Ukraine Launches Large-Scale Drone Attack On Russia
Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed to have intercepted more than eight hundred drones across the country on Sunday, one of the largest aerial attacks by Ukraine this year, killing at least six people (CNN).
The Ukrainian attack included more than 600 hundred drones aimed at Moscow and the surrounding region, only 180 of which were shot down, according to Moscow’s Mayor Sergeu Sobyanin (NBC).
The Ukrainian military said the attack struck a Russian rocket fuel plant in the Rostov region bordering Moscow, as well as a warehouse belonging to Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries (The Independent).
Ukraine Strikes Grain Terminals at Black Sea Port, Halting Operations
At least two people were killed, and two major grain terminals halted operations after a significant Ukrainian attack on Russia’s Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk struck warships, regional authorities said (Reuters).
Russia Uses North Korean Ballistic Missiles in Attack, Killing Seven
A Russian strike on a steel plant in Zaporizhzhia killed seven; according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia used North Korean ballistic missiles for the attack (Reuters).
Separately, Russia released Robert Gilman, a former U.S. Marine who spent more than four years in a Russian prison on disputed charges (AP).
Ukrainian Strike Kills Thirteen in Russia
A Ukrainian drone attack on Nizhnekamsk, an industrial city home to one of Russia’s largest and most advanced oil refineries, killed thirteen and injured thirty-nine others, marking one of the deadliest attacks on Russian territory since the war began (NYT).
Ukraine, Russia Trade Strikes, Killing Seven
Ukraine and Russia traded overnight strikes, with Ukrainian drone attacks killing five in Belgorod, Russian missile attacks killing two in Kharkiv, and both attacks injuring dozens (AP).
Zelenskyy Visits Serbia for First Time
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid his first official visit to Serbia, which has maintained close ties with Moscow throughout its invasion of Ukraine, to discuss joining the EU and ways to expand cooperation; separately, overnight strikes on Kyiv killed four, including a child (AP).
Russian Strike on Kyiv Kills At Least Seventeen
Russian forces launched a missile attack on Kyiv and surrounding areas, killing at least seventeen people and injuring dozens more; it was the third major strike on the capital in a week as Ukraine’s supply of interceptor missiles for its Patriot batteries dwindled (NYT).
An official from Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said that a North Korean missile unit has begun deploying to western Russia and may be equipped with up to 120 ballistic missiles and 6 launchers for use against Ukraine (Reuters).
Ukraine Calls Russian Drone Attack on Civilian a War Crime
Ukraine accused Russia of a war crime after a video emerged of a drone pursuing and wounding a vegetable seller in Kherson; in a social media post, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of carrying out a “drone safari” against civilians (Reuters).
Ukraine, Russia Trade Strikes, Killing Ten
Russian planes dropped eight glide bombs on residential districts in Zaporizhzhia, killing one person and injuring dozens of others, regional chief Ivan Fedorov said; Ukrainian drone strikes in Arkhipo-Osipovka and Crimea killed nine (AP).
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Olha Stefanishyna as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, the latest move in a recent reshuffling of senior Ukrainian government officials (Reuters).
Ukrainian Strikes Kill Eight in Russia
Ukrainian drone strikes killed at least eight people in Russia, hitting targets including a warehouse belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, regional officials said (Reuters).
A bomb attack on a restaurant in Moscow killed three people and injured twenty-one others; Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin described it as a terrorist act but did not identify those responsible (AP).
Russian Strikes on Kyiv Kill Ten
Russia launched its second major missile attack on Kyiv in a week, killing ten people, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine had run out of interceptor missiles for its U.S. Patriot air defense systems (Reuters).
Poland summoned the Russian ambassador after a Russian missile landed in Polish territory the day prior (Reuters).
Russian Strikes Kill Nine in Ukraine
Russian overnight missile and drone attacks in Ukraine killed nine people, including children; following the attacks, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that delays in supplies of air defense missiles from allies were costing lives (Reuters).
NATO said a Russian missile entered Polish airspace during the attacks and landed in a rural area; Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called it “a very serious incident” (AP).
Ukraine Hits Two Major Russian Oil Refineries
Ukrainian forces struck two of Russia’s largest oil refineries overnight, starting fires at both, officials said (AP).
U.S. Shows Increased Support for Ukraine During Zelenskyy Visit
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met ahead of Lindsey Graham’s funeral and discussed ways for Ukraine to produce its own weapons and other forms of U.S. assistance; Zelenskyy described the meeting positively in a social media post (AP).
