Ukraine updates: Russia hits Odesa, Sumy in overnight attack – DW – 07/19/2025
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched some 300 drones and 30 missiles in overnight attacks on Ukraine.
One person was killed in the port city of Odesa and critical infrastructure was damaged in northeastern Sumy.
Russia said its air defenses were able to down more than a dozen drones headed for Moscow overnight as well as more than 80 others in different parts of the country.
Australia said it is delivering 49 US-made Abrams M1A1 tanks to Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia's "illegal and immoral invasion."Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday said that Russian forces had fired some 300 drones and 30 missiles overnight.
The tirade killed one person in the port city of Odesa and damaged critical infrastructure in the northeastern city of Sumy.
Zelenskyy posted a video and pictures of flaming buildings and firefighters to his Telegram account , writing that the attacks in Sumy had knocked out power to thousands of homes in the region.
The mayor of Odesa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, said a high-rise in the city had been engulfed in flames and that emergency services and firefighters were battling fires and searching for injured citizens.
"Odesa was attacked by enemy strike drones — more than 20 UAVs approached the city from different directions," wrote Odesa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov on Telegram.
"Civilian infrastructure was damaged as a result of the attack. A residential high-rise building is on fire," added the mayor.
Russia's Defense Ministry on Saturday said it had successfully downed 87 Ukrainian drones over central, western and southern parts of the country, with 48 downed near the Ukrainian border in Bryansk.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin also said that air defenses had down 13 drones headed for the capital had been downed after midnight.
Sobyanin said that specialists were examining fragments where they hit the ground.
Welcome to DW's coverage of the latest developments in Russia's war in Ukraine.
This Saturday, we start with another massive Russian air assault
In Russia, authorities say they downed more than 80 Ukrainian drones, a dozen of which were headed for the capital Moscow.
Russia has seemingly increased its barrage against Ukraine amid faltering attempts by US President Donald Trump to secure a ceasefire deal.
Stay tuned for more news and analysis
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
2 hours ago
- DW
Russia opens new direct flights to North Korea – DW – 07/27/2025
Monthly flights from Moscow to Pyongyang were set to begin on Sunday evening in a further sign of the deepening ties between Russia and North Korea. Meanwhile, Russia's Navy Day parade was canceled on "security grounds." The first direct passenger flight from Moscow to Pyongyang since the mid-1990s was set depart on Sunday evening in another sign of the deepening ties between Russia and North Korea. The eight-hour, 6,500-kilometer (4,040-mile) flight, operated by private Russian carrier Nordwind Airlines, was due to take off from Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport at 19:00 local time (18:00 CEST). The 440 places on the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft quickly sold out, Russian state media claimed, with tickets costing 44,700 rubles ($563, €479). However, the AFP news agency reported that nine tickets were still available on the airline's official website on Sunday morning. Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia has granted Nordwind Airlines permission to operate flights between the two capital cities twice a week, although the Russian transport ministry said that flights would operate only once a month to begin with in order to "help build stable demand." A return flight from Pyongyang to Moscow is scheduled for Tuesday, according to Russian state news agency TASS. Previously, the only direct air route between Russia and North Korea has been flights by North Korean carrier Air Koryo from Pyongyang to Vladivostok in Russia's Far East three times a week. A direct train connection between Moscow and Pyongyang was reopened on June 17 this year after being suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 10,000-kilometer (6,200-mile) journey takes eight days. Russia and North Korea have increased diplomatic, economic and military ties in the wake of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies have accused North Korea of supplying Russia with artillery and ballistic missiles to strike Ukrainian cities, while Pyongyang has deployed more than 10,000 troops to help repulse a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk region. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Meanwhile, the Russian government said on Sunday that an annual navy parade in St. Petersburg was canceled for unspecified "security reasons." Authorities in the northwestern port city canceled the parade on Friday with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying on Sunday that "security comes first." President Vladimir Putin reintroduced Russia's "Navy Day" in 2017 after an almost four-decade absence. In a video message published on Sunday, he praised the "courage" and "heroism" of Russian marines involved in the war of aggression against Ukraine since February 2022. He said the military's most important aim was to "protect the sovereignty and the national interests of the fatherland" and that the navy plays an "important role" in this. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that around 100 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted over Russian territory, at least ten of which were close to St. Petersburg, which temporarily closed its airport. Further south, Ukrainian drone and missile attacks have effectively forced Russia's Black Sea fleet to abandon its bases in Crimea and retreat further east. The fleet's flagship, the was sunk by Ukrainian forces on April 14, 2022, becoming the largest Russian warship to be sunk since the Second World War.
