Five killed as Ukraine and Russia trade drone attacks
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Russia and Ukraine trade aerial attacks, killing 4
Ukraine’s southern Dnipro and northeastern Sumy regions came under combined rocket and drone attack, local officials reported. A drone attack on the Rostov region, on the border with Ukraine, killed two people, acting governor Yuri Slyusar reported. Russian civil aviation agency Rosaviatsia overnight briefly halted flights in and out of airports serving the city of Kaluga, southwest of Moscow, as well as Vladikavkaz and Grozny in the North Caucasus. Ukraine’s second-largest city was hit by four guided aerial bombs, two ballistic missiles and 15 drones over a three-hour period, local authorities reported.
Russia and Ukraine traded aerial attacks overnight, resulting in two deaths in each country, according to officials.
Ukraine’s southern Dnipro and northeastern Sumy regions came under combined rocket and drone attack, local officials reported. Head of the Dnipro regional administration Serhii Lysak said at least two people had died and five were wounded in the barrage.
In the city of Dnipro, a multi-story building and business were damaged during the strike and in the region a fire engulfed a shopping center.
In Sumy, the military administration said three people were injured.
Kharkiv sustained an intense aerial bombardment overnight with local authorities reporting Ukraine’s second-largest city was hit by four guided aerial bombs, two ballistic missiles and 15 drones over a three-hour period.
In a post on Telegram, Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said high-rise residential buildings, local businesses, roads and the communication network were damaged in the attack. He said at least five people were injured, including three rescue workers who were wounded in a double tap strike — where a second attack targets emergency workers trying to help people wounded in the initial attack.
Rescuers work at a damaged city hospital that was hit by a Russian guided air bomb in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, July 25, 2025. Andrii Marienko / AP
According to the daily air force report, Russia targeted Ukraine with 208 drones and 27 missiles overnight. It said according to preliminary data, air defense and electronic warfare took down or intercepted 183 drones and 17 missiles but nine locations recorded hits from 10 missiles and 25 drones.
In Russia, officials said that Ukrainian drones targeted multiple regions overnight. A drone attack on the Rostov region, on the border with Ukraine, killed two people, acting governor Yuri Slyusar reported.
In the neighboring Stavropol region, drones hit an unspecified industrial facility, governor Vladimir Vladimirov said on Telegram. He added that the attack sparked a brief fire, but didn’t specify where exactly. Vladimirov said cellphone internet in the region was restricted because of the attack — a measure authorities regularly take across the vast country that critics say helps widespread online censorship.
Drones also targeted Moscow, but were shot down, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, and an unspecified industrial facility in the Penza region southeast of the capital, Gov. Oleg Melnichenko said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that its air defenses shot down or intercepted a total of 54 Ukrainian drones, including 24 over the Bryansk region on the border with Ukraine, 12 over the Rostov region, six over the annexed Crimean Peninsula, four over the Azov sea, three over the Black Sea and a few others over the Orlov, Tula and Belgorod regions.
Russian civil aviation agency Rosaviatsia overnight briefly halted flights in and out of airports serving the city of Kaluga, southwest of Moscow, as well as Vladikavkaz and Grozny in the North Caucasus.
Five dead after Ukraine and Russia trade drone attacks as peace talks stall
Ukrainian officials said Russia launched 235 drones and 27 missiles in a “massive combined attack” overnight. Ten missiles and 25 drones found their targets, striking nine locations, while air defences shot down or intercepted the rest. Ukraine’s emergency services said six people were hurt, including four rescuers injured in a so-called ‘double tap’ strike. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed that Russia would feel the consequences of the attacks. Russia’S Defence Ministry claimed its air defences intercepted 54 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 24 over the Bryansk region and 12 over Rostov. The Independent could not verify this claim and has not been able to contact the Russian Defence Ministry for comment on the claims. In Russia, a woman and three children were injured after a drone fell on a home in the Ingushetia region in the North Caucasus. In Ukraine, a multi-storey building and a business were damaged, and a fire engulfed a shopping centre outside Dnipro city.
Five people have been killed in Ukraine and Russia as both countries launched a wave of overnight drone and missile attacks.
In Ukraine’s Dnipro region, three people died in Russian shelling, while two were killed in Russia’s Rostov region after a Ukrainian drone strike.
Ukrainian officials said Russia launched 235 drones and 27 missiles in a “massive combined attack” overnight.
Ten missiles and 25 drones found their targets, striking nine locations, while air defences shot down or intercepted the rest, according to Ukraine’s Air Force.
“A terrible night. A massive combined attack on the region,” Serhiy Lysak, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk region, wrote on Telegram.
An additional six people were injured, he said, posting photos of smashed buildings, burnt-out cars and firefighters battling blazes.
open image in gallery Russian drone strike on Dnipro, Ukraine ( Reuters )
In Dnipro city, a multi-storey building and a business were damaged, and a fire engulfed a shopping centre outside the city.
Ukraine’s southern Dnipro and northeastern Sumy regions also came under heavy rocket and drone attack.
Officials in Sumy reported three people injured after Russian drones hit a central square and damaged the regional administration building.
