Deadly Russian Strikes Hit Kyiv on Eve of NATO Summit

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Ballistic missiles were fired into the capital of Ukraine, as Russia launched its second major attack in less than a week. At least seven people were killed, officials said.

Explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv early on Monday, the eve of a NATO summit, as Russia mounted its second major attack on the city in days.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who is expected to attend the NATO summit in Turkey, had warned that Russia was preparing “a new massive strike” against the capital.

Loud blasts shook the city hours later. The regional military administration said ballistic missiles were flying, and Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to stay in shelters.

Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, said that at least seven people had been killed. At least two dozen others were wounded. » | Cassandra Vinograd | Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine | Sunday, July 5, 2026

Russia Planning Attack on Poland to Test Nato Resolve, US Warns

THE TELEGRAPH: Critical infrastructure could be targeted by missiles and drones, with soldiers potentially crossing the border from Kaliningrad or Belarus

Screenshot from this Telegraph article. | Polish security sources are not ruling out the prospect of a conventional ground incursion by Russian and/or Belarusian soldiers | Credit: Kacper Pempel/Reuters
Russia is planning an armed “provocation” on Polish soil to test Nato’s resolve, the United States has warned.

Polish critical infrastructure could be targeted by missiles and drones or Russian soldiers could cross the border into Nato territory.

Washington has issued several warnings to Warsaw about the plot, sources close to Karol Nawrocki, the Polish president, told Onet, the Polish news outlet, which, along with The Telegraph, is owned by Axel Springer and is part of its Global Reporters Network.

The goal of the Russian provocation would be to escalate tensions and force Western allies to suspend aid to Ukraine. It could be launched in a matter of months. » | Witold Jurasz in Warsaw. James Rothwell, Berlin Correspondent. Joe Barnes, Diplomatic Editor | Friday, July 3, 2026

À LIRE AUSSI :

La Russie prépare une attaque sur la Pologne pour «provoquer» l’Otan, selon les États-Unis : Washington a prévenu Varsovie de la possibilité d’une incursion terrestre russe d’ici quelques mois, rapporte le site d’information Onet, citant des sources proches du président polonais. »

Russia Hammers Ukraine’s Capital in Deadly Attacks

THE NEW YORK TIMES: At least 18 people were killed in Kyiv, the local authorities said. Ukraine’s president had warned that Moscow was preparing a “massive strike” as Ukrainian forces have hit deeper into Russian territory.

The Russian military blasted Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, with waves of ballistic missiles and drones that lasted into Thursday morning, a deadly show of force after weeks of Ukrainian attacks within Russia that have heaped pressure on President Vladimir V. Putin.

At least 18 people were killed and more than 30 injured in the attacks, Ukrainian officials said, as firefighters raced to extinguish blazes in several districts of the capital. Several apartment buildings were partially destroyed and an unknown number of people were trapped in the rubble, according to the local authorities.

The Russian barrage was the latest in the deadliest spring for Ukraine since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022, as Ukrainian strikes prompt Mr. Putin to respond militarily. Ukraine has been bringing the war home to Russia by using long-range drones and cruise missiles to attack fuel facilities and military installations deep inside Russia and in occupied Crimea.

These attacks have caused widespread fuel shortages and have eroded Mr. Putin’s ability to insulate large parts of his country, including Moscow, the capital, from the war.

Ukraine’s strategy on the battlefield rests on forcing the Russian military to pay a heavy price for every mile of land it seizes while raising the economic costs for the Kremlin. Moscow believes it can outlast Kyiv’s outnumbered forces on the front while inflicting such a heavy human and economic toll that it breaks the will of civilians, according to Western military analysts.

In a statement on Thursday, Russia’s defense ministry called the strikes on Kyiv a response to Ukraine’s recent attacks inside Russia.

Many Kyiv residents had been bracing for a large-scale Russian assault in part because about two weeks had passed since the last one, giving Moscow time to stockpile missiles and drones. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine had warned in recent days that Russia was preparing another “massive strike,” and he urged people to be “especially careful.” Live Updates » | Cassandra Vinograd | Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine | Thursday, July 2, 2026

À LIRE AUSSI :

« La pire attaque depuis le début de la guerre en Ukraine » : ce que l’on sait des frappes russes sur Kiev, qui ont fait au moins 17 morts : Le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky avait indiqué mercredi après-midi depuis Dublin rentrer immédiatement à Kiev, disant craindre une attaque « de grande envergure » de la Russie. »

LESEN SIE AUCH:

Schwerster Angriff seit Kriegsbeginn: Russland überzieht Kiew mit Raketen und Drohnen: Russland hat in der Nacht mehrere ukrainische Städte mit Raketen, Marschflugkörpern und Drohnen angegriffen. In Kiew wurden Wohnhäuser zerstört, mindestens 18 Menschen kamen ums Leben. »

Crimea Back in Play? Russia Feels Pain of Ukraine Long-range Strikes • FRANCE 24 English

Jun 30, 2026 | A couple of weeks back, we asked if the tide was turning in Ukraine. The short answer: a little, but it's hard to cut through the fog of war. Now, we're beginning to wonder if Crimea could be back in play. Kyiv's new line of longer-range missiles and drones are wreaking havoc on fuel and power supplies. And while Russia continues to inch forward in other frontline flashpoints, the peninsula occupied in 2014 by Vladimir Putin's little green men has never looked so vulnerable.