DW
5 hours ago
- DW
As France's Africa policy collapses how do companies adjust? – DW – 07/27/2025
With the political leaders of francophone Africa increasingly turning their backs on their former colonial rulers, French corporations have been forced to rethink doing business with Africa without Paris' support. The disruption is now in full swing, with more and more African countries, particularly in the Sahel region of northern and western Africa, rejecting the so-called Francafrique policy by their former colonial power, France. The term refers to a complex and controversial network of political, economic, social and military ties between France and its former African colonies, describing a kind of special relationship characterized by ongoing French influence in these nations. Often described as neocolonial, France's Africa policy is under massive political and popular pressure, and the fight against it is openly challenging Paris' military, diplomatic and economic footprint in Africa. The Sahel region stretches from the Sahara Desert in the north to the savannas in the south, encompassing several countries, including Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Chad. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Antoine Glaser is a French journalist and former director of Paris-based magazine — a leading publication focused on Africa with editions in English and French. He said French companies with operations in the region enjoyed "preferential treatment," especially during the Cold War era due to the Francafrique policy. "They thought they were at home in Africa," he told DW, and ignored more recent realities such as the fact that Africa has "gone global and France didn't see China coming." One such stark reality, he added, is Chinese companies now have a 25% market share in French-speaking Africa, while France's share has tumbled to "between 6% and 7%." Moreover, French multinational nuclear fuel cycle corporation Orano announced last September that it would suspend production at its Arlit uranium mine in northern Niger due to financial difficulties faced by its Nigerien subsidiary, Somair. The decision came as border closures between Niger and Benin, triggered by the July 2023 coup, had blocked all uranium exports, Orano said in a statement, adding: "In spite of efforts to find alternative possibilities to export the uranium produced by Somair and to relaunch commercial activities, all the proposals made to the Nigerien authorities have remained unanswered." In June 2024, Orano also lost its mining license for the Imouraren uranium deposit due to a decision by the military government, which revoked the license following a period of tensions and ultimatum. Situated about 160 kilometers (100 miles) from Agadez — the largest town in central Niger — the Imouraren mine holds one of the world's largest uranium deposits. Mining was launched by French nuclear group Areva, rebranded as Orano in 2018, which mothballed the mine in 2015 due to unfavorable market conditions. Since then, tensions have illustrated the fragility of a system in which military and diplomatic presence supported economic interests. Beyond the uranium sector, France's whole model of influence is being destabilized, affecting sectors like infrastructure, telecommunication, energy and public works — all symbols of France's presence that are now being regularly challenged. In February 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron presented a new strategy, entitled "Our Future The Africa-France Partnership," and offering new forms of partnerships. Unveiled by Macron ahead of his tour of Central Africa, the strategy advocates abandoning old paradigms and puts a new emphasis on economic and trade relations rather than focusing on security issues. The central idea of this new model is based on a transition from "a logic of aid to a logic of solidarity investments and partnerships," and is meant to be a "symbiotic relationship" beneficial to all parties. What France used to consider as its "backyard" for a long time is disappearing amid wider change in the Sahel region. In addition, Africa as a whole is no longer France's exclusive business playground. Countries like Turkey, Russia, China and even Germany are advancing their positions, forcing French companies to readjust their business policy if they are to survive in an increasingly competitive environment. A French corporate consultant, speaking on condition of anonymity, told DW that in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, the real French presence was "already marginal before recent tensions" with their colonial motherland. In the mining industry, he said, the main players are now often from Australia or Canada, like Toronto-based mining giant Barrick Mining Corporation. "The perception that France is omnipresent is stronger than the reality," he said. He also noted that behind "official posturing," a strategy was becoming clearer: "Maintain a presence, but through more indirect means." French companies would now seek to maintain market share "without provoking rejection" by launching joint ventures, local partnerships or the creation of project companies under local law. "There is now a dynamic in which these companies are adapting through cooperating more with local partners, setting up shared structures. It's a way of staying active while avoiding head-on visibility," he added. Yves Ekoue Amaizo, the director at the Afrocentricity Think Tank, thinks the gradual withdrawal of French companies also opens the door to new alliances, because African countries would now have "the capacity and the partners to replace these companies." "China, Turkey and other immediate players are already involved. But this means accepting new, often opaque conditions, and managing a context of risks [such as] political instability, terrorism and legal uncertainties," he told DW. While withdrawal seems inevitable for some French multinational corporations, others are still betting on rebalancing their business strategies. According to a report in the offshore industry magazine , energy giant TotalEnergies, for example, is trying to find a new footing in English- and Portuguese-speaking countries, including Kenya, South Africa, Namibia and Angola. But competition there is fierce, and France can no longer rely on a historical advantage in these countries. Even more so as questions of legitimacy and social responsibility also play an increasing role, said Amaizo. "The real question is one of mentality. If companies want to remain credible, they must prove that they are co-constructing locally and sharing the benefits, rather than going it alone with the resources." With the era of the Francafrique special relationship between France and its former African colonies now coming to an end, there are signs that French multinationals are trying to transform themselves, too, by collaborating more strongly with local partners or moving operations elsewhere in Africa. No matter what they do or where they go, legitimacy remains their main capital and must be regained.
DW
8 hours ago
- DW
Mexican town welcomes US emigres – DW – 07/27/2025
More and more US citizens are deciding to leave their country because of growing hostilities against migrants and other social groups. Many are moving to Mexico. DW met with some of them in the city of San Miguel de Allende. An increasing number of Americans are choosing to leave the United States due to what they perceive as a growing atmosphere of hostility, particularly toward marginalized groups. Traditionally, Mexico has been a popular destination for retirees and digital nomads from the US, but now it's also attracting individuals who feel threatened because of their political beliefs, sexual orientation or human rights work. The American expatriate community in Mexico has become increasingly vocal, organizing protests and speaking out against US policies, especially those targeting migrants. Activists like Edgar Lopez from Democrats Abroad Mexico and American expat Veronica Gonzalez have condemned the racial motivations behind immigration enforcement and the criminalization of protest and Latino identity. For many, Mexico represents not just a geographical escape, but a refuge from what they see as an increasingly intolerant and repressive environment in the United States.
