Putin launches missiles and drones attack in night of hell for Ukraine with dozens of explosions rocking Kharkiv
Russian drones and missiles attacked several areas of Ukraine with the city of Kharkiv being the worst impacted by the terrifying barrage.
Advertisement
4
A Russian drone attack hit Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine overnight
Credit: Alamy
4
The city of Kharkiv was reportedly hit with a 20-minute wave of destruction
Credit: x
4
The city was burning after the relentless strikes
Credit: Alamy
Both deaths came in
Ukraine
's second largest city, near to the town of Kupiansk, an area which has been under constant Russian attack for months.
The victims were reportedly 67 and 69 years old.
Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said at least 17 explosions were recorded in just 20 minutes.
Chilling images show the night
sky
lit up after several buildings were directly impacted amd left up in flames.
Advertisement
Most read in World News
Putin's evil forces are said to have knocked out power and water supplies across the country.
The southeastern town of Kryvyi Rih and the capital Kyiv were also impacted.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said air defence units had gone into action but there were no reports of casualties.
The latest attacks are set to anger Donald Trump even more after he imposed a strict peace ultimatum on Putin on Monday.
Advertisement
Most read in The US Sun
He issued a blistering crackdown on Moscow as he
Trump also said he is "very unhappy" with the despot over his incessant bombing of Ukrainian civilians.
The US President also agreed to supply weapons to help Kyiv in the war in the hopes of
driving
Putin to the negotiating table.
Putin defies Trump's ultimatum and BOMBARDS Ukraine – as Kremlin mouthpiece warns Russia will 'turn Kyiv into Hiroshima'
He vowed to send weapons compromising of "everything" in his arsenal in order to
Advertisement
One of the proposed weapons which could be included in the package deal is America's joint air-to-surface standoff cruise missiles (JASSM).
A snarling Putin is yet to directly respond but the
They mocked the deadline with sources saying they may now demand even more Ukrainian territory instead of laying down arms.
Russia will instead keep terrorising Ukrainian civilians during the seven-week period instead of surrendering in any form, they added.
Advertisement
And within hours of Trump's tariff threat, they made good on that promise.
Drones targeted a university in Sumy, wounding a 14-year-old girl and a 19-year-old student, while a missile hit a medical facility in Shostka.
In response,
Ukraine
launched its own drone blitz across southwest
Russia
, injuring civilians and damaging homes and industrial sites in Voronezh and Lipetsk.
Advertisement
4
A drone attack targeted the administrative building of the FED company in Kharkiv
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
11 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
What's in the EU's 18th sanctions package against Russia?
The European Union has imposed its 18th package of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. The package aims at dealing further blows to Russia's oil and energy industry. Here is a rundown of what is included in the latest sanctions package. Oil price cap Central to the package is a lower price cap on Russian oil - a move designed to shrink Russia's energy revenues without disrupting global markets by severing Russian supply entirely. The EU will impose a moving price cap on Russian crude at 15% below its average market price, EU diplomats said. That means a cap of roughly $47.60 per barrel at present, well below the $60 maximum that the Group of Seven major economies have tried to impose since December 2022. The new price cap will come into force on 3 September and a 90-day transition period will apply to existing contracts, the EU said in a press release. The measure aims to ban trade in Russian crude bought at a higher price by prohibiting shipping, insurance and reinsurance companies from handling tankers carrying such crude. The European Union and the UK have been pushing the G7 to lower the cap since a fall in oil futures made the $60 cap largely irrelevant. However, the US has resisted, leaving the EU to move forward on its own, with limited power to enforce the measure because oil is largely traded in dollars, for which payment clearing is controlled by US banks. Shadow fleet and energy trade The EU will no longer import any petroleum products made from Russian crude after a transitional period of six months, although the ban will not apply to imports from Norway, Britain, the US, Canada and Switzerland, EU diplomats said. The EU sanctions also targeted India's Nayara oil refinery with Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft as its main shareholder. The EU also agreed to end the Czech Republic's exemption from the bloc's existing ban on seaborne Russian crude oil imports, after the country fully switched to non-Russian supplies this year. An additional 105 vessels are banned from accessing EU ports and locks, or undertaking ship-to-ship transfers of oil - an effort to shut down the so-called "shadow fleet" of older oil tankers used to transport Russian oil and circumvent sanctions. The EU also put sanctions on a private operator of an international flag registry, and an entity in the Russian LNG sector, the Council of the EU said in a press release, without naming them. In total, the EU has now imposed sanctions on more than 400 shadow fleet ships. Nord Stream Transactions related to Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea will be banned, including any provision of goods or services to these projects. Financial sector The EU will ban all transactions with Russian financial institutions - already excluded from the global financial messaging system SWIFT. The ban will include transactions with Russia's sovereign wealth fund - the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) - as well as its investments. This aims to further restrict Russia's access to international financial markets and foreign currency. EU countries also agreed to lower the threshold for imposing further sanctions on foreign financial and credit institutions that undermine the sanctions or support Russia's war effort. Export bans, new blacklist entries The EU will blacklist 26 new entities for circumventing sanctions, including seven in China, three in Hong Kong and four in Turkey, diplomats said. Certain chemicals, plastics and machinery have been added to the list of goods EU countries cannot export to Russia. Delayed approval The package of sanctions on Russia is the EU's 18th since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Approval was held up for weeks by Slovakia and Malta. Slovakia had demanded guarantees against potential losses from a separate EU plan to ban imports of Russian gas by 2028, and dropped its veto after the EU offered Slovakia some guarantees earlier this week.
