Ukraine attacked Russian online retail giant Wildberries’ warehouses in St Petersburg on Friday, which Kyiv said is part of infrastructure supporting the Russian military.
Wildberries confirmed it had ceased operations at two regional logistics sites and evacuated staff from its Crimea warehouse and a Reuters video shows two vast plumes of black smoke rising over the area.
The strikes mark the fifth attack on Wildberries warehouses since 18 July, affecting around 10 per cent of its logistics capacity.
It follows reports that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is losing a “staggering number” of troops – upwards of 5,000 to 6,000 in a week – in his war against Ukraine, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said.
Rubio said the conflict is one of the only wars in history where the number of troops killed in combat is exceeding the number of troops injured.
Meanwhile, Romania’s president confirmed that F-16s shot down drones violating Nato airspace across its borders on Friday morning, its president said.
Key Points
- Romania shoots down drone breaching its airspace, president says
- Ukraine attacks Russian Wildberries warehouse
- Laura Loomer meets Zelensky in Ukraine after U-turn on war
- Rubio says Putin losing over 5,000 troops each week in Ukraine
- US is ready to help end the 'senseless war' in Ukraine but no quick deal ahead, Rubio says
- Boris Johnson claims Ed Miliband is to blame for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine
Watch: Firefighters tackle blaze after Russian troops strike petrol station in Ukraine's Sumy region
14:40 , Maira Butt
Europe will pay price of one crisis after another if EU cuts foreign aid, UN official warns
14:20 , Maira Butt
The European Union would be making the “biggest mistake” if it continues to cut foreign aid, the United Nations development chief has said, leaving it dealing with “one crisis after another”.
Alexander De Croo told Euractiv that shrinking aid programmes will undermine strategic priorities and that the EU must remain globally “engaged” rather than rely on “reactive” policies introduced only after disaster has struck, he said. Otherwise, “you will really face the high cost of dealing with one crisis after another,” Mr De Croo added.
“The biggest mistake you can make as Europeans is to say: ‘We are going to turn our back on the rest of the world’,” he said.
Mr De Croo, former prime minister of Belgium and administrator for the UN Development Programme (UNDP) since December, urged Europe to instead address increasingly frequent global crises through “proactive” development schemes that help reduce levels of armed conflict and mass migration.
EU cutting foreign aid will leave Europe paying price of ‘one crisis after another’
Russian missile strike kills 10 at Ukraine defence event
14:00 , Maira Butt
A Russian ballistic missile strike on Friday in Ukraine's Kyiv region killed 10 people and injured close to 100 others at a site where a defence industry event was being held, Ukrainian officials and industry representatives said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who did not name exact target, said that efforts to determine what happened were underway.
"A rescue operation is currently underway in the Kyiv region following a Russian missile strike," Zelenskiy said on Telegram.
Acting governor of Kyiv region Ruslan Oliynyk said that according to preliminary information, a ballistic missile strike hit a private training ground where events were taking place.
The Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry said that a missile strike hit a site where representatives of the Ukraine's defence industry were present.
It said it was not an organiser of the event. Information regarding the exact whereabouts of the participants was not made public, it added.
Kremlin says Russia will wait for new US proposals on ending Ukraine war
13:40 , Maira Butt
The Kremlin said on Friday that Moscow would wait for the United States to propose new ideas on ending the Ukraine war, and these proposals needed to be acceptable to Russia.
Romania says it has not yet identified origin of drone involved in airspace incursion
13:20 , Maira Butt
Romania has not yet identified the origin or purpose of a drone shot down by a fighter jet over its airspace on Friday, but it appeared to be a Shahed, the army's chief of staff said.
"Visually, the pilots reported the drone looked to be a Shahed type," the Army's Chief of Staff Gheorghita Vlad told reporters, adding it was too soon to draw conclusions.
Rubio says no change in US military support for Ukraine
13:00 , Maira Butt
Secretary of state Marco Rubio has said the US continues its work to provide Ukraine with military support via Nato allies.
