Ukraine’s drone forces claimed to have hit 116 vessels in the Sea of Azov in the past nine days as Vladimir Putin vowed a powerful retaliation to Ukrainian attacks on its territory.
The commander of Ukraine’s drone forces said its drones struck several tankers and cargo ships with the aim of damaging Russia’s “shadow fleet”. Russia is considering rerouting cargo from the Sea of Azov after increased Ukrainian attacks on shipping, the transport ministry said on Tuesday.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov called the attacks as “acts of terrorism”.It comes as Putin said Moscow would respond to Ukrainian attacks on its territory with retaliatory strikes that would be "several times more powerful", adding that the scale of such responses would increase.
Ukraine’s military also said it struck two Russian oil refineries in the Bashkortostan and Krasnodar regions, sparking fires at the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat complex and the Afipsky refinery, with Russian authorities confirming both blazes.
Russian-controlled Sevastopol in Crimea imposed rolling power cuts after Ukrainian attacks, while fuel shortages linked to strikes on refineries and logistics have led to gasoline restrictions across Crimea.
Key Points
- Russia likely to redirect cargo shipments from Sea of Azov amid Ukrainian attacks
- Russia downed 340 Ukrainian drones over Moscow, mayor says
- Ukraine to buy Rafale jets, air defence systems under France deal
- Zelensky given license to manufacture French variant of Storm Shadow missile
- Kremlin rejects Paris meeting which seeks Putin on the negotiating table
World of Trouble: Putin ‘will never make peace in Ukraine’ – Here’s the reason why
10:30 , James Reynolds
Despite four grinding years and Ukraine now successfully smashing Russia’s energy infrastructure, Vladimir Putin has no interest in trying to end the war for one key reason, Bill Browder tells Sam Kiley on the ‘World of Trouble’ podcast:
Putin ‘will never make peace in Ukraine’ – Here’s the reason why
Who is at the regional summit in Kyiv today?
10:00 , James Reynolds
Ukraine is hosting regional leaders in Kyiv for the fifth Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit on Wednesday.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EU commission, and leaders including the presidents of Serbia and Romania, and the deputy PM of Montenegro, are expected to attend.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said the meeting would reaffirm Ukraine’s partnership and cooperation on the path to the EU.
Talks would focus on collaboration to strengthen Europe, political interaction, and strengthening security and defence cooperation, he said on social media.
Serbia's President Vucic arrives in Kyiv
09:30 , James Reynolds
Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic, known for being friendlier to Moscow than most European leaders, arrived in Ukraine's capital Kyiv on Wednesday.
He plans to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and will participate in a regional summit.
"I have traveled all afternoon and night via Moldova and central Ukraine to get to Kyiv,” Vucic wrote on Instagram.
Russian attack kills three in Ukraine's northern Sumy region, governor says
09:00 , James Reynolds
A Russian attack killed at least three people and wounded seven in Ukraine's northern Sumy region, regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said on Wednesday.
Hryhorov said on Telegram that Russia carried out six strikes with guided aerial bombs. One struck near medical facilities and others, according to preliminary information, hit infrastructure.
Putin ‘will never make peace in Ukraine’ – Here’s the reason why
08:30 , Shweta Sharma
Vladimir Putin’s growing unpopularity in Russia means he cannot afford to end the war with Ukraine, as he will be lynched by his own people, one of the president’s greatest personal enemy in the West has warned.
Sir Bill Browder told The Independent’s World of Trouble podcast: “If he does a peace deal, he’ll lose power. If he loses power, then he’ll get strung up from a lamp post.”
The anti-corruption campaigner, who once ran the biggest investment fund in Russia, has fought against Putin for nearly two decades.
Putin ‘will never make peace in Ukraine’ – Here’s the reason why
EU's Von der Leyen arrives in Kyiv
08:00 , Shweta Sharma
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she would announce new moves to deepen the integration of European and Ukrainian defence industries, as she arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday.
"I will announce new initiatives to integrate our defence industries. So we can produce more, and faster," she said on X, posting footage of her arrival on the platform.
Just arrived in Kyiv for my 11th visit to Ukraine in wartime.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 15, 2026
It’s a special moment. Ukraine has built a strong military momentum. The tide is turning.
I will announce new initiatives to integrate our defence industries.
So we can produce more, and faster.
We will also… pic.twitter.com/WEKhIB2hLo
France's Bastille Day Parade in pictures
07:30 , Shweta Sharma
Some 500 soldiers from the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ backing Ukraine marched down Paris' Champs-Elysees on Tuesday in the annual Bastille Day parade, in what France said would be a symbol of Europe's strategic awakening.
