Ukraine and Russia have vowed to escalate fighting hours after Moscow unleashed its deadliest bombardment on Kyiv, killing 27 people.
The attack left 91 injured and more than 130 buildings were destroyed. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said his forces would “definitely” retaliate in response to the overnight attacks.
Kyiv mayor, Vitali Klitschko, announced a day of mourning in the capital for Friday. He said that damage was recorded across the city of about three million, with some buildings heavily damaged.
Moscow said the attacks were retaliation for Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia. The Kremlin said Russian military commanders had briefed president Vladimir Putin about the Russian attacks, adding that Moscow would increase pressure to achieve its war aims.
“In total, Russia launched more than 70 missiles of various types against Ukraine overnight, nearly half of them ballistic missiles, along with almost 500 attack drones, including jet-powered ‘shaheds’. The main strike was directed at Kyiv,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky blamed the destruction in part on a failure of allies to deliver promised air defences.
"If our partners had delivered on their promises in a timely manner, I think we could have saved more homes and lives today," said Zelensky.
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Key Points
- 27 killed as Russia bombards Kyiv in deadliest strike this year
- Moscow: Kyiv attack was retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on our infrastructure
- Trump wants Ukraine war settled so 'senseless killing' ends, says official
- Ukraine and US negotiators held talks in past two days, says Zelensky
27 killed as Russia bombards Kyiv in deadliest strike this year
04:45 , Arpan RaiAt least 27 people were killed and 91 left injured after Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine's capital Kyiv yesterday.
The strikes damaged around 130 buildings in the deadliest attack on the capital this year.
Multiple explosions shook central Kyiv and reverberated across the capital throughout the night as thousands of residents rushed to bomb shelters and underground metro stations. Huge columns of smoke filled the skyline.
The death toll climbed to 27 after an injured person died in hospital, and 91 were injured, the head of the capital's military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, said on Telegram.
Tkachenko had earlier warned that the toll was likely to rise as rescue teams worked through the night, sifting through rubble in search of trapped residents.
He said teams at one site in an eastern suburb on the capital's left bank of the Dnipro River had recovered five bodies while eight residents were unaccounted for.
Ukraine and US negotiators held talks in past two days, says Zelensky
04:31 , Arpan RaiA senior Ukrainian defence official, Rustem Umerov, and president Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner have held talks in the past two days, president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Speaking at one of the sites targeted in a devastating Russian attack on Kyiv as rescuers sifted through rubble, Zelensky said he still hoped Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff would visit Ukraine even though US-backed peace efforts to end the war have stalled for months.
Zelensky added that he hoped to have a meeting with Trump on the sidelines of a Nato summit in the Turkish capital Ankara next week.
Trump wants Ukraine war settled so 'senseless killing' ends, says official
04:18 , Arpan RaiA US official has said Donald Trump wants the war in Ukraine to end so the killings end, a US official said.
Trump “wants this war settled so the senseless killing ends”, the official said after 27 people were killed in Russian strikes on Kyiv.
The president “remains optimistic that we’ll ultimately get a peace deal done”, they said.
Russian attacks kill two and injures eight in Ukraine overnight
04:04 , Arpan RaiAt least two people were killed and another eight injured in Russian overnight attacks on Ukraine, officials said on Telegram in the early hours of Friday.
In the bordering Sumy region, two were killed and one injured after Russian drones hit a private house, said Oleh Hryhorov, head of the regional military administration.
In the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, hometown of president Volodymyr Zelensky, seven people were injured after a Russian missile strike on the densely built urban area, said Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the city's defence council.
A day of mourning will be observed in Kyiv on Friday after nearly three dozen people were killed there on Thursday in the deadliest Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital this year.
Germany charges Ukrainian for Nord Stream attacks in 2022
03:00 , Alex CroftGerman federal prosecutors has said that a Ukrainian national tied to the Nord Stream pipeline blasts has been charged with being an accomplice to a war crime, disruption of public services, causing an explosion and destroying structures.
Serhii K, as the suspect is known under German privacy rules, is suspected of acting on behalf of Ukrainian government entities, along with other military personnel, to destroy the pipelines in 2022.