The Journal
13 minutes ago
- The Journal
Debunked: Amid reports of a cryptic Trump-Epstein letter, misinformation muddies the waters
FAKE IMAGES AND explanations have already spread in the wake of a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article that says Donald Trump sent a raunchy 50th birthday letter to sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein. Donald Trump has said he will sue the WSJ and media giant owner Newscorp over their reporting of a letter allegedly signed by him and filled with cryptic and sexual references. The letter — found in a leather-bound book — was compiled by Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, in 2003. According the WSJ, Trump's letter is framed by the outline of a naked woman hand-drawn in heavy marker. 'A pair of small arcs denotes the woman's breasts, and the future president's signature is a squiggly 'Donald' below her waist, mimicking pubic hair,' the WSJ reported. The note, written as a scripted dialogue, reads: 'Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything 'Donald: Yes, there is, but I won't tell you what it is. 'Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is. 'Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey. 'Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it. 'Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that? 'Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you. 'Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.' Advertisement Epstein died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking. Ahead of his election, Trump said he would have 'no problem' releasing files related to the case. That position has been rolled back in recent weeks, with the President saying the files were a hoax written by previous Democrat administrations. Misinformation Images that do fit the description of the letter given in the WSJ have spread online, in one case said to be 'an artist's recreation'. Others appear to be purposely sloppy, often posted alongside claims that the WSJ's reporting cannot be trusted. Misinformation has also been spread on the subject by Trump himself. Speaking to the WSJ, Trump defended himself, saying that the picture was a fake and 'I never wrote a picture in my life. I don't draw pictures of women.' He would later reiterate this claim on Truth Social, writing 'The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein. These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures.' This is false. Trump has been auctioning off multiple sketches for decades. 'Each year I donate an autographed doodle to the Doodle for Hunger auction at Tavern on the Green,' Trump wrote in his 2008 book Trump: Never Give Up. 'It takes me a few minutes to draw something, in my case, it's usually a building or a cityscape of skyscrapers, and then sign my name, but it raises thousands of dollars to help the hungry in New York through the Capuchin Food Pantries Ministry.' He concludes: 'Art may not be my strong point, but the end result is help for people who need it. One such sketch, of a city skyline, was signed by Trump in 2004 and described by him as being made in 2003 , the same year Maxwell compiled the book of letters. A 2003 sketch by Trump, featured on Another sketch, featuring a crude drawing of a bridge along with Trump's signature, was sold with a description that it was drawn 'circa 2006' , the same year that the Epstein was first arrested for sexual abuse. Trump's ' original artwork ', in the form of a sketch of a 'money tree', has been auctioned off as recently as 2020. Want to be your own fact-checker? Visit our brand-new FactCheck Knowledge Bank for guides and toolkits The Journal's FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network's Code of Principles. You can read it here . For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader's Guide here . You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here . Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... It is vital that we surface facts from noise. Articles like this one brings you clarity, transparency and balance so you can make well-informed decisions. We set up FactCheck in 2016 to proactively expose false or misleading information, but to continue to deliver on this mission we need your support. Over 5,000 readers like you support us. If you can, please consider setting up a monthly payment or making a once-off donation to keep news free to everyone. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
41 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
From promise to pushback: Trump and the so-called Epstein list
