Ukraine war latest: Russia suffering 'one crisis after another' as Ukraine's drones hammer Crimea, Fedorov says

Key developments on July 1:

• Russia suffering 'one crisis after another' as Ukraine's drones hammer Crimea, Fedorov says;
• Ukraine strikes Russian missile, satellite components manufacturer, Ufa refinery, Zelensky confirms;
• Ukraine to unveil weapons export details in coming days, defense minister says;
• Ex-army commander Zaluzhnyi's rating falls by 9%, poll shows;
• Zelensky calls on Ireland, EU to 'keep promises', advance Ukraine's membership.

Russia suffering 'one crisis after another' as Ukraine's drones hammer Crimea, Fedorov says

Ukraine's increasingly frequent drone strikes on occupied Crimea have been made possible by a "new technological stage of the war," Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on July 1, adding Moscow was finding it increasingly difficult to "resolve one crisis after another."

Ukraine has intensified its long-range drone campaign against occupied Crimea in recent weeks, conducting a coordinated series of strikes aimed at isolating the peninsula from Russian military logistics while systematically degrading its military infrastructure.

"I think this is connected with a new technological stage of the war and with the ability of Ukrainian drones to use technologies that allow us to carry out these kinds of operations," Fedorov said during a press briefing with Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson in Kyiv on July 1.

"Crimea has essentially turned into a military base for the Russians, allowing them to continue occupying the south of our country and transfer forces to the east. Therefore, from both a military and logistical perspective, it is an important target for us."

Fedorov said Ukraine would continue expanding its strike capabilities.

"We are working every day to strengthen these technological capabilities so that we can carry out new operations with even greater force — and not only in Crimea," he said.

Ukraine strikes Russian missile, satellite components manufacturer, Ufa refinery, Zelensky confirms

Ukrainian drones struck the JSC Research Institute of Physical Measurements (NIIFI), a Russian defense industry enterprise in the Penza region, and an oil refinery in the city of Ufa overnight on July 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as explosions were also reported in the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk.

Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had struck a "strategic" Russian defense industry facility in the Penza region that develops and manufactures components for missile weapons used in attacks against Ukrainian cities and communities.

Ukraine's General Staff later identified the target as JSC Research Institute of Physical Measurements (NIIFI), one of Russia's leading manufacturers of space, aviation, and military instrumentation. The enterprise is part of Russian Space Systems, a subsidiary of the state-owned Roscosmos corporation, and manufactures sensors for Iskander, Kalibr, and Kh-101 missiles, components for Su-34, Su-35, and Tu-95MS aircraft, as well as equipment for Russian military satellites.

The General Staff confirmed strikes and smoke were recorded at the facility, while the full extent of the damage is still being assessed.

Penza is located approximately 550 kilometers (340 miles) northeast of Ukraine's border with Russia.

Ukraine to unveil weapons export details in coming days, defense minister says

Ukraine is set to announce details on the opening of weapons exports in the coming days, the country's defense minister said at an event in Kyiv on June 30, a move that defense companies have argued would help keep them afloat and help the industry grow long term.

"Exports will be opened very soon. In fact, you probably can't imagine just how soon," Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said, adding that the details would be announced in the "coming days."

While a wealth of innovative mil-tech companies have cropped up since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, the Ukrainian government has so far restricted them from exporting abroad. But Ukrainian defense firms now produce more than the state can afford to buy, prompting calls among companies to open up exports to allow firms to stay financially afloat while also expanding.

"All the requirements for opening exports have now been finalized. The entire process will be as digitalized and as streamlined as possible, and I hope you'll enjoy selling your products to our partners," he told attendees at the Brave 1 Advantage event in Kyiv, which was packed with representatives from Ukraine's burgeoning mil-tech scene.

The organizers asked members of the press to withhold reporting until the evening of July 1, for security reasons.

Ex-army commander Zaluzhnyi's rating falls by 9%, poll shows

The electoral rating of Valerii Zaluzhnyi, former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, fell by 9% from July 2025 to June 2026, according to a survey published by the polling agency Rating Group on July 1.

President Volodymyr Zelensky would get 32% out of all respondents if a presidential election were held now, while Zaluzhnyi, who is currently Ukraine's ambassador to the U.K., would be the runner-up with 16%. Zelensky's Chief of Staff, Kyrylo Budanov, would come third with 11%, according to the survey.

In July 2025, Zelensky, Zaluzhnyi, and Budanov would have received 31%, 25%, and 5% in the first round, respectively.

In a second round between Zelensky and Zaluzhnyi, the president would win with 42%, and Zaluzhnyi would get 39%, according to Rating Group.

No information was provided on a potential run-off between Zelensky and Budanov.

According to several previous opinion polls, both Zaluzhnyi and Budanov would have beaten Zelensky in the second round.

Zelensky calls on Ireland, EU to 'keep promises', advance Ukraine's membership

President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the EU to advance Ukraine's membership during an official visit to Ireland on July 1.

He made the remarks at an opening ceremony marking Dublin's taking over the EU's six-month rotating Council Presidency on July 1.

Ireland has said that advancing EU integration talks with all candidate countries will be a priority for the second half of 2026, but further progress has again been obstructed by the new Hungarian government led by Peter Magyar.

"We must keep moving forward. We count on it, moving forward without losing time," Zelensky said.

On June 15, Ukraine opened the first of six so-called enlargement clusters, to-do lists of reforms that Kyiv must enact in order to join the EU.

Hopes were high that the remaining five clusters could open as early as July, but diplomats from six EU countries confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that Hungary is preventing further progress.

A Hungary-led push at a June 18 summit of EU leaders forced the words "as soon as possible" to be removed from joint conclusions supporting Ukraine's and Moldova's membership processes.