Russia launches fresh missile strikes on Kyiv; Ukraine renews NATO plea

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Russia launched fresh missile strikes on Kyiv in the early hours today, triggering fires and injuring at ⁠least two ​people, ⁠officials said. It was the third round of attacks on the Ukrainian capital this week.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said the strikes caused a fire in a storage area and a non-residential building in two areas on either side of the Dnipro river. The attacks left two people injured, one of whom required treatment in hospital, and prompted an air raid alert that lasted for about an hour.

Earlier, a missile strike in the southern ‌port city of Odesa ​injured 10 ⁠people, eight of whom needed to be taken to hospital, regional governor Oleh ⁠Kiper said.

The latest strikes came as Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his plea to join Nato at a gathering of the group's leaders in Ankara, Turkey. The Ukrainian president, who was expected to meet Donald Trump later today, said his war-torn country “belongs in Nato”.

He also said that Europe needed to ram up anti-ballistic missile production “urgently”.

UK general to take over key Nato command as alliance rebalances towards Europe

A British general has been appointed to a key Nato command as the alliance shifts to a more European focus under pressure from Donald Trump.

Lieutenant General Nick Perry will take over Nato’s US-based Joint Forces Command (JFC) in Norfolk, Virginia, in September.

He will be the first British officer to command JFC Norfolk, a role usually undertaken by an American, and will be responsible for Nato’s operations in the High North and the Arctic, where the UK’s Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed.

The switch comes as European allies take over more leadership roles within the alliances, with Italy assuming command of JFC Naples and Germany and Poland sharing leadership of a third JFC in Brunssum, in the Netherlands.

The announcement of Lt Gen Perry’s appointment on Tuesday came as Sir Keir Starmer arrived in Ankara, Turkey, for a Nato summit set to be dominated by further rows about defence spending and questions about America’s commitment to the alliance.

Arpan Rai8 July 2026 05:25

Zelensky says Nato should let Ukraine join to ‘make all of us stronger’

President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a fresh appeal for Ukraine to be allowed to join the alliance, saying Ukrainian armed forces are highly experienced and would only boost Nato’s defence capabilities.

“I have a question for you. Do you really believe it? Do you really believe it would be right to leave outside Nato, a country and a people with this level of defensive capability?” Zelensky said, addressing the alliance’s leaders at the Nato’s defence industry forum.

“If we already have these capabilities, if Ukrainians already know how to fight like this, then it does make sense for these capabilities to become a part of the alliance’s collective defence that would make all of us stronger,” Zelensky said.

Zelensky, who is expected to meet with Donald Trump in Ankara today, highlighted Ukraine’s adaptability and its ability to strike deep inside Russia, hit Moscow’s oil refineries and other energy targets.

He said Ukraine’s armed forces are “eliminating” on an average 30,000 Russian troops every month.

Arpan Rai8 July 2026 05:03

Watch: Russia launches fresh strikes on Odesa, injuring six

Arpan Rai8 July 2026 04:33

Monaco bombing suspect found dead in Ukraine

The woman suspected of trying to kill a Ukrainian business tycoon in a bombing attack in Monaco last week was found dead in Ukraine with gunshot wounds to the head, Ukraine’s Security Service said.

A Ukrainian military intelligence officer confessed to killing the bombing suspect, Anastasiia Berezovska, with the help of a former law enforcement officer, said the security service, known as the SBU.

The military intelligence officer said he acted on his own and without the knowledge of his superiors, the SBU said.

Both men were detained on suspicion of murdering Berezovska, a Ukrainian national whose last known residence was in Germany, according to authorities.

They also “may have been involved in planning” last week's bombing, Monaco prosecutor Stéphane Thibault said late Tuesday.

Authorities have not disclosed possible motives for the bombing attack, or the killing of Berezovska.

Based on the sophistication of the remote-controlled explosive device that was used, investigators in Monaco said last week that they believed multiple people were involved in the attack.

The bombing attack at an apartment building entrance in Monaco reportedly injured Vadym Yermolaiev, a tycoon with links to Russia. A woman and a child who were with him were also injured, and the Monaco prosecutor said last week that one of the victims was in a life-threatening condition.

The attack shocked Monaco, a coastal playground for the rich and famous known for its tax-friendly incentives, royal family and Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Arpan Rai8 July 2026 04:13

Zelensky confirms Ukraine's 'drone deals' with three countries at Nato summit

Ukraine has signed three more "drone deals" with Denmark, Estonia and the Netherlands, making available its expertise gained from more than four years of war with Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Zelensky announced the deals in posts on social media on the sidelines of the Nato summit in the Turkish capital Ankara and said that Kyiv had ⁠now clinched nine such ​accords.