On the sidelines of his meetings in Manila, Rubio said there had been no change in Washington’s military support for Ukraine, with weapons being purchased by Nato allies and transferred to the war-ravaged country.
On the lack of progress with peace talks involving Russia, he said “we’ll have to find new suggestions and new ideas” that are acceptable to both sides.
“That’s been the challenge — an end that both sides can accept," Rubio told reporters.
“We’ve tried and we’ll continue to try to see if we can, you know, find a middle ground that brings this about. And we’re prepared to play that role if the opportunity presents itself.”
A sailor dies after a Ukraine-bound tanker catches fire off Romania as officials probe war link
12:40 , Maira Butt
A sailor injured when a Ukraine-bound tanker ship caught fire off Romania’s Black Sea coast has died, Romanian media reported on Thursday, as authorities investigate a possible link to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The ship, a Liberian-flagged vessel named Gas Lisbon, was sailing across the Black Sea toward a Ukrainian port when it was “struck” late Monday around 20 nautical miles off Romania's coast, Romanian President Nicusor Dan said on Tuesday.
Romanian authorities approached the vessel and evacuated the entire 17-member crew, including three injured sailors. Two of those injured had burns on approximately 10-15% of their bodies while the third suffered multiple wounds, according to Romania’s Department for Emergency Situations.
On Thursday, Romanian news outlet news.ro reported that one of the injured sailors, a 45-year-old Philippine national, had died.
The outlet quoted the director of the Tulcea County Hospital, Tudor-Ion Nastasescu, as saying the sailor “had a burn of the airways and a pulmonary complication related to this burn that caused his death.”
A sailor dies after a Ukraine-bound tanker catches fire off Romania as officials probe war link
Zelensky says he's in talks with a US company to jointly produce Patriot air defences
12:20 , Maira Butt
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has met in Kyiv with senior representatives of Raytheon, the U.S. company that makes the Patriot air defense systems Ukraine desperately needs to counter the ballistic missiles Russia uses to advance its invasion.
The meeting came less than three weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to give Ukraine a license to produce Patriots. The pledge marked an important shift as Trump recently has adopted a more positive tone towards Zelenskyy.
In another sign that Ukraine is changing minds in Washington, ardent Trump ally Laura Loomer met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Thursday. After years of minimizing the invasion, she rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin for missile attacks on Ukraine.
The Ukrainian leader said late Thursday he met with a Raytheon delegation, adding that the company was ready to jointly produce Patriot interceptors with Ukraine. The system is made up of radars, command-and-control systems and different types of interceptor missiles.
The company made no immediate comment about the meeting on its website or social media accounts.
Watch: Zelensky reveals relationship with Trump was saved in 20 minute conversation at Vatican
12:00 , Maira Butt
Russia says six people were killed in Ukrainian missile attack on Kirov factory
11:40 , Maira Butt
Six people were killed and 26 injured in a Ukrainian missile attack on a factory in Russia's Kirov region, the regional governor, Alexander Sokolov, said on Friday.
He said that some of those wounded were being treated in hospital and that a fire sparked by the attack had been put out.
Laura Loomer will ask Trump to ship signed MAGA hats ‘via delivery drone’ to Zelensky’s palace in Ukraine
11:20 , Maira Butt
Hardline right-wing activist Laura Loomer has said she will personally ask President Donald Trump to send a shipment of signed “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) hats to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s presidential palace via a “high-tech delivery drone”.
Loomer has backtracked on her position as one of Ukraine’s biggest critics, who has pushed a string of Kremlin-friendly narratives, and declared her support for the country’s cause against invasion by Russia – having conducted an interview with Zelensky for her social media channels that is yet to be released.
In snippets shared on X, Loomer noted that Mr Zelensky was wearing a suit and “looks good” in one.
Laura Loomer to ask Trump to ship signed MAGA hats ‘via high-tech drone’ to Zelensky
In pictures: Aftermath of Ukrainian strikes on St Petersburg
11:00 , Maira Butt
Why is Ukraine attacking Russia’s Wildberries warehouses?
