exerting maximum pressure and conducting negotiations," he concluded.