What did Kyiv endure before 11 July 2025?

What was the mood in Kyiv on 11 July 2025? It was shaped by two consecutive days of heavy Russian strikes and by a security case in the capital.

On 9 July, Russian forces launched 728 Geran-2 drones at Ukraine overnight, in what was reported as the largest single drone attack of the war to that date. The barrage was aimed at Ukrainian infrastructure.

The following night, 10 July, brought another assault on the capital. A combined missile and drone attack on Kyiv killed two people and injured 28 others. Fires broke out across the city, and several districts were targeted. In total, 397 drones and 18 missiles were launched.

A counter-intelligence arrest

Alongside the strikes, there was news from Ukraine's security service, the SBU. On 9 July it arrested two Chinese citizens in Kyiv. They were suspected of gathering intelligence on the Neptune missile system.

The picture on 11 July

By 11 July 2025, then, the preceding days had combined an unusually large drone barrage, a deadly overnight attack on the capital and an espionage-related arrest in the same city. Together these reports showed pressure on Ukraine from both the air and the intelligence front.