Russian strikes kill 13 across Ukraine, while Putin attacks Kyiv's previously safe western cities as part of new strategy: ‘It's truly terrifying'
The Kremlin launched 623 drones and 26 missiles on its neighbor, Ukraine's air force said, including 319 Iranian-made Shahed drones. Russian strongman Vladimir Putin's military has leaned heavily on the so-called 'kamikaze' drones as part of its new campaign in recent weeks.
Ukraine's military managed to shoot down nearly half of the drones and most of its missiles — but the blistering barrage still left a trail of death and destruction across the war-torn country.
Advertisement
6 A Ukrainian firefighter works at the site of a Russian drone strike Saturday in Lviv, in the west of the country.
via REUTERS
A 26-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man were killed by falling debris from a drone in Chernivitski, near the Romanian border, regional Gov. Ruslan Zaparaniuk said.
'The fear just went through my whole body, everything felt numb, and my head was foggy,' a Chernivtsi resident named Yeva told the Kyiv Independent. 'I grabbed my baby — as he was naked, just in a diaper — and ran barefoot to the parking lot.'
Advertisement
Fires ripped through the western city, torching homes, administrative buildings, shops and cars — leaving behind collapsed structures, torched cars and piles of charred rubble.
6 An apartment building in Chernivtsi burned from the Russian strikes.
via REUTERS
In Lviv, near the Polish border, six people were injured, including an 11-year-old boy, Gov. Maksym Kozytsky said.
The Russian drones destroyed 46 residential homes, a university building, the city's courts and about 20 commercial buildings, officials there reported.
Advertisement
6 Local residents stare at burned cars at the site of a Russian drones' strike on Lviv's residential area.
Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
'It's truly terrifying,' added Anastasiia Yatsenko, another resident. 'Your heart jumps out of your chest when you hear the sound of a Shahed drone, then gunfire, then an explosion.'
Russian troops were also effective in their continued attacks on areas along the border and occupied territories.
Three Ukrainians were killed in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, where Russia captured a first village this week after a months-long incursion. In the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region — the site of a nuclear plant — two civilians were killed in the attacks, Gov. Ivan Fedorov said.
Advertisement
Four more people were also killed in the Sumy region by a Russian guided bomb and another four were slaughtered in Donetsk, local officials reported.
6 A two-story residential building was destroyed by a Russian drone strike in Lviv.
Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
Russia's Ministry of Defense said it targeted defense industry targets across several Ukrainian cities. The ministry said it also struck a military airfield.
That follows the deadliest month of the war on record, when 232 civilians were killed and 1,343 injured in June, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
The Kremlin has ramped up its long-range attacks in recent weeks, including firing off more than 700 drones Tuesday during the most intense attack on Ukraine since the invasion began in 2022, and topping its record for the third time in two weeks.
Experts believe that the recent wave indicates a change in strategy by Putin.
'They've never had a technical problem reaching western Ukraine, whether Lviv or any other region,' Israel-based military analyst David Sharp told the Kyiv Independent.
'It has always been a question of priorities.'
Advertisement
6 Volodymr Zelensky speaks with world leaders.
REUTERS
Zelensky said Saturday that the pace of Russian strikes demands decisive action – and 'can be curbed through sanctions right now.'
6 Smoke billows over Lviv buildings after Russian strikes.
AFP via Getty Images
'Tough secondary sanctions are needed against everyone helping the Russians produce drones and profiteer from oil,' he posted to X.
Advertisement
'This war can only be stopped through strength. We expect not just signals from our partners, but actions that will save lives.'
President Trump meanwhile announced on Friday that he plans to make a 'major statement' on Russia early next week — as the Senate considers legislation to force sanctions on Putin.
The president has openly flirted with stepping up sanctions on Moscow — as well as imposing penalties on customers of Russian oil, minerals and other goods.
Advertisement
The US has also resumed sending military aid to Ukraine earlier this week, after Trump reversed a decision by the Pentagon to stop shipments.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
33 minutes ago
- New York Post
Andrew Cuomo set to run as an independent in NYC mayoral race — but there's a catch
Not Cuoing anywhere. Andrew Cuomo is expected to announce this week that he is staying in the New York mayoral race as an independent, despite the latest polls showing his odds of winning are slim. 3 Andrew Cuomo is reportedly set to announce his run as an independent in the NYC mayoral race. Getty Images Advertisement The former governor is going to unveil his independent candidate bid this week, sources told NewsNation — but there is a catch. After his announcement, Cuomo is going to ask all of the candidates — except for socialist Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani — to vow to drop out of the race come mid-September if they are not in the lead, himself included, a source close to the candidate told NewsNation. 3 Cuomo lost the Democratic primary to Zohran Mamdani by a significant margin. Advertisement The Post has reached out to Cuomo's campaign for comment. The decision comes despite polls showing the former governor trailing Mamdani. 3 Current Mayor Eric Adams is in fourth with a 11%, according to a recent survey. Paul Martinka The latest survey from from political consulting firm Slingshot Strategies has Mamdani comfotable leading with 35% of the vote, followed by Cuomo on 25%, Republican Curtis Sliwa in third with 14%, and Eric Adams in fourth with a paltry 11%.
