Russia strikes Kyiv with ballistic missiles, six wounded; Moscow admits fuel shortages linked to refinery attacks
Russia launched a series of ballistic missile strikes on four districts of Kyiv overnight Saturday, wounding at least six people. A Russian deputy prime minister for the first time acknowledged that Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries have caused fuel shortages, while President Zelensky has established a new long-range strike command within the Ukrainian military.
Russian forces struck Kyiv with a volley of ballistic missiles overnight Saturday, hitting four districts of the capital. Monitoring channels suggest the attack may have involved Iskander-M missiles or S-300/S-400 air defense missiles launched from Russia's Bryansk region. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that the number of wounded rose to six: three were hospitalized and three received medical treatment on site.
Fuel shortage acknowledged
For the first time, Russia's government officially linked fuel shortages to Ukrainian strikes on its oil refineries. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak admitted at a press conference on July 10 that “there are problems and queues” due to refineries “partially going out of operation” because of drone strikes. Previously, federal authorities avoided such admissions. On July 8, Novak had only mentioned a “partial reduction in gasoline and diesel production” during a government meeting. To address the crisis, Russia has banned gasoline and diesel exports. The Financial Times estimates the shortage directly affects about 50 million Russians (35% of the population).
Zelensky creates long-range command
President Zelensky announced he had signed a decree establishing a “special long-range strike command” within the Armed Forces. The command will concentrate 100% of available resources to further reduce Russia's military potential. The commander will be highly experienced, but his name was not disclosed. Zelensky linked the deepening gasoline crisis in Russia to Ukraine's long-range strikes and said it was a justified response to Putin’s reluctance to end the war.
Ukrainian estimate of Russian losses
According to the Ukrainian General Staff as of July 11, Russian losses since February 24, 2022, amount to approximately 1,417,770 personnel (+1,490 in the past day), 12,116 tanks (+8), 24,922 armored fighting vehicles (+10), 45,754 artillery systems (+74), 1,924 multiple rocket launchers (+1), 1,485 air defense systems (+4), 1,868 unmanned ground vehicles (+3), 401,925 tactical-level UAVs (+1,294), and 118,610 vehicles and fuel tankers (+361). Ukraine does not regularly publish its own losses.
