Russian strikes kill eight across Ukraine, officials say
Four deaths were reported in Ukraine's western Khmelnytskyi region. Three more deaths were reported in the Kyiv region, and one in the southern city of Mykolaiv.
It comes a day after Kyiv suffered one of the heaviest assaults since the start of the Russian invasion, with Russian aerial attacks killing at least 13.
Russia's defence ministry said its air defence units shot down or intercepted 95 Ukrainian drones over a number of Russian regions, including Moscow, during a four-hour period on Saturday night. No casualties were reported.
The drone attack forced a brief suspension of all flights at Moscow's airports.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory.
This includes Crimea - Ukraine's southern peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.
Hectic two weeks leaves Russia confident - and peace in Ukraine feeling no closer
Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia
In a statement on Facebook, Khmelnytskyi regional head Serhiy Tyurin said four people were killed and another five were injured in the Russian attacks.
"Six private houses were destroyed, and another 20 damaged," he added.
Kyiv regional head Mykola Kalashnyk said three people were killed and 10 others were injured.
He posted on social media photos of several houses set ablaze after the Russian strikes.
In the capital Kyiv, local officials reported 11 injuries, multiple fires and damage to residential buildings, including a dormitory.
Hundreds of people were seen sheltering in underground stations of the city's metro. It comes as the capital marks its annual Kyiv Day holiday on Sunday.
In Mykolaiv, Ukraine's state emergencies service DSNS said the body of an elderly man was pulled out from a five-storey residential building hit by a drone. Another five people were injured.
In Kharkiv, regional authorities reported three injuries.
In Russia, the defence ministry said that Ukrainian drones targeted eight Russian regions.
"From 20:00 Moscow time (17:00 GMT) on 24 May to 00:00 on 25 May, air defence units on duty destroyed and intercepted 95 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said in a statement.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that 12 drones heading towards the capital were shot down.
He added that emergency services crews were deployed to assess damage caused by falling drone debris.
In the Tula region, just south of Moscow, drone wreckage crashed in the courtyard of a residential building, smashing windows in a number of apartments, local governor Dmitriy Milyaev said.
No-one was injured, he added.
The attacks came as Russia and Ukraine take part in prisoner swaps agreed after talks between the two sides in Turkey.
On Friday, Ukraine and Russia each handed over 390 soldiers and civilians in the biggest prisoner exchange since Russia launched its full-scale assault in February 2022.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that another 307 Ukrainian prisoners had returned home as part of an exchange deal with the Kremlin.
The two countries have agreed to swap a total of 1,000 prisoners each, and another exchange is expected on Sunday.
The swap follows the first face-to-face talks between the two sides in three years, which took place in Turkey.
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump and Putin had a two-hour phone call to discuss a US-proposed Ukraine ceasefire deal.
Trump said he believed the call had gone "very well", and added that Russia and Ukraine will "immediately start" negotiations toward a ceasefire and "an end to the war".
However, Putin has only said Russia would work with Ukraine to craft a "memorandum" on a "possible future peace", and has not accepted a 30-day ceasefire.
Thirteen killed in wave of Russian attacks across Ukraine
Hectic two weeks leaves Russia confident - and peace in Ukraine feeling no closer
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American Military News
23 minutes ago
- American Military News
Russia Seeks ‘Expendable Manpower' For Ukraine War With New Recruiting Network
This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission. When Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered what he called a 'partial mobilization' of fighting-age men to fuel the war in Ukraine in September 2022, seven months into the full-scale invasion, the effect was visible on the streets and on the country's borders. Recruiters raided offices, lurked outside apartment buildings, and strode through subway trains in search of men subject to the call-up, and hundreds of thousands of Russians fled the country to avoid being sent to the front in Ukraine, joining an exodus that began after the invasion in February. With Putin at pains to avoid repeating such an unpopular step, the Russian military has turned to an array of methods to keep the flow of soldiers to the war going, from recruiting in jails, prisons, and homeless shelters to finding ways to send conscripts into combat despite the fact that it's illegal. In December 2023, Schemes and Systema — RFE/RL's Ukrainian and Russian investigative units, respectively — revealed that Redut, an ostensibly private mercenary company that has sent many thousands of men to fight in Ukraine, is in fact a state-controlled entity: a recruitment network run by Russia's main military intelligence agency, known as the GRU. A new investigation by Systema shows how the military has cast its net wider still, using a new, alternative system called Dobrokor — short for Dobrovolchesky Korpus (Volunteer Corps) — to attract recruits