The Kremlin has once again erupted in threats and vitriol. Following the adoption of the EU’s 18th sanctions package against Moscow’s aggression, Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian former president, lashed out, calling European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen a “disgusting old hag” and branding Europeans as “imbeciles.”

“European imbeciles have approved the 18th package of sanctions against our country. There’s no point in writing that it will change Russia’s stance any more than the previous seventeen did,” Medvedev said on social media.

EU agrees on new Russia sanctions package targeting energy and finance

He believes the Russian economy would endure and stated that the destruction of Ukraine would continue.

“Strikes on targets in the so-called Ukraine, including Kyiv, will be carried out with increasing force,” he stressed.

Medvedev then escalated his tirade, launching insults at EU nations including Poland, Germany, France, the Baltic states, and the UK. He urged maximum detachment from the EU, which he claimed is now home to “Brits mired in their own shit.”

He went further, stating that Russians should learn to hate Europeans, just as their ancestors once did.

“Hatred is the most powerful weapon, allowing us to move most effectively toward its opposite—love. Naturally, toward those who deserve it,” he claimed.

Von der Leyen received particular scorn, with Medvedev attempting to mock her medical background.

“I’m not sure she even knows where the heart is. Though it seems she’s always thought with the part of her body she used during her failed medical career,” he said. 

Medvedev’s outburst once again illustrates the tone of official Russian rhetoric amid intensified missile strikes on Ukrainian civilians, Russia’s answer to US President Donald Trump’s recent peace efforts.

US President’s Special Representative Keith Kellogg visited training facilities of Ukraine’s National Guard on 16 July, according to the National Guard’s press service.

The American delegation, accompanied by National Guard Commander Brigadier General Oleksandr Pivnenko, observed the preparation of Ukrainian guardsmen, their equipment, and modern battlefield technologies. The delegation was presented with tank and combat vehicle crew training, simulator work, as well as drones and robotic systems.

According to National Guard officials, Kellogg noted the courage of Ukrainian fighters and high quality of training, emphasizing that Ukraine’s experience is valuable for armies of other countries.

The visit represents the third day of Kellogg’s mission to Kyiv, following meetings with top Ukrainian officials on 14-15 July. During his previous days in the capital, Kellogg met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss pathways to peace between Ukraine and Russia, as well as ways to bring the war to a conclusion.

The special representative also held discussions with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov about joint projects for localizing production of air defense systems and other weapons in Ukraine and Europe. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky, Chief of Main Intelligence Directorate Kyrylo Budanov, and Chief of General Staff Andriy Hnatov briefed Kellogg on Russia’s plans and preparations for a more large-scale war with NATO.

Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha discussed with Kellogg ways to expand defense cooperation between Ukraine and the United States. “Despite what Russian propaganda claims, Russia is not winning, and Ukraine is not losing this war,” Sybiha noted during their meeting.

Kellogg also met with British Armed Forces Commander Admiral Tony Radakin during his Kyiv visit. The American official stated that America and European allies continue working toward achieving lasting peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The special representative’s visit coincided with several large-scale air raid alerts on July 14 and 15, related to Russian MiG-31K aircraft that can carry hypersonic Kinzhal missiles.

Last night’s Russian missile and drone strike on Kyiv killed two women — a 22-year-old female police officer and a 68-year-old resident — and left more than a dozen others injured. Explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital for nearly 10 hours overnight on 10 July, damaging homes, schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure across at least eight city districts.

Two women killed as Kyiv comes under one of its longest assaults this month

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed that both fatalities occurred in Kyiv’s Podilskyi district. The victims were a 22-year-old corporal with the metro police and a 68-year-old civilian woman. Klymenko said more than a dozen people were injured and warned the number would grow, while Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko reported by 7:50 a.m. that the total had reached 16. Emergency crews continued door-to-door checks in affected neighborhoods to locate anyone needing help.

The Kyiv City Military Administration and Klymenko (KMVA) reported that the strike damaged residential, medical, educational, transport, and commercial facilities. Fires broke out in several locations, prompting a large-scale emergency response. Around 400 rescue personnel and 90 units of firefighting, engineering, and robotic equipment were deployed, including climbing and bomb disposal teams.

People watch a residential building burn after a Russian attack in Kyiv on 10 July 2025. Photo: Suspilne News / Ivan Antypenko

Civilian injuries and widespread damage reported across city districts

Air raid sirens began in Kyiv shortly after midnight as Ukrainian airspace monitoring channels tracked incoming drones from multiple directions. Soon after, Kyiv authorities issued alerts about ballistic missile threats from Russian territory. Explosions followed within minutes. KMVA confirmed active air defense operations, but several drones and missiles made it through.

The KMVA and Klitschko reported damage in Shevchenkivskyi, Darnytskyi, Solomianskyi, Podilskyi, Obolonskyi, Holosiivskyi, and other districts.

In Shevchenkivskyi, drone debris ignited a fire on the upper floor of a residential building and damaged rooftops, facades, and interiors. A drone also hit a roof near a gas station and another home nearby. Three residents were injured there: an 86-year-old woman with acute stress reaction, a 45-year-old man with multiple injuries, and a 59-year-old man with a cut foot and closed chest trauma.

Rescuers and emergency crews respond after Russian strikes in Kyiv on 10 July 2025.
Photo: Suspilne

In Darnytskyi, falling debris caused fires in garages and a gas station. Drone fragments also landed in the courtyard of a residential building.

Solomianskyi district saw strikes on non-residential buildings and rooftops catching fire at two separate addresses. In Obolonskyi, suspected drone debris also fell. In Holosiivskyi, a drone strike set a cargo truck on fire.

Kyiv Oblast also hit in overnight attack

Kyiv Oblast also came under fire during the same Russian missile and drone strike. Head of the Oblast Military Administration Mykola Kalashnyk reported nearly 10 hours of continuous air assault on 10 July. Four districts — Boryspilskyi, Brovarskyi, Obukhivskyi, and Vyshhorodskyi — sustained damage.

In Brovarskyi, private homes and outbuildings had windows shattered, doors broken, and facades torn by shrapnel. One private home caught fire but was extinguished. Two vehicles were also damaged.

Vyshhorodskyi saw a garage fire, while in Obukhivskyi and Boryspilskyi several private homes were damaged. A 51-year-old man was injured in Obukhivskyi and hospitalized.

Kalashnyk warned that the total number of damaged structures could still rise as assessments continue.

The flight paths of the Russian air assets plotten by the Ukrainian airspace monitoring channels show that the

Flight paths of Russian Shahed drones and missiles targeting Ukraine on 10 July 2025. Source: Telegram/mon1tor_ua, monitorwarr

Russian missiles and most drones targeted Kyiv, with some hitting Poltava, and several more cruising across western Ukraine to trigger air raid alerts there too.

Poltava Oblast: drones downed, buildings damaged

The Poltava Oblast Military Administration reported drone attacks on the night of 10 July. Most were intercepted by air defenses, but some reached the Hlobyne community, where a residential building and an outbuilding were damaged. No injuries were reported.

Separately, a forest fire broke out in Velykobudyshchanska community. The cause is under investigation. Over 150 households temporarily lost electricity. Emergency crews began restoring the grid early Wednesday.

Update: Ukraine downs 178 out of 415 Russian aerial weapons in overnight Kyiv-focused attack

Overnight on 10 July, Russian forces launched 415 aerial attack assets toward Ukraine, primarily targeting Kyiv, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.

The strike package included 397 drones, approximately 200 of them Shahed-type, launched from Bryansk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Kursk, Oryol, and Millerovo. Of those, 164 Shahed drones were shot down, while 204 more were suppressed or lost from radar by electronic warfare.

Alongside the drone swarm, Russia launched:

• 8 Iskander-M ballistic missiles from Bryansk Oblast — all 8 were intercepted,
• 6 Kh-101 cruise missiles from Saratov Oblast airspace — all 6 shot down,
• 4 S-300 missiles from Kursk Oblast — no interception data provided.

“Impacts from enemy aerial attack assets were recorded at 8 locations (33 strike UAVs), and debris from downed drones fell in 23 locations,” the Air Force wrote.