10:30 , Maira Butt
A significant warehouse operated by Russian online retail giant Wildberries in the Leningrad region, near St. Petersburg, caught fire on Friday following what Governor Alexander Drozdenko attributed to a Ukrainian drone attack. Three people sustained injuries in the incident.
Wildberries confirmed it had ceased operations at two regional logistics sites and evacuated staff from its Crimea warehouse. A Reuters video from the scene depicted two vast plumes of black smoke rising over the area. This marks the fifth attack on Wildberries warehouses since 18 July, affecting around 10 per cent of its logistics capacity.
While Wildberries reported no staff injuries in this latest strike, eight people were killed in the 18 July attacks on logistics hubs in Kotovsk and Elektrostal. On 22 July, 10 people were injured in attacks on Wildberries warehouses in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk.
Kyiv maintains that the company is part of infrastructure supporting the Russian military, a claim Moscow denies, stating Wildberries is central to the consumer economy and handles no military supplies.
Together with competitors, Wildberries and Ozon sell goods and services equivalent to 8.5 per cent of Russia's gross domestic product, employing four million people, or over 5 per cent of the country's workforce.
Romania shoots down drone breaching its airspace, president says
10:29 , Maira Butt
A Romanian F-16 fighter jet shot down a drone breaching the country's airspace early on Friday, Romanian President Nicusor Dan said, the latest in a series of incursions into the NATO member's airspace.
"This morning, around 11:00, a Romanian pilot on an F-16 aircraft shot down a drone that entered our country's airspace," Dan wrote on social media platform X.
"The area was uninhabited, so the pilot was able to shoot without any risk. Currently, teams of the relevant institutions are investigating the area to come up with all the details about the incident."
Dan did not specify the origin of the drone.
The Romanian Defence Ministry said the drone was shot down near the town of Padina in Buzau County in the east of the country.
Russia says it hit three Ukrainian ports overnight striking infrastructure and fuel
10:00 , Maira Butt
Russia said on Friday that its forces struck three Ukrainian ports in overnight attacks targeting infrastructure including loading and unloading facilities and fuel reserves, which support Kyiv's armed forces.
Russia's defence ministry said air-launched missiles and strike drones had struck the ports of Odesa, Izmail and Mykolaiv as part of a campaign of heavy strikes against Ukraine.
It said in a statement that storage tanks containing fuel and lubricants earmarked for the Ukrainian army had been hit in Odesa, and that unloading and storage facilities used for military cargo - including sea drones - had been struck in Izmail. A floating dry dock in Izmail had also been hit.
In Mykolaiv, the Defence Ministry said its forces had struck a cargo ship which had been unloading military shipment.
The Independent could not independently verify the ministry's assertions.
Trump ally Laura Loomer meets Zelensky in striking reversal on Ukraine war
09:30 , Maira Butt
Laura Loomer, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump known for her incendiary social media commentary, held a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday, following a significant shift in her stance on the conflict that could have political implications in Washington.
For years, Loomer had downplayed Russia's invasion of Ukraine and disseminated Russian propaganda to her nearly two million followers. However, this week marked a notable change of heart for the activist.
"Just experienced my first air raid in Ukraine. Sirens blaring. This is everyday for every Ukrainian," Loomer posted on X. "I often said I don’t care. Looking back, that wasn’t very nice of me to say."
Trump ally Laura Loomer meets Zelensky in striking reversal on Ukraine war
Russia says it hit bulker loading military cargo at Ukrainian port
09:00 , Maira Butt
Russian defence ministry said on Friday that Russian forces have struck a bulker at the Ukrainian Mykolaiv port during loading.
The vessel was carrying military cargo, the ministry said.
Zelensky and Trump 'likely' to meet next week, says Laura Loomer
08:18 , Maira Butt
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told right-wing activist Laura Loomer that he would likely be in the United States next week for a meeting with President Donald Trump, Loomer said in a post on X on Friday.
President Zelenskyy @ZelenskyyUa told me he will likely be attending Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral in DC next week and he will also be having another meeting with President Trump.
