BRICS summit participants condemned recent attacks on Russia’s railway infrastructure, according to a joint declaration on July 6 from Rio de Janeiro.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the attacks on bridges and railway infrastructure deliberately targeting civilians in the Bryansk, Kursk and Voronezh regions of the Russian Federation on May 31, and June 1 and 5 2025, which resulted in the deaths of several civilians, including children," the document says.

Bryansk, Kursk, and Voronezh oblasts are all located near Ukraine’s northeastern border and have played a central role in Russia’s war effort, serving as key logistical hubs and launch sites for missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities–often targeting civilian infrastructure and causing casualties.

In their declaration, BRICS leaders also called for a negotiated peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

“We recall our national positions concerning the conflict in Ukraine as expressed in the appropriate forum, including the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly,” the document said. “We expect that current efforts will lead to a sustainable peace settlement.”

The statement comes a few days after a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 3, in which Putin said "Russia will continue to pursue its goals" in the war against Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended the summit in person, while Russian President Vladimir Putin participated via video link.

Brazil is a member of the ICC and a signatory to the Rome Statute, meaning it is obliged to arrest Putin if he enters the country.

The ICC issued a warrant for the Russian leader's arrest in March 2023 over the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The BRICS declaration also condemned recent U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities as violations of international law and criticized the presence of foreign forces in Syria and Gaza, calling for Israeli withdrawal from Syrian territory.

BRICS, originally composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has expanded in recent years to include Iran, Egypt, the UAE, Ethiopia, and Indonesia.

Lavrov meets Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi at BRICS summit, reiterates Russia’s offer to mediate disputes over nuclear program

Russia reiterated its offer to mediate the conflict over Iran’s nuclear program during a meeting between Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart at the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Reuters reported on July 6.

The Kyiv IndependentSonya Bandouil

Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, has been leading campaigns to supplant three top officials in the Ukrainian government, the Economist reported on July 6, citing multiple anonymous officials.

The story follows a corruption probe into Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshov, the highest-ranking official in Ukrainian history to face such charges while still in office. According to the Economist's sources, Yermak was a driving force behind the investigation.

Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelensky's close friend and chief adviser, spurred on the Chernyshov probe while also renewing attempts to replace Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) , and Prime Ministery Denys Shmyhal, three unnamed officials told the Economist.

There is no evidence that Yermak ordered an investigation into Chernyshov, the Economist reports, but officials told the outlet that he influenced the case by allowing it to progress while freezing other investigations.

Chernyshov ran afoul of Yermak by offering himself as an alternative liaison to Washington, the officials claimed. His removal would also reportedly clear the way for Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, a Yermak protege, to assume the role of Prime Minister in the event of Shmyhal's dismissal.

Rumors of a government reshuffle unseating Shmyhal have circulated for months. Ukrainian media reported last summer that Zelensky was considering replacing the prime minister with Svyrydenko. While several key officials were replaced in a reshuffle in September 2024, Shmyhal kept his post.

Chernyshov, too, has said he will not step down from his role as deputy prime minister despite the ongoing corruption probe.  

Reports of imminent dismissal have also periodically surrounded Budanov, Ukraine's spy chief. Budanov has rejected such rumors as "Russian propaganda" in the past.

Sources told the Economist that Yermak was leading another effort to oust Budanov in June 2025. According to the outlet, warnings from the White House not to fire Budanov may have helped secure his position.

Politico reported in June that U.S. officials, particularly those working in the Trump administration, found Yermak's diplomatic style abrasive and off-putting, potentially risking U.S.-Ukrainian relations at a critical time.

Ukraine imposes sanctions on Russian financial, cryptocurrency schemes

Restrictions were imposed on 60 legal entities and 73 Russian citizens.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

Ukraine on July 6 imposed sanctions aimed at countering Russian financial schemes, including those involving cryptocurrency, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in his evening address.

Restrictions were imposed on 60 legal entities and 73 Russian citizens.

The latest sanctions package includes Ukrainian-led initiatives and must also align with restrictions imposed by international partners, according to Zelensky.

Ukraine will continue working with its partners to coordinate sanctions across different jurisdictions in the future, he added.

Zelensky also announced that the Ukrainian government is set to unveil new measures next week, aimed in part at aligning with European Union sanctions against Russia.

