President Donald Trump is reported to have held a 90-minute call with Russian president Vladimir Putin in which he offered to help the leader find a solution to the war with Ukraine.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said that Trump had made the offer in the context of his participation next week at the Nato summit in Turkey.
He quoted the US president as saying that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were prepared to visit Moscow for another trip and would continue their role in negotiations.
Putin is reported to have congratulated Trump on 250 years of independence. President Volodymyr Zelensky is also said to have had a call with the president to mark the occasion.
Meanwhile, St Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad region was struck by a large Ukrainian drone attack overnight on Saturday, with a local port and oil infrastructure hit, Russian and Ukrainian authorities have said.
An oil terminal was struck in Russia’s second city, home to six million, although St Petersburg’s governor Alexander Beglov said there were no casualties.
Zelensky confirmed that the revenue generating port had been struck, as had Kronstadt, an “important military target” more than 500 miles from Ukraine’s state border.
Key Points
- St Petersburg and Leningrad attacked by large Ukrainian drone strike
- Putin says mass missile attacks on Ukraine 'must continue'
- Russia claims capture of Kostiantynivka
- Poland PM says coming months could be crucial
- Russian air strikes on Kyiv - in pictures
- Putin brushes aside Russia's fuel shortage woes
Ukrainian drones hit St Petersburg oil terminal in latest long-range attack on Russia
00:01 , Maira Butt
A Ukrainian drone attack struck an oil terminal in St. Petersburg on Saturday, Russian officials said, as Kyiv presses on with bombardment of Russia’s oil infrastructure.
Almost daily long-range attacks on Russian oil facilities have created a fuel crisis and heaped political pressure on the Kremlin as its all-out invasion of Ukraine stretches into its fifth year.
Gov. Alexander Beglov said the city’s Kirovsky district on the Baltic Sea was hit. He also said that air defenses shot down 72 Ukrainian drones across Russia's second-largest city and the surrounding region.
Ukrainian drones hit St Petersburg oil terminal in latest long-range attack on Russia
Trump and Putin shared 'hour and a half' long phone call on American independence day
23:15 , Maira Butt
Axios is reporting that President Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin shared a lengthy phone call as America celebrated 250 years of independence.
Putin is reported to have congratulated the US leader on the anniversary. The Kremlin said that the call lasted an hour and a half.
It comes as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is also reported to have shared a phone call with Trump on the occasion.
Russia plotting attack on Poland to test Nato’s resolve, US claims
23:00 , Maira Butt
The US has warned Warsaw that Russia is planning an armed “provocation” against Poland to test Nato’s resolve, according to reports.
The assault could see Poland’s vital infrastructure targeted by missiles or drones, or even Russian soldiers crossing the border into Nato territory, Washington has said.
Sources close to Polish president Karol Nawrocki told Polish outlet Onet that the aim of Moscow’s possible assault, which could be launched in a matter of months, would be to provoke tensions and pressure Ukraine’s Western allies to suspend their military and financial aid.
Russia plotting attack on Poland to test Nato’s resolve, US claims
Watch: Ukrainian drone hit oil terminal in Russia's St. Petersburg in footage shared by Zelensky
22:00 , Maira Butt
Zelensky says he has agreed to continue Trump conversation at Nato summit
21:30 , Maira Butt
President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that he has agreed to continue conversations with President Donald Trump at the Nato summit next week.
US-brokered discussions between Russia and Ukraine were largely called to a halt when the US and Israel attacked Iran in February earlier this year.
The Ukrainian leader added that he had spoken to the president on the 4th July and said that US “decisiveness” could help bring an end to the war with Russia.
Special dispatch: Ukrainians defiant after Russia ‘unleashes hell’ on Kyiv, with deadly strikes killing 30
21:00 , Maira Butt
We will rise up and rebuild,” was the defiant message from Ukrainians after Russia unleashed one of the biggest attacks of the war on the capital Kyiv, leaving at least 30 dead, 91 hurt and 130 buildings damaged.
The EU ambassador to Ukraine said that “Russia unleashed hell on Kyiv” in the overnight attack, with 74 missiles and 496 drones launched, according to the Ukrainian air force. Foreign minister Andrii Sybiha described the assault as a “night of horror”.
The attack caused the widest destruction in Kyiv so far this year, and was the deadliest since at least May, when 24 people were killed in a strike that brought down an apartment block. Footage and images from the city showed widespread destruction as residents were left picking up the pieces.
