Key developments on July 5-6: * Drones reportedly attack Russia's Black Sea fleet * Pipelines supplying Russian military explode in Russia's Far East, HUR source says * Ukrainian drone strike on Russian airfield hits bomb depot, aircraft * Ukraine hits Russian electronic warfare facility making Shahed, Iskander components, General Staff says * Ukraine's army chief
Russia attacked the front-line towns of Kostiantynivka and Druzhkivka on July 6, killing civilians and damaging homes and infrastructure. Governor Vadim Filashkin urged remaining residents to evacuate.
The attack, which occurred at around 9 a.m., injured 59 people, sparked fires, and damaged civilian infrastructure.
Four victims are reported to be in serious condition, including two teenagers (ages 14 and 18) and two seniors (ages 67 and 71). The bus was carrying a children's ensemble from Lviv to a dance festival in Ohrid.
The media outlet also published footage purportedly showing a burning maritime drone that was allegedly shot down during the attack.
The signatories emphasized the need to strengthen Ukraine's air defense systems urgently.
The news comes amid a major deterioration in Russian-Azerbaijani relations after a deadly June 27 operation in Russia's Yekaterinburg, where Russian security forces killed two Azerbaijani nationals.
Russian forces launched four S-300 anti-aircraft missiles and 157 Shahed drones against Ukraine overnight, according to Ukraine's Air Force.
The number includes 1,180 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
Russian air defenses on July 5 shot down four drones advancing on Moscow, prompting a temporary halt to outgoing flights at Sheremetyevo, one of the capital's main airports.
"Russia is reconstituting itself at a pace and a speed which is unparalleled in recent history," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said, adding that "...they are now producing three times as much ammunition in three months as the whole of NATO is doing in a year."
"Patriot (missiles) are key to protection from ballistic (missiles). We discussed several other important issues that our teams will work out in detail at meetings in the near future," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Explosions near Russia's Vladivostok damaged a gas pipeline and destroyed a water pipeline that supplied military facilities in the area, an unnamed intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent on July 5.
BlackRock, a U.S. investment firm, suspended work on its multibillion-dollar Ukraine recovery fund following U.S. President Donald Trump's election victory, prompting France to work on a replacement, Bloomberg reported on July 5.
The facility develops and manufactures Kometa adaptive antenna arrays used in Shahed-type drones, Iskander-K cruise missiles, and guided aerial bomb modules, according to the Ukrainian military.
Russian troops have been escalating their assaults in the area and are attempting to breach into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, which has not seen significant Russian incursions since 2022.
Russian troops are ramping up attacks in the sector using large numbers of troops, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Some passengers reported waiting more than 10 hours, according to the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Shot.
Moscow is organizing the deployment of a combined unit of military engineers from the Lao People's Armed Forces to Russia's Kursk Oblast, allegedly to help with demining operations, Ukraine's military intelligence said.
Russia launched 322 drones overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type attack drones, according to Ukraine's Air Force.
"It just seems like he wants to go all the way and just keep killing people. It's not good," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
The number includes 1,050 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day, according to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte presided over the handover, commending outgoing U.S. Army General Christopher G. Cavoli for his contributions to modernizing NATO's collective defense and bolstering support for Ukraine.
The airfield hosts Su-34, Su-35S, and Su-30SM jets that Russia regularly uses in air strikes against Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian military.
"The US has to make sure that the stockpiles are at the level we need for the U.S. to have, because they are crucial for our collective defense," Rutte told reporters on July 4. "At the same time, of course, we hope for the flexibility, we have to make sure also that Ukraine can move forward."
"On the agenda, there's how to maintain Ukraine in a capacity to fight, how to increase pressure on Russia, and how to continue the work on the next steps," an unnamed French official told Politico.
The U.S. has "reviewed" the components it is supplying Ukraine, but did not halt assistance, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.
Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, commander of the elite drone unit "Birds of Magyar," warned on July 4 that Russian Shahed drone strikes could increase to 1,000 per day, prompting Ukraine to consider relocating drone production.
Key developments on July 4: * 'Nothing but terror and murder' — Russia pounds Kyiv with record overnight drone, missile attack, 1 dead, 26 injured * Zelensky, Trump discuss air defense, joint drone production amid Russian strikes * 'There is also good news' — Ukrainian drones hit key military optics plant in Russia, General Staff
KYIV — Ripe cherries and apricots fill the stalls of fruit vendors, while people bustle about on a scorching July Friday. Yet just a five-minute walk from the stand, the scene shifts dramatically: a gaping hole mars the five-story residential building where the stairwell once stood. Rescuers tirelessly sift through the
"This is a unique case of international cooperation for the Ukrainian defense industry," Strategic Industries Minister Herman Smetanin said.
China has not publicly acknowledged the incident or reported any damage to its diplomatic premises in Odesa.
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