Russian strikes kill at least 13 in Kiev, Moscow claims key eastern town and Zelensky urges allies to push for 'regime change' in Russia

Russian missile and drone attacks overnight on Ukraine's capital city killed at least 13 people, including a 6-year-old boy, and wounded 132 others, authorities said on July 31.

A 5-month-old girl was among 14 children wounded, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said. It was the highest number of children injured in a single attack on Kiev since the start of Russia’s invasion three years ago, according to public records consulted by The Associated Press.

A large part of a nine-story residential building collapsed in the attack, City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said. Rescue teams searched for people trapped under the rubble.

Yana Zhabborova, 35, a resident of the damaged building, woke up to the sound of thundering explosions, which blew off the doors and windows of her home.

“It is just stress and shock that there is nothing left,” said Zhabborova, a mother of a 5-month-old infant and a 5-year-old child.

Russia fired 309 Shahed and decoy drones, and eight Iskander-K cruise missiles overnight, the Ukrainian air force said. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted and jammed 288 strike drones and three missiles. Five missiles and 21 drones struck targets.

Russian troops also struck a residential 5-story building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, according to the head of Donetsk regional military administration Vadym Filashkin. He said one person was killed and at least 11 more injured.

At least 27 locations across Kiev were hit by the attack, Tkachenko said, with the heaviest damage seen in the Solomianskyi and Sviatoshynskyi districts. More than 100 buildings were damaged in Kiev, including homes, schools, kindergartens, medical facilities and universities, he said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said on July 31 that it had shot down 32 Ukrainian drones overnight.

A drone attack had caused a fire at an industrial site in Russia’s Penza region, local Gov. Oleg Melnichenko said. He didn't immediately give further details other than to say that there were no casualties.

In the Volgograd region, some trains were also halted after drone wreckage fell on local railway infrastructure, state rail operator Russian Railways said.

Strategic Loss for Ukraine 

Russia's Defense Ministry also said that its forces took full control of the strategically important city of Chasiv Yar in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

Russian and Ukrainian troops have battled for control of Chasiv Yar for nearly 18 months. It includes a hilltop from which troops can attack other key points in the region that form the backbone of Ukraine’s eastern defenses.

Victor Trehubov, a Ukrainian military spokesperson, denied Russia’s claim.

“Just a fabrication, there wasn’t even a change in the situation," he told The Associated Press.

A report on July 31 from Ukraine’s Army General Staff said there were seven clashes in Chasiv Yar in the past 24 hours. An attached map showed most of the town as being under Russian control.

DeepState, an open-source Ukrainian map widely used by the military and analysts, showed early Thursday that neighborhoods to the south and west of Chasiv Yar remained as so-called gray zones, or uncontrolled by either side.

The attack targeted the Kiev, Dnipro, Poltava, Sumy, Mykolaiv regions, with Ukraine's capital being the primary target, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.

“Today, the world once again saw Russia’s answer to our desire for peace with America and Europe,” Zelensky said. “New demonstrative killings. That is why peace without strength is impossible.”

He called on Ukraine’s allies to follow through on defense commitments and pressure Moscow toward real negotiations.

U.S. President Donald Trump said July 29 that he’s giving Russian President Vladimir Putin a shorter deadline — Aug. 8 — for peace efforts to make progress, or Washington will impose punitive sanctions and tariffs.

Western leaders have accused Putin of dragging his feet in U.S.-led peace efforts in an attempt to capture more Ukrainian land.

Zelensky urges allies to push for 'regime change' in Russia

President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking at a virtual conference commemorating 50 years since the signing of the Helsinki Accords, called for global resolve against Moscow.

“Russia can be pushed to stop this war,” he said. “But if the world doesn’t aim for regime change in Russia, then even after the war ends, Moscow will continue destabilizing its neighbors.”

Controversial Anti-Corruption Law

The strikes occurred just ahead of a significant parliamentary vote to repeal a controversial law seen as weakening Ukraine's anti-corruption efforts.

Earlier changes had placed the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) under the direct authority of the prosecutor general—an official appointed by the president. Critics warned the move threatened the independence of key oversight institutions.

Public backlash prompted President Zelensky to revise the law. On Wednesday, several hundred people protested in central Kiev, chanting, “Hands off NABU and SAPO.”

“I hope things will get better,” said Olena, a 51-year-old IT worker at the protest. “But it will be almost impossible to fully restore our reputation.”

European allies, concerned about Ukraine’s EU accession prospects, supported the amendments.

Final Plea

Foreign Minister Sybiga renewed calls for international pressure on Moscow, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of being indifferent to peace efforts.

“Putin only knows destruction and death,” Sybiga said. “It’s time to make him feel the pain and consequences of his choices. The world must apply maximum pressure.”