Tom Watling reports:
Ukrainians defiant after Russia ‘unleashes hell’ on Kyiv with deadly strikes
In pictures: French volunteers support troops in Ukraine
20:00 , Maira Butt
Half a million dead but just 40sqkm gained in six months: Impact of Putin’s devastating war in numbers
19:00 , Maira Butt
After a bleak winter which saw months of fierce Russian bombing of Ukrainian energy infrastructure, the future is beginning to look more positive for Kyiv.
Nearly four-and-a-half years since Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s frontline advances have slowed almost to a halt, as Ukrainian counter-attacks and defensive tactics become more effective.
Successes in local counterattacks have become more frequent, as Ukrainian forces scale up their use of ground robots and short-range drone warfare.
Half a million dead but minor territorial gains: Putin’s devastating war in numbers
Putin shrugs off fuel shortages in Russia as he ramps up attacks on Ukraine
18:00 , Maira Butt
Despite severe fuel shortages across Russia, President Vladimir Putin appears unbothered by Ukraine’s increasing attacks on his country’s oil refineries.
He has shrugged off the setback for one of the world’s leading oil-producing nations as “not critical,” dismissed ceasefire proposals and insisted the war will continue until his goals are met.
Putin has described the attacks on Russian energy as an effort by Ukraine to distract attention from its losses on the battlefield, although analysts say the advance of Russian forces has been stymied in recent months. The Russian leader appears to believe his government can keep the fuel crisis from eroding his authority and support for the war he launched more than four years ago.
Putin shrugs off fuel shortages in Russia as he ramps up attacks on Ukraine
Putin signs law amending tax code to support domestic fuel market, TASS reports
17:00 , Bryony Gooch
Russian president Vladimir Putin on Saturday signed a law amending Russia's tax code to incentivise boosting supply to the domestic fuel market, amid acute shortages as a result of Ukrainian drone strikes, state news agency TASS reported.
TASS said that among the law's provisions are creating an excise tax mechanism to encourage the production of high-octane gasoline via blending.
Russia says it has taken five villages in Ukraine's Kharkiv, Donetsk regions
16:00 , Bryony Gooch
Russia's Defence Ministry said on Saturday that its forces have taken four villages in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region, and one more in the neighbouring Donetsk region.
In its daily briefing, the ministry said Russian forces had taken control of Shyikivka, Novyi Myr, Cherneshchyna and Druzhelyubivka in Kharkiv region, as well as Vasylivka in Donetsk region.
The Independent could not verify the battlefield reports.
Watch: Ukrainian drone hit oil terminal in Russia's St. Petersburg in footage shared by Zelensky
15:08 , Bryony Gooch
Recap: Russia plotting attack on Poland to test Nato’s resolve, US claims
14:00 , Bryony Gooch
Russia plotting attack on Poland to test Nato’s resolve, US claims
Ukraine says Russia damaged more than 200 railway locomotives in 2026
13:30 , Bryony Gooch
Russia is targeting Ukrainian railway locomotives and has destroyed or damaged more than 200 since the start of 2026 alone, Ukraine's deputy prime minister for Restoration Oleksiy Kuleba said.
Russia has attacked Ukrainian railway facilities more than 1,000 times so far this year, officials say.
Two locomotives were damaged during an attack on Friday evening in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, Kuleba said.
The volume of repair work is increasing steadily and requires significant financial resources, he said.
Ukrainian state railways operator Ukrzaliznytsia handles more than 90 per cent of Ukraine's export shipments.
Recap: St Petersburg and Leningrad under attack from large Ukrainian drone strike
13:02 , Bryony Gooch
Russia's second city of St Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad region came under a large Ukrainian drone attack overnight on Saturday, with a local port and oil infrastructure struck, Russian and Ukrainian authorities said.
St Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov said the city of 6 million had been subjected to a "large-scale" drone attack, with the city's oil terminal struck. He said there were no casualties and that the aftermath of the attack had been dealt with.
Leningrad region governor Alexander Drozdenko said drones had struck the port of Vysotsk, about 170 km (105 miles) northwest of St Petersburg on the Baltic Sea. The port handles oil, grain, coal and liquefied natural gas.
Drozdenko said 72 drones had been shot down over the Leningrad region.