France's traditional national day military parade fell one day after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky joined around 25 leaders in Paris for a summit of the coalition of Western allies supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia.
The allies announced an air-defence coalition as Ukraine grapples with critical ammunition shortages and intensifying Russian strikes on its capital Kyiv and surrounding regions.
Zelensky, British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and German chancellor Friedrich Merz were among about 30 leaders invited by Emmanuel Macron to watch Tuesday's parade, the French president's last before he leaves office in 2027.
It featured around 25 Ukrainian soldiers marching along the capital's most famous avenue.
Russia says it targeted Ukrainian ports overnight
06:53 , Shweta Sharma
Russia's armed forces continued overnight strikes on Ukrainian ports handling cargoes for the Ukrainian military, hitting four vessels, Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday.
It said it hit a number of targets in the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk in Ukraine's Odesa region using precision-guided air-launched weapons and attack drones.
Port infrastructure facilities used for unloading fuel and lubricants as well as fuel storage tanks were hit, it said.
In a statement, Russia's defence ministry also said four vessels delivering cargoes for the Ukrainian armed forces were struck in the ports of Chornomorsk and Dnipro-Buh.
Ukrainian drones hit 20 Russian vessels in Black Sea overnight, Kyiv's drone forces commander says
06:42 , Shweta Sharma
Ukrainian drones struck 20 Russian vessels in the Black Sea overnight, including 17 oil tankers, the commander of Kyiv's drone forces said on Wednesday.
On Telegram, Robert Brovdi said the targets included two gas tankers and a tugboat.
Russia likely to redirect cargo shipments from Sea of Azov amid Ukrainian attacks
06:02 , Shweta Sharma
Russia's transport ministry has acknowledged it may need to reroute cargo shipments away from the Sea of Azov as Ukraine steps up attacks on Russian shipping in the area.
Ukraine's drone forces commander said on Tuesday that Ukrainian strikes had hit 116 vessels over the past nine days, including several tankers and cargo ships operating in the Sea of Azov.
He said the campaign was aimed at disrupting Russia's "shadow fleet" and restricting fuel supplies to Russian-occupied Crimea.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine on Tuesday of attacking commercial vessels in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea in what he called acts of terrorism.
"What the Ukrainian regime is doing goes beyond even piracy. Pirates, at least, plunder and keep the spoils for themselves. But here, it benefits neither them nor anyone else - the goal is simply to cause damage and intimidate. It is terrorism, pure and simple," Lavrov said.
He said Russia would continue to fulfil its obligations regarding food exports and the provision of hu
Ukraine to buy Rafale jets, air defence systems under France deal
05:45 , Shweta Sharma
Ukraine will use a European loan facility to buy next-generation Franco-Italian air defence systems and French Rafale fighter jets for the first time, while also securing approval to produce key Western missiles domestically under agreements formalised by Kyiv and Paris on Tuesday.
The two countries said Ukraine would order an initial 16 Rafale aircraft, the first tranche of a planned fleet of 100 announced in November 2025, financed through the European Union's Ukraine Support Loan programme.
Training for Ukrainian pilots and mechanics could begin in France as early as 2026, with the first four aircraft delivered after training is completed, the French and Ukrainian presidencies said in a joint statement, providing the first details of purchases outlined on Monday.
Ukraine also plans to acquire four next-generation SAMP/T-NG air and missile defence systems, becoming the first country to deploy the Franco-Italian system in combat.
Two older versions will be dispatched to Ukraine until the new systems are delivered. The move builds on a broader air-defence initiative unveiled on Monday by Ukraine and several European allies aimed at developing a lower-cost anti-ballistic missile capability as Russia steps up attacks on Ukrainian cities.
France and Italy also authorised licensed production in Ukraine of Aster 30 interceptor missiles, while France approved local production of AASM guided bombs and SCALP cruise missiles, deepening defence-industrial cooperation with Kyiv.
Zelensky given license to manufacture French variant of Storm Shadow missile
05:23 , Shweta Sharma
France has agreed to let Ukraine manufacture its Scalp-EG cruise missiles under a landmark defence agreement that also includes Rafale fighter jets and advanced air defence systems.
The deal, signed by president Volodymyr Zelensky and French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris, grants Kyiv access to the blueprints for the Scalp-EG – the French variant of the Anglo-French Storm Shadow cruise missile– allowing it to produce the long-range weapon inside Ukraine.
The agreement also authorises licensed production of Aster air-defence missiles and AASM precision-guided bombs, while Ukraine will receive 16 Rafale fighter jets and four SAMP/T air-defence batteries.
Zelensky said the pact demonstrated "France's true leadership in defence cooperation with Ukraine, in the interest of all of Europe."
