Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv attacks Russian ships near Crimea as Putin’s fuel crisis deepens
Ukraine attacked a dozen more of Russian tankers in the Sea of Azov, Ukraine's military said on Thursday as it ramped up efforts to disrupt fuel supplies to Russian forces and isolating Moscow-occupied Crimea. The vessels were used to supply fuel to the Russian military and to transport oil and petroleum products in circumvention of international sanctions, the military's General Staff said. In the first four days of the week, Ukraine hit at least 36 of Russia’s ships and set them on fire in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, Ukraine's defence ministry said. These included 32 so-called Russian "shadow fleet" tankers and two dry cargo ships. "They were all trying to deliver fuel to Crimea," the ministry said. In response to growing attacks from Ukraine, Putin has said he will press ahead with his war despite mounting difficulties like fuel shortages linked to Ukrainian drone strikes on oil industry targets. Kyiv’s long-range persistent drone attacks have sparked a massive fuel shortage across Russia, leading to widespread reports of escalating prices and lengthy queues at petrol stations throughout numerous regions.Evacuations ordered in Russia as Ilsky oil refinery catches fire Russia’s Ilsky oil refinery has caught fire after drone attack, officials said. Officials added that fires have been reported at fuel deports and sea port in Russia’s Rostov region after drone attack. Fires were being extinguished at two fuel depots and at the Taganrog sea port, governor Yury Slyusar said on Telegram. Taganrog mayor Svetlana Kambulova said on the Max messaging app that the authorities evacuated people from their houses in the affected areas. She said a private house was damaged and the roof of an administrative building caught fire. Authorities in the city of Taganrog evacuated people following a separate strike, local officials said this morning. No one was injured, according to preliminary information, the authorities said. The Russian defence ministry said air defence units had downed 376 Ukrainian drones overnight. Arpan Rai10 July 2026 06:58Ukraine's Lviv sees wartime tensions over draft as clashes erupt Authorities in Ukraine launched inquiries on Thursday into violent clashes in the western city of Lviv a day earlier over the country's military draft, the latest sign of wartime tensions over the call-up in the fifth year of the war with Russia. Prosecutors said a group of people blocked on-duty draft officers late on Wednesday, overturning their car, in a fit of unrest that led to broader scuffles with police and service members. Ukraine's General Staff strongly condemned the attack, but also said it would review the draft officers' conduct for any potential violations. Footage aired by Ukraine's public broadcaster on Thursday showed crowds swarming vehicles in a darkened residential neighbourhood, chanting "Shame!" and tearing off the uniform of one of the officers. The incident was the latest in a string of attacks on draft officers that has highlighted long-simmering anger over how the Ukrainian military is filling its ranks to fight a bigger and better-armed Russia. Kyiv's war effort has relied on a sweeping call-up that has been marred by reports of abuse and corruption, further dampening enthusiasm for service despite new efforts to entice Ukrainians to enlist. Last month, reports of harsh treatment and non-combat deaths in a prominent Ukrainian assault unit sparked public anger and calls for investigations. (AFP/Getty) Arpan Rai10 July 2026 06:22Ukraine says it hits more Russian fuel tankers as Crimea campaign intensifies Ukrainian drones hit a dozen more Russian tankers in the Sea of Azov overnight, Ukraine's military said on Thursday, the latest in a campaign aimed at disrupting fuel supplies to Russian forces and isolating Moscow-occupied Crimea. The vessels were used to supply fuel to the Russian military, and to transport oil and petroleum products in circumvention of international sanctions, the Ukrainian military's General Staff said on Telegram. It added that a tugboat and a dry cargo ship were also hit. The strikes bring the number of vessels targeted in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea over the past four days to 36, according to Ukraine's defence ministry. Those included 32 so-called Russian "shadow fleet" tankers and two dry cargo ships. “They were all trying to deliver fuel to Crimea,” the ministry said. The regional governor of Russia's Rostov region said earlier on Thursday that two tankers had been attacked by Ukrainian drones in the Sea of Azov. Ukraine has intensified attacks on logistics and energy infrastructure in Crimea in recent weeks, contributing to fuel shortages and prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency in the peninsula, a critical hub for Russia's war effort. Arpan Rai10 July 2026 05:53Putin likely to escalate Ukraine war despite Trump's peace push – report Two of the sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Putin was instead likely to escalate the conflict, now well into its fifth year. One of them, who meets regularly with the president, described a “high probability" of escalation in the coming months. One of the people familiar with Putin’s thinking said he had “dug in his heels” to achieve the key objective of capturing the remainder of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, where Russian advances have slowed this year. The same source said Putin recently rebuked a group of advisers suggesting a compromise based on a ceasefire along the current front lines. The second source said Putin believes Russia will soon capture the Donbas. Ukraine's allies have seized on what they call a momentum shift in the war. Some call for additional economic sanctions to force Putin to end the conflict. Ukraine's recent successes, however, have made Putin more angry and more determined to give a tough response, according to the person who