In a post on Telegram, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said: "Ukraine's defence forces struck port oil infrastructure that generates revenue for Russia's war, and also hit Kronstadt, an important military target more than 850 km (528 miles) from Ukraine's state border."
In video: Ukraine drone attack damages Crimea energy infra
12:30 , Vishwam Sankaran
Ukraine denies Russia captured its key city
11:30 , Vishwam Sankaran
Ukraine has categorically denied Russia's claims that its military captured the key eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka.
Russia's military general Valery Gerasimov told president Vladimir Putin yesterday that it had captured Kostiantynivka.
"We all know that this city is a key transport and large industrial centre of Donbas," Putin said.
But Ukrainian military denies these claims, calling them fake.
"We deny this. These are more fake claims," a general military staff said.
St Petersburg governor says city came under massive drone attack
10:45 , Vishwam Sankaran
The governor of Russia's second city of St Petersburg said in a statement today that the city of 6 million came under a "large-scale" drone attack when its oil terminals were struck.
There were no casualties and the aftermath of the attack has been dealth with, governor Alexander Beglov said.
A swarm of drones struck the port of Vysotsk about 170km (105 miles) northwest of St Petersburg, which handles oil, grain, coal and liquefied natural gas.
Over 70 drones were shot down over the Leningrad region, the governor said.
'Coming months could be crucial', says Poland's PM
10:00 , Vishwam Sankaran
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said yesterday that the coming months could be crucial "for various scenarios", stating that the country is preparing for military provocations.
"These concerns are particularly palpable in the Baltic states," Tusk said.
Western intelligence agencies have been raising alarm in recent weeks about the possibility of a Russian operation in Poland, which shares a border with Russia's heavily armed Kaliningrad and Moscow's ally Belarus.
"We shouldn't be afraid. We're preparing for various situations, but we can't ignore this," Tusk said.
In pictures: Russian air strikes on Kyiv
09:30 , Vishwam Sankaran
In Video: Ukraine pushes for more EU sanctions amid Russia fuel shortage
09:00 , Vishwam Sankaran
Putin brushes aside Russia's fuel shortage woes
08:30 , Vishwam Sankaran
Despite evidence of growing fuel shortages across Russia, president Vladimir Putin brushed aside the situation as a "non-critical" issue.
In the wake of recent Ukrainian attacks on oil facilities in Russia, people from at least 20 regions have been posting videos on social media of hours-long lines at service stations across the country.
However, Putin said long-range strikes on Russian oil facilities had "absolutely no effect on the situation at the front".
Attacks on Russia's fuel supply continued today as Ukrainian drones carried out targeted strikes at an oil terminal in St Petersburg.
In Video: Russia's invasion of Ukraine has let to over 2 million deaths
07:46 , Vishwam Sankaran
Mass missile attacks on Ukraine 'must continue', Putin says
07:15 , Vishwam Sankaran
Russia "must continue" its large-scale missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian cities, president Vladimir Putin said yesterday, just two days after Moscow launched its largest attack on Kyiv.
"In this regard, I note that massive, coordinated strikes against the infrastructure of Ukraine's military-industrial complex and the facilities supporting its operation must continue," the Russian president said.
Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian army's General Staff, told Putin during a briefing yesterday that Russia "launched another massive strike using long-range precision-guided weapons and strike unmanned aerial vehicles against military-industrial complex facilities in Kyiv".
Russia claims capture of Kostiantynivka
06:49 , Vishwam Sankaran
Russia's military told president Vladimir Putin yesterday that it had captured the key Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka.
Moscow had long sought to capture the city, deeming it vital for the advance of its troops through the Donetsk region.
"The troops of the group have liberated the city of Kostiantynivka, one of the main defensive hubs of the enemy within the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk-Kostiantynivka fortified area," General Valery Gerasimov, chief of Russia's General Staff, said.
"We all know that this city is a key transport and large industrial centre of Donbas," Putin said.
Watch: Suspect in Monaco assassination attempt is Ukrainian woman who dressed up as a man
03:00 , Alex Croft
Ukraine and US negotiators held talks in past few days, says Zelensky
02:01 , Alex Croft
A senior Ukrainian defence official, Rustem Umerov, and president Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner have held talks in the past two days, president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday.
Speaking at one of the sites targeted in a devastating Russian attack on Kyiv as rescuers sifted through rubble, Zelensky said he still hoped Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff would visit Ukraine even though US-backed peace efforts to end the war have stalled for months.