The European Commission is urgently discussing with EU and G7 countries how to prevent a major financial shortfall in Ukraine in 2025, the Financial Times reports. The projected gap in external funding could reach $19 billion, amid declining US support and no immediate prospects for a peace deal with Russia.

Among the solutions under consideration:

• allocating off-budget defense grants to Ukraine,
• providing loans under the G7’s $50 billion scheme,
• continued use of profits from frozen Russian assets,
• reinvesting those assets into higher-risk instruments with shared responsibility.

The European Commission admits that some Ukrainian support spending has already been adjusted, given the prolonged nature of the war. Diplomats emphasize that funding Ukraine’s defense should be seen as part of the EU’s own security investment.

“Clearly the military support for Ukraine that member states are giving are not only funds for the defense of Ukraine but for the defense of Europe, and some of that of course will count as defense spending,” says one senior EU diplomat.

One proposal submitted by Ukraine to the G7 suggests that bilateral defense grants could count toward NATO defense spending commitments. This would allow allies to simultaneously support Ukraine and move closer to meeting the 2% or even 5% GDP targets.

Despite more optimistic assessments from the IMF, the fund acknowledges that the deficit could grow if the war continues beyond 2025. In 2026 alone, Ukraine may require at least another $8 billion, even considering deferred tranches from the EU, US, and Japan.

The urgency is intensifying ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Summit in Rome this week, where Ursula von der Leyen will participate. Meanwhile, the European Commission is preparing to unveil new financial initiatives to support Kyiv before winter sets in.

Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) identified Russian Armed Forces Major Denis Sheynov as allegedly involved in the July 2024 missile strike on Kyiv's Okhmatdyt children's hospital, HUR reported on July 8.

The strike, which killed two adults and injured at least 34 people, directly hit the country's largest pediatric medical center, where 627 children were receiving treatment at the time.

According to HUR, Sheynov is the head of the special engineering service of the 121st Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment, part of Russia's 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division, tasked with executing the strike.

Sheynov, born in Saratov on Jan. 30, 1978, was reportedly responsible for the technical preparation of the X-101 air-launched cruise missiles used in the attack.

He graduated from the Saratov Higher Military Command Engineering School Missile Forces, and previously served in Syria in 2018. Sheynov has been awarded several medals by the Russian government, including for participation in the Syrian war.

Ukrainian authorities previously charged Russian Lieutenant General Sergey Kobylash in absentia for ordering the strike, which was widely condemned internationally.

Kobylash gave the order at around 9:15 a.m., while the hospital was struck at 10:45 a.m.

‘They have to be able to defend themselves’ — Trump says US will send additional weapons shipments to Ukraine, criticizes Putin

“They’re getting hit very hard. We’re gonna have to send more weapons, your defensive weapons primarily,” U.S. President Donald Trump said.

The Kyiv IndependentVolodymyr Ivanyshyn

The Security Service of Ukraine has found Chinese-made components in the debris of Iranian Shahed drones used by Russia to strike Kyiv.

According to an official statement, the Russian-modified Shaheds contained launch parts marked with the name of Suzhou Ecod Precision Manufacturing Co., Ltd. These drones were used in an overnight attack on Kyiv on 4 July.

“These components, specifically catapult launch mounts, were recovered from the drones that Russian forces used to attack the capital,” the SBU stated, releasing photographic evidence.

A criminal case has been opened, with the strike on Kyiv classified as a war crime.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has pointed to the symbolic irony: “We found a component of the Shahed-136/Geran-2 in Kyiv, manufactured in China and delivered quite recently, while just the day before, the Russian strike damaged the building of China’s Consulate General in Odesa.”

To the minister, this illustrates how Putin has drawn third countries into his war.

“North Korean troops, Iranian weapons, Chinese manufacturers — this is what Ukraine is fighting against,” said Sybiha. 

The Ukrainian foreign minister has emphasized that global security is interconnected: “Security in Europe, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific region is inseparable. This is not a competition for attention.”

He has called on the US and the international community to increase pressure not only on the Kremlin but also on all those supporting its war.

In the early hours of 4 July, Russia launched one of its largest air assaults of the war, targeting Kyiv with an unprecedented wave of 550 air attack assets—explosive drones and missiles—mere hours after a phone call between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian capital and surrounding oblasts faced explosions, fires, widespread damage, one death and at least 26 injuries. Russian drones also injured two men in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Attack began as media reported Trump-Putin phone call

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Russian strike coincided with news reports of the Trump-Putin phone conversation.

“The first air raid alerts in our cities and oblasts began yesterday almost simultaneously with media coverage of President Trump’s phone call with Putin,” Zelenskyy said in a 9:40 statement. He described the strike as “one of the most massive air attacks,” calling it “demonstratively significant and cynical.”

The Air Force later reported that the aerial assault began at 18:00 on 3 July and lasted through the night, and provided more details on the aerial weapons used in the assault. According to the military, Russia’s “main strike direction” was Kyiv. 

After Russia’s attack on Kyiv, Trump says he’s “disappointed” 

After his almost one-hour-long phone conversation with Putin yesterday, Trump said early today that he’s “very disappointed”.

“I’m very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don’t think he’s there, and I’m very disappointed,” Trump said, according to Reuters. “I’m just saying I don’t think he’s looking to stop, and that’s too bad.”

Explore further

Russian battlefield gains expected after US aid pause, ISW warns

Right after the phone call yesterday, Trump said he was not successful in his peace efforts with Putin:

“I didn’t make any progress with him at all,” he told reporters.

To justify the suspension of weapons to Ukraine – including vital interceptor missiles – Trump claimed the US is still sending weapons, and simultaneously blamed the Biden administration.

“We’re giving weapons, but we’ve given so many weapons. But we are giving weapons,” he said. “And we’re working with them and trying to help them, but we haven’t (completely stopped). You know, Biden emptied out our whole country giving them weapons, and we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves.”

In his morning statement, Zelenskyy emphasized the need for sustained US aid, particularly missile defense systems like the Patriot.

“These are real protectors of life,” he said.

He urged for “massive pressure” on Russia in the form of sanctions and economic strikes.

“Russia shows it’s not going to stop its war and terror,” he warned.

Explore further

Trump admits “no progress” after sixth call with Putin on Ukraine

Ukraine’s Air Force intercepts hundreds of aerial threats over Kyiv

Ukraine’s Air Force confirmed on 4 July that Russia had used a total of 550 air attack means, primarily aimed at Kyiv. These included:

• 539 Shahed-type drones and drone decoys
• 1 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile
• 6 Iskander-M ballistic missiles
• 4 Iskander-K cruise missiles

The Air Force reported 478 air threats neutralized:

• 270 aerial targets shot down using air defense systems
• 208 targets suppressed or lost from radar via electronic warfare

“Confirmed enemy air attack impacts at 8 locations (9 missiles and 63 UAVs), along with debris from downed [munitions] falling at 33 locations,” the report reads.

See also

Pentagon and State Dept defend Ukraine arms pause as “America-first agenda”

Kyiv becomes primary target in massive overnight strike

The attack began in the evening of 3 July, with the first air raid alert in Kyiv issued at 17:16, according to Suspilne. This initial alert was followed by repeated alarms throughout the night. Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko confirmed explosions on the capital’s left bank and multiple emergency responses in districts including Obolonskyi and Solomianskyi.

Shortly after 20:00, a renewed air raid alert was declared across the city as authorities warned of incoming drone attacks. Around 21:00, explosions were reported in several areas of Kyiv. In Obolonskyi district, debris from a downed drone fell on the roof of a residential building. 

By late evening, the capital faced a new wave of more intense attacks. Around midnight, another series of loud explosions rocked various neighborhoods. Fires broke out in Solomianskyi district, where drone fragments struck residential buildings. In Darnytskyi, debris fell in open areas, some without detonation or fires, though multiple impact points were recorded.

Damage across the capital was extensive. The Kyiv City Military Administration reported that more than 30 apartment buildings had been affected, along with five educational institutions, a detached house, retail locations, a garage cooperative, and several vehicles. Fires also broke out in non-residential areas, and five ambulances responding to emergency calls were damaged.