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) July 24, 2026
This comes as the renewed secondary Russian sanctions bill is making its way through Congress.… https://t.co/3mQ5ew4BXN
Rubio says no change in US military support for Ukraine
07:59 , Arpan Rai
Secretary of state Marco Rubio has said the US continues its work to provide Ukraine with military support via Nato allies.
On the sidelines of his meetings in Manila, Rubio said there had been no change in Washington’s military support for Ukraine, with weapons being purchased by Nato allies and transferred to the war-ravaged country.
On the lack of progress with peace talks involving Russia, he said “we’ll have to find new suggestions and new ideas” that are acceptable to both sides.
“That’s been the challenge — an end that both sides can accept," Rubio told reporters.
“We’ve tried and we’ll continue to try to see if we can, you know, find a middle ground that brings this about. And we’re prepared to play that role if the opportunity presents itself.”
Ousted Ukrainian defence chief refuses Zelensky's job's offer
07:40 , Arpan Rai
Ousted Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said he would accept no other government position besides his former job, escalating a political crisis that has gripped Ukraine at a pivotal point in the war with Russia.
Fedorov's surprise dismissal this month had sparked rare wartime protests prompting president Volodymyr Zelensky to replace his unpopular top general with a respected younger commander.
Zelensky said on Thursday he had offered Fedorov several other roles, including vice prime minister for defence innovation, but has not indicated he would reappoint him to the defence ministry.
Fedorov said only the positions of president, military chief and defence minister could "actually shape the course of the war".
"No other role carries the actual authority to combat procurement corruption, complete the army's transformation, plan and execute asymmetric operations against the enemy," he said.
Discussions between Zelensky and Fedorov were still ongoing, according to a source familiar with the matter.
"I think they will talk more," the source said.
Rubio says Putin losing over 5,000 troops each week in Ukraine
07:20 , Arpan Rai
Russia is losing upwards of 5,000 to 6,000 troops each week in its war on Ukraine, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said, called in a "staggering number".
Rubio said the Russian war in Ukraine is one of the only wars in history where the number of troops killed in combat is exceeding the number of troops injured.
Reiterating president Donald Trump’s central objective, Rubio said the US wants “that people stop dying, that people stop being slaughtered.”
Trump, Rubio said, wants Ukraine to be able to “go on and live in peace,” allowing Ukrainians to return home and rebuild, while ensuring that “young Russians aren’t being killed at the tune of 5,000 a week in the battlefield.”
"We are prepared to play a constructive role in bringing about an end to a senseless war, we're ready to do that, and we of course expressed that,” Rubio said, referring to a meeting he held yesterday with his Russian counterpart.
US is ready to help end the 'senseless war' in Ukraine but no quick deal ahead, Rubio says
07:02 , Arpan Rai
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said that the Trump administration is poised to help end the “senseless war” in Ukraine but acknowledged there is no quick path to a deal, saying diplomacy will require sustained effort and new ideas.
Rubio, who held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in the Philippine capital, alluded to how US-mediated talks have stalled.
He called them “unsuccessful or at least unfruitful” in the past but insisted that president Donald Trump was committed to the work “if conditions and factors have changed to make that possible.”
“That’s been the challenge — an end that both sides can accept," Rubio told reporters.
“We’ve tried and we’ll continue to try to see if we can, you know, find a middle ground that brings this about. And we’re prepared to play that role if the opportunity presents itself.”
Three injured in attack on Wildberries warehouse
06:49 , Arpan Rai
A warehouse of the leading Russian online retailer Wildberries in the Leningrad region has caught fire after a Ukrainian drone attack, governor Alexander Drozdenko said on Friday.
Three people were injured, he added. Wildberries said that the work of two of its logistics sites in the region had been halted.
No 'definitive' evidence Irish alumina exports used in Russian weapons, Irish PM says
06:44 , Arpan Rai
An Irish probe into a major alumina plant has found no "concrete or definitive" evidence its exports to Russia are used to make aluminium for weapons, but it has also been unable to rule it out, prime minister Micheal Martin said on Thursday.
Ireland is under mounting pressure over the Aughinish Alumina plant, Europe's largest refinery of the aluminium feedstock alumina, which the facility continues to export to Russia.
