Russia launched a fresh wave of attacks on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, sparking fires in parts of the city, officials said, as the air alert was sounded in the early hours today.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital’s military administration, said two storage areas were hit and set on fire in the Holosiivskyi district just outside the city centre.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said drone debris had hit the ground in an open area in an eastern suburb and cars had been set ablaze. Reuters witnesses reported several explosions in the city.
Six people were injured elsewhere in a town outside Kharkiv, its regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
The attacks came just hours after Russian president Vladimir Putin vowed emphatic retaliation to Kyiv‘s recent long-range attacks on refineries, tankers and terminals that have caused widespread fuel shortages.
“Wherever they attempt to strike Russian territory, we will respond in kind, but our strikes will be several times more powerful,” Putin told a meeting with pro-Kremlin activists yesterday.
Ukrainian nationals injured in Iran missile strikes on UAE vessel
At least one Indian crew member was killed and eight others including Ukrainian nationals were wounded when two Emirati oil tankers were struck by Iranian cruise missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, the United Arab Emirates ministry of defence said on Tuesday, in the latest escalation in the strategic waterway.
Of the eight wounded, four were seriously injured. Six of the wounded were Indian nationals and two were Ukrainian nationals, the ministry said.
The ministry said the tankers, the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, were targeted in the southern lane of the strait while in Omani territorial waters. The dead crew member was aboard the Mombasa, it said.
Ukraine to produce French missiles and orders war planes, Macron says
French president Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that France would allow Ukraine to produce French-made cruise missiles, precision guided bombs and air defence interceptor missiles after Kyiv ordered next generation Franco-Italian air defence systems and Rafale fighter jets.
“Earlier this afternoon president (Volodymyr) Zelensky and I agreed on a roadmap between our two countries, implementing what had been agreed in principle last November regarding our bilateral defence cooperation,” Macron said at a news conference following a meeting of some 25 leaders in Paris.
Macron’s announcement marked the first time France has agreed to licence production to Ukraine, a move that would enable it to ramp up stocks at a time when Russia is intensifying strikes on the country.
The production centres around AASM precision-guided air-to-ground bombs, Aster air-defence interceptor missiles and SCALP, long-range air-launched cruise missiles, which Britain also produces. Macron said radar systems were also being ceded to Ukraine.
He said Zelensky had also ordered the delivery of next generation SAMP-T air defence systems, which would follow deliveries of the older version and a batch of missiles.
At least 16 Rafale warplanes would also be delivered with a view to operating in Ukraine’s skies by 2028-2029, Macron said.
Macron also said Ukraine’s allies had agreed to begin military exercises in countries neighbouring Ukraine as part of a plan for a multinational force that would deploy once there is a ceasefire with Russia.
Watch: Rescuers battle blaze as Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia leaves 12 injured
Russia-installed head of parts of Donetsk region says Ukrainian drones kill eight
The Russia-installed head of parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk Region under Moscow’s control said Ukrainian drone attacks had killed eight people, including a family of four.
Denis Pushilin, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the four people died in a strike on a village southwest of the region’s main city, also called Donetsk.
Russian forces control well over 70 per cent of Donetsk Region and Moscow has called on Kyiv to abandon the rest of that region and the three others it has annexed as part of any peace deal.
Ukraine has received all such demands.
Four others died in vehicles struck by drones, he said.
Ukraine and allies vow to protect Europe from ballistic missiles
Ukraine and nine other countries announced have said they were forming a coalition to protect Europe from ballistic missiles, utilising Kyiv’s experience in fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion for over four years.
“Our goal is to build a shared ballistic missile defense capability for Europe,” the 10 nations said in a statement in Paris at talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Zelensky and the leaders of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom said they recognised “the growing threat posed by ballistic missiles,” which are harder to stop than cruise missiles or drones.
“We believe that protecting Europe requires a comprehensive solution, in the form of an integrated missile defense architecture, to deter and neutralise future missile threats,” the statement said.
“We recognise Ukraine’s unique experience, gained through its defence against the war of aggression waged by Russia.”