In Kyiv Oblast, the attack continued throughout the night. In Bucha district, windows were shattered in a four-story residential building and a private house. In Fastiv district, the State Emergency Service reported fires at a high-rise building and seven private garages. Authorities documented the effects of the attack at 11 separate sites across five oblast districts.

Civilian casualties

Fires were reported in multiple neighborhoods, and officials noted elevated levels of combustion products in the air. By 03:50, eight people had been injured. That number rose rapidly in the following hours.

Update 13:00:  The number of injured in Russia’s overnight attack on Kyiv rose to 26, including a 10-year-old girl with a leg injury, the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office reported. Kyiv city endured two air raid alerts with a short pause in between, lasting over 12 hours in total. 

Five ambulances were damaged during the Russian attack while responding to emergency calls in Kyiv. According to Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko, the vehicles were struck as they attempted to reach injured civilians. No medics were reported wounded.

The attack also impacted the city’s railway infrastructure. Ukrzaliznytsia reported damage caused by falling debris, forcing passenger trains heading west to take alternate routes, resulting in delays of up to two hours.

Update: Casualties outside Kyiv

Russian drones injured two men in Kryvyi Rih, the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration reported.

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Explosions rocked the city of Kyiv for more than seven hours overnight on July 4, as Russia launched a record missile and drone attack targeting the capital and other cities across Ukraine.

At least one person was killed, and 23 others injured in Kyiv. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 14 people had been hospitalized, while Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, in the afternoon confirmed a body had been found during rescue operations.

"Today’s attack was like the worst nightmare come to life," Kyiv resident Olha Vershynina told the Kyiv Independent at the site of damaged residential buildings in the capital's Solomianskyi district. "Because when the strike happened, the lights went out and glass came crashing down on my head.

"It was terrifying. Our entire building was shaking."

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched a record 550 drones and missiles during the seven-hour barrage. Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground heard multiple rounds of explosions in the city beginning around 8 p.m. local time on July 3 and continuing into the early hours of July 4

The attack damaged apartment buildings, businesses, a school, a medical facility, railway lines, and other civilian infrastructure in multiple districts. Fires blazed across the city, making the air dangerous to breathe.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, warned residents to close their windows due to dangerous levels of "combustion products" in the air.

"Russia, a terrorist country, has wreaked havoc," Tkachenko wrote on Telegram. "The Russians bring nothing but terror and murder. That is a fact."

Liliia Kuzmenko, 23-years-old and eight months pregnant, moved to Kyiv a month ago with her husband from the embattled city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast.

"The kind of explosions I heard here were unlike anything I heard in Pokrovsk. It’s just beyond words," she told the Kyiv Independent. "Fortunately, everything in our apartment is intact. But in others, the windows were blown out, and everything fell apart."

Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russia had launched a ballistic missile towards Kyiv at around 12:30 a.m, and then additional missiles around 2:30 a.m.

"This time was truly terrifying.," Maria Maznichenko, a pensioner who lives in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district. "The explosions kept coming. Shaheds drones were flying in every minute, like a swarm of bees — one after another. It was very frightening."

As officials reported real-time updates on damage and casualties amid the ongoing assault, Kyiv Independent reporters in the city said that smoke from explosions clogged the air even in neighborhoods far from the attack sites.

The massive assault came hours after a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, during which Putin reaffirmed that "Russia will continue to pursue its goals" in Ukraine despite calls for a ceasefire from the West.

"The first air raids in our cities and regions began yesterday almost simultaneously with the start of media discussions of President Trump's phone call with Putin," Zelensky said in a post on social media on July 4.

"This was one of the most large-scale air attacks – deliberately massive and cynical... Russia is once again demonstrating that it is not going to end the war and terror."

Tkachenko reported that an earlier drone strike damaged a residential building in the city's Obolon district, causing a fire to break out on the roof.

In the Sviatoshynskyi district, drone wreckage caused fires at storage facilities and hit the courtyard of a 16-story apartment building, Klitschko said. Vehicles in the area caught fire after the attack. Another fire broke out at a business in the district due to falling drone debris.

In the Dniprovskyi district, drone debris fell near a school and several residential buildings, Tkachenko reported.

Fires also broke out in the Solomianskyi district, Klitschko said. An administrative building was in flames after the attack, as were storage facilities and a garage. Debris damaged "non-residential buildings" in the area.

Klitschko reported another fire on the first floor of an 8-story residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district, but said the building was not inhabited. Another fire broke out at a business in the same district.

A medical facility in the Holosiivskyi district was damaged in the attack, Klitschko said.

Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) said that the attack damaged rail infrastructure in Kyiv and cautioned residents to expect delays due to diverted routes.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that the consular section of Poland's embassy in Kyiv was damaged during Russia's attack on Kyiv. "I just spoke with Ambassador (Piotr) Lukasiewicz; everyone is safe and unharmed," Sikorski said.

He added that Ukraine urgently needs air defense systems.

Russia also targeted other regions of Ukraine with overnight attacks. Downed drones struck property and a vehicle in the city of Poltava, regional Governor Volodymyr Kohut reported. The strike injured two people.

Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities have faced intensified drone and missile strikes in recent weeks, with Russia deploying Iranian-designed Shahed drones in record numbers.

Russia on June 17 launched one of its largest attacks against Kyiv since the start of the full-scale war, killing 28 people and injuring 134 others. Less than a week later, ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones assailed the city in another mass strike.

Ukrainian officials have warned that continued attacks are aimed at wearing down air defense systems and terrorizing civilians.

Despite Russia's escalating attacks and Ukraine's desperate need for air defense munitions, the U.S. has decided to halt shipments of Patriot missiles and other promised weapons to Kyiv, claiming it needs to bolster its own stockpiles.

Ukraine scrambles to clarify extent of U.S. military aid pause and ‘whether everything will continue’

When the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) halted the transfer of critical air defense missiles and other weapons to Ukraine, Kyiv and its partners were caught off-guard and are now left scrambling for clarity on the scope and length of the Trump administration’s decision. The White House confirmed the halt after a July 1 report by Politico said shipments were paused due to concerns over the size of domestic stockpiles. The decision “was made to put America’s interests first following a DOD rev

The Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta

Nine Russian soldiers held 11 civilians in devastating conditions for over ten days in 2022. Ukrainian prosecutors have identified them and filed charges with the Office of the Prosecutor General.

Among the Ukrainian civilians tortured by the Russians were children and elderly people.

According to the investigation, on 27 March 2022, in the village of Andriivka in Bucha district, a Russian commander and a sergeant detained and beat two local residents.

“The occupiers beat them and then unlawfully detained them in a garage together with four other civilians,” the statement reads.

One of the detainees was interrogated with at least five blows to his back, several strikes to his abdomen, and was hit on the head with the back of an axe.

Also, on 25 February 2022, in the village of Vyshhorod in Bucha district, seven Russian soldiers unlawfully detained 11 civilians.

“Among the hostages were children aged 11 and 13, as well as elderly people aged 61 and 79,” the prosecutors note.

The occupiers forcibly locked the people in a cellar unfit for prolonged stay, lacking light, heating, water, or sanitation.

“The Russian military held the victims in the cellar for more than 10 days, allowing only two women to go out once a day,” the agency reported.

The suspects’ actions have been classified as cruel treatment of civilians and other violations of the laws and customs of war.

A nearly one billion euro gap has emerged between German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’s public promises of Ukraine military aid and the actual budget allocations approved by Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s cabinet, according to Bild.

The discrepancy has raised questions about whether the minister miscalculated or misrepresented Germany’s commitment to Ukrainian defense.

The controversy centers on a 900 million euro shortfall between promised aid of 9.2 billion euros and the 8.3 billion euros actually allocated in the government’s 2025 budget draft for states attacked in violation of international law, Bild reports.

The dispute began during Pistorius’s 12 June visit to Kyiv, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Federal Ministry of Defense subsequently announced that Pistorius had promised Ukraine an additional 1.9 billion euros, primarily for long-range missiles. The ministry stated that if approved by parliament, total Ukraine support would reach around 9 billion euros for the year.