The agreement comes just days after president Donald Trump said the United States would allow Ukraine to manufacture PAC-3 interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defence system, underscoring Western efforts to strengthen Kyiv's domestic arms industry.
Russia downed 340 Ukrainian drones over Moscow, mayor says
04:34 , Shweta Sharma
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 340 Ukrainian drones had been dispatched to the area surrounding the capital over a 24-hour period on Tuesday and most had been downed by anti-aircraft units far from the city.
"Most of them were neutralised by air defence forces on the outer approaches," Sobyanin wrote on Telegram. "More than 50 enemy drones were destroyed on their way to Moscow."
Ukrainian drones approach the Russian capital routinely and Sobyanin provides a running account of the numbers taken out by anti-aircraft units.
Ukraine has intensified its attacks on Russian infrastructure sites, mainly linked to the oil industry.
Ukraine's military said on Tuesday it had carried out drone strikes on the Salavat petrochemical complex in the Urals and the Afipsky refinery in southern Russia. Attacks on oil infrastructure have contributed to gasoline shortages throughout Russia.
Russian forces have stepped up drone and missile attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks.
Russia launched a barrage of drones and ballistic missiles at Kyiv early on Tuesday, the fifth such attack on the Ukrainian capital this month.
US senators unveil revised Russia sanctions bill easing tariff threat for India
04:20 , Shweta Sharma
A bipartisan group of US senators has introduced a revised Russia sanctions bill that reduces the proposed tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil, including India and China.
The updated legislation caps tariffs at 100 per cent down from the previously proposed 500 per cent and limits them to the five largest purchasers of Russian energy.
It also exempts countries importing less than 15 per cent of Russia's natural gas exports if they are taking significant steps to cut those imports.
The bill also targets Russia's shadow fleet, financial institutions and major state-owned energy projects.
It includes a provision allowing president Donald Trump to waive sanctions if he determines it is in the US national interest.
Senate aides said the bipartisan measure had 26 co-sponsors on Tuesday, with more expected to sign on.
European troops and warplanes join Paris Bastille Day parade in a show of unity for Ukraine
03:52 , Shweta Sharma
Ukrainian fighter pilots and troops took pride of place in France's national Bastille Day celebrations Tuesday as a massive parade showcased support for Ukraine and symbolically flexed European military muscle.
On president Emmanuel Macron's last Bastille Day as president, he hosted around 30 other leaders for an event that appeared aimed at showing both Russian president Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump that Europe is united and stepping up to defend itself.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was given an ovation from the assembled European leaders and his country's troops got the biggest cheers of the day from crowds on the tree-lined Champs-Elysees avenue.
Zelensky and Macron shared repeated hugs at the end of the parade.
France's biggest national holiday coincided with raging forest fires and a red-alert heat wave that forced the cancellation of traditional fireworks and firefighters' balls – and with defeat to Spain in a highly anticipated World Cup semi-final.
Lindsey Graham’s death deprives Ukraine of a key ally who had Trump’s ear, experts say
03:00 , Alex Croft
Sophie Clark reports:
Senator Lindsey Graham’s sudden death has removed a “vital diplomatic buffer between Washington and Kyiv”, experts have said, complicating support for Ukraine at a vital juncture of the war with Russia.
Jaroslava Barbieri, a Research Fellow at the Ukraine Forum at Chatham House, told the Independent that Graham has been a critical voice in US foreign policy when it comes to support for Ukraine.
The Republican senator for South Carolina was one of few vocally pro-Ukraine voices in the Republican Party. He used his leverage in the Senate to lobby for military aid to Ukraine dating back to Russia’s initial illegal invasion of Crimea in 2014, per CNN.
Since the invasion of Crimea, Graham, a prominent foreign policy hawk, has pushed for legislation that would prevent the U.S. from ever recognising seized Ukrainian land as Russian, maintaining NATO funding, and increasing sanctions on the Russian economy.
He even once called for someone in Vladimir Putin’s inner circle to assassinate the Russian president, saying they would be “doing your country – and the world – a great service,” per the Associated Press.
Ms Barbieri told the Independent: “Senator Lindsey Graham served as a crucial bridge between traditional Republican foreign policy hawks and Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ administration, using his direct personal access to champion robust support for Ukraine and secure recent White House backing for major secondary sanctions against Russia.
“His sudden passing removes a vital diplomatic buffer between Washington and Kyiv.”
Graham, 71, passed away suddenly from what a preliminary medical report has called an aortic dissection on Saturday.
France showcases 500 'Coalition of the Willing' troops in grand parade
01:29 , Alex Croft
Some 500 soldiers from the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ backing Ukraine marched down Paris' Champs-Elysees on Tuesday in the annual Bastille Day parade, in what France said would be a symbol of Europe's strategic awakening.