meets Putin regularly. Russian president Vladimir Putin listens to President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergei Katyrin at the Kremlin in Moscow (AP) Arpan Rai10 July 2026 05:33Zelensky says Patriot missile licences agreed with US at political level Ukraine and the US have reached a political agreement on licences for production of PAC-3 Patriot interceptors, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday. The Ukrainian president said key supplies of the missiles were to arrive in the next few days. The Patriot is a US-made air defence system. Its PAC-3 interceptor - short for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 - is one of the few Western weapons capable of shooting down the ballistic missiles Russia has increasingly fired at Ukrainian cities. Speaking to reporters after returning from a NATO summit and talks with Donald Trump, said: “I believe this was a productive summit for Ukraine. In the coming days, we’ll receive a package from the United States, and there were also some separate agreements.” Arpan Rai10 July 2026 05:11Kremlin says US wrong to think escalation of Ukrainian strikes can help end war The US is wrong to believe deep Ukrainian strikes into Russian territory could help bring about an end to more than four years of war, the Kremlin has said, warning that they could prolong it. Speaking at a Nato summit in Turkey on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Russia was finding it harder to defend its own skies, adding that this would hopefully create more space to negotiate an end to the war. US president Donald Trump said: “It's an escalation, but it's also an escalation that can help lead to an end.” Asked about their statements, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters there were "certain misconceptions within the White House administration... regarding the idea that escalation and military pressure can help pave the way for a peaceful settlement”. He said this was a flawed premise, adding that what Russia calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine might go on for longer as a result. "It will result in our having to establish a larger security zone — a larger buffer zone," Peskov said. “Consequently, stoking tensions and taking actions that drive escalation will in no way contribute to the peace process,” he said. Arpan Rai10 July 2026 04:44Zelensky says he discussed China with Trump President Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed China in the context of Russia's war in Ukraine with US president Donald Trump. “Of course, president Trump and I discussed China. Their role in this war, their involvement or potential involvement, and their capabilities," he told reporters when asked about Chinese influence on peace talks to end more than four-year full-scale war. Zelensky added he would prefer to keep the details of that discussion closed to the public. Arpan Rai10 July 2026 04:37Russian attacks killed at least 265 civilians in Ukraine in June, says UN agency Russian strikes killed at least 265 civilians in Ukraine and injured 1,816 in June, the highest combined casualty count since the first months after Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022, a top UN official told the Security Council on Thursday. UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo said the number of civilians killed and injured in Ukraine in May had been the highest since April 2022, but data from the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) pointed to an even higher toll in June, and possibly July. Final data for June will be released in late July, a UN spokesperson said. "This concerning trend is seemingly continuing into July," DiCarlo said, citing three massive waves of Russian aerial strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities this past week alone, many targeting urban centers with large civilian populations. “Any attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur, are a clear violation of international humanitarian law and must stop immediately," she said. In total, DiCarlo said OHCHR had verified that at least 16,402 civilians, including 802 children, had been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war, and 48,428 had been injured, including 2,948 children. The actual figures were likely higher. Civilians living in Ukrainian territories under Russian occupation and inside Russia were also being killed, she said. Russian authorities have reported that 250 civilians were killed and 1,596 were injured inside Russia in the first six months of 2026, but the UN was not in a position to verify the reports, DiCarlo said. Arpan Rai10 July 2026 04:17Russia hit ammunition warehouse in Kyiv region, says Zelensky Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia struck an ammunition warehouse during its attack on Kyiv region earlier this week, adding that a criminal probe was launched. In the small town of Vyshneve on Kyiv's western outskirts, the Russian strike hit the warehouse and set off massive secondary explosions on 6 July. Ukrainian officials said 10 people were killed in Vyshneve and hundreds of houses were damaged. "As for the investigation into the explosion in Vyshneve, the situation is absolutely appalling: There was an ammunition depot in Vyshneve. The enemy struck this depot, causing a large number of casualties and significant losses," Zelensky told reporters in a WhatsApp media chat. Ukrainian officials rarely disclose any damage to military targets following Russian attacks. Zelenskiy said a criminal case had been opened, and officials at the state weapons producer Ukroboronprom, which owned the warehouse, would be held responsible and some of them dismissed. The episode sparked public outcry, with residents claiming negligence and lack of information. Arpan Rai10 July 2026 03:53Erdogan gives every Nato leader personalised gun as farewell gift at Ankara summit Accompanied by bullets and a cleaning kit, the guns were engraved with the names of each recipient. Maira Butt10 July 2026 03:00