Six days later, the Defense Ministry reinforced this message, explaining that Germany would provide 7.3 billion euros in already-approved military aid for 2025, with an additional 1.9 billion euros planned pending parliamentary approval, totaling up to 9.2 billion euros.

However, Bild reports that when the Federal Finance Ministry distributed its 2025 budget draft on 23 June, the document listed only 8.3 billion euros for aid to states attacked in violation of international law, which primarily benefits Ukraine.

Defense ministry denies miscalculation

When questioned by Bild about this discrepancy, the Defense Ministry denied any miscalculation. A ministry spokesperson stated that the government would support Ukraine with around 9 billion euros as promised, noting that Finance Minister Klingbeil and Pistorius had agreed on this figure during budget negotiations.

The spokesperson attempted to reconcile the numbers by claiming that “the 1.9 billion that we will use, among other things, to finance the Long Range Fires, is included in the 8.3 billion euros.” This explanation contradicts the ministry’s previous public communications, which had presented a simple calculation of 7.3 billion plus 1.9 billion equaling 9.2 billion euros.

According to government sources, the Defense Ministry had consistently registered only 8.3 billion euros for Ukraine aid during budget negotiations, not the 9.2 billion figure communicated publicly.

To bridge this gap, the Defense Ministry referenced “co-funding revenues and fund returns from the EPF (European Peace Facility)” that would theoretically bring the total to around 9 billion euros through these additional funding mechanisms.

This means the ministry hopes to secure an additional 900 million euros outside the federal budget, with the alternative being either additional tax funding or reduced aid to Ukraine.

Ukraine needs concrete support

Green Party budget politician Sebastian Schäfer expressed concern about the transparency of these calculations.

“From the budget draft, it’s not comprehensible how the Defense Ministry arrives at the sums it puts in the shop window,” Schäfer told Bild.

He called for the government to quickly submit a proposal to parliament for releasing additional funds, stating that “Ukraine doesn’t need announcements, but concrete support.”

“And it’s hard, I can barely look at these photos. It’s very difficult for me right now,” Valeriia said.

Her iPhone still suggests photo memories of Mariia—images too painful to view of a girl who will never grow up, whose drawings will remain forever unfinished.

The waiting continues in a different form now—waiting for sleep that won’t come, for appetite that has vanished, for acceptance of a reality too cruel to comprehend.

“I haven’t even accepted the fact yet, I haven’t even realized it yet. Doctors give me various sedatives because I can’t sleep, I can’t eat.”

The girl had recently experimented with independence, dyeing and cutting her own hair in a crooked, endearing way that made her sister smile.

“She always looked up to me. It was very nice,” Valeriia recalled, her voice breaking as she described their bond. “A few weeks ago she bought paint and dyed her hair herself and cut it very funny, crooked. She was very funny. And very beautiful. Cheerful. Sincere.”

Born in 2014, Mariia knew no world without war, yet she was a curious, bright child and pursued drawing since early childhood.

 “She was talented, loved to draw, she was radiant, her eyes shone, she was bright, positive, and responsible,” said Maryna, her art teacher.

The sisters were preparing for a summer adventure together—a Plast scout camp in the western Carpathian Mountains that would never come now.

Russia kills mother and daughter in their home

For three days, Ukrainian rescuers were clearing the rubble and uncovering bodies of people at the site where a Russian missile demolished an ordinary apartment building in Kyiv on 23 June. Among them were a mother and her daughter.

According to Suspilne news, approximately 100 people gathered near the damaged building to pay respects to 11-year-old Mariia and her mother Svitlana on 26 June, bringing flowers and children’s toys. Mariia’s father Andrii and older sister Valeriia attended the ceremony. They weren’t home when the Russian missile struck. 

The morning of 23 June began for Valeriia with a phone call that shattered everything. At 5 a.m., she received word from their aunt who lived nearby and rushed to find her father already waiting by the ruins.

“Where they were digging, there were my child and wife. I was at work,” Andrii said, his words heavy with disbelief. “It seems to me that this is just a dream.”

The first entrance where the family lived was completely destroyed down to the basement. Valeriia and Andrii waited 11 hours at the scene, hoping to see their loved ones alive but to no avail. 

 “It was hell. We waited 11 hours and I sincerely prayed that they would be alive,” Valeriia shared.

Their mother Svitlana was described by those who knew her as a woman who balanced demanding work responsibilities with unwavering dedication to her children’s wellbeing and dreams.

“Mom always invested a lot in work and in us,” her surviving daughter Valeriia remembered.

On 26 June, the State Emergency Service confirmed the conclusion of rescue efforts that resulted in the recovery of nine victims and 13 injured people.

“Coalition of killers”: Missile Russia used was likely North Korean

The overnight 22-23 June attack marked one of the largest recent air raids on Kyiv, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. Russian forces deployed 159 Shahed drones and 16 ballistic and cruise missiles, likely exported from North Korea, targeting the capital and surrounding oblasts. 

One Russian ballistic missile struck the residential building, where Mariia and Svitlana lived, with such force that it penetrated to the basement, with the explosion damaging cars 200-300 meters from the impact site. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attributed such attacks to what he termed a “coalition of killers” comprising Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

“Everyone in countries bordering Russia, Iran, and North Korea should ask themselves whether they could protect lives if this coalition of killers survives and continues spreading terror,” he stated.

Yurii Ihnat, head of the Air Force Communications Department, explained on Radio NV that despite the missile being intercepted, the falling debris still caused substantial destruction of the building.

“Of course, if it had been a direct hit, there would have been significantly worse, greater consequences,” he stated, urging citizens to use shelters always.

The deadly gamble of ignoring air raid sirens in wartime Ukraine

After more than three years of full-scale war, air raid sirens have become as routine as city noise for many Ukrainians, sounding tens of thousands of times since the full-scale invasion began.

This constant exposure has led to alarm fatigue and a psychological adaptation where some people develop a fatalistic belief that survival depends more on luck than seeking shelter.

The mental toll of prolonged conflict, marked by anxiety, depression, and war weariness, can leave people emotionally exhausted and less responsive to repeated warnings, especially when combined with practical barriers like locked or inaccessible shelters.

While shelters and metro stations in cities like Kyiv can provide life-saving protection from missile strikes and debris—unlike in frontline areas where attacks happen too quickly—factors such as the time of day, family circumstances, shelter accessibility, and simple hope that “it won’t hit here” influence split-second decisions.

For little Mariia and her mom Svitlana, like many civilians caught in nighttime attacks, the decision not to seek shelter likely reflected this complex reality of wartime life. 

Relentless human hunting is becoming a reality in Russia’s war. It is not just about the eastern cities that border Russia but also settlements in the west of Ukraine, warns Ukrainian public figure and head of the Center for Aerial Reconnaissance Support, Maria Berlinska.

“Everyone is afraid of Shaheds and missile strikes right now. But Shaheds and missiles strike specific coordinates. There’s something far more dangerous, thousands of drones above cities, operating in a constant hunting mode,” she says.

Berlinska warns that this will become our reality as early as 2026. It will affect not only Sumy, Dnipro, and Kharkiv but also Lviv and Chernivtsi.

“Thousands of killer drones that will be hunting humans 24/7. I know it sounds like a dystopian horror film but this is our reality, as I see it, already next year,” believes Berlinska. 

She believes countermeasures exist: automatic turrets, anti-aircraft drones, electromagnetic, and laser-based systems. Berlinska urges both central and local authorities to start seeking solutions now.

The expert also admits that very few are seriously preparing for this threat.

Berlinska reminds that 2026 is only six months away and calls on Ukrainians to ask: who will be held responsible when people in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and other cities are forced to live on the run and in basements, under constant threat from Russian drones?

Earlier, she noted that by the end of May 2025, Ukraine had entered a stage where it was increasingly falling behind Russia in the tech race. While parity remains in some areas, Russia is gaining the upper hand overall.

The Russians have built a national policy, mobilized tens of thousands of top engineers into the military-industrial architecture, brought in hundreds of engineering teams from partners such as China, North Korea, and Belarus, and poured hundreds of billions of dollars into R&D and components.