Kharkiv also sustained intense bombardment.
Ukraine’s emergency services said six people were hurt, including four rescuers injured in a so-called “double tap” strike, where a second attack follows the first to target emergency workers.
open image in gallery Rescuers work at a damaged city hospital that was hit by a Russian guided air bomb in Kharkiv ( AP )
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed that Russia would feel the consequences.
Russian military enterprises, Russian logistics, Russian airports must feel that the Russian war has real consequences for them,” he said.
“There can be absolutely no silence in response to such strikes, and Ukrainian long-range drones ensure this.”
Ukraine’s attacks on Russia have also intensified in recent months.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences intercepted 54 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 24 over the Bryansk region and 12 over Rostov.
Officials in Moscow and other areas also reported drone attacks, though most were shot down.
In Russia’s Rostov region, which borders Ukraine, acting governor Yuri Slyusar said a Ukrainian drone attack killed two people.
Drones also struck an industrial facility in the neighbouring Stavropol region, sparking a brief fire, according to governor Vladimir Vladimirov.
open image in gallery People take shelter in a residential building in Kharkiv ( Reuters )
Officials also reported drone attacks on Moscow and the Penza region southeast of the capital, though they were intercepted.
In Russia’s Ingushetia region in the North Caucasus, a woman and three children were injured after a drone fell on a home, regional health officials said.
On the battlefield, Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed to have seized the village of Zelenyi Hai in the eastern Donetsk region and Maliivka in the Dnipro region. Kyiv did not comment on the claims.
Mr Zelensky said he had been briefed by Chief of Staff Oleksandr Syrsky on “active and long-range actions on Russian territory,” including clashes in Pokrovsky and efforts to repel Russian advances into the Sumy region.
“Our forces are consistently blocking Russian attempts to advance deep into the Sumy region from the border,” he said.
Mr Zelensky added that drone production in Ukraine this year would “significantly exceed” earlier forecasts.
In Moscow, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that peace talks had never truly been on the West’s agenda.
“If the West wanted ‘real peace’ in Ukraine, it would stop supplying Kyiv with weapons,” she said, according to state news agency TASS.
Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its overnight strikes had hit Ukrainian military sites “that manufacture components for missile weapons, as well as produce ammunition and explosives.” The Independent could not verify this claim.
Five dead after Ukraine and Russia trade drone and missile attacks as talks stall
Ukrainian officials said Russia launched 235 drones and 27 missiles in a “massive combined attack’ on Dnipro region. Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed to have seized the village of Zelenyi Hai in the eastern Donetsk region and Maliivka in the Dnipsk region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed that Russia would feel the consequences of its drone attacks on Ukraine. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that peace talks had never truly been on the West’s agenda. She said that if the West wanted ‘real peace’ in Ukraine it would stop supplying Kyiv with weapons, according to state news agency TASS. The Independent could not verify this claim, and Kyiv did not comment on the claims. In Russia, a woman and three children were injured after a drone fell on a home in the Ingushetia region in the North Caucasus. In Ukraine, three people died in Russian shelling, while two were killed in Russia’s Rostov region.
In Ukraine’s Dnipro region, three people died in Russian shelling, while two were killed in Russia’s Rostov region after a Ukrainian drone strike.
Ukrainian officials said Russia launched 235 drones and 27 missiles in a “massive combined attack” overnight.
Ten missiles and 25 drones found their targets, striking nine locations, while air defences shot down or intercepted the rest, according to Ukraine’s Air Force.
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“A terrible night. A massive combined attack on the region,” Serhiy Lysak, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk region, wrote on Telegram.
An additional six people were injured, he said, posting photos of smashed buildings, burnt-out cars and firefighters battling blazes.
Russian drone strike on Dnipro, Ukraine (Reuters)
In Dnipro city, a multi-storey building and a business were damaged, and a fire engulfed a shopping centre outside the city.
Ukraine’s southern Dnipro and northeastern Sumy regions also came under heavy rocket and drone attack.
Officials in Sumy reported three people injured after Russian drones hit a central square and damaged the regional administration building.
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Kharkiv also sustained intense bombardment.
Ukraine’s emergency services said six people were hurt, including four rescuers injured in a so-called “double tap” strike, where a second attack follows the first to target emergency workers.
Rescuers work at a damaged city hospital that was hit by a Russian guided air bomb in Kharkiv (AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed that Russia would feel the consequences.
Russian military enterprises, Russian logistics, Russian airports must feel that the Russian war has real consequences for them,” he said.
“There can be absolutely no silence in response to such strikes, and Ukrainian long-range drones ensure this.”
Ukraine’s attacks on Russia have also intensified in recent months.
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Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences intercepted 54 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 24 over the Bryansk region and 12 over Rostov.
Officials in Moscow and other areas also reported drone attacks, though most were shot down.
In Russia’s Rostov region, which borders Ukraine, acting governor Yuri Slyusar said a Ukrainian drone attack killed two people.
Drones also struck an industrial facility in the neighbouring Stavropol region, sparking a brief fire, according to governor Vladimir Vladimirov.