Birds in Ukraine build nests with fibre optic cable
02:01 , Alex CroftPoland detains two men suspected of spying for Belarus
Friday 3 July 2026 00:29 , Alex CroftPolish security services have detained a Belarusian citizen and a Polish citizen suspected of spying on Belarusian exiles on behalf of the Belarusian intelligence services, Polish security services said on Thursday.
"Men paid by Belarusian intelligence participated in events organized in Warsaw by the Belarusian minority, where they recorded and photographed participants," the spokesperson, Jacek Dobrzynski, wrote on X.
"The collected materials – passed across the eastern border – were used by (President Alexander) Lukashenko's services and regime propaganda."
The two arrests were part of an ongoing case in which three Belarusians and two Ukrainians were already detained last November.
A court ordered the 19-year-old Belarusian citizen to be held for three months, while the Polish citizen, 44, was barred from leaving the country and placed under police supervision.
The Belarusian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ukraine, Putin or call centre fraud: The theories behind assassination attempt on Ukrainian tycoon in Monaco
Thursday 2 July 2026 23:31 , Alex CroftUkraine, Putin or call centre fraud: The theories behind assassination attempt on Ukrainian tycoon in Monaco
Vadym Iermolaiev was returning to his apartment in Monaco on a warm summer night last Monday with a woman and child when the bomb exploded.
Within seconds, the Ukrainian oligarch and the woman and child were lying covered in blood on the floor outside the building on the Rue Révérend-Père-Louis-Frolla.
The suspect, who dropped a suspected parcel bomb in the lobby, had already fled the scene. A manhunt to locate him is ongoing, while Iermolaiev and the other two victims are being treated for serious injuries at the Pasteur Hospital in Nice.
Two days since the attack, the case remains shrouded in mystery with sources offering various theories for why Iermolaiev, one of Ukraine’s richest men, was targeted.
Read more here:
Everything we know about the Monaco attack on a Ukrainian oligarch
Putin briefed on Kyiv attack as Kremlin vows to keep pressure on Ukraine
Thursday 2 July 2026 22:31 , Alex CroftPresident Vladimir Putin has been briefed by his top military commander about a massive overnight Russian strike on Kyiv, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
Peskov added that Moscow would continue to increase pressure on Ukraine in order to achieve its goals.
At least 17 people were killed in the attack, and scores wounded.
In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Europe of escalating tensions, and said Russia was unable to turn a blind eye to such moves.
Death toll from strikes rises to 25
Thursday 2 July 2026 21:42 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe number of people killed in Russian strikes on Kyiv overnight has risen to 25, authorities have said.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital's military administration, said on Telegram that the death toll stood at 25 and was likely to rise as rescue teams worked through the night, sifting through rubble in search of trapped residents.
He said teams at one site in an eastern suburb on the capital's left bank of the Dnipro River had recovered five bodies while eight residents were unaccounted for.
"Rescue crews will work without interruption until all the debris is cleared," he wrote. "Unfortunately, more victims may still be found."
Taiwan turns to drones as it seeks to replicate Ukraine's stellar defence
Thursday 2 July 2026 21:28 , Alex CroftTaiwan needs a "hornet's nest" of drones to help deter conflict and provide security, the top US diplomat to the democratically governed island said on Thursday.
Taiwan says it needs to bolster its defences in the face of a stepped-up threat from China, which claims the island as its own territory.
The US and Taiwan can anchor "democratic" drone production and strengthen the collective deterrence posture of the free world, said Raymond Greene, director of the American Institute in Taiwan and the de facto US ambassador.
"Fortunately for Taiwan, drones have significantly boosted defenders, even when facing overwhelming odds," he added, referring to the war in Ukraine.
"Nothing will deter conflict more effectively than turning Taiwan into a hornet's nest of air, surface, and subsurface drones."
Watch: Crew rescues survivors after Putin's latest attack on Kyiv
Thursday 2 July 2026 20:30 , Alex CroftKallas: Words of condemnation will not stop Russia - we need more sanctions
Thursday 2 July 2026 19:30 , Alex CroftWe’ve earlier from European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who has responded to Russia’s large scale attack on Kyiv.
