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Russia has launched a new barrage of drones and missiles in an overnight attack on Ukraine, killing at least two people.
Vladimir Putin’s forces launched 597 drones and 26 missiles targeting the west of the country on Saturday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram.
At least two people were killed in the city of Chernivtsi on the border with Romania. Western Ukrainian cities of Lviv, Lutsk, and Chernivtsi suffered the most due to the Russian attacks, and other Ukrainian regions were also hit, foreign minister Andriy Sybiha said. “Russia continues to escalate its terror,” he said in a post on X.
The attack comes as Donald Trump is expected to send weapons to Kyiv.
The US president said he is set to make a “major statement” on Russia on Monday as he grows frustrated with the Mr Putin amid intensified attacks on Ukraine.
“We’re sending weapons to Nato, and Nato is paying for those weapons, 100 per cent,” Mr Trump told NBC News.
The US president has also issued an ominous warning to the Russian president after a maternity ward in Kharkiv was damaged in a drone strike. “You’ll be seeing things happen,” he said.
UK must prepare for possible war with Russia within five years, ex-British Army chief warns
Britain must prepare for the possibility of war with Russia within the next five years, the former head of the British Army has warned.
General Sir Patrick Sanders, who stepped down as Chief of the General Staff last summer, told The Telegraph that a conflict with Russia by 2030 was a “realistic possibility”.
The UK government needs to act swiftly to improve national resilience, he said.
“If Russia stops fighting in Ukraine, within months they could have the capability to launch a limited attack on a Nato member, which would require our support,” Sir Patrick told The Telegraph.
Read the full report on his comments here:
Jabed Ahmed12 July 2025 12:32
Italian drone company may offer tech to Ukraine but has no plans for a local plant, CEO says
Italy’s Leonardo is open to supplying technology for drones but it does not plan to open a factory in Ukraine, the chief executive of the state-controlled defence group told daily Corriere della Sera in an interview published on Saturday.
Rome hosted a conference on Thursday to mobilise international support for Ukraine, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the participants pledged more than 10 billion euros (£8.6 billion) to help the war-torn country.
Leonardo has clinched an agreement with Turkish defence company Baykar and will soon begin production of drones in Italy, the Italian group’s CEO Roberto Cingolani told Corriere, adding that Baykar was cooperating with Ukraine.
“We, in cooperation with other players, can make a technological contribution. We will see what the real demands are,” Cingolani told the paper.
Leonardo could help with equipment that makes drones more effective, the CEO said without elaborating.
Rachel Clun12 July 2025 12:15
Ukraine supporters in Washington anxiously await Trump’s ‘major statement’ on Russia
Ukraine’s supporters in Washington have been waiting for months for Donald Trump to throw his support behind a bipartisan bill that would hit Russia with sanctions.
The bill, which aims to pressure Moscow into entering good-faith peace negotiations with Ukraine, has gained momentum this week in Congress, but it still lacks the presidential push it needs to get over the finish line.
Now, the bill’s supporters are anxiously awaiting what the Republican president has said will be a “major statement” on Russia on Monday.
Trump, who vowed during his election campaign to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has given no details on what his planned announcement would entail, but over the past few weeks he has grown increasingly and publicly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin over his reluctance to accept a ceasefire and the growing civilian death toll of Russian attacks.
Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters earlier in the week that the Senate could vote on the bill this month.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have privately told European diplomats that the bill will move imminently, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.
(Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Rachel Clun12 July 2025 11:49
Civilians injured in Russian barrage
In Russia’s latest attack on Ukraine involving 597 drones and 26 missiles, two people were killed and 20 were injured, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Ukraine’s Western cities of Lviv, Lutsk, and Chernivtsi suffered the most during the overnight attack, officials said.
Ruslan Zaparaniuk, the governor of the Chernivetskyi region, said that a 26-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man were killed and 14 others wounded as Russian drones and a missile struck the city, located about 40 km (24 miles) from Ukraine’s border with Romania.