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Two Russian FSB Agents Killed After Assassinating Ukraine Spy Colonel: Kyiv
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said on Sunday that it successfully tracked down and "neutralized" two Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) agents who were suspected of assassinating Colonel Ivan Voronych, a high-ranking SBU Special Operations Centre officer, in Kyiv on July 10. Newsweek has contacted the SBU, Ukrainian officials, and the FSB on Sunday via email for comment. Why It Matters Colonel Voronych served in the Special Operations Center (Alpha) and led high-risk operations targeting Russian military assets. As reported by RBC-Ukraine, his unit was involved in sabotage operations behind enemy lines and was credited with eliminating high-ranking members of the Russian administration. His assassination marked a significant and brazen escalation in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia that began in February 2022 when Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded the Eastern European nation. What To Know As reported by Newsweek, Voronych was shot dead as he left his home in Kyiv on Thursday morning. A masked gunman approached the senior intelligence officer from a residential parking lot and shot him several times with a silenced handgun before fleeing. According to SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk, the two agents, identified as a man and a woman, were dispatched into Ukraine several days before Voronych was gunned down in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district. Surveillance footage captured the two suspects following Voronych to a firearms cache where they retrieved a suppressed pistol. Around 9 a.m. local time on July 10, they ambushed and fatally shot him. An update posted to the Ukrainian government Telegram channel stated: "The SBU eliminated the killers who killed the Security Service colonel in Kyiv. During a special operation, employees of the Security Service of Ukraine eliminated agents of the Russian special services who, on the instructions of the FSB of the Russian Federation, carried out the murder of the SBU colonel in Kyiv. "The special operation to find the killers of the Ukrainian defender was personally led by the head of the SBU, Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk. The FSB agent-combat group was routed to Ukraine in advance and three days ago committed the murder of an SBU employee, our brother Colonel Ivan Voronych." SBU and National Police located the pair in Kyiv Oblast during a special operation led personally by Malyuk. When the agents resisted arrest, a gunfight ensued, ending with both suspects being killed in the operation "SBU and National Police officers established their location in the Kyiv region. This morning, a special operation was conducted, during which members of the FSB intelligence and combat group of the Russian Federation began to resist, so they were eliminated," the post said. It went on to say that the head of the Ukrainian special service thanked the employees of the National Police of Ukraine for their professionalism and support, emphasizing that "effective counteraction to Russian special services is a key area of activity for the Security Service." The events were conducted under the procedural guidance of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, the post said. Servicemen of the National Guard of Ukraine and members of the SBU security service hold an anti-terror drills in Slavyansk, eastern Ukraine, on October 13, 2020. Servicemen of the National Guard of Ukraine and members of the SBU security service hold an anti-terror drills in Slavyansk, eastern Ukraine, on October 13, 2020. GENYA SAVILOV/AFP viaWhat People Are Saying Head of the SBU, Vasyl Malyuk, as reported on the Ukrainian government's Telegram channel: "As a result of covert investigative and active counterintelligence activities, the enemy lair was discovered. During the detention, they began to resist, there was a gunfight, so the villains were eliminated. I want to remind you that the enemy's only prospect on the territory of Ukraine is death!" What Happens Next? The killing of two FSB agents in a Ukrainian intelligence operation marks one of the boldest direct actions against Russian operatives inside Ukraine in recent months and raises the stakes in a shadow war defined by high-profile reprisals and covert escalations.
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Russia warns against targeting North Korea
July 12 (UPI) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov traveled to North Korea on Friday to meet with his North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and others during a three-day visit. He said Moscow respects North Korea's efforts to develop nuclear arms by using its own scientists amid recent military exercises involving the U.S., South Korean and Japanese forces, according to CNN. The U.S. and its South Korean and Japanese allies conducted a joint aerial training operation on the Korean Peninsula on Friday. Lavrov warned the United States and its regional allies against targeting North Korea and Russia, Newsweek reported on Saturday. "No one is considering using force against North Korea despite the military buildup around the country by the United States, South Korea and Japan," Lavrov said of the joint military exercise. "We respect North Korea's aspirations and understand the reasons why it is pursuing a nuclear development," Lavrov said. He said Moscow is aware that President Donald Trump recently expressed support for resuming talks with North Korea at the highest level. "We exchanged views on the situation surrounding the Ukrainian crisis," Lavrov told Russian state media outlet TASS. "Our Korean friends confirmed their firm support of all the objectives of the special military operation," he said of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. North Korea's Foreign Ministry earlier this week invitedLavrov to visit Pyongyang, which is preparing to deploy between 25,000 and 30,000 soldiers for Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine. North Korea last year deployed 11,000 soldiers to Russia to help repel a Ukrainian incursion in the Kursk region of Russia. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