She said on Thursday she would propose more sanctions against Russia following a new wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine.
“Words of condemnation alone will not stop attacks on Kyiv. Only sustained military support for Ukraine and increased pressure on Moscow can do that,” she wrote on X.
"Today, I will propose to sanction more entities supporting Russia's military-industrial complex in response to the strikes. The more Moscow attacks civilians, the more sanctions must be imposed.”
Words of condemnation alone will not stop attacks on Kyiv. Only sustained military support for Ukraine and increased pressure on Moscow can do that.
— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) July 2, 2026
This week, the EU has started disbursing €6 billion under the €90 billion support loan to strengthen Kyiv’s defences.
Today, I…
Half a million dead but just 40sq km gained in six months: Impact of Putin’s devastating war in numbers
Thursday 2 July 2026 18:30 , Alex CroftAfter a bleak winter which saw months of fierce Russian bombing of Ukrainian energy infrastructure, the future is beginning to look more positive for Kyiv.
Nearly four-and-a-half years since Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s frontline advances have slowed almost to a halt, as Ukrainian counter-attacks and defensive tactics become more effective.
Successes in local counterattacks have become more frequent, as Ukrainian forces scale up their use of ground robots and short-range drone warfare.
But most importantly, Kyiv has succeeded in bringing home the war to Russia, inflicting costly damage to its fuel infrastructure which has caused major shortages. This has fomented public discontent in Russia, increasing the pressure on Putin to end the conflict.
The cost of his war is laid bare in data showing the scale of Russian losses, offset against such small gains in territory.
Read our ‘In Numbers’ piece on the cost of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.
Europe has largely filled funding gaps left by US, says Nato commander
Thursday 2 July 2026 17:29 , Alex CroftEuropean NATO allies have largely filled the gaps left by the United States in the alliance's defence plans, NATO's top commander said on Thursday.
US Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich added that the bloc was looking at workarounds to address the remaining shortfalls in a few areas.
"Most may not know – although there was some reporting overnight about this – that in a matter of weeks, European allies have largely filled the gaps left by U.S. reductions to the NATO Force Model," he said.
"And in those few areas where they haven't, where they do not currently have a like capability to replace, we are looking at alternate capabilities with matching effect."
Citing a NATO source, Reuters reported on Wednesday that NATO will announce at next week's Ankara summit that its European members have filled almost all the gaps left by the United States in the alliance's defence plans.
In pictures: Zelensky visits scene of huge Russian attack in Kyiv
Thursday 2 July 2026 16:29 , Alex Croft
Death toll in Russian attack on Kyiv rises to 21 in one of the war's biggest attacks
Thursday 2 July 2026 15:56 , Alex CroftThe death toll in Russia’s huge attack on Kyiv has increased to 21, emergency services said.
Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine's capital Kyiv in the early hours on Thursday, wounding scores more and damaging around 130 buildings in one of the biggest attacks of the war.
Multiple explosions shook central Kyiv and reverberated across the capital throughout the night as thousands of residents rushed to bomb shelters and underground metro stations. Huge columns of smoke filled the skyline.
The attack was the deadliest in Kyiv since at least May, and the wide spread of destruction across the breadth of the capital had little precedent even in a war now in its fifth year.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, who cut short his visit to Ireland and rushed home, visited a site on the city's left bank where a nine-storey residential building was half destroyed. He blamed the destruction in part on a failure of allies to deliver promised air defenses.
"If our partners had delivered on their promises in a timely manner, I think we could have saved more homes and lives today," said Zelenskiy, who looked tired and visibly frustrated. "All we ask of our partners is simply to do what we’ve agreed on. We’re not even asking for more."
Ukrainian drone attack injures two on tourist bus, says Russia
Thursday 2 July 2026 15:52 , Alex CroftA Ukrainian drone attack injured two people travelling aboard a tourist bus from the Belarusian capital Minsk to the Russian Black Sea resort town of Anapa on Thursday, Russian state media reported.