United States President Donald Trump is facing growing frustration from some of his supporters after appearing to back away from earlier suggestions that he would release documents linked to disgraced financier and child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. During the 2024 election campaign, President Trump had hinted at making public a so-called 'client list' and other files related to Epstein, who prior to his 2019 death moved among the most wealthy and well-connected social circles in the US and beyond. That possibility was met with enthusiasm from Trump's support base, who perceive there has been a lack of transparency from government agencies who investigated Epstein's life and crimes. They believe an unwillingness to release 'The Epstein Files' is part of an on-going cover up, and that elite members of society named within the files are being protected by the so-called 'deep state.' They hoped Donald Trump was going to dismantle that perceived cover-up once in office. Yet in a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Wednesday, he dismissed much of discussion about the Epstein files as a "hoax," a move that has sparked backlash from parts of his Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters. The shift has reopened questions about what President Trump actually promised, and why the Epstein conspiracy theory continues to have such a grip on American political culture. The Epstein case has long fueled speculation. Epstein had links to numerous public figures, royals and celebrities, including President Trump. He died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving underage girls. He allegedly groomed young and underage women for sexual abuse by the rich and powerful. Epstein's cause of death was later confirmed by an autopsy, but conspiracies abound online and among Trump's supporters that he was murdered to protect others who could become associated with his crimes. His longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was later convicted on federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy for recruiting and grooming underage girls. During the 2024 election campaign, President Trump suggested he might release sealed files related to Epstein's so-called client list and circumstances of death. But that position shifted on Wednesday. "My PAST supporters have bought into this 'bullshit,' hook, line, and sinker," he wrote. "Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats' work. I don't want their support anymore," the president wrote. It was a remarkable turnaround, and an attack on his own supporters. It was also factually incorrect to say Democrats have driven a focus on the Epstein case – a focus on Epstein has been driven for years by individuals now within the Trump Administration on conservative radio and podcasts. These include the two leading figures in the FBI under Trump, Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, who long promoted Trump as the man who would tear down the curtain and reveal the truth of the Epstein case once he re-entered the White House. Base shift Why has the shift provoked such a strong reaction from his base? President Trump himself fed that narrative. In June 2024, during the US election campaign, Mr Trump, then a presidential candidate, was interviewed by Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy. She asked if he would declassify the 9/11 and JFK files if re-elected, Mr Trump said he would. "Would you declassify the Epstein files?" she followed up. "Yes, yeah I would," he replied in the version that aired on TV. In the full unedited clip, however, he added a qualifier: "I think that less so, because you don't want to affect people's lives if it's phony stuff in there, because there's a lot of phony stuff with that whole world." Ms Campos-Duffy then asked whether releasing the Epstein files would "help restore trust?" Mr Trump answered, "Yeah. I don't know about Epstein so much as I do the others. Certainly, about the way he died. It'd be interesting to find out what happened there, because that was a weird situation and the cameras didn't happen to be working." On 3 September 2024, President Trump echoed similar sentiments in a podcast with Lex Fridman, saying he'd "take a look." "Yeah, I'd be inclined to the do the Epstein, I'd have no problem with it," he said. Many others within his administration have made similar statements. Speaking to podcaster Theo Von in October 2024, then Senator and now Vice President JD Vance said: "Seriously, we need to release the Epstein list. That is an important thing." After taking office in January 2025, President Trump appointed several figures to senior roles who had previously called for the release of the so-called Epstein client list. Among them was US Attorney General Pam Bondi, who had said in 2024: "It should have come out a long time ago." In February, when asked if the Department of Justice (DOJ) would release the list, Ms Bondi told reporters: "It is sitting on my desk right now, to review." Days later, she confirmed to Fox News that she had the list. On 28 February, Elon Musk, then a key figure in the administration, told the Joe Rogan Experience podcast: "Well, it better come out, hopefully tomorrow… I think the public will be rightly frustrated if no one is prosecuted for the Epstein client list, no one at all." In early March, Ms Bondi continued to suggest that disclosure was imminent. When asked on Fox News whether the public would see the names of "perpetrators," she replied, "Well, certainly, nothing can be withheld on that." Days later, she claimed the FBI was in possession of a "truckload of evidence." However, last week, the DOJ and the FBI released a joint memo stating that there was no incriminating "client list" tied to Epstein. In the memo, the two agencies said they had conducted an "exhaustive review of investigative holdings relating to Jeffrey Epstein," including more than 300GB of data and physical evidence. The memo also stated there was no credible evidence that Epstein had blackmailed prominent individuals. It added that