who might balk at the conditions and requirements of service under the aegis of Redut or regular Defense Ministry contracts. Joining up through Redut or Dobrokor differs in one major way from signing a traditional service contract with the Defense Ministry: Contracts with the ministry are automatically prolonged until the end of what Russia calls the 'special military operation,' meaning these soldiers are not off the hook until Russia's war in Ukraine is officially over. Mercenary contracts imply service until the end of the contract term — often six, eight, or 12 months — and are not automatically renewed. But there's a potentially deadly drawback: There is evidence that soldiers recruited through either of the volunteer networks may be seen by military brass as particularly suited to being used as cannon-fodder for the Russian military, whose gradual advances have come at a huge human expense. The Russian casualty toll, killed or wounded, is believed to have reached 1 million this summer. 'Second-Rate Infantry' In a taped conversation with officers that was leaked late last year, Aleksandr Borodai, a Russian lawmaker who heads a group called the Union of Donbass Volunteers, said that military brass sees volunteer soldiers as a 'second-rate infantry' whose task is to 'exhaust the enemy's manpower' as much as possible before regular army units mount an attack. In the same recording, he refers to volunteers as 'expendable manpower.' Dobrokor and Redut are both run by the GRU, and both channel recruits into roughly the same constellation of units, which cater to a range of interests: Some have a nationalist or Orthodox Christian bent, others focus on Cossacks, hardcore soccer fans, or other groupings. The Dobrokor website lists 27 units in all. Through both Dobrokor and Redut, men aged 18 to 55 and women 18 to 45 can enlist. The women serve in medical units. Pay starts at 205,000 rubles ($2,600) a month and can be higher depending on the role of the mercenary. But there are big differences between the two. Redut operates in a quasi-legal gray area — a situation that has potential pros and cons for Russians who go that route to join up. In 2023, Redut recruiters told RFE/RL that benefits include the ability to quit before your contract expires without the threat of a court-martial and the potential for payment in cash, which can be hidden from creditors, courts, the government, or a former spouse. Redut was created 'so that people could avoid paying taxes or, for example, any court costs,' one recruiter told Systema at the time. It is also easier to join up through Redut than through other channels. Health and fitness requirements are lax, and a criminal record is not a barrier to service as it is with the Defense Ministry or with Dobrokor. But there are downsides to Redut: recruits are not eligible for a regional signing-bonus, which can be substantial, and it can be much harder for veterans or survivors to get monetary payouts for disability, death, and other circumstances. 'You Don't Exist' A volunteer recruited through the Dobrokor system has the status of a service member, including all the social guarantees and payments, a recruiter for the Nevsky unit who goes by the call sign Oculist told Systema. With Redut, he said, from a legal point of view 'you don't exist. There's no service, nothing: No hospitals, no rehabilitation, nothing.' For this article, Systema journalists called recruiters on publicly advertised lines, identifying themselves only if asked. Signing up though Dobrokor can provide more security and more reliable access to bonuses and benefits. Unlike with Redut, however, a Dobrokor recruit cannot quit before their contracts is up without risking consequences, including potential criminal charges for desertion. 'You can't run away — not without trouble,' Irina, a recruiter with the Union of Donbass Volunteers, told Systema. As of May, military prosecutors had sent to Russian courts more than 20,000 desertion cases dating back to the start of the full-scale invasion, the Russian-language outlet Mediazona reported. And the signing bonuses for Russians joining via Dobrokor are smaller than they are for those who go the traditional Defense Ministry route, where the figure can be up to some 3.6 million rubles ($46,000). 'Guys from various regions write and say, 'Here the bonus is 100,000 rubles ($1,280), here it's 50,000 ($640),'' a recruiter for the mercenary unit Vostok (East) told RFE/RL. In addition to Dobrokor and Redut, the Defense Ministry has created its own recruitment channel, BARS. Some recruiting organizations, such as the Union of Donbass Volunteers, bring in recruits through all three systems. Still, far fewer Russians join by signing a traditional Defense Ministry contract. More than 18,000 people joined volunteer units in the first half of 2025, while more than 210,000 new contract soldiers joined the ranks, former President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Putin's Security Council, told a meeting on July 2. Janis Kluge, an expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, estimated that the second number is a little lower, at about 190,000. Another difference between Redut and Dobrokor: Recruits joining through Dobrokor are provided with uniforms and basic equipment, while 'at Redut they give you nothing,' the Vostok recruiter told RFE/RL. Not right away, at least. Recruiters said those joining through Redut are given 50,000 rubles ($640) as compensation for those purchases along with their pay for the third month of service — if they live that long.
