RUSSIA LAUNCHES NEW MISSILE AND DRONE WAVE ACROSS UKRAINE

Russia launched a new wave of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, killing six people and injuring dozens, according to Reuters and the Associated Press. Ukraine's air force said Russia fired 121 drones, six cruise missiles and six ballistic missiles during the assault.

Ukraine said its air defences shot down 111 drones and two cruise missiles, but ballistic missiles still reached targets. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said some strikes hit before air-raid alerts could be issued, underscoring Ukraine's continued vulnerability to faster missiles and gaps in air-defence coverage.

In Sumy, two Russian glide bombs struck a crowded area that included a bus stop, killing four people and wounding 17, Reuters reported. The Associated Press said the dead included a child.

In Odesa, a missile strike killed two people and injured one, according to AP. Kharkiv was also hit by drones, with seven people wounded, while Kyiv endured a heavy overnight assault that injured 11 people and damaged buildings across several districts.

The attack again highlighted Ukraine's shortage of air-defence munitions, especially for Patriot systems capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. Reuters reported that Zelenskyy urged the rapid delivery of promised NATO support and pointed to a recent U.S. decision allowing Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles domestically.

The latest Russian strikes came as Ukraine escalated its own attacks on Russian logistics and fuel infrastructure. AP reported that Ukrainian forces said they had damaged oil tankers and other vessels in the Sea of Azov, while Russia claimed it destroyed 178 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions, Crimea and the Black and Azov seas.

The exchange shows how the war is increasingly being fought through long-range strikes on cities, infrastructure, ports, fuel systems and supply routes. Russia's latest wave targeted Ukrainian urban areas and exposed air-defence gaps, while Ukraine's strikes are aimed at Russia's fuel network and military logistics.

The immediate questions are whether Ukraine receives air-defence interceptors quickly enough to reduce ballistic-missile damage, whether Russia continues this tempo of mixed missile-and-drone attacks, and whether Ukraine's strikes on Russian logistics change Moscow's ability to sustain operations in occupied territory.

Fact-check date: 11 July 2026
Article type: News
Sources: Reuters, Associated Press