"All European packages against Russia should be implemented in the Ukrainian jurisdiction. Just like Ukrainian sanctions in the European Union," Zelensky said.

At the end of June, Zelensky imposed sanctions on 52 Russian citizens, 34 Russian companies, and one Chinese entity involved in the production of Shahed drones and chip manufacturing machinery.

Drones have become one of the defining tools of the full-scale war, used extensively by both Ukraine and Russia for surveillance, long-range strikes, and tactical battlefield advantage.

Ukraine’s artillery braces for shell shortage as US halts aid

The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko spent a day with an artillery crew from the 28th Mechanized Brigade in the front-line city of Kostiantynivka. Following the recent decision by the Pentagon to halt shipments of certain weapons to Ukraine, a looming shell shortage is once again on the horizon for Ukrainian forces.

The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell

Russian attacks on two towns in Donetsk Oblast left five people dead and another injured on July 6, Governor Vadim Filashkin reported.

Russia attacked the front-line towns of Kostiantynivka and Druzhkivka.

In Kostiantynivka, Russian airstrikes and missile attacks killed four people and injured another person, Filashkin said. The heavy attacks also damaged 14 homes, four high-rise buildings, an administrative building, a car, and five power lines.

In Druzhkivka, a Russian first-person-view (FPV) drone killed one person and damaged equipement.

Filashkin warned that both Kostiantynivka and Druzhkivka are "under constant enemy fire" and urged residents to relocate.

"It is dangerous to stay here! Evacuate to safer regions of Ukraine!" Filashkin wrote on Telegram after the attack.

In late June, Filashkin reported that Kostiantynivka, in eastern Donetsk Oblast, faces an imminent "humanitarian catastrophe." The town lies just 10 to 15 kilometers (6 to 9 miles) from several areas currently occupied by Russian forces, according to battlefield mapping site DeepState.

Kostiantynivka has come under intensified attack in recent months as Moscow pushes westward beyond its gains around other nearby towns.

Ukraine’s army chief warns of new Russian offensives in northeast as he visits Kharkiv Oblast front

Russian troops are ramping up attacks in the sector using large numbers of troops, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

A woman injured in Russia’s July 3 attack on Poltava has died in the hospital, bringing the total number of fatalities to three, the local military administration reported on July 6.

The attack injured 59 people, sparked fires, and damaged civilian infrastructure.

"Doctors fought for her life to the last. Our sincere condolences to her family and friends!" Poltava Oblast Governor Volodymyr Kohut wrote on Telegram.

One of Russia's July 3 strikes caused a fire at the Poltava military enlistment office. A separate strike nearby set fire to a private residential property, the authorities said.

Vitalii Sarantsev, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Ground Forces, said on national television that the attack on the enlistment office in Poltava was deliberate and that such strikes are intended to disrupt mobilization in Ukraine.

This wasn't the first time Russia has been linked to such attacks. Back in February, Moscow recruited the man who carried out a deadly bombing at a military enlistment office in the city of Rivne in northwestern Ukraine.

China unveils its new ‘graphite bomb’ — here’s how they work

China’s state TV broadcaster has revealed details of a new “graphite bomb” that can cause a “complete loss of electricity” across an area of 10,000 square meters, or knock out entire power stations, the South China Morning Post reported on June 29. An animated video released by China’s CCTV showed a missile being launched from a ground-based launcher and then flying to a target where it releases 90 small submunitions. They then bounce on the ground before exploding amid a mock-up of an electri

The Kyiv IndependentChris York

Editor's Note: This story has been updated with additional details from Ukraine's Foreign Ministry.

A bus carrying Ukrainian children veered off the road and overturned on a Hungarian highway on July 6, leaving 21 people injured, Ukraine's embassy in Hungary reported.

The accident occurred at around 5 a.m. local time between the settlements of Kunszentmarton and Tiszafoldvar. According to preliminary information, the driver lost control of the bus and veered off the road into a ditch. Further details as to the cause of the crash have not yet been determined.

The bus was carrying a children's ensemble from the Ukrainian city of Lviv to Ohrid in North Macedonia for a dance festival. There were 77 people aboard at the time of the accident, including two drivers, chaperones, and ensemble members.

Twenty-one people were injured, with four of them reported to be in serious condition. Two of the seriously injured victims are teenagers (ages 14 and 18) while the other two are adults (ages 67 and 71). Four more children suffered moderate injuries, while the remaining victims suffered minor injuries.