France's traditional national day military parade fell one day after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky joined around 25 leaders in Paris for a summit of the coalition of Western allies supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia.
The allies announced an air-defence coalition asUkraine grapples with critical ammunition shortages and intensifying Russian strikes on its capital Kyiv and surrounding regions.
Zelensky, British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and German chancellor Friedrich Merz were among about 30 leaders invited by Emmanuel Macron to watch Tuesday's parade, the French president's last before he leaves office in 2027.
It featured around 25 Ukrainian soldiers marching along the capital's most famous avenue.
Putin ‘will never make peace in Ukraine’ – Here’s the reason why
Wednesday 15 July 2026 00:01 , Alex Croft
Vladimir Putin’s growing unpopularity in Russia means he cannot afford to end the war with Ukraine, as he will be lynched by his own people, one of the president’s greatest personal enemy in the West has warned.
Sir Bill Browder told The Independent’s World of Trouble podcast: “If he does a peace deal, he’ll lose power. If he loses power, then he’ll get strung up from a lamp post.”
The anti-corruption campaigner, who once ran the biggest investment fund in Russia, has fought against Putin for nearly two decades.
His latest intervention comes days after Nato leaders met in Turkey and agreed to allow Kyiv to produce its own Patriot air defence missiles, vital in withstanding the onslaught from Moscow.
The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:
Putin ‘will never make peace in Ukraine’ – Here’s the reason why
Russia-installed head of parts of Donetsk region says Ukrainian drones kill eight
Tuesday 14 July 2026 23:02 , Alex Croft
The Russia-installed head of parts of Ukraine's Donetsk Region under Moscow's control said Ukrainian drone attacks had killed eight people, including a family of four.
Denis Pushilin, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the four people died in a strike on a village southwest of the region's main city, also called Donetsk.
Russian forces control well over 70 per cent of Donetsk Region and Moscow has called on Kyiv to abandon the rest of that region and the three others it has annexed as part of any peace deal.
Ukraine has received all such demands.
Four others died in vehicles struck by drones, he said.
Kyrgyzstan bans fuel and gas exports as Russian fuel crisis hits
Tuesday 14 July 2026 22:01 , Alex Croft
Kyrgyzstan's government has indefinitely banned exports of gasoline, diesel fuel and oil, in response to fuel shortages in Russia, from which the Central Asian country sources the vast majority of its fuel needs.
The decree, dated Monday but published on Tuesday, bans exports "until such time as the domestic market is saturated”.
Kyrgyzstan, a mountainous country of around 7 million, imports more than 90 per cent of its petroleum products from Russia, where Ukrainian strikes against oil refineries have caused acute shortages.
Reuters on Monday reported that jet fuel exports by rail to Central Asia and Afghanistan slumped by more than 92 per cent in June from May to just 3,800 metric tons, while supplies of gasoline dropped by 34 per cent to 99,300 tons.
Kyrgyzstan has appealed to neighbours for help in making up for Russian fuel supplies, and its government has said it has signed contracts for diesel and jet fuel with Belarus and China.
Kremlin rejects Paris meeting which seeks Putin on the negotiating table
Tuesday 14 July 2026 21:00 , Alex Croft
Kyiv and its European backers want to press home Ukraine’s recent successes and compel Putin to negotiate an end to the fighting, although Moscow has shown no willingness to compromise despite peace efforts by the Trump administration.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow will closely follow the Paris meeting but dismissed its aspirations.
“This is a coalition of warmongers,” Peskov said.
“They are driven by the profound delusion that it’s possible to inflict a strategic defeat on our country, so this is a coalition of the deluded, a coalition of those who incite the war.”
Ukraine’s advances in drone technology have given it an edge recently, analysts and Western officials say. Its strikes on supply routes behind the front have robbed the Russian army of momentum and made its progress slow and costly, they say.
Watch: Emergency restoration work under way in Ukraine's Sumy after latest Russian airstrikes
Tuesday 14 July 2026 20:00 , Alex Croft
Ukrainian nationals injured in Iran missile strikes on UAE vessel
Tuesday 14 July 2026 19:01 , Alex Croft
At least one Indian crew member was killed and eight others including Ukrainian nationals were wounded when two Emirati oil tankers were struck by Iranian cruise missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, the United Arab Emirates ministry of defence said on Tuesday, in the latest escalation in the strategic waterway.
Of the eight wounded, four were seriously injured. Six of the wounded were Indian nationals and two were Ukrainian nationals, the ministry said.
The ministry said the tankers, the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, were targeted in the southern lane of the strait while in Omani territorial waters. The dead crew member was aboard the Mombasa, it said.