Ukrainian authorities arrested a 66-year-old US citizen who evaded justice for over three decades after fleeing the United States following charges of sexual crimes against children, the Office of the Prosecutor General announced.

The man was detained in Kyiv Oblast during a joint operation involving Ukrainian prosecutors, the Cyber Police Department, the FBI, and Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice. He had been living under a false identity, using forged documents claiming to be a Mexican citizen.

“On the territory of Kyiv Oblast, a 66-year-old US citizen was detained who had been on the international wanted list since 1992,” the Office of the Prosecutor General reported.

According to US law enforcement data, the suspect worked as director of a preschool in Pima County, Arizona, where he committed sexual offenses against four children aged 4 to 9 between 1984 and 1991. Before the Arizona Superior Court could issue sentencing, the man fled US territory.

Ukrainian investigators discovered the fugitive had been living in Kyiv Oblast for an extended period. Using forged documentation, he posed as a Mexican national and purchased a private house in one of the region’s villages.

Law enforcement located him through digital investigation methods, including open-source intelligence analysis. Following identification, authorities conducted searches at his residence and arrested him.

The suspect faces 15 counts under US criminal law related to child sexual abuse. Ukrainian prosecutors are preparing a motion for extradition arrest pending resolution of his transfer to the United States.

The case demonstrates Ukraine’s commitment to international cooperation in criminal justice, particularly regarding extradition of individuals accused of grave crimes involving child exploitation, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office.

The arrest comes after more than 30 years of the suspect living freely under an assumed identity, highlighting both the persistence of international law enforcement cooperation and the challenges of tracking fugitives across borders.

Read also:

• Zelenskyy: Ukraine could produce 8 million drones per year if it had enough funds from allies
• “We’re all going to die” little boy cried in terror as Russian missiles struck civilian areas in Dnipro
• Ukraine hits Russian plant producing military drones used to terrorize Ukrainian civilians

On 22 June, Russian President Vladimir Putin honored the memory of those who died in battles with Nazi regime and few hours later launched a massive strike on Kyiv. According to the latest data, at least nine people were killed, including an 11-year-old girl. The body of her mother had been found earlier. 

Kyiv services have been cleaning the rubble from the building for hours since early morning. One of the victims was found in the afternoon. 

“Another victim of Russian terror. Rescuers have recovered the body of the ninth victim of the enemy strike. The search operation continues,” says Timur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration.

Russia has targeted Kyiv and the surrounding region with 159 Shahed drones, 16 ballistic and cruise missiles, likely exported from North Korea. Ukraine has recorded impacts in six districts. Some of them have been intercepted — but not all. In the region, one of the targets hit a hospital. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that such strikes have become possible due to “a coalition of killers”, meaning Russia, Iran, and North Korea. 

“Everyone in countries bordering Russia, Iran, and North Korea should ask themselves whether they could protect lives if this coalition of killers survives and continues spreading terror,” he has emphasized.

He also noted that during his visit to the UK today, he would discuss with partners a new model of collective defense, which would protect the nations from their threats. 

Russian forces carried out a massive nighttime aerial assault on Kyiv and surrounding areas from 22 to 23 June, killing at least seven civilians and injuring over 30, according to local authorities. Ukraine’s Air Force confirmed that the capital was the main target in what they described as one of the largest air raids in recent weeks.

Air raid begins, drones launched from multiple directions

Suspilne reported that air raid sirens began in Kyiv Oblast at 22:52 on 22 June and in Kyiv city minutes before midnight. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russian forces launched 368 aerial weapons overnight including 352 Shahed explosive drones and decoy UAVs, as well as 16 Iskander ballistic and cruise missiles, from several locations across Russia.

Explosions across Kyiv, drone debris cause fires and injuries

As the Russian Shaheds neared the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said air defense systems were activated as explosions were heard in multiple city districts. In Solomianskyi, drone debris struck residential and commercial buildings. Two people were hospitalized and a fire broke out in a private housing area. In Holosiivskyi district, an office building was damaged. In Darniytskyi, wreckage fell on a two-story residential house. In Sviatoshynskyi, windows shattered and drone parts landed on a stadium, though no injuries were reported.

Waves ballistic missile attack

At approximately 2:30 a.m., Ukraine’s Air Force reported high-speed targets moving from Russian territory toward Bila Tserkva in Kyiv Oblast. Monitoring channels indicated that Russian forces had launched ballistic missiles. A series of explosions followed in Kyiv. The second wave of the missile assault came an hour later.

Shevchenkivskyi: Apartment building hit, at least six dead

According to Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, an entire section of a multi-story residential building in Shevchenkivskyi district collapsed due to a direct hit.

As of 8:42 on 23 June, emergency services reported six fatalities, with the bodies of a couple retrieved from under the rubble. The State Emergency Service (DSNS) said “10 people, including two children and a pregnant woman,” were rescued from the wreckage. Thirteen others were injured, and search efforts continue.

Update: The Russian air attack injured at least 22 civilians in Kyiv city, with 12 of them hospitalized, Suspilne reported. 

Kyiv metro, cars and bus stops damaged

Kyiv’s city administration said a metro entrance at Sviatoshyn station and a nearby bus stop sustained damage. Fires broke out in multiple areas, including on vehicles and urban infrastructure. Three people injured in Sviatoshynskyi and more in Shevchenkivskyi.

Kyiv Oblast also hit: Homes, hotel, hospital damaged

In Kyiv Oblast, Governor Mykola Kalashnyk reported damage across three districts outside Kyiv city. In Bila Tserkva, a missile hit a two-story hotel containing a private hospital. One woman born in 1957 died from injuries, while two others were hospitalized. Kalashnyk added that fires erupted in residential areas in Bucha and Boryspil, destroying several one-family homes and vehicles.

Rescue operation ongoing, emergency workers injured

The DSNS stated that two rescuers were injured during response efforts. Overall, eight people were injured in Kyiv Oblast alone, with most damage centered in Bila Tserkva and Bucha. Emergency services evacuated six critically ill patients from the burning hospital-hotel facility. Over 1,500 square meters burned, and multiple fire teams remain on scene.

“Russia has once again shown that the concept of a civilian object means nothing to it,” the Emergency Service wrote.

Air Force: 354/368 Russian aerial targets neutralized

By 09:00 on 23 June, the Air Force said it had neutralized 354 targets of 368 Russian aerial weapons.

• Of 352 drones launched from five locations in Russia, the air defenders took out 146 by direct fire and 193 through electronic warfare or radar suppression.
• Russia launched a total of Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, according to Ukraine, which reports shooting down seven, while three others were “locationally lost” — likely crashing after disappearing from radar.
• Additionally, all five Iskander-K cruise missiles were reportedly downed.

Operational Command North of Ukraine’s Ground Forces reported that its area of responsibility also saw action. Twenty Russian drones were reportedly shot down, six of them by the Siversk task unit and the rest by air defense components, including mobile teams and electronic warfare.

Update:

The Kyiv City Administration updated that as of 14:30, 33 people were injured in the city, including 25 in Shevchenkivskyi District, where a Russian missile strike brought down an entire section of a five-story apartment building. Later, it reported that rescuers had recovered the body of the ninth victim—an 11-year-old girl. Her mother’s body had been pulled from the rubble earlier. As of 20:00, search and rescue efforts continued in Shevchenkivskyi District.

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated as new details emerge.

Russia launched a mass missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight on June 23, killing at least nine people and injuring 33 others, including four children, local officials reported.

Kyiv Independent journalists heard explosions and kamikaze drones flying overhead from around 1 a.m. Louder explosions from ballistic missiles were heard an hour later, with the attack lasting around 3.5 hours in total.

The heaviest damage occurred in the Shevchenkivskyi district of the city, when a five-story building partially collapsed after being hit by a ballistic missile, Ukraine's military reported. At least nine people died as a result, and more may be trapped under the rubble.

An 11-year-old girl was confirmed as the ninth victim of the strike, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said. Her mother's body was recovered earlier from the rubble.

Student Veronika Sherinova, who lives in a nearby building, said she didn't sleep all night — first because she was hiding from the attack, then because the missile strike shattered the windows in her home and neighboring apartments.