The statement gave no time frame for setting up the defense system and said the plan remained open to other countries.
UK agrees deal to join EU Ukraine Support Loan scheme
Prime minister Keir Starmer signed Britain up to an EU defence loan for Ukraine on Monday, one of his last acts as the nation’s prime minister to try to improve London’s ties with the bloc after years of wrangling over Brexit.
Sir Keir announced the agreement, which will give British defence firms access to contracts funded by the €90bn ($102.59bn) Ukraine Support Loan, as he arrived in Paris for a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing group of Ukrainian allied countries.
“This agreement will help ensure Ukraine gets the support it needs to defend itself against Russian aggression, while backing British defence companies, supporting skilled jobs and strengthening our national security,” Sir Keir said in a statement.
Putin shows no signs of Russia backing down in attacks on Ukraine
Russian president Vladimir Putin was unyielding, as he vowed emphatic retaliation yesterday to Kyiv’s recent long-range attacks on refineries, tankers and terminals that have caused widespread fuel shortages.
“Wherever they attempt to strike Russian territory, we will respond in kind, but our strikes will be several times more powerful,” Putin told a meeting with pro-Kremlin activists.
European foreign ministers were meeting separately in Brussels where they discussed Ukraine’s needs and Russia’s threats to the continent.
Volodymyr Zelensky is keen to accelerate efforts with European countries to develop its air defences ahead of winter, when Russia usually intensifies its attacks to deny Ukrainians electricity, heat and water.
Ukrainian officials were in Paris to present a proposed Anti-Ballistic Program and meet with government leaders, national security advisers and defence companies who might take part, Zelensky said.
Zelensky says Ukraine will need 300 Patriots in winter to face Russia’s aggression
Volodymyr Zelensky has said war-hit Ukraine will need at least 300 Patriot missile interceptors to get through the next winter.
His request came as Ukraine and nine other countries announced they were forming a coalition to protect Europe from ballistic missiles, utilising Kyiv’s experience in fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion for over four years.
“We need to start preparing for next winter now. Of course, we are doing everything we can to push Russia toward diplomacy. And this is already the most difficult summer for Russia,” Zelensky said at the summit yesterday in Paris.
Ukraine can strengthen its overall position by securing a sufficient “winter package of air defence missiles,” he said.
“If we have enough protection for the winter, Russia will have far less reason to drag the war into the winter. We have calculated that this package should include 100 Patriot missiles per month – 300 missiles for the winter. Please consider this,” Zelensky said.
Russia strikes Kyiv with missiles and drones in fresh wave of attacks
Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with missiles in the early hours today, triggering fires in widely separated districts of the city, senior officials said.
The air alert in the city was lifted after about 50 minutes. No casualties were reported.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital’s military administration, said two storage areas were hit and set on fire in the Holosiivskyi district just outside the city centre.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said drone debris had hit the ground in an open area in an eastern suburb and cars had been set ablaze. Reuters witnesses reported several explosions in the city.
In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, Russian drones struck residential and other areas, injuring 11 people, emergency services said.
A drone attack in a town outside Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the northeast, injured six people, Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram.
Comment: Inside the Andy Burnham security pact which could reshape Britain’s future
There is a widespread view that Andy Burnham cannot negotiate a significantly better relationship with the European Union without breaking Labour’s manifesto commitments. If that were true, it would be a serious problem, since forging a closer partnership with the EU is one of the most important things that the UK’s next prime minister could do.
Fortunately, there is a way to cut a deal that is good for Britain while also respecting Labour’s promises not to rejoin the bloc, its single market or its customs union, at least until the next general election. The solution is to create a bold security pact covering far more than defence.
But first, Burnham will have to take the British people on a journey. Although a big majority think Brexit was a mistake, they do not yet regard it as one of the country’s most pressing problems.
Inside the Andy Burnham security pact which could reshape Britain’s future
The next prime minister faces a dangerous world and a weakened Britain. A bold defence agreement with Europe could restore the influence the country has lost, says former InFacts chair Hugo DixonMaira Butt14 July 2026 03:00NewerOlder