No one was killed, according to the embassy's statement.

The victims were transferred to hospitals in the towns of Szolnok, Kecskemetre, and Szentes.

Rescuers are working at the crash site, along with Ukrainian Ambassador Fegyir Sandor and consuls assisting Ukrainian citizens.

The rest of the passengers are staying temporarily at the Kunszentmarton Cultural Center, where they have been provided food and a place to rest. Those suffering moderate and mild injuries will join the main group at this location.

The bus carrier is reportedly taking measures to prevent additional accidents.

Ukraine war latest: Russia pounds Kyiv with record overnight drone, missile attack, 1 dead, 26 injured

Key developments on July 4: * ‘Nothing but terror and murder’ — Russia pounds Kyiv with record overnight drone, missile attack, 1 dead, 26 injured * Zelensky, Trump discuss air defense, joint drone production amid Russian strikes * ‘There is also good news’ — Ukrainian drones hit key military optics plant in Russia, General Staff

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

Drones attacked Russia's Black Sea Fleet at the port of Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai overnight on July 6, the Russian media outlet Astra reported.

Ukraine has not officially commented on the reported strikes, and the Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims.

An air alert was sounded in the city for several hours, and air defense was active. The consequences of the attack are still being determined, according to Astra.

The media outlet also published footage purportedly showing a burning maritime drone that was allegedly shot down during the attack.

Krasnodar Krai is located east of Crimea, with the Kerch Strait separating them at their closest point.

Ukraine regularly strikes military targets within Russia as Moscow continues to wage its war against Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Russian forces downed 120 drones overnight on July 6.

Thirty drones were shot down over Bryansk Oblast, 29 over Kursk Oblast, and 18 over Oryol Oblast, according to the ministry. An additional 17 and 13 drones were reportedly intercepted over Belgorod and Tula oblasts, respectively, the ministry said.

Due to drone attacks in Russia, numerous flights were canceled or delayed at several airports, including Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, overnight between July 5 and July 6.

Ukrainian drone strike on Russian airfield hits bomb depot, aircraft

The airfield hosts Su-34, Su-35S, and Su-30SM jets that Russia regularly uses in air strikes against Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian military.

The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova

Four Alliance 90/Greens party members have sent an open letter to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz calling for a significant increase in military aid to Ukraine, Bild reported on July 5, citing a copy of the document.

The news comes as Russia’s expanded drone production has enabled Moscow to launch as many as 500 drones in a single night against Ukraine on multiple occasions each week.

The letter's authors — Robin Wagener, Sara Nanni, Sebastian Schafer, and Anton Hofreiter — demanded that certain budget items be adjusted, particularly regarding support for Ukraine. They believe that the planned increase in Germany's defense funding for Kyiv from $8.4 billion in 2024 to $9.8 billion in 2025 is insufficient, according to Bild.

The signatories emphasized the need to strengthen Ukraine's air defense systems urgently.

"Without further air defense and assured supplies, Russian dictatorship over Ukraine becomes more likely," the letter read.

The lawmakers also noted that the situation has deteriorated as Russia continues to carry out large-scale attacks on Ukraine, and the United States, for its part, has partially suspended its military aid.

The signatories reminded Merz that, thanks to the Greens party's support in the previous Bundestag, assistance to Ukraine had significantly increased.

Before becoming chancellor, Merz, elected for the CDU/CSU conservative alliance, signaled he could overturn the ban of his predecessor, Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, on delivering Taurus to Ukraine.

The Taurus is a powerful cruise missile capable of striking targets at a distance of 500 kilometers (300 miles), more than the long-range capabilities Ukraine received from other partners.

However, the German government has not approved sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine so far.

Ukraine has been using U.S.-made ATACMS for over a year, and U.K.-French Storm Shadow/SCALP for more than two, initially being allowed to deploy them only against Russian targets on Ukrainian territory.

Only in late 2024, the Biden administration and other allies eased the restrictions, allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles against Russian military targets on Russian territory.