Hours later, the Senate passed a procedural vote to advance legislation imposing sanctions on countries that purchase Russian oil, gas, and other exports (AP).
Separately, Romania shot down Russian drones after they entered its airspace, the first such intercept by a NATO member on its own territory (AP).
Zelenskyy Meets New UK Prime Minister
Zelenskyy and new United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham met at a British naval base to discuss drone cooperation and Ukraine’s requirements for ballistic missile interceptors; it was the first visit by a foreign leader since Burnham took office, and Burnham pledged continued UK support for Ukraine (AP).
Separately, Russian attacks in eastern Ukraine killed seven people and injured more than twenty, officials said (Reuters).
Ukrainian Strikes in Zaporizhzhia Kill Twelve
Twelve people, including four children, were killed in an overnight drone attack in a Russian-held part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, Russian-installed local authorities said (AP).
Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia is preparing to receive an additional thirty thousand North Korean troops to help in its war effort (Reuters).
Russian Strikes Near Kyiv Kill Ten
A Russian strike in Ukraine’s Kyiv region killed ten people and injured nearly one hundred others at the site of a defense industry event, Ukrainian government and industry officials said (AP).
The attacks came one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Raytheon, the U.S. company that makes the Patriot air defense system, and President Trump said his administration would grant Ukraine a license to build it (President of Ukraine).
Zelenskyy Removes Top Ukrainian General
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy removed his top general, Oleksandr Syrskyi, amid ongoing public protests over Zelenskyy’s earlier dismissal of Ukraine’s defense minister (NYT)
Russian Attack in Black Sea Kills Ten
A Russian missile strike on a ship carrying corn near Ukraine’s southern port of Odesa killed ten, Ukrainian officials said, in the deadliest attack in a weeks-long flare-up of violence in the Black Sea (Reuters)
Separately, Ukraine responded to the attacks by firing more than four hundred drones toward Moscow; meanwhile, protests in Ukraine have continued over the recent ousting of the defense minister (AP)
North Korea’s Top Diplomat Meets Putin in Kremlin
North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, where Putin thanked her for help in Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine; Choe confirmed North Korea’s “unwavering understanding and support” for Putin’s war effort (AP).
Russian Strikes Kill At Least Six in Ukraine
Russia bombarded Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with ballistic missiles, killing at least six and wounding dozens (AP)
Protests Erupt in Ukraine Over Defense Minister Dismissal
Hundreds of people took to the streets in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities to demand an explanation for President Zelenskyy’s dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov (Reuters)
Separately, Ukraine and Russia launched missile and drone attacks on vessels in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, triggering a rise in global wheat prices (Reuters)
Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Forced Out
Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov was ousted amid President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s latest government restructuring; he was a prominent proponent of fighting with drones and robots, helping to shape Ukraine’s recent innovative military strategy (NYT)
Meanwhile, Ukraine and the European Union have launched a new EU-Ukraine Defense Industrial Partnership aiming to combine Kyiv’s expertise with EU industrial capacity to scale up weapons production in Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said (AP)
Separately, Russia and Ukraine have both stepped up their battle over the Black Sea and key trade routes, with Moscow killing three people in an attack on Odesa and Kyiv’s drone forces striking Russian shipping (Reuters)
Russia Accuses Ukraine of Terrorism Over Sea of Azov Attacks
Russia accused Ukraine of terrorism over its escalating attacks on shipping in the Sea of Azov after Ukrainian drones hit eleven Russian vessels overnight, according to Ukraine’s drone forces commander (Reuters)
Shipping Restricted in Russia’s Key Azov Sea Grains Trade Route
Shipping in the Sea of Azov, the route for a quarter of Russia’s grains exports, remained restricted following Ukrainian attacks on tankers and other commercial vessels in the area (Reuters)
Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was “deeply saddened” by the death of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, who had visited Ukraine ten times since Russia’s full-scale invasion; Oleksandr Merezhko, a lawmaker with Zelenskyy’s party, called Graham the “closest link” between Ukraine and the United States and said that Ukraine’s relationship with Trump may become weaker as a result of Graham’s death (AP)
During a summit on security guarantees for Ukraine held in Paris, Ukraine and nine other countries announced they are forming a coalition to protect Europe from ballistic missiles (AP)