The government in Russia's Bryansk region, on the borders of Ukraine and Belarus, told Sputnik Belarus news agency that two drivers suffered minor injuries in the attack, which occurred at the Krasniy Kamen border crossing between Russia and Belarus.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
Bryansk and the neighbouring Kursk region regularly come under Ukrainian shelling, resulting in injuries and deaths of local residents and damage to local infrastructure.
Russia accused Ukraine of conducting a deadly drone strike on a bus carrying Belarusian schoolchildren in a separate incident in the Bryansk region last month. Ukraine's military denied attacking the bus, which was transporting members of a youth soccer team from Belarus to southern Russia.
US and Ukrainian negotiators held talks in past two days - Zelensky
Thursday 2 July 2026 15:29 , Alex CroftA senior Ukrainian defence official, Rustem Umerov, and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner have held talks in the past two days, president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday.
Speaking at one of the sites targeted in a devastating Russian attack on Kyiv as rescuers sifted through rubble, Mr Zelensky said he still hoped Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff would visit Ukraine even though US-backed peace efforts to end the war have stalled for months.
Mr Zelensky added that he hoped to have a meeting with Trump on the sidelines of a NATO summit in the Turkish capital Ankara next week.
Poland accuses Ukraine of failing to deliver promised drone tech
Thursday 2 July 2026 14:05 , Alex CroftUkraine has failed to deliver promised drone technology despite Poland's military support and willingness to transfer MiG-29 fighter jets, Polish defence minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told Polish radio broadcaster Trojka on Thursday.
Poland has been one of Ukraine's strongest backers since Russia began its full-scale invasion in 2022, providing military aid and serving as a key logistics hub for Western assistance.
However, relations have periodically been strained by disputes over historical issues and agricultural imports.
The latest tensions come after Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky of Poland's highest state honour amid a dispute over a Ukrainian military unit named after insurgents Warsaw blames for massacres of Poles during World War Two.
Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Thursday that discussions on the transfer of the remaining MiG-29 fighter jets to Kyiv in exchange for access to Ukrainian drone technology had been going on for months.
"Initially, they agreed to such a resolution, but today they are not honouring the agreement," Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
"If Ukraine is already able to sell drones to Kuwait and generate revenue from it while at war, then it is capable of reciprocating to those who provide their equipment and—at times, symbolically—sharing its own capabilities," Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
Russian soldiers ‘surviving average of 20 minutes when they reach frontline due to drone attacks’
Thursday 2 July 2026 13:39 , Alex CroftRussian troops in some areas of the Ukrainian frontline can expect to live for between 20 to 35 minutes due to rising drone attacks, according to an estimate from Russian military bloggers.
The estimate, cited by Oxford historian Peter Frankopan in a report for Foreign Policy, lays bare the increasingly dangerous conditions for the Russian army as Ukraine evolves its drone capabilities.
Moscow has been accused of employing a ‘meat-grinder’ strategy, in which it sends vast numbers of troops to the Ukrainian frontline in an attempt to slowly grind down Kyiv’s heavily-fortified defences.
But with drones now dominating the war, Russia is losing men at a fast rate, with an average of 30,000 monthly casualties in 2026. Some estimates even suggest Russia is suffering eight men killed or wounded for every one lost by Kyiv.
Read more here:
Russian soldiers ‘surviving just 20 minutes on frontline due to drone attacks’
Russia claims it has seized village in Donetsk region
Thursday 2 July 2026 13:15 , Alex CroftRussia's Defence Ministry said on Thursday that its forces have taken the village of Pyskunivka, in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.
The Independent was not able to independently verify the battlefield report - but we’ll bring you more when we have it.
Germany condemns Russia's strike on Kyiv
Thursday 2 July 2026 12:53 , Alex CroftGermany's foreign ministry condemned Russia's major strike on Kyiv on Thursday, stating their condemnation was in the strongest possible terms.
In a statement, it vowed to continue supporting Ukraine in its struggle against Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin "shows no willingness to negotiate," said the ministry in a statement, adding that continued backing for Ukraine would be the focus of next week's Nato summit.
