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Russia has attacked a civilian ship near the Black Sea port of Odesa, Kyiv has said, hours after Vladimir Putin vowed a powerful retaliation to Ukrainian attacks on its territory.
The Russian president said Moscow would respond to Ukrainian attacks on its territory with retaliatory strikes that would be “several times more powerful”, adding that the scale of such responses would increase.
Moscow’s economy is increasingly strained by Kyiv’s recent long-range attacks on refineries, tankers and terminals that have caused widespread fuel shortages.
No casualties have been reported in the attack, Ukrainian navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk said.
Moscow also launched fresh attacks on Kyiv, sparking fires in parts of the city, officials said, as the air alert was sounded in the early hours today.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said drone debris had hit the ground in an open area in an eastern suburb and cars had been set ablaze.
Six people were injured elsewhere in a town outside Kharkiv, its regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Some 500 soldiers from the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ backing Ukraine marched down Paris’ Champs-Elysees on Tuesday in the annual Bastille Day parade, in what France said would be a symbol of Europe’s strategic awakening.
France’s traditional national day military parade fell one day after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky joined around 25 leaders in Paris for a summit of the coalition of Western allies supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia.
The allies announced an air-defence coalition asUkraine grapples with critical ammunition shortages and intensifying Russian strikes on its capital Kyiv and surrounding regions.
Zelensky, British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and German chancellor Friedrich Merz were among about 30 leaders invited by Emmanuel Macron to watch Tuesday’s parade, the French president’s last before he leaves office in 2027.
It featured around 25 Ukrainian soldiers marching along the capital’s most famous avenue.
Soldiers from countries of the Coalition of the Willing march during the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris (Reuters)
Alex Croft14 July 2026 12:01
We’re seeing reports from the Ukrainian military of fresh strikes on two Russian oil refineries.
Facilities in the Bashkortostan and Krasnodar regions were attacked overnight, the military said.
Ukraine’s General Staff said on Telegram the strikes caused fires at the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat complex as well as near the Afipsky oil refinery.
We’re working to bring you more on the attack.
Alex Croft14 July 2026 11:30
Senator Lindsey Graham’s sudden death has removed a “vital diplomatic buffer between Washington and Kyiv”, experts have said, complicating support for Ukraine at a vital juncture of the war with Russia.
Jaroslava Barbieri, a Research Fellow at the Ukraine Forum at Chatham House, told the Independent that Graham has been a critical voice in US foreign policy when it comes to support for Ukraine.
The Republican senator for South Carolina was one of few vocally pro-Ukraine voices in the Republican Party. He used his leverage in the Senate to lobby for military aid to Ukraine dating back to Russia’s initial illegal invasion of Crimea in 2014, per CNN.
Since the invasion of Crimea, Graham, a prominent foreign policy hawk, has pushed for legislation that would prevent the U.S. from ever recognising seized Ukrainian land as Russian, maintaining NATO funding, and increasing sanctions on the Russian economy.
A picture taken on July 10, 2026 shows U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaking to the media after his meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (Reuters)
He even once called for someone in Vladimir Putin’s inner circle to assassinate the Russian president, saying they would be “doing your country – and the world – a great service,” per the Associated Press.
Ms Barbieri told the Independent: “Senator Lindsey Graham served as a crucial bridge between traditional Republican foreign policy hawks and Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ administration, using his direct personal access to champion robust support for Ukraine and secure recent White House backing for major secondary sanctions against Russia.
“His sudden passing removes a vital diplomatic buffer between Washington and Kyiv.”
Graham, 71, passed away suddenly from what a preliminary medical report has called an aortic dissection on Saturday.
Alex Croft14 July 2026 11:02
Russian forces have attacked a civilian vessel near Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa, Ukrainian navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk has said.
No casualties have been reported in the attack, Pletenchuk added.
Odesa, Ukraine’s most important Black Sea port that is not under Russian occupation, has come under sustained Russian attack since it launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Alex Croft14 July 2026 10:30
Alex Croft14 July 2026 10:01
Ukrainian drones hit 11 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov overnight, Kyiv’s drone forces commander said on Tuesday.
In a statement on Telegram, Robert Brovdi said the targets included five tankers, five dry cargo vessels and a tugboat, bringing the total number of vessels struck in the past nine days to 116.
Alex Croft14 July 2026 09:35
Moscow has said it it may divert cargo that was carried by cargo vessels via the Sea of Azov to other modes of transport on other routes due to increased Ukrainian attacks.
Russia is taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of vessels in the Sea of Azov, the Transport Ministry said.
Alex Croft14 July 2026 09:29
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.
(Reuters)
Arpan Rai14 July 2026 08:22
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk says it seemed very unlikely that peace in Ukraine would be reached soon and he expected Russia to extend the conflict at least until the winter.
“These will be exercises that prepare the entire coalition (of the willing) gathered today in Paris for such real security guarantees for Ukraine, but also for the region,” he said this morning.
Tusk said he had discussed the situation with Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
“At this point, it seems unlikely that a ceasefire or peace agreement will be reached in the near future, given the rigid stance of Russia and Putin,” Tusk told journalists in Paris.
“Everyone expects an escalation of actions from Russia at this time, and it’s quite likely that Russia will want to prolong this war at least until the winter,” he said.
Tusk said Poland would host military exercises with French and British troops in the autumn so that they can be prepared to ensure security for Ukraine and the region after a peace agreement or ceasefire is eventually reached.
Arpan Rai14 July 2026 08:16
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.
Arpan Rai14 July 2026 08:02