People take shelter in a residential building in Kharkiv (Reuters)
Officials also reported drone attacks on Moscow and the Penza region southeast of the capital, though they were intercepted.
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In Russia’s Ingushetia region in the North Caucasus, a woman and three children were injured after a drone fell on a home, regional health officials said.
On the battlefield, Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed to have seized the village of Zelenyi Hai in the eastern Donetsk region and Maliivka in the Dnipro region. Kyiv did not comment on the claims.
Mr Zelensky said he had been briefed by Chief of Staff Oleksandr Syrsky on “active and long-range actions on Russian territory,” including clashes in Pokrovsky and efforts to repel Russian advances into the Sumy region.
“Our forces are consistently blocking Russian attempts to advance deep into the Sumy region from the border,” he said.
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Mr Zelensky added that drone production in Ukraine this year would “significantly exceed” earlier forecasts.
In Moscow, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that peace talks had never truly been on the West’s agenda.
“If the West wanted ‘real peace’ in Ukraine, it would stop supplying Kyiv with weapons,” she said, according to state news agency TASS.
Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its overnight strikes had hit Ukrainian military sites “that manufacture components for missile weapons, as well as produce ammunition and explosives.” The Independent could not verify this claim.
US, China confront each other on Ukraine at United Nations
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea urged all countries, specifically naming China, to stop exports to Russia of dual-use goods. China accused Washington of trying to shift blame and spark confrontation. China did not start the war in Ukraine, is not a party to the conflict, has never provided lethal weapons, China’s deputy ambassador said.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United States told China at the United Nations on Friday it should “stop fueling Russia’s aggression” in Ukraine, as China accused Washington of trying to shift blame and spark confrontation.
Acting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea urged all countries, specifically naming China, to stop exports to Russia of dual-use goods that Washington says contribute to Russia’s war industrial base and enable its drone and missile attacks on Ukraine.
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“Beijing’s claim to have implemented strong export controls on dual-use goods falls apart in the face of daily recovery of Chinese-produced components in the drones, weapons, and vehicles that Russia uses against Ukraine,” Shea told a meeting of the 15-member U.N. Security Council on Ukraine.
China did not start the war in Ukraine, is not a party to the conflict, has never provided lethal weapons, and has always “strictly controlled dual-use materials, including the export of drones,” China’s deputy U.N. Ambassador Geng Shuang responded.
“We urge the U.S. to stop shifting blame on the Ukraine issue or creating confrontation and instead play a more constructive role in promoting ceasefire and peace talks,” he told the council.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that Chinese-made engines are being covertly shipped via front companies to a state-owned drone manufacturer in Russia, labeled as “industrial refrigeration units” to avoid detection in the wake of Western sanctions.
“If China is sincere in calling for peace, it should stop fueling Russia’s aggression,” Shea said.
(Reporting by Michelle NicholsEditing by Rod Nickel)
Five killed after Russia and Ukraine trade aerial bombardments
Ukraine’s southern region of Dnipro and the northeastern region of Sumy were attacked by rockets and drones. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, was hit by four guided aerial bombs, two ballistic missiles and 15 drones. Russia targeted Ukraine with 208 drones and 27 missiles overnight, according to the daily air force report. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down or intercepted a total of 54 Ukrainian drones. The attack sparked a brief fire in the neighbouring Stavropol region, governor Vladimir Vladimirov said.
In Ukraine, the southern region of Dnipro and the northeastern region of Sumy were attacked by rockets and drones.
The head of the Dnipro regional administration, Serhii Lysak, said at least three people had died and at least five were injured.
Image: A man stands next to burned cars in Dnipro. Pic: Reuters
In the city of Dnipro, a multi-storey building and businesses were damaged in the strike, and a fire engulfed a shopping centre in the region.
The military administration in Sumy said three people were injured.
Over three hours, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, was hit by four guided aerial bombs, two ballistic missiles and 15 drones.
In a Telegram post, its mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said high-rise residential buildings, local businesses, roads and the communication network were damaged.
He said at least five people were injured, including three rescue workers hit in a double tap strike, where a second attack targets emergency workers trying to help those wounded in the initial attack.
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In total, Russia targeted Ukraine with 208 drones and 27 missiles overnight, according to the daily air force report.
It said air defence and electronic warfare took down or intercepted 183 drones and 17 missiles, but hits from 10 missiles and 25 drones had been recorded in nine locations, according to preliminary data.
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Image: Employees walk past a damaged shopping centre in the city of Kamianske. Pic: Reuters
Officials in Russia said Ukrainian drones targeted several regions overnight, with a drone attack on the border region of Rostov killing two people, according to acting governor Yuri Slyusar.
In the neighbouring Stavropol region, drones hit an industrial facility, governor Vladimir Vladimirov said on Telegram. The attack sparked a brief fire, he added.
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Drones also targeted Moscow but were shot down, according to mayor Sergei Sobyanin. They also targeted an industrial facility in the Penza region southeast of the capital, governor Oleg Melnichenko said.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down or intercepted a total of 54 Ukrainian drones.