Germany charges Ukrainian for Nord Stream attacks in 2022
Thursday 2 July 2026 12:31 , Alex CroftGerman federal prosecutors has said that a Ukrainian national tied to the Nord Stream pipeline blasts has been charged with being an accomplice to a war crime, disruption of public services, causing an explosion and destroying structures.
Serhii K, as the suspect is known under German privacy rules, is suspected of acting on behalf of Ukrainian government entities, along with other military personnel, to destroy the pipelines in 2022.
Watch: Birds in Ukraine build nests with fibre optic cable
Thursday 2 July 2026 12:09 , Alex CroftPoland detains two men suspected of spying for Belarus
Thursday 2 July 2026 11:46 , Alex CroftPolish security services have detained a Belarusian citizen and a Polish citizen suspected of spying on Belarusian exiles on behalf of the Belarusian intelligence services, Polish security services said on Thursday.
"Men paid by Belarusian intelligence participated in events organized in Warsaw by the Belarusian minority, where they recorded and photographed participants," the spokesperson, Jacek Dobrzynski, wrote on X.
"The collected materials – passed across the eastern border – were used by (President Alexander) Lukashenko's services and regime propaganda."
The two arrests were part of an ongoing case in which three Belarusians and two Ukrainians were already detained last November.
A court ordered the 19-year-old Belarusian citizen to be held for three months, while the Polish citizen, 44, was barred from leaving the country and placed under police supervision.
The Belarusian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Putin briefed on Kyiv attack as Kremlin vows to keep pressure on Ukraine
Thursday 2 July 2026 11:25 , Alex CroftPresident Vladimir Putin has been briefed by his top military commander about a massive overnight Russian strike on Kyiv, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
Peskov added that Moscow would continue to increase pressure on Ukraine in order to achieve its goals.
At least 17 people were killed in the attack, and scores wounded.
In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Europe of escalating tensions, and said Russia was unable to turn a blind eye to such moves.
Ukraine, Putin or call centre fraud: The theories behind assassination attempt on Ukrainian tycoon in Monaco
Thursday 2 July 2026 11:02 , Alex CroftVadym Iermolaiev was returning to his apartment in Monaco on a warm summer night last Monday with a woman and child when the bomb exploded.
Within seconds, the Ukrainian oligarch and the woman and child were lying covered in blood on the floor outside the building on the Rue Révérend-Père-Louis-Frolla.
The suspect, who dropped a suspected parcel bomb in the lobby, had already fled the scene. A manhunt to locate him is ongoing, while Iermolaiev and the other two victims are being treated for serious injuries at the Pasteur Hospital in Nice.
Two days since the attack, the case remains shrouded in mystery with sources offering various theories for why Iermolaiev, one of Ukraine’s richest men, was targeted.
Read more here:
Everything we know about the Monaco attack on a Ukrainian oligarch
Kyrgyzstan asks neighbours to boost fuel supplies amid Russian shortages
Thursday 2 July 2026 10:39 , Alex CroftKyrgyzstan has asked Kazakhstan, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to help ensure stable fuel supplies late on Wednesday, amid concerns over potential shortages linked to Ukraine's drone strikes against Russian oil refineries.
The Central Asian country of 7 million people imports more than 90 per cent of its gasoline from Russia, which is itself facing acute fuel shortages following Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure.
Russian president Vladimir Putin said last week that Moscow may ban diesel exports, acknowledging mounting domestic shortages.
"To ensure sustainable fuel supplies, official requests have been sent to the relevant government authorities of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan", Kyrgyzstan's energy ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said fuel stocks remain sufficient and supplies are proceeding as planned. In June, Kyrgyz authorities introduced price controls on some retail fuel sales.
Death toll in Russian attack on Kyiv rises to 17, with 86 injured
Thursday 2 July 2026 10:17 , Alex CroftThe death toll following a Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv early on Thursday has risen to 17, Ukraine's emergency services said.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko earlier said 13 had been killed and another 86 injured.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said 20 residential buildings were damaged across the city.
