Ukraine strikes Moscow with 400 drones after massive Russian attack on Kyiv; Lithuania warns of Baltic risk

Massive drone attack on Moscow

Ukrainian forces sent 400 drones toward Moscow overnight, according to Russian officials, wounding two people and causing fires. Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov reported seven wounded in Domodedovo, including three Chinese nationals. Mayor Yevgeniya Khrustaleva said a fire broke out at an industrial park and a residential building was hit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed strikes on logistical facilities and an oil depot in the Moscow region. "Our long-range sanctions have produced results against logistics facilities and an oil depot. The targets were more than 400 kilometers from our border," he said. Two shadow fleet tankers and four cargo ships were also struck in the Black Sea.

Russian strikes on Kyiv and Odesa

The attack came a day after Russia carried out one of the largest ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv of the full-scale war. Meanwhile, a Russian strike near Odesa killed 10 people on a merchant ship flying the flag of Guinea-Bissau, including a Ukrainian pilot and crew from Syria and India. Eight crew were rescued.

Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said 28 people have been killed in Russian strikes on the region in July. "Since the beginning of July, the Odesa region was under constant daily shelling. There were days when 13-15 air raid alerts had been announced," he told Ukrainian television.

Lithuanian warning

Lithuania's Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas warned that Russia sees the Baltics and Poland as its "nearest targets" as it seeks a new escalation. "Since the war in Ukraine is not unfolding as Russia planned, they are unable to win, and today explosions are echoing within Russia itself, there are fuel shortages... Russian society is already questioning the Kremlin regime about why this is happening and where the promised victory is. The Kremlin, Putin, needs a new escalation, some kind of new win, and the Baltic region and Poland are the nearest target in this case," he told LRT.

Other developments

Hungary's outgoing president Tamás Sulyok has agreed to stand down amid pressure from Prime Minister Péter Magyar's new government. In Germany, a senior ruling centre-right party politician resigned, giving Chancellor Friedrich Merz a chance to reshuffle his struggling government. In the UK, Andy Burnham is set to take over as prime minister from Keir Starmer.