Russia’s Kyiv strike kills dozens as Venezuela death toll climbs

Russia’s strike – Russia hit Kyiv with more than 70 missiles and 500 drones, killing at least 13 people and collapsing parts of a nine-story apartment building. One week after Venezuela’s earthquakes, at least 2,295 people have died and about 50,000 remain unaccounted for, whil

Kyiv woke up to the sound of explosions and then the slow, exhausting work of finding what’s left.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least 13 people were killed in attacks that hit the capital overnight into early morning on July 2. 2026. He said search and rescue efforts were underway. and that people were trapped in rubble as first responders cleared debris. searched for survivors. and provided assistance.

Zelenskyy said Moscow used more than 70 missiles and 500 drones to attack buildings and civilian infrastructure across the city. including an ambulance station and a hotel. Damage, he said, was reported at more than 20 sites in Kyiv, with the Darnytskyi district hit hardest. Officials said part of a nine-floor apartment building in Darnytskyi collapsed. Rescue crews were still looking for people thought to be under the rubble, including a 15-year-old girl and her family.

The response in Kyiv was still unfolding as Russia’s claims met the grim reality on the ground. Zelenskyy said the aftermath was ongoing. while reporting tied Moscow’s position to a claim that the strikes hit “key military plants.” The Kremlin’s top spokesman. according to the account relayed in the coverage. warned that more attacks were to come.

Far from the rubble in Kyiv, another disaster has widened the gap between what is known and what families fear.

One week after two powerful earthquakes rocked Venezuela. the death toll now exceeds 2. 000. with official figures saying at least 2. 295 people have died. Tens of thousands are still missing: about 50,000 people remain unaccounted for. With collapsed buildings still unexcavated, experts say the real number of deaths is likely significantly higher.

A U.S. Geological Survey statement cited in the coverage said there is a high chance that tens of thousands of people died in the back-to-back 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes. One forensic pathologist quoted in the reporting said the current count is “not even a third” of the actual number.

For many Venezuelans, the delay has also turned into anger at how the country is being led through the aftermath. Frustration is mounting over the government’s response. and opposition leader María Corina Machado has accused the government of downplaying the destruction. Machado. who fled Venezuela after winning a presidential election that was stolen by then-ousted leader Nicolás Maduro. has been trying to return to her home country since the quakes. but her efforts have been repeatedly blocked.

Machado’s allegations have collided with claims from U.S. officials. A senior U.S. official, as reflected in the coverage, said Machado was adding “needless drama” and accused her of “grotesque” political opportunism.

At the same time, the controversy has spilled into U.S. domestic politics. Democratic Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro said ICE is still trying to deport children and families to Venezuela despite the catastrophe. In a post on social media on Wednesday. Castro claimed children and families were woken up in the middle of the night just hours after the earthquakes and “sent to Arizona on their way to Venezuela” before ultimately being returned to the Texas detention facility where they started.

In the middle of both crises, the pattern is harshly familiar: uncertainty grows where recovery is slow, and the most basic human need—safety, certainty about loved ones, a way out of rubble—becomes tangled in politics and official narratives.

The situation remains fluid in both countries. In Kyiv, rescue crews are still searching collapsed buildings for people thought to be trapped. In Venezuela. with tens of thousands still unaccounted for and many sites yet to be excavated. the death toll is expected to rise even as disputes over responsibility and credibility intensify.

Kyiv Russia Ukraine Zelenskyy missiles drones Venezuela earthquakes Maria Corina Machado Nicolas Maduro ICE Joaquin Castro U.S. policy