"Most of my former classmates lived in this building (that was hit), most of my friends and acquaintances, too," she told the Kyiv Independent at the site of the strike. "We got dressed right away and went over."

"When my mom and I arrived, I saw them coming out in just their underwear, covered in blood, wounded. It was impossible to look at. It was pure shock. We were all in a state of shock."

At first, she just wanted to help clear the shattered glass and debris. But after seeing the extent of the destruction, Sherinova realized that some of the people she knew might not have survived the attack.

"The strike hit exactly the floors where our friends lived," she said. "Unfortunately, they didn’t survive. My other friends did — they were on the first floor," she added, her eyes filling with tears.

"It was a miracle they came out without a single scratch. But the upper floors were just blown away, there wasn’t even a chance for anyone up there to survive."

According to Sherinova, the Russian strike killed a family living on the upper floor — a father, mother, and grandfather — but their teenage son survived.

"We suspected it right away, but we didn’t want to believe it until the very end. But then we found out that they were the first ones they carried out," she said. "The boy is in shock right now; he doesn’t realize what’s happened. He’s just not reacting at all."

She said her two other friends who lived in the building left for abroad immediately after the strike.

"They went abroad — they took a bus and left right away."

State Emergency Service spokesperson Svitlana Vodolaha told journalists at the site that when rescuers arrived, they had been told only a few people would be affected there.

"As it turned out, the information we had was not reliable — there were more people here than we had been told. At this moment, we still don’t have complete information on how many people might be trapped under the rubble," Vodolaha said.

"That’s why we’ll keep working until the very end, until we’re completely sure no one is left under the debris."

Shortly after their arrival, rescuers pulled 10 people from under the rubble, including two children and a pregnant woman, Vodolaha said.

Vodolaha did not rule out the use of cluster munitions in this attack. After arriving at the site, Kyiv Independent journalists observed holes in the building across from the one that was hit, resembling those from the previous strike on the capital on June 17.

Cluster munitions are banned under international law by more than 100 countries due to their indiscriminate nature and the long-term threat they pose to civilians, especially when unexploded submunitions remain hidden in residential areas.

"It’s possible as such incidents have happened not only during today’s attack but at other times as well," Vodolaha said.

"I think everyone has noticed how our attacks have become longer and more intense, even across the capital," she added. "That’s why this morning we were working simultaneously at 15 locations."

Fifteen-year-old Roman Turko arrived at the site in the morning after the attack with his friend. His uncle lived in the destroyed building but, luckily, wasn’t home when the strike happened.

"He’s currently serving (in the military), he’s a border guard. He was on duty, so luckily he wasn’t home," Turko told the Kyiv Independent. "His apartment doesn’t really exist anymore: The balcony is gone, the walls are gone."

"If he had been there, it probably would have been the end for him."

After surviving such a heavy attack, Sherinova is now considering leaving Kyiv, at least for a while. But she says it feels like there’s nowhere left to hide from the Russian war.

"There’s a kindergarten nearby where my mom works. It has a shelter, and that’s where we usually go when we see reports of (Russian) jets taking off or a possible strike."

"But today it happened so suddenly, we wouldn’t have had time to run anywhere. We just stepped into the hallway, crouched down, and covered our eyes and ears," she said.

"It’s hitting everywhere, strikes are happening everywhere. I still can’t believe it happened to me, to my neighborhood, where I was born and have lived my whole life."

"I just can’t believe it. I’m still in such a state of shock, looking at all of this and not believing it really happened."

In the wider Kyiv Oblast, a woman was killed and eight others injured in Bila Tserkva, the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration reported.

Casualties were also reported in other areas around the capital in Kyiv Oblast, including Bucha, a town just northwest of Kyiv.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia deployed 368 aerial weapons, including 352 attack drones, 11 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, and 5 Iskander-K cruise missiles, striking primarily Kyiv. Ukraine's air defenses destroyed 354 of them.

Russian forces reportedly struck six locations directly, with debris falling in 25 sites across Kyiv and its surrounding region.

Earlier, it was reported that a high-rise apartment building was damaged as a result of the attack in the area, as well as an exit at the Sviatoshyn metro station and a nearby bus shelter.

Reports indicate that the Darnytskyi, Podilskyi, Solomianskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, and Sviatoshynskyi districts had been affected by the attack.

Fires also broke out in the Podilskyi district, where debris struck a residential building and a vehicle.

A large fire was also reported at a four-story office building in the Solomianskyi district. The fire reportedly covered an area of 800 square meters, the State Emergency Service said, with firefighting efforts ongoing.

Drone strike debris also landed in an open area of a stadium in Sviatoshynskyi without causing injuries or fire.

President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, noting that while Moscow had previously criticized strikes on Iran's nuclear program, it remained silent following its own "cynical" bombardment of Kyiv with Shahed drones and missiles.

"Only in Kyiv, five apartment buildings were damaged. These are ordinary residential buildings," he said, adding that one person was also killed in Bila Tserkva after a Shahed drone hit a hospital.

Zelensky said the attack damaged sites in four Ukrainian regions and involved 352 drones—including 159 Shaheds—and 16 missiles, possibly including North Korean ballistic missiles.

"Every country near Russia, Iran, and North Korea should be thinking about whether they can protect life if this coalition of killers continues spreading terror," Zelensky said.

The attack on the capital comes just days after Russia launched one of its largest attacks on Kyiv, killing 28 people and injuring 134 others.

Russia's latest round of large-scale attacks comes as Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi warned on June 21 that Russian forces are attempting to advance along almost the entire front in eastern Ukraine while trying to establish a buffer zone in northeastern Sumy Oblast.

Russia seeks to advance along almost entire eastern front, Ukraine holding ground in Kursk Oblast, Syrskyi says

As of mid-June, Ukrainian defenders are fighting close to 695,000 Russian troops in Ukraine across a 1,200-kilometer (750-mile) front, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

Fred Grandy, a 62-year-old American artist and volunteer who was killed in Russia's mass missile attack against Kyiv on June 17, appears to be the first U.S. civilian killed by a Russian strike on Ukraine, the New York Times (NYT) reported on June 19.

Russia launched a massive assault on Kyiv overnight on June 17, pounding the capital with hundreds of kamikaze drones and multiple missiles in a nine-hour attack that left 30 dead and around 172 injured.

Among the vicitms was Grandy, a U.S. citizen who arrived in Kyiv in May to volunteer to clear away rubble after Russian attacks. He had hoped to volunteer in Ukraine for five or six months, his sister told the NYT.

"He was a person who wanted to make a difference so badly,"  Grandy's sister Siestka Reed said. "I talked to him about five days ago, and he told me that he felt he was right where he should be."

During the attack, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that a 62-year-old U.S. citizen had died near one of the attack sites, but the details of their death remained unclear. The U.S. State Department and Ukrainian authorities later confirmed that a U.S. citizien had been killed, the NYT reported.

According to Ukrainian authorities, Grandy died after sustaining shrapnel wounds.

Before arriving in Kyiv, Grandy had worked as a bartender, bouncer, and builder. He was also an artist, fashioning bird houses and planters out of reclaimed wood and flowers out metal. According to his family, his desire to volunteer in Ukraine stemmed from his dismay at U.S. Presidend Donald Trump's lack of support for Kyiv.

Grandy was upset by Trump's treatment of President Volodymyr Zelensky and withdrawal of military support, Reed told the NYT.  

"He thought, you just don't let a bully do that stuff, and you don't just abandon people," Reed said.

"Then he saw how hard they fought to save their country, or are fighting still. It was just hard to understand walking away, you know? And he just believed that people need a hand up."

Russian drone and missile attacks are not new, but in May and June, mass strikes on civilian targets surged. Russia has launched a number of record-breaking attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, resulting in hundreds of casualties.

Moscow's escalating aerial assaults have even directly harmed U.S. enterprises and individuals. An office used by the U.S. aerospace and defense giant Boeing was hit in a mass strike on Kyiv launched overnight June 9-10. The Financial Times (FT) reported that Russia deliberately targeted the site.