The Emergency Service says it deployed nearly 500 personnel and 100 units of specialized vehicles, including a helicopter, to deal with the aftermath of the attack.
Taiwan turns to drones as it seeks to replicate Ukraine's stellar defence
Thursday 2 July 2026 09:55 , Alex CroftTaiwan needs a "hornet's nest" of drones to help deter conflict and provide security, the top US diplomat to the democratically governed island said on Thursday.
Taiwan says it needs to bolster its defences in the face of a stepped-up threat from China, which claims the island as its own territory.
The US and Taiwan can anchor "democratic" drone production and strengthen the collective deterrence posture of the free world, said Raymond Greene, director of the American Institute in Taiwan and the de facto US ambassador.
"Fortunately for Taiwan, drones have significantly boosted defenders, even when facing overwhelming odds," he added, referring to the war in Ukraine.
"Nothing will deter conflict more effectively than turning Taiwan into a hornet's nest of air, surface, and subsurface drones."
Moscow: Kyiv attack was retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on our infrastructure
Thursday 2 July 2026 09:33 , Alex CroftAs we’ve been reporting, Russia has conducted a massive and deadly attack on Ukraine's capital of Kyiv.
The attack also targeted locations using long-range, high-precision air-, land-, sea-launched weapons and drones, the Russian Defence Ministry has now said in a Telegram post on Thursday.
The ministry added it hit military and energy facilities around Kyiv, as well as military airports in several regions including in Poltava and Dnipropetrovsk - adding that it was retaliation for Ukraine's attack on civil infrastructure.
Kallas: Words of condemnation will not stop Russia - we need more sanctions
Thursday 2 July 2026 09:11 , Alex CroftWe’ve just heard from European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who has responded to Russia’s large scale attack on Kyiv.
She said on Thursday she would propose more sanctions against Russia following a new wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine.
“Words of condemnation alone will not stop attacks on Kyiv. Only sustained military support for Ukraine and increased pressure on Moscow can do that,” she wrote on X.
"Today, I will propose to sanction more entities supporting Russia's military-industrial complex in response to the strikes. The more Moscow attacks civilians, the more sanctions must be imposed.”
Words of condemnation alone will not stop attacks on Kyiv. Only sustained military support for Ukraine and increased pressure on Moscow can do that.
— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) July 2, 2026
This week, the EU has started disbursing €6 billion under the €90 billion support loan to strengthen Kyiv’s defences.
Today, I…
Russia says it hit 'key military plants' in Kyiv
Thursday 2 July 2026 08:51 , Alex CroftRussia's Defence Ministry said that its forces had hit what it called key military plants during overnight strikes on Kyiv which left at least 13 dead and dozens injured.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Moscow launched 74 missiles and 496 drones in the attack, which has left at least 86 injured, with the possibility that the casualty toll may yet rise.
Watch: Explosions light up Kyiv skyline as Russian attacks rain down on Ukraine's capital
Thursday 2 July 2026 08:30 , Alex CroftUkraine strikes oil refinery in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region, says Kyiv
Thursday 2 July 2026 08:11 , Alex CroftUkrainian forces struck the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery in the town of Kstovo in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region overnight, the Ukrainian General Staff said on Thursday.
According to preliminary data, a primary crude oil processing unit was hit, the General Staff said on Telegram, adding that the extent of the damage was being clarified.
We’ll bring you more on the attack as we get it.
Russia launches 74 missiles and 496 drones at Ukraine overnight
Thursday 2 July 2026 07:55 , Alex CroftRussia launched 74 missiles and 496 drones overnight at Ukraine, Ukraine's air force said on Thursday.
It said on Telegram that air defence units downed or neutralised 48 missiles and 476 drones, but 25 ballistics missiles and 12 drones hit 33 locations.
The capital Kyiv was the main target of the attack, it said.
Death toll rises to 13, with 86 injured
Thursday 2 July 2026 07:39 , Alex CroftThe death toll in Russia’s huge attack on Kyiv has increased to 13, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko has said.
Another 86 were injured, he added.