Zelensky added that he hoped to have a meeting with Trump on the sidelines of a Nato summit in the Turkish capital Ankara next week.
Europe has largely filled funding gaps left by US, says Nato commander
01:00 , Alex Croft
European NATO allies have largely filled the gaps left by the United States in the alliance's defence plans, NATO's top commander said on Thursday.
US Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich added that the bloc was looking at workarounds to address the remaining shortfalls in a few areas.
"Most may not know – although there was some reporting overnight about this – that in a matter of weeks, European allies have largely filled the gaps left by U.S. reductions to the NATO Force Model," he said.
"And in those few areas where they haven't, where they do not currently have a like capability to replace, we are looking at alternate capabilities with matching effect."
Citing a NATO source, Reuters reported on Wednesday that NATO will announce at next week's Ankara summit that its European members have filled almost all the gaps left by the United States in the alliance's defence plans.
Russia plotting attack on Poland to test Nato’s resolve, US claims
Saturday 4 July 2026 00:01 , Alex Croft
The US has warned Warsaw that Russia is planning an armed “provocation” against Poland to test Nato’s resolve, according to reports.
The assault could see Poland’s vital infrastructure targeted by missiles or drones, or even Russian soldiers crossing the border into Nato territory, Washington has said.
Sources close to Polish president Karol Nawrocki told Polish outlet Onet that the aim of Moscow’s possible assault, which could be launched in a matter of months, would be to provoke tensions and pressure Ukraine’s Western allies to suspend their military and financial aid.
The US “systematically informs Poland about ever-new Russian plans for a conventional attack on Nato’s eastern flank, from which Poland is by no means excluded”, a source close to the Polish president said.
Warsaw’s security services have admitted that a conventional attack, such as a small ground incursion, which Moscow may allege is an accident, is possible.
Read more here:
Russia plotting attack on Poland to test Nato’s resolve, US claims
Half a million dead but just 40 sq km gained in six months: Impact of Putin’s devastating war in numbers
Friday 3 July 2026 23:01 , Alex Croft
After a bleak winter which saw months of fierce Russian bombing of Ukrainian energy infrastructure, the future is beginning to look more positive for Kyiv.
Nearly four-and-a-half years since Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s frontline advances have slowed almost to a halt, as Ukrainian counter-attacks and defensive tactics become more effective.
Successes in local counterattacks have become more frequent, as Ukrainian forces scale up their use of ground robots and short-range drone warfare.
But most importantly, Kyiv has succeeded in bringing home the war to Russia, inflicting costly damage to its fuel infrastructure which has caused major shortages. This has fomented public discontent in Russia, increasing the pressure on Putin to end the conflict.
The cost of his war is laid bare in data showing the scale of Russian losses, offset against such small gains in territory.
Read our ‘In Numbers’ piece on the cost of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.
Poland detains two men suspected of spying for Belarus - ICYMI
Friday 3 July 2026 22:01 , Alex Croft
Polish security services have detained a Belarusian citizen and a Polish citizen suspected of spying on Belarusian exiles on behalf of the Belarusian intelligence services, Polish security services said on Thursday.
"Men paid by Belarusian intelligence participated in events organized in Warsaw by the Belarusian minority, where they recorded and photographed participants," the spokesperson, Jacek Dobrzynski, wrote on X.
"The collected materials – passed across the eastern border – were used by (President Alexander) Lukashenko's services and regime propaganda."
The two arrests were part of an ongoing case in which three Belarusians and two Ukrainians were already detained last November.
A court ordered the 19-year-old Belarusian citizen to be held for three months, while the Polish citizen, 44, was barred from leaving the country and placed under police supervision.
The Belarusian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Swimmers flee as Russian missile strikes Ukraine indoor pool
Friday 3 July 2026 20:00 , Alex Croft
CCTV footage captures the moment that a Russian missile strike hit a swimming pool in Ukraine.
Guests at the recreational centre in Zaporizhzhia can be seen swimming in the pool or walking around the side of it when the missile hits, as a huge cloud of ash fills the room.
The regional administration did not immediately provide details on casualties.
In the early hours of Thursday (3 July), Moscow also launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Kyiv, killing at least 30 people in the deadliest attack of the year so far.
Watch here:
Swimmers flee as Russian missile strikes Ukraine indoor pool