Grandy's death marks the first time a U.S. civilian has been killed in a Russian aerial attack against Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Trump's interest in securing a ceasefire in Ukraine appears to have fizzled out. He left the G7 Leaders Summit in Canada early, jettisoning a much-anticipated meeting with Zelensky, and barely responded to the mass attack on Kyiv.

Trump refuses to sanction Russia and is reportedly obstructing congressional efforts to toughen sanctions on Russian oil profits.

Trump’s peace push falters in both Ukraine and the Middle East — for similar reasons

U.S. President Donald Trump addressed a wide range of subjects during his inauguration speech. When speaking about international relations, he was adamant — “Our power will stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity,” he said, talking about Russia’s war against Ukraine and the fighting in the Middle

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv on June 18 condemned Russia's massive missile and drone attack on Kyiv that killed at least 23 people and injured more than 130 a day earlier, saying it "runs counter" to U.S. President Donald Trump's peace efforts.

"Today, with all of Ukraine, we join a day of mourning in Kyiv for the victims of Russia's June 17 attack," the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine said in a statement. "We extend deepest condolences to the victims' families. This senseless attack runs counter to President Trump's call to stop the killing and end the war."

The nine-hour overnight attack, which began late June 16, has become one of the largest aerial assaults on the Ukrainian capital since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

Ukrainian officials said Russia launched 472 aerial weapons, including nearly 280 Shahed-type attack drones and cruise and ballistic missiles. Ukraine's air defense downed 428 targets, but several struck residential areas, including a nine-story apartment building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district.

Among the dead was a U.S. citizen, State Department Press Secretary Tammy Bruce confirmed at a briefing on June 17.

"We are aware of last night's attack on Kyiv, which resulted in numerous casualties, including the tragic death of a U.S. citizen," Bruce said. "We condemn those strikes and extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected."

President Volodymyr Zelensky called it "one of the most horrifying attacks on Kyiv" and urged stronger international support to help Ukraine defend itself.

Despite the scale of the attack, Trump appeared to be unaware of the strike when questioned by reporters aboard Air Force One early on June 17.

"When was that? When?" Trump responded when a reporter asked for his reaction. Told that the drone and missile attack had occurred "very recently," Trump said: "Just now? You mean as I’m walking back to see you, that’s when it took place? Sounds like it. I’ll have to look at it."

As of a day later, the White House had still not issued an official response to the strike.

The June 17 attack caused extensive damage across the capital. Civilian infrastructure hit included kindergartens, a university dormitory, residential neighborhoods, and industrial sites.

Fahrenheit, a Ukrainian manufacturer of military and civilian clothing, reported that its Kyiv factory was damaged and operations were suspended. Ukrposhta, the national postal service, lost two branches. Ukrainian Railways said a grain-carrying train was struck, disrupting transit.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said unexploded cluster munitions were found in the city — a type of weapon banned by some countries due to the danger they pose to civilians. June 18 was declared a day of mourning in Kyiv.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the timing of the attack, as G7 leaders gathered in Canada, a deliberate message from the Kremlin. Moscow has escalated strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, targeting residential areas and critical infrastructure.

Ukraine has urged Western allies to respond by reinforcing air defense capabilities and tightening economic pressure on Russia.

Putin ‘cannot be trusted’ as mediator, Kallas says, urges EU to tighten Russian oil cap after deadly Kyiv strike

EU High Representative Kaja Kallas urged the European Union to press forward with lowering the oil price cap on Russian crude, even without U.S. support, warning that Middle East tensions could otherwise drive prices up and boost Russia’s revenues.

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir

U.S. President Donald Trump was unaware of a deadly Russian drone and missile strike on Kyiv that killed at least 15 people and injured over 120, when asked about the attack by reporters on June 17.

On board Air Force One as he flew back from Canada, Trump was questioned about the attack by a reporter. A clock in the plane shows it was shortly after 1:30 a.m. Washington time, 8:30 a.m. Kyiv time, two-and-a-half hours after the nine-hour-long attack ended, and after reports of casualties had been made public.

When asked for his reaction, he responded: "When was that? When?"

The reporter then says the "Russian drone attack on Kyiv" occurred "very recently."

"Just now? You mean as I’m walking back to see you, that’s when it took place? Sounds like it. I’ll have to look at it," Trump replies.

At the time of writing some seven hours later, the White House has still yet to comment on the attack.

The comments came a few hours after Ukraine endured the largest aerial attack on Kyiv in 2025. According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia launched 472 aerial weapons overnight, including nearly 280 Shahed-type attack drones, 16 Kh-101 cruise missiles, two Kinzhal ballistic missiles, and other guided munitions, primarily targeting the capital.

Air defenses downed 428 of them, including 239 Shaheds and 15 cruise missiles, while at least one Kinzhal was intercepted.

The almost nine-hour assault killed 15 people and injured 124, according to local authorities. A nine-story residential building in the Solomianskyi district was struck and partially collapsed, killing residents.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said cluster munitions were discovered in the city, a type of weapon banned under international conventions due to their indiscriminate nature and long-term threat to civilians. June 18 has been declared an official day of mourning in Kyiv.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called the strike "one of the most horrifying attacks on Kyiv" and urged international partners to respond decisively. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the timing of the strike, as G7 leaders meet, was a deliberate message from the Kremlin.

Civilian sites hit in the capital include kindergartens, residential areas, a university dormitory, and production facilities. Ukrainian manufacturer Fahrenheit, which produces military and civilian clothing, announced its factory was damaged and all orders suspended indefinitely. Ukrposhta, the national postal service, lost two branches. A Ukrainian Railways train carrying grain was also struck, temporarily halting traffic.

Russia has escalated attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, including mass strikes on energy infrastructure and residential areas.

US group designed to pressure Russia into peace in Ukraine disbanded by Trump administration, Reuters reports

“It lost steam toward the end because the president wasn’t there,” an official told Reuters.

The Kyiv IndependentChris York

Emergency services in Kyiv have recovered fragments of cluster munitions following the overnight Russian missile and drone attack on June 17, Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported, calling it further evidence of Russia's "genocide" against Ukrainians.

"In the capital's Nyvky neighborhood, emergency workers are now finding these kinds of cluster munition parts," Klitschko said in a statement shared on social media. "Another clear sign of the genocide Russia is committing against Ukrainians."

Cluster munitions are banned under international law by more than 100 countries due to their indiscriminate nature and the long-term threat they pose to civilians, especially when unexploded submunitions remain hidden in residential areas.

While Russia and Ukraine are not signatories to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, international humanitarian organizations have repeatedly condemned the use of such weapons in populated areas. Ukraine uses cluster munitions on the battlefield against Russian forces.

The mayor's comments came hours after one of the largest and deadliest attacks on the Ukrainian capital in months, in which at least 15 people were killed and nearly 100 injured. The Russian strike, which lasted nearly nine hours, included waves of kamikaze drones, ballistic missiles, and what authorities now confirm were banned explosive parts.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called the assault "one of the most horrifying attacks on Kyiv," saying more than 440 drones and 32 missiles were launched across Ukraine overnight.

"Such attacks are pure terrorism," he said in a statement on social media. "And the whole world, the U.S., and Europe must finally respond as civilized societies respond to terrorists."

Zelensky confirmed that damage had been reported in eight districts of Kyiv, with emergency workers still searching for survivors beneath the rubble of a destroyed apartment block.

He added that strikes also hit Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, and Kyiv regions. "Fifteen people are confirmed dead. My condolences to their families and loved ones," Zelensky said.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also condemned the attack, calling it a "massive and brutal strike" timed deliberately to coincide with the G7 summit, which is taking place in Canada on June 16-17.

Russian drone strike on Odesa injures 13, including 1 child

Russian drone strikes on Odesa early June 17 injured 13 people, including one child, regional authorities reported.

The Kyiv IndependentLucy Pakhnyuk

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated as new details emerge.

At least 14 people have been killed and 117 others injured after a mass Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight on June 17.

Ukraine's National Police initially reported 15 dead and 124 injured in the attack, but Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko later revised the death toll to 10. The State Emergency Service subsequently updated the figure to 14.