A Ukrainian offensive still seems like a pipe dream. Instead, is the current pressure a way to force concessions out of a Kremlin forced to admit what's all over Russian social media: that petrol stations across Russia are running on empty because of those long-range strikes? Will Vladimir Putin compromise or double down?

And what do Crimeans themselves want? Most seemed happy to vote yes in a referendum to rejoin a Russia they only left in 1954. More broadly, what consequences for the entire Black Sea region, which since 2022 has alternated between periods of war, disruption and mutually agreed calm to allow both sides to ship goods? The Black Sea is of course shared with Turkey, which hosts next week's timely NATO summit.


Related articles in English and French here.

Ukraine Launches 40-day Drone Strike Campaign to Pressure Russia to End War | DW News

June 28, 2026 | Ukraine has launched a wave of drone strikes as part of a 40-day push to force Moscow into talks to end the war. On Friday, Kyiv's forces launched over 600 drones at targets across Russia. DW News asked Ben Friedman, policy director at American foreign policy think tank Defense Priorities if the campaign could shift the battlefield stalemate.

Russia Preparing Possible ‘Provocation’ in Baltic States or Poland, Sources Say

THE GUARDIAN: Kremlin may attempt to test Nato cohesion as Russia comes under growing pressure from Ukraine, according to sources from two countries

This photo is from this Guardian article. | The aftermath of a Ukrainian attack on Moscow last week, when nearly nearly 200 drones hit several locations across the Russian capital. Photograph: EPA
Two countries on Nato’s eastern flank have warned that Russia is preparing a possible “provocation” in the Baltic states or Poland in an effort to test the cohesion of the western military alliance.

Western sources also fear there could be danger on the horizon because the Kremlin is coming under pressure from Ukraine’s campaign of long-range attacks on targets near Moscow and St Petersburg.

On Monday, Latvian intelligence said: “We see indications that Russia is preparing military provocations against the Baltic countries or Poland.” However, it would be well short of a full scale attack.

A senior political source from a second Nato member made a similar statement last week. They said “we are picking up intelligence” that Vladimir Putin was “planning something against the Baltic states”.

They said Putin might be willing to test US support for some of Nato’s smallest member countries – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – in a desperate effort “to throw the dice” as Russia struggles with its invasion of Ukraine. » | Dan Sabbagh | Defence and security editor | Friday, June 26, 2026

Steve Rosenberg: What Are Russian Papers Reporting about Fuel Shortages and Ukrainian Drone Strikes?

Jun 22, 2026 | One Russian paper today writes that Ukrainian drone strikes “aim to create a sense of crisis amongst Russians.” In Crimea “the sale of fuel to the public is suspended.” Another paper: Russia’s offensive in Ukraine will continue: “for that we will always have enough fuel.”

Steve Rosenberg: How Are Russian Newspapers Reacting to the Ukrainian Drone Strike on Moscow?

Jun 19,, 2026 | Today’s Russian papers call yesterday’s large-scale Ukrainian drone strike on Moscow “a record attack”, but claim “Russian attacks do more damage to Ukraine than they’re doing to us.” One paper wonders: “From Moscow’s perspective, what level of escalation is permissible & controllable, and what isn’t?”

Moscow Oil Refinery Struck in Ukraine’s Biggest Air Raid on City since Start of War

THE GUARDIAN: Kyiv says attack, which also forced evacuation at Russia’s biggest airport, was in response to strike on historic monastery

Ukrainian drones have hit several locations across Moscow in Kyiv’s biggest air raid on the city since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, setting a major ⁠oil refinery on fire and forcing evacuations at the country’s largest airport.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, described the attack as a response to Russia’s striking of a historic Kyiv monastery complex earlier this week.

“We do not want this war and never did,” Zelenskyy said in a voice message to journalists. “But if Ukraine is going to burn, your Moscow will burn too … It is time to end the aggression, time to end this war.” » | Peter Beaumont in Kyiv and Pjotr Sauer | Thursday, June 18, 2026

Steve Rosenberg: Russia: Drone Attacks & "Unscheduled Repairs at Oil Refineries"

June 17, 2026

Trump's Action in Iran Is Akin to Putin's Strikes on Ukraine | Peter Hitchens

Jun 16, 2026 | "It's not a false equivalence, and it actually exists."

Public opinion in democratic states has been so feeble on the US involvement in Iran that author and broadcaster Peter Hitchens can't understand it.

Steve Rosenberg: Russia's Barred from the FIFA World Cup. But What Are the Russian Papers Saying about It?