Russia increasingly targets Ukraine’s cities with cluster munitions, raising civilian toll

Amid stalled peace talks, Russia is increasingly attacking Ukrainian cities with cluster munitions, banned by international organizations for the indiscriminate damage they cause to civilians. The civilian casualty toll in Ukraine in 2025 rose by 37% compared with the same period last year, mostly due to Russia’s use of

The Kyiv IndependentNatalia Yermak

Armenia's Foreign Ministry on July 5 denied claims by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) that Russia was intensifying its military presence at the country's Gyumri base to exert greater influence in the South Caucasus, the media outlet News Armenia reported.

The news comes amid a major deterioration in Russian-Azerbaijani relations after a deadly June 27 operation in Russia's Yekaterinburg, where Russian security forces killed two Azerbaijani nationals and injured several others in a raid linked to a 2001 murder case.

HUR claimed on July 5 that Russia was increasing its military presence in Gyumri and recruiting new troops for the base. Ukraine's military intelligence argued that the alleged move was aimed at "destabilizing the global security situation."

Ani Badalyan, the Armenian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson, rejected the report.

"In response to the fictitious information that appeared in the press, the Republic of Armenia reaffirms its principled position that the territory of the Republic of Armenia cannot be used by third states to carry out military actions against any of its neighboring states," she said, as cited by News Armenia.

Armenia has had a historically close relationship with Russia but the relations between Yerevan and Moscow have recently deteriorated.

Russia's leverage over both Baku and Yerevan has diminished dramatically since Azerbaijani troops captured Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-controlled region in Azerbaijan, in 2023.

Russian peacekeepers later withdraw from the region, and now Baku and Yerevan are negotiating a permanent peace deal.

Armenia, which has lambasted Moscow for failing to help it during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, is drifting closer to the West.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has suspended the country's membership in a Russian-led military alliance and announced plans to join the European Union. Recently there has also been a crackdown on the pro-Russian opposition in Armenia.

Arrests, raids, beaten and bloodied suspects — how Russia-Azerbaijan relations have unravelled

Deaths in custody, media offices raided, and beaten and bloodied suspects paraded in court — relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, once considered close, have sharply deteriorated in recent days amid a series of high-profile incidents. The latest tensions erupted over the weekend when Russian law enforcement officers detained over 50 Azerbaijani

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

Editor's note: The story was updated with the latest reports from Mykolaiv and Sumy.

Russian attacks against Ukraine have killed at least six civilians and injured at least 25 others over the past day, regional authorities reported on July 6.

Russian forces launched four S-300 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia's Kursk Oblast and 157 Shahed drones from Russia's Shatalovo, Millerovo, and Primorsk-Akhtarsk airfields, as well as from Russian-occupied Crimea, against Ukraine overnight, according to Ukraine's Air Force.

Ukraine's air defense shot down 98 drones, while another 19 disappeared from radar without causing any damage, according to the statement. Drones that disappear from radar before reaching their targets are often decoys that Russia launches alongside real drones to overwhelm Ukraine's air defense.

In Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces attacked 13 settlements, killing two people and injuring 11 others, Governor Oleg Syniehubov reported.

An 8-year-old boy was killed, while a 3-year-old boy, a 40-year-old man, and a 36-year-old woman suffered injuries in the village of Odnorobivka.

In the town of Kupiansk, a 59-year-old man was killed, while a 56-year-old man, a 57-year-old woman, and two women aged 65 were injured due to the Russian strikes.

In Kharkiv, the regional capital, a 46-year-old woman and a 2-year-old girl suffered injuries.

The casualties were also reported in the villages of Prykolotne and Shyroke, where a 66-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman were injured.

In Donetsk Oblast, Russian forces killed a person in the town of Myrnohrad, and another person was killed in the village of Andriivka, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin.

In Andriivka, two people suffered injuries. Two more people were injured in the town of Siversk, and another one in the city of Pokrovsk.

In Kherson Oblast, Russia targeted 32 settlements, including the regional center of Kherson, over the past day. As a result of the attacks, two people were killed and three others were injured, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.

In Mykolaiv Oblast, Russian drones attacked the port infrastructure in the regional center of Mykolaiv, damaging the power grid and warehouses.

A 31-year-old woman was injured and hospitalized, while a 35-year-old man, who also suffered injuries in the attack, was treated at the scene, according to Governor Vitalii Kim.

In Sumy Oblast, a Russian FPV drone attacked the Khotyn community, hitting a car and injuring a 49-year-old man, the local military administration reported. He was hospitalized.

