Here is how things stand on Tuesday, July 8:
Fighting
- In Kharkiv, at least one person died and 71 others were wounded following a barrage of Russian drones. Local officials said residential buildings, a kindergarten, and the regional enlistment office sustained damage in two waves of attacks.
- Russia has stepped up its drone campaign across Ukraine, striking two military enlistment centres on Monday in Kharkiv and Zaporizhia, according to Ukraine’s armed forces. Kyiv says the latest attacks aim to disrupt mobilisation efforts.
- A separate drone strike hit a draft office in Kremenchuk on Sunday, signalling what Ukrainian officials describe as a targeted wave of assaults on recruitment infrastructure.
- Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said six Shahed drones struck within a 10-minute window, describing the strikes as targeting “residential streets, cars, and people”.
- Another death was reported in Odesa following a drone attack. Meanwhile, an assault on Zaporizhia on Monday left at least 20 people injured, regional authorities said.
Politics and diplomacy
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed calls for international assistance, stressing the growing urgency in countering Russia’s aerial offensive.
- Amid the escalating violence, United States President Donald Trump pledged on Monday to provide Ukraine with additional military aid, focusing on defensive weaponry. His statement came days after the US paused shipments of key arms, drawing sharp warnings from Kyiv.
- The United Kingdom announced new sanctions targeting Russia’s chemical weapons programme. London imposed asset freezes and travel bans on two senior military figures – Aleksey Viktorovich Rtishchev and Andrei Marchenko – as well as one Russian entity, for their alleged involvement in chemical weapon transfers and use in Ukraine.
- Former Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit was found dead from a gunshot wound in his car outside Moscow just hours after President Vladimir Putin dismissed him. Investigators suspect suicide. His removal has raised speculation of a link to a corruption inquiry over missing border defence funds in the Kursk region.
- Zelenskyy reportedly told Trump he plans to replace Ukraine’s ambassador to Washington as part of a major cabinet reshuffle expected next week. Ambassador Oksana Markarova has faced criticism from Trump’s allies in Congress, who say she is too aligned with the Democrats.
- At a White House dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump aired his frustration with Putin, saying: “I’m not happy with President Putin at all.” His administration continues to face pressure over its lack of progress in ending the war.
