Ukraine launches long-range drone strikes on Russian military sites and oil refineries

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Ukraine-Russia war latest: Drones hit Russian military training ground after ballistic missile strike on Kyiv

Deadly attack comes hours after White House confirms Zelensky-Trump meeting at Nato summit in Turkey

Ukrainian drones struck one of Russia’s largest training facilities overnight in the latest strategic long-range attack across the border.

Alexander Drozdenko, governor of Russia’s Leningrad region, said on Telegram that the Luga training ground had been hit as well as the areas around the Ust-Luga and Vyostsk ports.

Emergency services were still working on the scene, he said early on Monday morning, reporting no injuries.

Ukrainian drones separately struck Russia’s Omsk refinery, the country’s largest and located deep in Siberia, in what would be one of the longest-ranged Ukrainian strikes since the beginning of the war, the Ukrainian military said on Monday.

Ukraine has been escalating a campaign of strikes against Russian oil refineries, causing acute fuel shortages across the country's 11 time zones.

Russian strikes killed at least 12 people in Kyiv, meanwhile, as air defences failed to stop any of Russia’s ballistic missiles overnight. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack showed the need for interceptor missiles from allies.

Russian staff to return to Iranian nuclear plant next month

Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom plans to send staff back to Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant from the middle of July, Rosatom's head said on Monday.

Rosatom, which is building two new units at Bushehr, evacuated hundreds of staff after the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28.

James Reynolds6 July 2026 16:30

Future of US troops in Estonia is under review, minister says

The ​future of US troops in Nato member Estonia is under review, its ⁠defence minister told public broadcaster ERR.

The US has had a military troop ⁠unit in ​Estonia, in overlapping ⁠rotations, since 2022, the year of ⁠Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The ⁠future of ‌the unit is unclear beyond the next rotation, due ‌to arrive later this ‌summer and leave by the end of 2026, Estonian ⁠defence minister Hanno Pevkur was quoted as saying by ERR.

The Estonian Defence Ministry told Reuters on Monday it is in close contact ‌with the US ​government.

"The US is ​currently reviewing ⁠its force posture in Europe ... ⁠Further details will be confirmed ​once ​the arrangements are ​clearer," the ministry ​said.

Bryony Gooch6 July 2026 16:23

US tells Nato that spending must increase ‘immediately’ or alliance will face consequences

The Trump administration has warned that Nato allies must step up defence spending “immediately” or face the consequences ahead of a summit with the military alliance this week.

Matt Whitaker, the US ambassador to Nato, said on Sunday that some partners were “doing more than others”, and that president Donald Trump expects all to “step up” and honour their commitments.

“Some allies are doing more than others. Poland, the Nordic countries, the Baltic countries lead the way,” he said.

US tells Nato to increase spending ‘immediately’ or face consequences

Mark Rutte and Ursula von der Leyen urged cooperation ahead of a Nato summit this week

James Reynolds6 July 2026 16:00

Azerbaijan summons Russian envoy over drone strike on SOCAR fuel station in Ukraine

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said on Monday it had summoned Russia's ambassador to protest over what it said was a Russian drone strike on a fuel station belonging to state oil and gas company SOCAR in Ukraine's Mykolaiv region on Sunday.

Russia has been systematically striking Ukrainian fuel stations in retaliation for Kyiv's escalating campaign against Russia's own energy infrastructure, which has caused fuel shortages in many Russian regions.

James Reynolds6 July 2026 15:30

Rutte speaks ahead of Nato summit

Speaking ahead of Tuesday/Wednesday’s summit with Nato leaders in Ankara, Mark Rutte says he is already seeing “transformational” progress on the 5% defence spending target.

He said he expects nations to present clear and concrete plans to reach the target set last year during the summit in Turkey this week.

European allies and Canada are already investing around 4% of their GDP in defence and security, he tells reporters.

He says we can expect tens of billions of dollars in new contracts at the defence industry forum on Tuesday.

James Reynolds6 July 2026 15:05

Recap: UK says aircraft carrier approached by Russian plane in Norwegian Sea

Britain said its aircraft carrier in the Norwegian Sea was repeatedly approached by a Russian patrol aircraft, before being escorted away by UK fighter jets, in the latest incident risking a potential escalation between NATO and Russia.

The incident, which Britain called "unsafe and unprofessional", comes ahead of a NATO meeting in Ankara on Tuesday, where NATO members are set to pledge €70 billion in military assistance to Ukraine for 2026.

Britain said the Russian "Bear-F" maritime patrol aircraft passed at low altitude and "unnecessarily close" to HMS Prince of Wales, the aircraft carrier at the centre of a naval formation known as a carrier strike group, on July 2.

"The Bear-F...dropped a large number of sonobuoys in close proximity to the carrier," the Ministry of Defence said in a statement, referring to devices which are used to detect and track submarines.

UK jets scrambled to intercept Russian aircraft near Britain’s flagship carrier

A Russian ‘Bear F’ aircraft ‘repeatedly approached’ the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier before dropping a large number’ of tracking devices into the water nearby

James Reynolds6 July 2026 15:00

US to resume troop rotation in Poland

The US will resume its rotation of troops in Poland within weeks after temporarily suspending the process, Poland’s defence minister said on Monday.

Washington announced in May that it was suspending the rotation of troops to Poland, before days later Donald Trump said the US would send 5,000 extra troops to the country, which shares borders with Ukraine and Belarus.

The U.S. is currently reviewing the number of its troops stationed in Europe, arguing that European countries should bear more responsibility and pay more for their own defence.

"Poland is a loyal (U.S.) ally, so I was even more pleased to hear that the rotation, which was suspended a few weeks ago, is returning and will be completed in the coming weeks," minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said during a ceremony at a missile factory.

The Polish government had earlier signaled it was working on getting the soldiers back, but the timeline was unclear.

James Reynolds6 July 2026 14:30

Ukraine claims strikes on shadow fleet tankers

Ukrainian forces struck two vessels belonging to Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" in the Sea of Azov, Kyiv's top drone commander said on Monday.

In a statement on Telegram, Robert Brovdi said each of the vessels had been carrying around 7,000 tonnes of fuel from the western Russian port of Taganrog to occupied Crimea.

James Reynolds6 July 2026 14:00

Ukraine strikes targets 1,700m away, says Russia

The governor of Russia's Omsk region said on Monday that the western Siberian province had come under attack from Ukrainian drones, in what would be one of the longest-ranged Ukrainian strikes since the beginning of the war.

In a post on Telegram, Vitaly Khotsenko said that several drones had reached what he called "Omsk's northern industrial hub", which is located around 2,700 km (1,700 miles) from Ukrainian-held territory, close to Russia's border with Kazakhstan.

He said that the consequences of the attack were being clarified, and that emergency services were working to "liquidate" the strike's aftermath.

James Reynolds6 July 2026 13:28

Recap: Ukraine's military strikes oil refineries in Russia

Ukraine's military said on Monday it struck oil refineries in Russia's Yaroslavl and Leningrad regions overnight.

Explosions were recorded near the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in Yaroslavl region, and smoke was seen rising from the premises, the Ukrainian military's General Staff said on Telegram.

The General Staff added that NOVATEK-Ust Luga refinery was hit in the Leningrad region.

James Reynolds6 July 2026 12:30