Several fires broke out across the city, and residential houses and administrative buildings were damaged, regional officials said.
In the city of Lviv, on Ukraine’s border with Poland, 46 residential houses, a university building, the city’s courts, and about 20 buildings housing small and medium-sized businesses were damaged in the attack, the mayor said.
“Windows and doors were blown out. Curtains fell, TV set was hurled. The apartment is covered in glass shards. It is horrible,” Oleh Sidorov, 64, told Reuters in Lviv. “I want to clean the apartment. But I do not know how I will sleep during the night, there is no window.
A resident is seen at the site of buildings damaged during Russian drone and missile strikes in Lviv (REUTERS)
Rachel Clun, Reuters12 July 2025 11:32
Russian foreign minister meets with Kim Jong Un
Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a visit to North Korea on Saturday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting in Wonsan, (via REUTERS)
Rachel Clun12 July 2025 11:16
Ukraine’s PM says more pressure on Russia is critical for EU safety
Ukraine’s prime minister says increasing pressure on Russia to halt its war is also critical for the safety of Europe as a whole.
Speaking about the overnight attacks from Russia which killed two people and injured another 20, Denys Shmyhal said the western regions of the country were hit hardest.
“This attack is another warning to the world that the enemy is not going to stop. We have to increase pressure on the aggressor, impose sanctions on the sectors that finance the war to force Russia to peace,” he said on X.
“Ukraine needs more weapons and resources from its partners to effectively counter the invader. Supporting Ukraine is a matter of security for the whole of Europe.”
Firefighters and a police officer work at the site of an apartment building damaged during Russian drone and missile strikes (via REUTERS)
Rachel Clun12 July 2025 10:58
ICYMI: Zelensky accuses Russia of ‘pure terrorism’ after new wave of drone strikesZelensky accuses Russia of ‘pure terrorism’ after new wave of drone strikes
Rachel Clun12 July 2025 10:39
In pictures: Aftermath of Russian attack on Lviv
(AFP via Getty Images)
(REUTERS)
(REUTERS)
(REUTERS)
Rachel Clun12 July 2025 10:20
Zelensky confirmed two dead, 20 injured in barrage of Russian attacks
Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that two people have been killed and 20 others injured in a huge barrage of overnight attacks.
The “vast majority” of the nearly 600 drones and 26 missiles were destroyed by Ukrainian air defences, Zelensky said, but some hit their targets.
”Sadly, there were hits on civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings. As of now, 2 people have been reported killed in Chernivtsi. My condolences to their families and loved ones. Around 20 more people injured in the attack are receiving all the necessary assistance,” The Ukrainian president said on X.
“The pace of Russia’s aerial strikes demands swift decisions – and it can be curbed through sanctions right now. Tough secondary sanctions are needed against everyone helping the Russians produce drones and profiteer from oil.
“More air defence systems are needed, along with investments in interceptor drones, which are already delivering good results. This war can only be stopped through strength. We expect not just signals from our partners, but actions that will save lives.”
A car burning following mass Russian strikes in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv (Ukrainian State Emergency Servic)
Rachel Clun12 July 2025 10:04
Ukraine says Russian attacks hit cities 30 miles from EU border
Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister says Russia has continued to escalate the scale of its attacks on Ukraine, after Moscow launched 597 drones and 26 cruise missiles at targets across the country.
Yulia Svyrydenko said cities just 50 km (31 miles) from the border with the European Union were attacked, highlighting the risk to the rest of the continent.
“Cities 1,000 km from the front — and just 50 km from the EU border — were attacked. This is rapidly growing threat to all of Europe, and failure to recognise it as such only assures the eventual cost increases with every passing day,” she said.
“This cycle of escalation must be stopped. It requires stronger sanctions, more air defence systems, and greater investment in interceptors. Signals are no longer enough. Lives depend on decisive action.”
A firefighter works at the site of a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Lviv (via REUTERS)
Rachel Clun12 July 2025 09:48