In brief
Ukraine experienced a devastating aerial strike emanating from Russia, resulting in at least three deaths and over thirty injuries. President Zelensky condemned the attacks as a strategy to intimidate civilians and destroy essential infrastructure, while both nations exchanged accusations of attacks on each other's territories. As tensions rise, calls for international mediation grow stronger.
At least three people have been killed and more than 30 injured in a massive overnight Russian aerial attack on Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky says. He claims regions across the country were targeted as part of a deliberate strategy to intimidate civilians and destroy our infrastructure, with one direct missile hit reported on a residential building.Ukraine's air force states that Moscow launched 619 drones and missiles. Russia's defense ministry characterized its actions as a massive strike using precision weapons focused on military-industrial facilities.Separately, Russia reported four fatalities from a Ukrainian drone attack in the Saratov region, claiming it targeted a major oil refinery. Ukraine also cited damage to another Russian refinery in the Samara region.The BBC has not been able to verify the conflicting claims from both countries independently. Increasingly, cross-border drone attacks have characterized the ongoing war. Earlier in July, a sustained Ukrainian drone attack prompted a temporary closure of all airports in Moscow.Ukraine has been systematically targeting Russian oil and key industrial facilities that are crucial to Russia's ongoing warfare. Concurrently, Moscow has intensified aerial assaults on Ukraine, and both Ukraine and its Western allies, including the US, have been urging for a ceasefire.Earlier this month, a Russian Iskander cruise missile struck a prominent government building in Kyiv. President Zelensky noted plans for a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York. Trump recently hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska but failed to secure any agreements to mitigate the conflict.As tensions develop, Estonia has raised alarms about Russian jets encroaching into its airspace, which Russia denied. Recent incidents have underscored heightened vigilance among NATO members, following similar breaches by Russian drones in Poland and Romania.
