Ukrainian drones reportedly strike Russia's Saratov Oil Refinery

Ukrainian drones struck Russia's Saratov Oil Refinery overnight on July 8, monitoring channels reported.

Russia launched an overnight ballistic missile attack against Kyiv early on July 8, with explosions heard in the capital shortly before air raid alerts were activated, according to Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground.

Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv over 12 hours after the searches began, Oleksii Babenko, a young star in Ukraine's drone industry, said that Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigations had carried out 70 searches, including at Vyriy Industries facilities, contractors' premises, and the homes of his own family members.

The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), which had been in place since October 2023.

Canada announced more than $900 million in new military aid for Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Prime Minister Mark Carney, though the package does not specifically include air defense systems or interceptors.

"The court's ruling is manifestly unlawful and violates the fundamental rights of journalists and the public to gather and disseminate information of public interest that is publicly available about the country's highest-ranking officials," Olena Shcherban, a deputy executive director at the Anti-Corruption Action Center, said.

The agreements are part of Ukraine's broader push to expand drone technology cooperation with partners in Europe and beyond, as it shares its war-tested experience in unmanned systems.

"We expect a strong and productive NATO Summit. Decisions are needed now that will provide greater protection for our people, more capabilities for our defense, and even stronger security cooperation between Ukraine, Europe, and the United States," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X.

"This will help keep Ukraine in the fight and support it in protecting human lives," the letter reads.

The Ukrainian president urged European allies that their need for affordable, mass-produced anti-ballistic systems "cannot wait until 2030 or beyond," and needs to be met "as soon as possible, in fact, today."

Starting in June, the Kyiv Independent partnered with The Atlantic to offer members based in continental Europe an exclusive discount on a digital subscription.