Damage was recorded in 30 locations across the city, mainly residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said 20 residential buildings were damaged across the city.
The Emergency Service says it deployed nearly 500 personnel and 100 units of specialized vehicles, including a helicopter, to deal with the aftermath of the attack.
In pictures: Kyiv in ruins after Russia launches 'furious' attack
Thursday 2 July 2026 07:32 , Alex Croft
'Night of horror' in Ukraine as foreign minister calls for air defence support
Thursday 2 July 2026 07:15 , Arpan RaiUkraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has called on Ukraine’s allies to strengthen the country’s air defences following what he described as a “night of horror” in Kyiv, urging partners not to delay decisions on supplying air defence systems and missiles.
"Do not delay decisions on air defence for Ukraine! This is our main request to our partners after Kyiv suffered a night of horror," he said.
Writing on X, Sybiha said the death toll after the attack may rise as the rescue teams continued their work.
Russia has intensified its attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks, even as Ukraine’s own long-range drone campaign against Russian military sites and energy facilities has caused fuel shortages and disrupted supply lines.
Sybiha rejected any attempts to justify Russian strikes as retaliation for Ukraine’s long-range attacks, saying Ukraine was exercising its right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter while Russia remained the aggressor.
Russian military losses surge to 8:1 against Ukraine, says think tank
Thursday 2 July 2026 07:00 , Arpan RaiRussia has suffered significant military losses in recent months, with casualties occurring at a significantly higher rate than earlier in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, said Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
In a new report published on Wednesday, CSIS said Russia has suffered an estimated 1.4 million military casualties, including troops killed, wounded or missing since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The toll is significantly higher than what Kyiv has seen, about 600,000 on the Ukrainian side, the think tank said.
Around 400,000 and 450,000 Russian troops have been killed, compared with 125,000 to 150,000 Ukrainian military deaths, the CSIS said.
Russian military losses were recorded to be around 325,000 in January this year and its monthly losses are now exceeding what it manages to recruit in the armed forces, the CSIS said.
The ratio of Russian to Ukrainian casualties has risen to 8:1 in the first half of this year, up from 2:1 and 3:1 seen initially during the war, it added.
11 killed in Russian missiles and drones attacks across Ukraine
Thursday 2 July 2026 06:46 , Arpan RaiAt least 11 people have been killed so far after Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine's capital overnight into Thursday.
The attack with ballistic and cruise missiles and drones damaged buildings and civilian infrastructure across the city.
Many residents took shelter at metro stations after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and other authorities issued the first warnings of the attack.
The attack killed 11 people in Kyiv and damaged 20 residential buildings, according to interior minister Ihor Klymenko.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said 54 people were injured, including two children. Damage was recorded in 30 locations across the city, mainly residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, he added.
One killed in Ukraine drone attack on Russia's Novgorod
Thursday 2 July 2026 06:34 , Arpan RaiOne person was killed and an industrial facility damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region, the local governor Gleb Nikitin said this morning.
Four people were also injured in the attack, the governor added.
The region is home to NORSI oil refinery, one of Russia's largest.
Gasoline prices up 30 per cent in Crimea's Sevastopol after Ukraine's strikes
Thursday 2 July 2026 06:22 , Arpan RaiGasoline prices in Sevastopol, the largest city in the Russian-controlled Crimea peninsula, have jumped by 30 per cent in the last week, state statistical agency Rosstat said on Wednesday, as the region grapples with fuel shortages.
Ukraine has attacked supply lines in occupied Crimea in what it says is a campaign to hurt Russia's war effort. To deal with the resulting fuel shortages, authorities there have suspended fuel sales to private motorists and reduced the time that public transport and cafes operate.
In some Russian regions, retail gasoline prices have risen to some of the highest levels in Europe and to twice those of the United States, according to Reuters calculations.
Rosstat said that average gasoline prices in Russia rose by 1.6 per cent last week, slowing from a record-high weekly rise of 3 per cent in the week before.
Prices declined by 1.6 per cent and 0.7 per cent in the wider Moscow region and the city of Moscow respectively, it said.