Klymenko said operational data may change, as body parts found during rescue efforts can sometimes be mistakenly counted as multiple victims.

According to the State Emergency Service, one body has been recovered from the rubble of the nine-story building, and rescue operations are still ongoing.

The almost nine-hour-long attack saw Moscow's forces launch large numbers of kamikaze attack drones, as well as cruise and ballistic missiles at Ukraine's capital.

Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported the sounds of drones, missiles, and multiple rounds of explosions throughout the night.

The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that Russia launched 472 aerial weapons overnight, including nearly 280 Shahed-type attack drones and two Kinzhal ballistic missiles. The strike primarily targeted Kyiv.

Ukraine's air defense forces reportedly destroyed 428 air targets, including 239 Shahed drones and 15 Kh-101 cruise missiles. Air defenses also intercepted one Kinzhal missile, while another was reportedly lost from radar tracking.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called the assault "one of the most horrifying attacks on Kyiv," saying more than 440 drones and 32 missiles were launched across Ukraine overnight.

"Such attacks are pure terrorism," he said in a statement on social media. "And the whole world, the U.S., and Europe must finally respond as civilized societies respond to terrorists."

Zelensky confirmed that damage had been reported in eight districts of Kyiv, with emergency workers still searching for survivors beneath the rubble of a destroyed apartment block.

In a video posted on Telegram, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said cluster munitions had been found in one area of the city. He later added that June 18 would be an official day of mourning in Kyiv.

Many of the deaths and injuries occurred when a Russian missile hit a nine-storey residential building in the Solomianskyi district, "completely destroying" one section, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said.

"I saw the missile because it was low," Olena Kushnirova, a 46-year-old  nurse who lives in a neighboring building to the one that was hit, told the Kyiv Independent.

"I grabbed my daughter by the hand and shouted 'run!' It was literally 15 seconds. We ran to the toilet, and then there was a very powerful explosion."

During the attack on the capital, a 62-year-old U.S. citizen died in the Solomianskyi district in a building across from where medics were assisting the injured, Klitschko reported. Medical personnel confirmed biological death.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also condemned the attack, calling it a "massive and brutal strike" timed deliberately to coincide with the G7 summit.

"Putin does this on purpose... He sends a signal of total disrespect to the United States and other partners who have called for an end to the killing," Sybiha said. "Only strong steps and real pressure on Moscow can prove him wrong."

A Russian drone also hit a multi-storey building Darnytskyi District.

"At first there was shock," Tatiana Bratus, a 50-year-old resident of the building told the Kyiv Independent.

"People started running outside, shouting, some in panic, because the attack wasn't over yet. They said there were still rockets flying. People ran to the bomb shelter.

A kindergarten in the Darnytskyi district was also damaged, Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration said. No casualties were reported at the site.

The upper floors of residential buildings in the Solomianskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts were also damaged.  

A dormitory at the Kyiv Aviation Institute was hit by drones during the attack, the news outlet Suspilne reported. Drones struck the institute's 10th floor and broke windows on three other floors.

Outside the capital, the attacks also caused damage and injured civilians in Kyiv Oblast towns. At least one woman was injured and multiple homes were damaged, according to the regional administration.

The Russian strike damaged the production facility of Fahrenheit, a Ukrainian clothing manufacturer that supplies apparel and undergarments for both civilians and the military. The company announced it was forced to cancel all current orders and suspend new ones indefinitely following the destruction of its Kyiv site.

Russian forces also hit a Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) freight train carrying grain. Several railcars overturned, temporarily halting operations and spilling grain from the damaged wagons. Ukrzaliznytsia said the damage would be "promptly repaired" and train traffic would not be affected.

Ukrposhta, Ukraine's national postal service, reported the destruction of two of its branches in Kyiv during the attack, according to CEO Ihor Smiliansky. The company's team is working to "quickly restore services," he said.

The attack followed a series of drone strikes overnight on June 16 targeting Kyiv Oblast, including both the capital and surrounding settlements. In the Obukhiv district, a 60-year-old man was injured, according to regional authorities.  

Russian attacks against Ukraine have intensified in May and June, with Moscow launching several record-breaking mass strikes against Kyiv and other cities.

With no new US aid packages on the horizon, can Ukraine continue to fight Russia?

The U.S. has not announced any military aid packages for Ukraine in almost five months, pushing Kyiv to seek new alternatives. But time is running out quickly as Russian troops slowly advance on the eastern front line and gear up for a new summer offensive. “While Ukraine’s dependence on

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

Ukraine has accused Russia of "lying about everything" after yet another drone attack on Kyiv injured two people overnight on June 16, saying the strike once again rubbished Kremlin claims that only military objects are being targeted.

The strike hit Rusanivka Gardens, a private neighborhood in the capital’s Dniprovskyi District, creating a crater near civilian homes, and injuring a 20-year-old man and a woman, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said.

"The Russians lie about everything. When they claim to have hit military targets, they are actually targeting our homes and our people," he wrote on Telegram.

"This is a deliberate tactic of terror."

The injured man was hospitalized in serious condition, while the woman is being treated on an outpatient basis, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

"Miraculously, significant damage and casualties were avoided," Tkachenko said.

Despite Moscow's denials, Russia has repeatedly hit civilian areas throughout its full-scale war. On July 8, 2024, one of the deadliest strikes on Kyiv killed 33 people and wounded 121 others, including patients at Ohmatdyt, Ukraine's largest children's hospital.

The Russian Defense Ministry continues to insist it targets only military infrastructure, dismissing reports of civilian casualties as "absolutely untrue." The pattern of destruction across cities like Kharkiv and Kherson shows civilians are often the primary targets.

Moscow launched 138 drones at Ukraine overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type drones. Ukraine's Air Force reported that air defenses intercepted 125 of them, while another 41 went off radars — likely used as decoys to overwhelm air defense systems.

The strike comes as Russia intensifies its air campaign against Ukraine and continues to reject Western-backed proposals for a ceasefire. Kyiv, located along the Dnipro River in the country's north-center, remains one of the most heavily targeted cities in the war.

‘Spit in the face’ — Zelensky condemns Russia’s mass attack, dismisses idea of Putin as peacemaker

“This is Russia’s spit in the face of everything the international community is trying to do to stop this war ... At the same time as Putin tries to portray himself as a mediator for the Middle East. The level of cynicism is staggering.”

The Kyiv IndependentLucy Pakhnyuk

Kyiv Pride held a parade with over 1,500 participants in the Ukrainian capital on June 14, which was met with counterprotests.

"Other Ukrainian Prides also participated — including Kharkiv Pride and Ukraine Pride. Kyiv’s student community was represented, among others, by the Student Parliament of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and Ukraine Global Scholars," Kyiv Pride said in a post to Facebook.

On June 7, a drone charity event for Kyiv Pride took place outside the Foreign Ministry building and was met with a nearby counterprotest.

The march was joined by representatives from the EU, Canada, the U.K., and various other countries, including France, Germany, and Spain.

The march was joined by the LGBT+ Military non-governmental organization (NGO) as Russia's war against Ukraine continues.

"Among the marchers was veteran Viktor Pylypenko, head of the NGO LGBT+ Military for Equal Rights. He drew public attention to the growing loss of military personnel and veterans who are dying at war — while their families remain unrecognized by law," Kyiv Pride said in its statement.

The march raised 20,000 hryvnia for the Serhiy Sternenko Foundation to purchase drones for the military.

Representatives, including Canada's ambassador to Ukraine, Natalka Cmoc, joined the event.

"Ambassadors, the Canadian embassy team, along with many diplomats, joined (the) Kyiv Pride march this morning," Cmoc said.

The Kyiv Pride event was met with a nearby counterprotest.

"With regret, we must note that those who incite violence still have broader access to public space and freely walk through the central streets, while participants of Kyiv Pride March are surrounded by police and restricted in their route. We continue to witness the spread of hate speech," Kyiv Pride said.

Kyiv Pride held a march in June 2024 for the first time since Russia began its full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022.

‘Europe hasn’t decided what to do if US steps back’ — key takeaways from Zelensky’s closed-door briefing

“Both teams are working to ensure we meet,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir