Russian barrage hits Kyiv before G7 pledges new Ukraine air defences

Russia has used mass missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure throughout the full-scale war. Ukrainian officials described major barrages in 2024 and 2025 as attempts to strain the power grid, exhaust interceptors and pressure civilians. The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra also carries a longer memory: the Dormition Cathedral was destroyed in 1941 during the Second World War and later rebuilt after Ukrainian independence. UNESCO’s monitoring has made cultural damage a separate diplomatic track alongside casualty counts, sanctions and weapons deliveries.

The barrage underlines the war’s shift toward attrition by industry, drones and long-range precision systems. Russia is trying to exhaust Ukraine’s interceptors and political patience among allies; Ukraine is trying to convert battlefield resilience into Western production commitments. The G7 response matters because US alignment with European policy remains decisive for Moscow’s calculations.

The story is timely because the attack came immediately before and during the G7 summit in France, where Zelenskyy sought more air-defence support and where leaders discussed sanctions, licensed weapons production and Ukraine’s energy resilience.