In Sevastopol, where prices jumped by 30 per cent, the price of popular AI-95 gasoline reached 129.68 roubles per litre.
The Russian central bank said it would take into account the impact of rising domestic fuel prices and their secondary effects at its next rate-setting meetings.
Ukraine announces framework for wartime arms exports
Thursday 2 July 2026 06:07 , Arpan RaiUkrainian arms manufacturers will be able to export products and components under a new framework that channels a percentage of revenues into a state defence fund, prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.
Ukraine announced it was permitting wartime arms exports in February, but manufacturers have since complained of regulatory barriers as the government has retained tight control and threshed out a framework to regulate deals.
However, the country also needs funding for its defence industry, which has swelled since Russia's 2022 invasion, to further expand capacity and invest into research and development.
Svyrydenko said the scheme would levy 20 per cent of proceeds from finished defence goods and 30 per cent from components.
She said manufacturers would have to prove their capability to fulfill Ukrainian defence orders and export contracts simultaneously, and restrictions would apply to items placed on a list of critical goods.
"Every export contract must serve one strategic goal: strengthening Ukraine’s defence industrial base and delivering more weapons for our Armed Forces," Svyrydenko wrote.
The system would operate throughout the period of martial law, which has been in effect in Ukraine since Russia's invasion in February 2022.
Russia claims it strikes Ukraine in retaliation for recent attacks
Thursday 2 July 2026 05:39 , Arpan RaiRussia said it has conducted a massive attack on Ukraine's capital of Kyiv and other locations using long-range, high-precision air, land, sea-launched weapons and drones.
The Russian defence ministry said it hit military and energy facilities around Kyiv, as well as military airports in several regions including in Poltava and Dnipropetrovsk, in what it said was retaliation for Ukraine's attack on civil infrastructure.
It did not acknowledge reports of Russian attacks on civilian buildings and hotel in Kyiv.
Officials in Kyiv said eight have been killed, including children, and more than three dozen injured in the deadly overnight attacks.
Widespread damage reported in Kyiv after overnight attacks
Thursday 2 July 2026 05:30 , Arpan RaiKyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko has urged residents to remain in shelters, describing an ongoing “furious enemy attack” on the capital.
He said five people were injured in the Shevchenkivskyi district and one of the injured, a paramedic, was in extremely critical condition.
Ukraine's Emergency Service says a hotel and two five-story residential buildings were damaged in the district.
In the Desnianskyi district, people were trapped inside a damaged nine-story residential building and rescuers headed to the scene, Klitschko said.
In the Holosiivskyi district, a fire broke out on the roof of a 16-story building, according to the Emergency Service.
In the Sviatoshynskyi district, fire broke out in two private residencies, the Emergency Service said. Debris trapped people in one of them, according to the mayor.
In the Darnytskyi district, six levels of a nine-story building collapsed after a Russian strike and another five-story residential building was damaged, Klitschko said.
The Emergency Service said a 16-story building and private residencies were damaged in the area.
Tkachenko said the attack partially destroyed a residential building in the Desnianskyi district, sparked fires near residential buildings at two locations in the Pecherskyi district, and ignited a fire near an administrative building in the Solomianskyi district.
He said authorities were also recording damage in the Obolonskyi and Podilskyi districts. The head of the Kyiv Regional Administration, Mykola Kalashnyk, said damage occurred in five regional districts. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the region.
Watch: Crew rescues survivors after Putin's latest attack on Kyiv
Thursday 2 July 2026 05:18 , Arpan RaiPutin's hometown Leningrad comes under Ukrainian drone attack
Thursday 2 July 2026 05:00 , Arpan RaiUkrainian drones have targeted Russia’s Leningrad region, where Vladimir Putin’s home is situated, as Russian forces brought down seven drones, governor Alexander Drozdenkoof said this morning.
Leningrad is also home to large export and oil refining facilities.
Ukraine has recently intensified strikes deeper into the Russian territory, triggering a widespread fuel crisis in the world's third-biggest oil producer and forcing it to import gasoline from as far away as India.