Dublin commissioned the investigation, even as it defends a European Union decision to leave the plant, which is owned by Russia's Rusal , off Russian sanctions packages. The government argues the refinery in southwest Ireland is strategically important to EU supply chains.
"The investigation has not found concrete or definitive evidence linking the alumina to a weapons manufacturer in Russia," Martin told a joint press conference with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky during a visit to Kyiv.
"That said, neither has it found definitive evidence that alumina may not be going to weapons manufacturers."
Martin said the investigation is almost complete and would be shared with the European Commission once it is finalised.
EU sanctions aim to deprive Russia of financing for Ukraine war, says Kallas
06:30 , Arpan Rai
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said sanctions were having an effect on Russia's economy and have made it harder for Moscow to raise capital abroad.
“We also see that due to the sanctions, they can't raise capital outside,” she said.
“It is clear that if we put this in place, it has an effect together with other elements,” she said.
The European Union approved its 21st sanctions package against Russia over its war in Ukraine, imposing curbs on the country's banking sector and cryptocurrency networks, the Council of the EU said yesterday.
Kallas said sanctions were only one element of a broader European strategy to pressure Russia into serious negotiations with Ukraine.
"We have different elements of this approach. The sanctions are just one of them," she said. "We are looking at what more we can do to pressure Russia to actually sit around the negotiation table and negotiate with Ukraine."
Another Wildberries warehouse in Russia's Leningrad set ablaze
06:07 , Arpan Rai
A warehouse of Russia’s online retailer Wildberries in the Leningrad region has been set on fire in a Ukrainian drone strike, the regional governor said this morning.
Kyiv has broadened its campaign against a company at the heart of Russia's consumer economy.
Kyiv has now struck four warehouses owned by the company beginning on the weekend on the grounds that they are part of infrastructure that supports the Russian military.
The Kremlin has denied that Wildberries handles military supplies. Russia has targeted Ukraine's logistics hubs as well as its energy system and power grid.
EU sanctions force Russian world chess chief to quit
06:02 , Arpan Rai
Arkady Dvorkovich, the Russian president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), announced today that he was suspending his activity with the organisation after being placed on the latest European Union sanctions list.
The EU's 21st sanctions package, issued in connection with Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, imposes punitive measures against 170 entities and 48 individuals. Measures include asset freezes, travel and transaction bans.
Dvorkovich, in a statement on the FIDE website, denounced the EU move as "unlawful and unfair" and pledged to challenge it by all possible means.
“However, given that until a formal court decision is rendered and/or such decision is cancelled or amended, these sanctions could hinder the stable functioning of FIDE, I have decided to voluntarily suspend the exercise of my powers and duties as FIDE President with immediate effect..." he said.
Military activity hits water supply at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and nearby town
05:53 , Arpan Rai
Military activity has hit water supplies to parts of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station and nearby areas of southeastern Ukraine, the UN nuclear power watchdog said.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in a statement there was no shortage of well water needed to ensure fuel in the reactors remained cool.
But attacks in and around the city of Enerhodar, where many of the plant's staff live, had “targeted, among other locations, local electrical infrastructure, leading to a loss of water supply in the city and at the ZNPP site.”
“Reliable access to basic services and supplies is important for staff well-being and for the continuity of their essential work," Grossi said, adding that IAEA monitors stationed at the plant had had "only limited access to tap water since 18 July.”
Grossi, who has visited the plant several times since it came under Russian operation, made no reference to either Ukraine or Russia in terms of the military activity in the area.
He said the IAEA on-site team had not been able to visit a nearby emergency operations center since December because of security concerns.
Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom last week said a Ukrainian drone had killed the plant's chief engineer.
In his latest statement, Grossi repeated that nuclear power plant staff “must be protected at all times.”
Ousted Ukrainian defence chief refuses Zelensky's job's offer
05:34 , Arpan Rai
Ousted Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said he would accept no other government position besides his former job, escalating a political crisis that has gripped Ukraine at a pivotal point in the war with Russia.