Jun 11, 2026 | In today’s Russian papers: how are the “fuel crisis, petrol sales restrictions, drone strikes, flight delays” affecting Russians’ holiday plans? What “victories” does Moscow think it has already gained?

Plus, reaction to the start of the FIFA World Cup, which Russia is banned from taking part in.)

Tommy Robinson Meets Elon Musk’s Father in Moscow

THE GUARDIAN: Activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, shared video of his meeting with Errol Musk

Tommy Robinson has travelled to Russia, where he has met Elon Musk’s father, Errol, in a Moscow hotel.

Robinson – who has been issuing calls for his supporters to take to the streets across the UK over a bloody knife attack in Belfast – shared video of his meeting with Musk, whose son has been a vocal supporter of Robinson, on Monday.

Musk was in St Petersburg last week at the annual Kremlin-backed economic forum, described as Russia’s answer to Davos.

Contacted by the Guardian and asked why he had travelled to Moscow, Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, said: “I’ve come to see how this country got itself so well on to the straight and narrow and see the beauty of a civilised society here.” » | Ben Quinn | Political correspondent | Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Steve Rosenberg: Russian Holidaymakers Using Fortune-telling Cards to Predict When Airports Won't Be Shut by Drones

June 8, 2026 | With Ukrainian drone attacks continuing to force temporary shutdowns of Russian airports, one Russian paper today reports that “Russians have started to use fortune telling cards to tell them what date they should fly off on holiday.”

Steve Rosenberg: "Petrol Sales Restricted in Many Russian Regions" Russian Media Reports

Jun 8, 2026 | One Russian paper today reports that “In many Russian regions there are restrictions on the sale of petrol.” Another, reveals that, in Crimea, hotel bookings are “down 31%...& hotel cancellations double due to the fuel crisis.”

‘You Can Stop Your War’: Zelenskyy’s Open Letter to Putin – in Full

THE GUARDIAN: Russians are increasingly tired of the conflict and the time to end it is now, Ukraine’s president tells his Russian counterpart in an open letter

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an open letter to the Vladimir Putin, has called for a face-to-face meeting with the Russian president to end his war against Ukraine.

The letter sets out Zelenskyy’s view of the four-year-old conflict and says that while Ukrainians’ resilience remains intact, most Russians have grown weary of its effects and are ready for peace. … Read the open letter here » | Guardian staff | Friday, June 5, 2026

Related articles in German and French here.

Putin’s Home City Under Attack - Is Russia Losing Control of Its Airspace? | DW News

Jun 3, 2026 | Ukraine has carried out one of its deepest strikes into Russian territory, targeting St. Petersburg - a city more than 1,500 kilometers from the front line. Thick smoke rose over key infrastructure, including an oil terminal, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attacks as “fair” and warned that more could follow. The strike comes just days after deadly Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities. Is this the start of a new phase of escalation in the war? DW Riga bureau chief Juri Rescheto has the latest on the strike. And Orysia Lutsevych, deputy Director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the think tank Chatham House talks to DW News

Related article here.

Ukrainian Drones Hit St Petersburg as ‘Russian Davos’ Opens in City

THE GUARDIAN: Energy and military sites targeted as guests gather for economic forum where Putin is due to speak on Friday

Ukrainian drones hit energy and military sites in St Petersburg early on Wednesday hours before international guests gathered for the city’s flagship economic forum, in a blow to Vladimir Putin.

Several long-range drones crashed into oil storage facilities after Russian air defences tried unsuccessfully to shoot them down. There were loud explosions and black smoke rose high above the city from the blazing oil terminal.

The St Petersburg’s governor, Alexander Beglov, said the Kirovsky and Krasnoselsky districts were targeted. Ukraine also struck the Kronstadt naval base and shipyard in Leningrad oblast, the port home to Russia’s Baltic fleet. Vessels were reportedly damaged.

The strikes will be deeply embarrassing for the Kremlin, taking place about 10 miles from the forum, where Putin is due to make a keynote speech on Friday. Guests arrived for Wednesday’s opening ceremony under a pall of thick smoke. Others were unable to fly in after St Petersburg’s airport was temporarily closed.

About 20,000 visitors from 130 countries are expected to attend the three-day annual summit, which has been described as Russia’s answer to Davos. They include the former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder, the far-right American influencer Candace Owens and the Tate brothers. » | Luke Harding, Pjotr Sauer and agencies | Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Steve Rosenberg: "Russian Regions & Big Business Arming Themselves to Defend against Drones" - Russian Paper

June 1, 2026 | Headline in one of today’s Russian papers: “Russian regions and big business are arming themselves to defend against attacks by Ukrainian drones.” Plus, the story of a newspaper article from last week that has disappeared.

Steve Rosenberg: “Unscheduled Repairs at Oil Refineries” Causing "Restrictions on Fuel Sales" in Some Russian Regions

May 28, 2026 | From today’s Russian papers: “The number of Russian regions with restrictions on the sale of fuel is multiplying.” The reason given? “Unscheduled repairs at oil refineries.”