Zelensky has pointed to Ukraine's need ⁠to boost defences against Russian ballistic missiles after two attacks on ‌the Ukrainian capital ​in the past week. At least 19 people died in Kyiv in ​the latest assault on Monday.

In announcing the deal with Denmark, Zelensky said the agreement "opens up greater opportunities for joint defence production, the exchange of expertise, and transparency in weapons exports".

He said Denmark ⁠had been the first country to offer joint production in Ukraine "and it is absolutely fair that Denmark will now have access to Ukrainian exports of weapons tested in war".

In a post on X at the end of the first day of meetings, Zelensky said ‌Ukraine "rightfully belongs here" and repeated that Kyiv's ​main aim at the gathering was to "secure ​more air defence and stronger ⁠diplomatic positions”.

Arpan Rai8 July 2026 04:02

Two injured in missile attack on Ukrainian capital Kyiv

Ukraine's capital Kyiv ⁠came under a Russian missile attack in the early hours today, triggering fires and injuring at ⁠least two ​people, ⁠mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Klitschko said strikes in the capital had caused a fire in a storage area and a non-residential building in two areas on either side of the Dnipro River.

Two ⁠people were injured, with one requiring treatment in hospital.

The air alert lasted for about an hour.

A missile strike in the southern ‌port of Odesa ​earlier in the evening ‌injured 10 ⁠people, regional governor Oleh ⁠Kiper said. Eight were being ‌treated in ​hospital.

Arpan Rai8 July 2026 03:54

South Korea to provide $100m in aid for Ukraine

South Korea will provide a package of aid to Ukraine worth $100m that excludes any lethal weapons, a senior South Korean official said late on Tuesday.

The official ⁠was speaking in Ankara where South Korean president Lee Jae ‌Myung ​is ‌attending the ⁠Nato ⁠summit.

Arpan Rai8 July 2026 03:47

Ukrainian midrange drones reshape the battlefield by targeting Russian supply lines

Through the grainy gray-and-white haze of thermal images streamed from a drone, Ukrainian pilots watch the roads that keep Russian forces supplied, hunting for targets with a fleet of midrange drones that is reshaping the battlefield.

In a basement command post in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, hundreds of kilometers from the drone over Russian-held territory, pilots wait for movement. When a vehicle appears, they will nudge the controller, sending the aircraft diving toward its target to disrupt Russian supplies deep behind the front.

“Our mission is to cut logistics,” said Kat, commander of Ukraine’s K-2 brigade, which fires midrange drones. “Cut off their supply lines, and the infantry on the front line have no food, no ammunition, no night vision, no batteries. Nothing. That’s how we’re wearing them down in every sense.”

Read the full article here:

Ukrainian midrange drones reshape the battlefield by targeting Russian supply lines

Ukrainian pilots are using midrange drones to disrupt Russian supply lines

Holly Evans8 July 2026 03:00

Suspect in Monaco bombing that injured Ukrainian oligarch found shot dead near Kyiv

A Ukrainian woman suspected of being behind the bomb attack on Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev has been found shot dead near Kyiv, Ukrainian prosecutors said.

The body of Anastasiia Berezovska, 39, was discovered at around 11pm local time on Monday (9pm BST), law enforcement sources told Ukrainska Pravda.

Prosecutors ⁠said they also detained an employee of Ukraine’s military intelligence service (HUR), who said ‌he killed ​the ‌woman ⁠together with ⁠another suspect – reported to be a law enforcement officer.

Read the full article here:

Suspect in Monaco bombing that injured Ukrainian oligarch found shot dead near Kyiv

Two people linked with Ukrainian authorities have been arrested in connection with the shooting

Holly Evans8 July 2026 02:00

The countries that spend the most on Nato - and who needs to do more

Europe finds itself in an increasingly precarious position amid the ongoing threat posed by Vladimir Putin and the withdrawal of US military support - and data suggests that defence spending has not kept up.

The dual risk posed by a belligerent Russia and a disengaged Washington has underlined the need to develop the continent’s military independence, European allies have said.

Nato chief Mark Rutte has insisted that “Europeans are already backfilling what the US cannot any longer promise” in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

Read the full article here:

The countries that spend the most on Nato - and who needs to do more

The US is not the biggest contributor to the alliance as a percentage share of its GDP but Trump has demanded allies ramp up defence spending immediately

Holly Evans8 July 2026 01:00