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Ukraine Launches Fresh Drone Attacks on Moscow
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 launched renewed attacks on the Russian capital overnight into Sunday, according to Russian and Ukrainian sources, after Moscow doubled down on missile and drone strikes across Ukraine. Why It Matters Kyiv has occasionally targeted Moscow with long-range drone strikes, and launched a string of attacks on the Russian capital in recent days. Russia has intensified its own aerial assaults on the Ukrainian capital and many other regions of Ukraine in the past few weeks, despite U.S. efforts to secure a ceasefire deal and increasing frustration from U.S. President Donald Trump with Russia's President, Vladimir Putin. What To Know Moscow mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said Russian air defenses had destroyed 13 Ukrainian drones over Moscow, then quickly said another seven had been intercepted. A general view shows Terminal C of Sheremetyevo International Airport outside Moscow, Russia on July 6, 2025. This image was provided to AP directly by a third party and could not be independently verified. A general view shows Terminal C of Sheremetyevo International Airport outside Moscow, Russia on July 6, 2025. This image was provided to AP directly by a third party and could not be independently verified. Alexey Filippov / Sputnik via AP Russia's Defense Ministry said in its own statement that Ukraine had launched 93 drones at Russia between 11:30 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday and 7 a.m. local time on Sunday. A total of 19 Ukrainian drones flew over the broader Moscow region, with 16 heading directly for the Russian capital city, the Russian government said. The Defense Ministry later reported Ukraine had launched seven more drones over the Moscow region from just after 8 a.m. Moscow time to midday. A pro-Kremlin Telegram channel with purported links to Russian law enforcement reported a car "exploded after being hit by debris" from a Ukrainian drone in Zelenograd, on the northwestern edge of Moscow. The Baza Russian Telegram channel reported that debris from an intercepted drone had fallen on a multi-storey building in Zelenograd. Russian state media reported temporary restrictions were put in place at Sheremetyevo airport, east of Zelenograd, citing the country's federal air transport agency. Restrictions were also imposed on the Moscow airports of Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky, as well as Kaluga, southwest of Moscow, according to several Russian reports. A total of 134 flights were diverted over the weekend, a spokesperson for the Rosaviatsiya federal air transport agency said. "Moscow was attacked by UAVs [uncrewed aerial vehicles]," Andriy Kovalenko, an official with Ukraine's national security and defense council, said in a post to social media on Sunday. Kovalenko shared footage the Ukrainian official said showed passengers at Sheremetyevo, which Newsweek could not independently verify. Ukraine said on Sunday Russia had launched 57 drones at several regions of the war-torn country overnight, after reporting Moscow fired 344 drones at Ukraine into Saturday morning. Russia also used 12 short-range ballistic missiles and 15 cruise missiles from late on Friday into the early hours of Saturday, the Ukrainian air force said. U.S.-brokered efforts to push Moscow into a ceasefire deal have so far failed, and Trump told the BBC earlier this month he was "disappointed" in the Russian leader, but "not done with him." "We'll have a great conversation. I'll say: 'That's good, I'll think we're close to getting it done,' and then he'll knock down a building in Kyiv," Trump said. The Republican greenlit further U.S. weapons support for Ukraine via NATO nations last week, and said Russia had 50 days to clinch a ceasefire deal or face tariffs. Moscow said Ukraine saw this as a "signal to continue the war" and abandon peace talks. Western leaders and Ukraine have repeatedly said Russia is stalling ceasefire negotiations. The Financial Times reported on Tuesday Trump had asked Zelensky during a phone call earlier in July whether Ukraine could strike Moscow or the city of St Petersburg, if the U.S. furnished Ukraine with long-range weapons. Trump publicly told reporters Ukraine "shouldn't target Moscow." White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, appeared to acknowledge the remarks but described them as "wildly out of context." "President Trump was merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing," Leavitt said in a statement. "He's working tirelessly to stop the killing and end this war." What People Are Saying Moscow mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said on Sunday there were "no serious injuries or casualties" after a Ukrainian drone targeted Zelenograd, on the outskirts of Moscow.
Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
News Analysis: Trump's ‘force of personality' hasn't delivered on key foreign policy goals
WASHINGTON — When President Trump returned to the White House in January, he promised to deliver big foreign policy wins in record time. He said he would halt Russia's war against Ukraine in 24 hours or less, end Israel's war in Gaza nearly as quickly and force Iran to end to its nuclear program. He said he'd persuade Canada to become the 51st state, take Greenland from Denmark and negotiate 90 trade deals in 90 days. 'The president believes that his force of personality … can bend people to do things,' his special envoy-for-everything, Steve Witkoff, explained in May in a Breitbart interview. Six months later, none of those ambitious goals have been reached. Ukraine and Gaza are still at war. Israel and the United States bombed Iran's nuclear facilities, but it's not clear whether they ended the country's atomic program once and for all. Canada and Denmark haven't surrendered any territory. And instead of trade deals, Trump is mostly slapping tariffs on other countries, to the distress of U.S. stock markets. It turned out that force of personality couldn't solve every problem. 'He overestimated his power and underestimated the ability of others to push back,' said Kori Schake, director of foreign policy at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. 'He often acts as if we're the only people with leverage, strength or the ability to take action. We're not.' The president has notched important achievements. He won a commitment from other members of NATO to increase their defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product. The attack on Iran appears to have set Tehran's nuclear project back for years, even if it didn't end it. And Trump — or more precisely, his aides — helped broker ceasefires between India and Pakistan and between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. But none of those measured up to the goals Trump initially set for himself — much less qualified for the Nobel Peace Prize he has publicly yearned for. 'I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for this,' he grumbled when the Rwanda-Congo agreement was signed. The most striking example of unfulfilled expectations has come in Ukraine, the grinding conflict Trump claimed he could end even before his inauguration. For months, Trump sounded certain that his warm relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin would produce a deal that would stop the fighting, award Russia most of the territory its troops have seized and end U.S. economic sanctions on Moscow. 'I believe he wants peace,' Trump said of Putin in February. 'I trust him on this subject.' But to Trump's surprise, Putin wasn't satisfied with his proposal. The Russian leader continued bombing Ukrainian cities even after Trump publicly implored him to halt via social media ('Vladimir, STOP!'). Critics charged that Putin was playing Trump for a fool. The president bristled: 'Nobody's playing me.' But as early as April, he admitted to doubts about Putin's good faith. 'It makes me think that maybe he doesn't want to stop the war, he's just tapping me along,' he said. 'I speak to him a lot about getting this thing done, and I always hang up and say, 'Well, that was a nice phone call,' and then missiles are launched into Kyiv or some other city,' Trump complained last week. 'After that happens three or four times, you say the talk doesn't mean anything.' The president also came under pressure from Republican hawks in Congress who warned privately that if Ukraine collapsed, Trump would be blamed the way his predecessor, President Biden, was blamed for the fall of Afghanistan in 2022. So last week, Trump changed course and announced that he will resume supplying U.S.-made missiles to Ukraine — but by selling them to European countries instead of giving them to Kyiv as Biden had. Trump also gave Putin 50 days to accept a ceasefire and threatened to impose 'secondary tariffs' on countries that buy oil from Russia if he does not comply. He said he still hopes Putin will come around. 'I'm not done with him, but I'm disappointed in him,' he said in a BBC interview. It still isn't clear how many missiles Ukraine will get and whether they will include long-range weapons that can strike targets deep inside Russia. A White House official said those details are still being worked out. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov sounded unimpressed by the U.S. actions. 'I have no doubt that we will cope,' he said. Foreign policy experts warned that the secondary tariffs Trump proposed could prove impractical. Russia's two biggest oil customers are China and India; Trump is trying to negotiate major trade agreements with both. Meanwhile, Trump has dispatched Witkoff back to the Middle East to try to arrange a ceasefire in Gaza and reopen nuclear talks with Iran — the goals he began with six months ago. Despite his mercurial style, Trump's approach to all these foreign crises reflects basic premises that have remained constant for a decade, foreign policy experts said. 'There is a Trump Doctrine, and it has three basic principles,' Schake said. 'Alliances are a burden. Trade exports American jobs. Immigrants steal American jobs.' Robert Kagan, a former Republican aide now at the Brookings Institution, added one more guiding principle: 'He favors autocrats over democrats.' Trump has a soft spot for foreign strongmen like Putin and China's Xi Jinping, and has abandoned the long-standing U.S. policy of fostering democracy abroad, Kagan noted. The problem, Schake said, is that those principles 'impede Trump's ability to get things done around the world, and he doesn't seem to realize it. 'The international order we built after World War II made American power stronger and more effective,' she said. 'Trump and his administration seem bent on presiding over the destruction of that international order.' Moreover, Kagan argued, Trump's frenetic imposition of punitive tariffs on other countries comes with serious costs. 'Tariffs are a form of economic warfare,' he said. 'Trump is creating enemies for the United States all over the world. ... I don't think you can have a successful foreign policy if everyone in the world mistrusts you.' Not surprisingly, Trump and his aides don't agree. 'It cannot be overstated how successful the first six months of this administration have been,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said last week. 'With President Trump as commander in chief, the world is a much safer place.' That claim will take years to test.
