Speaking at a press conference alongside Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Zelenskyy stated: "Today there is very unpleasant information about preparations for another such massive Russian attack. We have intelligence data and immediately return home" . He described the intelligence as indicating an attack that very night, telling Ukrainians to take air raid warnings seriously
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Quote from the press conference: "Once every week or two, massive strikes — hundreds of drones, dozens of missiles of various types. Today, we have very disturbing information about preparations for yet another such massive Russian strike. We have intelligence… I urge our people to be especially careful, to protect themselves, their children and their families and to use shelters" .
Zelenskyy framed this as one in a series of similar warnings. In the preceding weeks and months, he had repeatedly cautioned about impending Russian mass strikes:
In a Face the Nation interview on May 31, 2026, Zelenskyy told CBS News: "We think that we will have big attacks from Russian side using drones, using cruise missiles and ballistic… We see the preparation always" .
The assault on Kyiv overnight on July 2 confirmed the intelligence. Russian forces struck residential buildings on Shevchenko Boulevard and set a hotel roof ablaze. At least five people were injured, and residents took refuge in underground metro stations . The strikes fit a broader pattern of Russia consistently targeting Ukrainian cities with missiles and drones over the previous four years of war
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Russia has maintained a relentless campaign against Ukrainian infrastructure and civilian areas. In September 2025, Russia launched over 500 drones and approximately 24 missiles in a single night targeting critical infrastructure, particularly energy facilities, as winter approached . In February 2026, ahead of peace talks in Geneva, Russia launched 420 drones and 39 missiles, including 11 ballistic missiles, targeting eight regions of Ukraine
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On the diplomatic front, during his brief visit to Dublin, Zelenskyy also proposed a "Drone Deal" with Ireland, opening discussions on drones and new technologies for cooperation between Ukrainian and Irish companies . This came amid a broader Ukrainian push to develop a domestic drone industry, with Zelenskyy pledging to produce one million drones domestically in 2024
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Zelenskyy's visit to Ireland itself was not without security concerns. In a separate incident from December 2025, during an earlier visit, unidentified drones — likely of military specification — were spotted near his flight path as his plane approached Dublin Airport . Irish security sources suspected Russian involvement, though no definitive evidence was found
. Taoiseach Micheál Martin described the drone incident as "very concerning" but stated the drones did not pose a risk to Zelenskyy's aircraft, which had already landed
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