Fedorov's surprise dismissal this month had sparked rare wartime protests prompting president Volodymyr Zelensky to replace his unpopular top general with a respected younger commander.
Zelensky said on Thursday he had offered Fedorov several other roles, including vice prime minister for defence innovation, but has not indicated he would reappoint him to the defence ministry.
Fedorov said only the positions of president, military chief and defence minister could "actually shape the course of the war".
"No other role carries the actual authority to combat procurement corruption, complete the army's transformation, plan and execute asymmetric operations against the enemy," he said.
Discussions between Zelensky and Fedorov were still ongoing, according to a source familiar with the matter.
"I think they will talk more," the source said.
Wary of drone attacks, shipowners halt calls at Ukraine's Black Sea ports
05:15 , Arpan Rai
Shipowners have halted vessel arrivals at Ukraine's Black Sea ports due to intensified Russian strikes, Kyiv said, as president Volodymyr Zelensky warned Moscow might escalate attacks in order to block the country's main corridor for grain exports.
In recent weeks, Russia has pummelled logistics and port infrastructure in the southern Odesa region with missiles and drones.
On Sunday, a missile strike on a ship carrying corn killed 10 people, mostly foreigners, Ukrainian officials said. “Yesterday... not a single ship entered the port,” Zelensky told reporters on Thursday.
“They've been hitting all the ships. They're going to step this up.”
Russia struck 28 civilian vessels and killed 21 people from 20 June to 20 July, according to Odesa regional prosecutors cited by local media.
Shipowners wary of the attacks have temporarily suspended vessel arrivals meant to pick up agricultural products at the ports, Ukraine's agriculture minister Taras Vysotskyi said on Wednesday.
“Ukraine, as a state, has not imposed any restrictions," Vysotskyi was cited as saying by Interfax-Ukraine.
Laura Loomer meets Zelensky in Ukraine after U-turn on war
04:48 , Arpan Rai
Laura Loomer, an ardent ally of president Donald Trump with a reputation for incendiary social media commentary, sat down with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday after a dramatic turnaround on the war that could have political reverberations back in Washington.
Loomer had spent years minimising Russia's invasion of Ukraine and amplifying Russian propaganda to her nearly 2 million followers. This week she had a change of heart.
“Just experienced my first air raid in Ukraine. Sirens blaring. This is everyday for every Ukrainian,” Loomer wrote on X during her visit to the country.
“I often said I don’t care. Looking back, that wasn’t very nice of me to say.”
“We need to have moral clarity,” she said.
Rubio says Putin losing over 5,000 troops each week in Ukraine
04:15 , Arpan Rai
Russia is losing upwards of 5,000 to 6,000 troops each week in its war on Ukraine, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said, called in a "staggering number".
Rubio said the Russian war in Ukraine is one of the only wars in history where the number of troops killed in combat is exceeding the number of troops injured.
Reiterating president Donald Trump’s central objective, Rubio said the US wants “that people stop dying, that people stop being slaughtered.”
Trump, Rubio said, wants Ukraine to be able to “go on and live in peace,” allowing Ukrainians to return home and rebuild, while ensuring that “young Russians aren’t being killed at the tune of 5,000 a week in the battlefield.”
"We are prepared to play a constructive role in bringing about an end to a senseless war, we're ready to do that, and we of course expressed that,” Rubio said, referring to a meeting he held yesterday with his Russian counterpart.
US is ready to help end the 'senseless war' in Ukraine but no quick deal ahead, Rubio says
04:08 , Arpan Rai
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said that the Trump administration is poised to help end the “senseless war” in Ukraine but acknowledged there is no quick path to a deal, saying diplomacy will require sustained effort and new ideas.
Rubio, who held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in the Philippine capital, alluded to how US-mediated talks have stalled.
He called them “unsuccessful or at least unfruitful” in the past but insisted that president Donald Trump was committed to the work “if conditions and factors have changed to make that possible.”
“That’s been the challenge — an end that both sides can accept," Rubio told reporters.
“We’ve tried and we’ll continue to try to see if we can, you know, find a middle ground that brings this about. And we’re prepared to play that role if the opportunity presents itself.”