investigators found nothing to support charges against any unindicted third parties. This prompted a backlash and mounted pressure on Ms Bondi, as Trump-supporting right-wing media figures became frustrated by delays. Some began to call for her resignation. President Trump defended her in a statement, saying she was doing a "fantastic job." Speaking on Tuesday, he said Ms Bondi should release "whatever she thinks is credible" regarding the Epstein case. He also downplayed ongoing interest in the matter, saying he did not understand "what the interest or what the fascination is" with the issue. The reignited claims – which for a long time have been pushed by those who oppose Trump – that he himself is implicated within 'the Epstein files.' New revelations In the days after the DOJ memo was released, the Wall Street Journal reported the existence of a birthday note bearing President Trump's name in Epstein's personal papers. The note, allegedly part of a leather-bound album marking Epstein's 50th birthday, ended with the line: "Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret," and was signed "Donald." The page was said to feature a hand-drawn outline of a naked woman. President Trump – who was pictured with Epstein and said he did meet him on occasion - called the letter a fake and threatened to sue the newspaper, its publisher NewsCorp, and owner Rupert Murdoch. "If they print it, they will be sued," he wrote on Truth Social. Vice President JD Vance also dismissed the story as "complete and utter bulls**t." The Wall Street Journal has so far declined to comment. Trump and Epstein Epstein and President Trump were well acquainted at one point. In a 2002 New York Magazine profile of Epstein, President Trump, then a prominent businessman and media figure, said: "I've known Jeff for 15 years, terrific guy. He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side." However, when Epstein was arrested in 2019, President Trump said he "had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don't think I've spoken to him for 15 years...I was not a fan of his." Following his death, conspiracy theories swirled that Epstein had in fact been murdered to protect people, and discussion ballooned about a 'client list.' It's believed by some that the people named on this 'list' were being extorted by Epstein, yet it's not clear if a list ever existed, although President Trump and his inner circle have consistently referenced one. The list is core to the conspiracy theory: as part of efforts to counter that conspiracy – despite it once being a key narrative within MAGA – the FBI released a statement last week. This is the FBI under Trump, led by Kash Patel, who has long been a key driver of the Epstein narrative on Trump-supporting media platforms. It reiterated that Epstein died by suicide in his prison cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on 10 August 2019. To support that "full raw" video footage from outside Epstein's prison cell door was released, it said. "The FBI's independent review of this footage confirmed that from the time Epstein was locked in his cell at around 10:40 pm on August 9, 2019, until around 6:30 am the next morning, nobody entered any of the tiers in the SHU (Special Housing Unit)." It had released the roughly 11-hour surveillance video in an attempt to dispel claims that Epstein did not die by suicide. However, in the hours and days after the video was released, some online seized on time stamps in the footage, which skipped from 11:58pm to midnight. The tech-focused news outlet WIRED then reported that metadata on the video files showed it had been stitched together with the video editing tool Adobe Premiere Pro from two video files, contradicting the Justice Department's claim that it was "raw" footage. Further analysis of the video's metadata showed that nearly three minutes of footage was cut from the video. It was unclear what, if anything, the minutes cut from the first clip showed, but the apparent editing of the footage raised new questions. The DOJ has not yet responded to that specific query. With all that happening almost at the same time, people who believed Donald Trump would bring transparency to the Epstein case began to say Trump's administration are now part of the cover up. Core MAGA movement voices have begun to express skepticism about Trump's personal motivations. Elon Musk – who albeit is now not widely considered a generally reliable information source, but remains an influential figure in the Trump infosphere – claimed (and then deleted) that Trump's name is in the Epstein files. Republican lawmakers spoke out against Trump officials, calling for them to be more transparent. It appears that a conspiracy stoked by many now within the MAGA movement is pulling it apart. In the middle of it all is Donald Trump – the man who was supposed to expose all about the sex trafficker Epstein's elite client list of child abusers. He is now lashing out against some would-be supporters who accuse him of not just protecting Epstein's elite clients, and not just of using the 'deep state' to hide the truth - but of being one of the clients and part of the 'deep state.' In the meantime, some of his media-supporters-turned-administration-officials who poured petrol on the flames of the Epstein case for years are suddenly trying to put out the fire.
