ISW: Russia launched one of the largest air attacks on Ukraine, a North Korean missile was also used

Russia carried out a massive combined attack on Ukraine on the night of July 29-30, using hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the strike was aimed at exhausting Ukrainian air defenses, and for the first time in nearly a year, Moscow also used a ballistic missile supplied by North Korea, News.bg reports.

Hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles against Ukraine

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia attacked with 284 drones of the Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas types and Parodiya decoy drones, launched from Bryansk, Kursk, Oryol and Smolensk regions.

In addition, 74 missiles were launched, including:

61 X-101 cruise missiles and „Kalibur“;

9 ballistic missiles „Iskander-M“, S-400 and KN-23;

4 anti-ship missiles „Zircon“/„Onyx“.

Ukrainian air defense intercepted most targets

According to Kiev, the air defense destroyed:

265 drones;

54 cruise missiles;

one ballistic missile.

However, six ballistic, three anti-ship, two cruise missiles and 17 drones reached their targets, hitting 20 targets. Debris from downed missiles and drones fell in 13 other places.

Kyiv and Lviv were among the main targets

President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on July 29 that Russia was preparing a large-scale strike.

According to information from the Ukrainian Air Force, the main areas of the attack were Kyiv and Lviv regions.

According to the latest data, at least eight people were killed and dozens were injured in the strikes.

ISW: Russia uses North Korean missile again

The Institute for the Study of War notes that Moscow used a KN-23 ballistic missile, supplied by North Korea – the first such case since the summer of 2025.

According to Zelensky, preliminary information indicates that it was such a missile that hit the village of Radushne in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

A Reuters source commented that the use of North Korean missiles suggests that Russia has managed to accumulate new stocks of this type of weaponry.

Russian projectile entered Poland

During the air attack, a Russian X-101 cruise missile probably entered Polish airspace and fell near the village of Tarnava-Kolonia in the Lublin Voivodeship.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that there was no evidence that Poland was an intentional target of missile.

The Polish military reported that they had tracked at least 12 Russian missiles flying over western Ukraine, which posed a potential threat to the country's airspace.

New personnel changes in Ukraine

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government continued with changes in the state administration and the defense sector.

Human rights activist Lyubov Galan was appointed deputy defense minister, and Serhiy Boev, the previous head of the state defense concern „Ukroboronprom“, took over the post of deputy minister for European integration.

President Zelensky also appointed former Economy Minister Oleksiy Sobolev as deputy head of the presidential administration for the economy. Changes were also made to the leadership of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).