In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a 39-year-old woman was injured in the attack against the Nikopol district. Russia targeted the area with FPV (first-person-view) drones and artillery, according to Governor Serhii Lysak.

In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian strikes injured an 89-year-old woman in the village of Yurkivka, the local military administration reported.

In Kyiv Oblast, Russia attacked the Vyshhorod district, injuring a 35-year-old man. He suffered shrapnel wounds, the local military administration reported.

In Poltava Oblast, Russian drones struck the city of Kremenchuk, hitting an enlistment office and a neighboring house. The attack caused a fire, but no casualties were reported, according to the local military administration.

Ukraine's Emergency Service also reported that Russia had carried out double-tap attacks in the cities of Kharkiv and Kherson when rescuers arrived at the impact sites. As a result of the attacks, tanker trucks were damaged, but no rescuers were injured.

Ukraine’s army chief warns of new Russian offensives in northeast as he visits Kharkiv Oblast front

Russian troops are ramping up attacks in the sector using large numbers of troops, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

Russia has lost 1,026,440 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on July 6.

The number includes 1,180 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

According to the report, Russia has also lost 10,992 tanks, 22,956 armored fighting vehicles, 54,252 vehicles and fuel tanks, 29,960 artillery systems, 1,430 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,192 air defense systems, 421 airplanes, 340 helicopters, 43,825 drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.

Ukraine’s artillery braces for shell shortage as US halts aid

The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko spent a day with an artillery crew from the 28th Mechanized Brigade in the front-line city of Kostiantynivka. Following the recent decision by the Pentagon to halt shipments of certain weapons to Ukraine, a looming shell shortage is once again on the horizon for Ukrainian forces.

The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell

Editor's note: The story was updated with new reports about operations at Russian airports during drone strikes.

Several Russian airports have canceled flights due to safety concerns over Ukrainian drone attacks, the Russian Federal Aviation Agency (Rosaviatsia) reported on July 6.

Rosaviatsia reported on the evening of July 6 that 287 flights had been grounded across three major airports: Moscow's Sheremetyevo,  St. Petersburg's Pulkovo, and Strigino Airport in Nizhny Novgorod.

The restrictions follow a wave of closures the previous night, also triggered by drone threats. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that it had intercepted 120 drones on Russian territory overnight between July 5 and July 6.

Ukraine hasn't commented on the report. Kyiv's drone campaign, which has increasingly disrupted civilian air travel in Russia, is part of Ukraine's broader strategy to undermine Russia's logistics far beyond the front line.

Rosaviatsia confirmed the temporary pause in flights at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, citing airspace restrictions over the capital and strong winds. At Sheremetyevo, 171 flights were canceled and 56 more were delayed, causing crowds of passengers to form at the airport.

At Pulkovo, 90 flights were canceled and 37 remain delayed due to safety concerns. In Nizhny Novgorod, 26 flights were canceled and 13 delayed. Flight restrictions have also been imposed on Russia's Ivanovo, Kaluga, Pskov, and Tambov airports, the agency said.

The Kyiv Independent couldn't immediately verify these claims.

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This latest drone attack on Moscow follows an earlier Ukrainian operation targeting the Borisoglebsk airfield in Russia's Voronezh Oblast overnight on July 5.

Ukraine's General Staff reported that the strike damaged a warehouse containing guided bombs, aircraft, and other military assets.

The Borisoglebsk airfield is known to host Su-34, Su-35S, and Su-30SM jets, which Russia regularly employs in air strikes against Ukraine. Military assessments are underway, with initial reports suggesting a training and combat aircraft may have been destroyed.

NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) detected a fire near the Borisoglebsk military airfield shortly after the strike. Residents in the area reported 8–10 powerful explosions around 2 a.m. local time, according to the Russian independent outlet Astra.

The attack on Borisoglebsk was part of a broader overnight drone campaign across Russia, with explosions and fires reported in at least six regions.

Serhii Bratchuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Defense Army's Southern Division, told the Kyiv Independent in May that Ukraine is shifting its drone strategy, deliberately aiming to disrupt Russian aviation operations and make the war visible to the Russian population.

Trump says Putin ‘wants to keep killing people,’ signals US may send Patriots to Ukraine

“It just seems like he wants to go all the way and just keep killing people. It’s not good,” U.S. President Donald Trump said.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy