Russia launched a major assault on Kyiv on July 6, 2026—68 missiles and over 350 drones in a single night. Eleven people died and around 60 were injured. The timing was no accident: NATO leaders were about to meet in Ankara just hours later.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy posted on social media immediately. He said allies had plenty of air defence weapons sitting unused in storage while Russian missiles hit apartment buildings. "As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies' stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep vanquishing residential buildings," The Guardian reported him saying.

Russia claimed it had hit military targets. The damage to homes told a different story.

This was the second huge attack in five days. From July 1 to July 2, Russia sent 74 missiles and 496 drones over 11 hours. Reuters said at least 30 people died in that strike. Zelenskyy noted the pattern on July 5: the first attack came "right after America's Independence Day and before the NATO Summit," something he said fit Putin's tactics.

The Air Defence Question

Zelenskyy's request is simple but urgent: don't just promise weapons in the future. Send Patriot air defence systems now—from weapons that NATO countries already own. Patriot missiles are the ammunition that actually shoots down incoming drones and bombs. He said Ukrainian intelligence warned another massive strike was coming, something he posted about on X the day before the July 6 attack.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed within hours. She said on X that "Ukraine urgently needs more air defence" and would push the issue at the NATO meeting. She also announced the EU had sent the first €4 billion toward a €90 billion fund that includes money for advanced weapons, with more money coming soon. She added that Europe was close to approving a 21st round of economic sanctions against Russia.

Sanctions are financial penalties—freezing bank accounts, banning trade, cutting off loans—designed to punish countries that start wars and make continuing the war more painful and expensive.

What NATO Will Decide

The NATO summit starts July 7. Zelenskyy has been preparing the ground for weeks, meeting with NATO's leadership and speaking with the US President, both times pushing the same message: Ukraine needs air defence weapons now.

The real problem is simple: there are only so many Patriot missiles in the world. NATO countries have their own armies to protect. They have to choose between keeping weapons for themselves or sending them to Ukraine. Zelenskyy's argument is straightforward: missiles sitting unused in storage don't protect anyone. They should go to Ukraine, where Russia is using bombs and drones to kill civilians.

What NATO decides in Ankara matters enormously. If leaders commit new weapons, it sends a message that the alliance stands behind Ukraine. If they don't, it tells Russia that it can wear down the alliance's patience. Russia's choice to attack twice in five days, right before the summit, was deliberate. Moscow wanted the world to see destruction on the news while NATO leaders talked.

In a speech in June, Zelenskyy called this summer a critical window for results—more air defence, help with EU membership, and ideas for lasting peace. The cost of Russia's attacks is concrete: 11 dead one night, 30 dead five days before. The question now is whether NATO will match words with weapons.