Russia launches 550 drones, missiles at Kyiv in largest attack since start of war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also shared an update on the recent attack on X and highlighted that 'the first air raid alerts in our cities and regions yesterday began to blare almost simultaneously with media reports discussing a phone call between President Trump and Putin.'Firefighting efforts and debris removal are still ongoing after another Russian strike. This was one of the most large-scale air attacks – deliberately massive and cynical. In total, 550 targets were launched, including at least 330 Russian-Iranian 'shaheds', along with missiles, pic.twitter.com/vnn31oST0z— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / (@ZelenskyyUa) July 4, 2025According to an Associated Press report, the constant buzzing of drones overhead was heard throughout the night along with the sound of explosions and intense machine gun fire as Kyiv tried to intercept the aerial assault.Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that the Ukrainian capital was the primary target of the overnight attack, in which at least 23 people were injured, with 14 hospitalised.Ukraine added that the security forces shot down 270 targets, including two cruise missiles, while as many as 208 targets were lost from radar and presumed jammed.Russia successfully hit eight locations with nine missiles and 63 drones, as per an Associated Press report. Additionally, debris from intercepted drones fell across at least 33 sites.The massive attack on Kyiv comes hours after US President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on call.It may be noted that it has been less than a week since Moscow's previous largest aerial assault in the ongoing war. Earlier, Kyiv had reported that Russia fired 537 drones, decoys and 60 missiles in that attack.- EndsMust Watch
IN THIS STORY#Ukraine#Russia
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Hindustan Times
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Russian use of chemical weapons against Ukraine 'widespread', Dutch defence minister says
* Russian use of chemical weapons against Ukraine 'widespread', Dutch defence minister says Dutch military intelligence says Russia uses banned chemical weapons in Ukraine * Evidence points to 'large-scale program' of producing and using choking agent, officials say * Dutch defence minister urges tougher sanctions * Chemical weapons agency not yet asked to investigate * Russia has denied similar accusations in the past By Anthony Deutsch THE HAGUE, - Dutch intelligence agencies have gathered evidence of widespread Russian use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine, including dropping a choking agent from drones to drive soldiers out of trenches so they can be shot, the defence minister and chief of military intelligence in the Netherlands told Reuters. Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans called for tougher sanctions against Moscow. "The main conclusion is that we can confirm Russia is intensifying its use of chemical weapons," he said in an interview. "This intensification is concerning because it is part of a trend we have been observing for several years now, where Russia's use of chemical weapons in this war is becoming more normalized, standardized, and widespread." The Dutch intelligence findings on alleged Russian use of chloropicrin, a banned warfare agent first used by Germany during World War One, have not previously been reported. The head of the Dutch Military Intelligence Agency , Peter Reesink, said the conclusions followed "our own independent intelligence, so we have observed it ourselves based on our own investigations." Reuters has not been able to independently verify the use of banned chemical substances by either side in the Ukraine war. The United States first accused Russia of using chloropicrin, a chemical compound more toxic than riot control agents, in May last year. Ukraine alleges thousands of instances of Russian chemical weapons use. Russia's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article. Russia has denied using illegal munitions and it has accused Ukraine of doing so. Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, said on Wednesday that the Federal Security Service discovered a Ukrainian cache of explosive devices in the east of the country containing chloropicrin. Ukraine has consistently denied such accusations. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons , a disarmament agency in The Hague with 193 member states, said last year that initial accusations levelled by both countries at each other were "insufficiently substantiated". It has not been asked to conduct a full investigation, which must be initiated by member states. At least three Ukrainian deaths have been tied to chemical weapons use, Brekelmans said, while more than 2,500 people injured on the battlefield reported chemical weapons-related symptoms to Ukrainian health authorities. Increased use of chemical weapons by Russia poses a threat not only to Ukraine but to other countries, Brekelmans added. "We must further increase the pressure. This means looking at more sanctions and specifically not allowing them to participate in international bodies like the Executive Council of the OPCW," he said. Reesink spoke of "thousands of instances" of chemical weapons use, while also citing a Ukrainian figure of 9,000. Rotating two-year seats on the OPCW council will be up for negotiation in the coming months. The intelligence findings were to be presented in a letter to the Dutch parliament on Friday. LARGE-SCALE PROGRAM Russia is a member of the OPCW and, like the United States, has destroyed its declared chemical weapons stockpiles. Increased sanctions could happen in conjunction with the European Commission, which has proposed listing 15 additional new entities and individuals to its sanctions framework, including for suspected use of chemical weapons in Ukraine. The Dutch military and general intelligence agencies, working with foreign partners, say they have uncovered concrete evidence of intensified Russian chemical weapons production. This includes heightened research capabilities and the recruitment of scientists for chemical weapons development, Reesink said. He added that Russian officials have given instructions to soldiers on the use of poisonous warfare agents. "This isn't just some ad-hoc tinkering at the frontline; it is truly part of a large-scale program. And that is, of course, also concerning because if we don't clarify and publicize what Russia is doing, it's highly likely these trends will continue," Reesink said. He called the use of chemical weapons by Russian armed forces "almost standing operating procedure." "We specifically linked the use of chloropicrin to improvised munitions, such as filled light bulbs and empty bottles that are hung from a drone. When it comes to teargas, we see that they are also misusing and converting existing munitions to act as the carrier for the gas," he said. Chloropicrin is listed as a banned choking agent by OPCW, which was created to implement and monitor compliance with the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention . It can cause severe irritation to the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract. If ingested, it can cause burns in the mouth and stomach, nausea and vomiting, as well as difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
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US Supreme Court sides with Trump administration in controversial deportation case
The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for the deportation of several immigrants who were put on a flight in May bound for South Sudan, a war-ravaged country where they have no ties. The Supreme Court majority wrote that their decision on June 23 completely halted Murphy's ruling.(Bloomberg) The decision comes after the court's conservative majority found that immigration officials can quickly deport people to third countries. The majority halted an order that had allowed immigrants to challenge any removals to countries outside their homeland where they could be in danger. The court's latest decision makes clear that the South Sudan flight can complete the trip, weeks after it was detoured to a naval base in Djibouti, where the migrants who had previously been convicted of serious crimes were held in a converted shipping container. It reverses findings from federal Judge Brian Murphy in Massachusetts, who said his order on those migrants still stands even after the high court lifted his broader decision. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the flight would be completed quickly, and they could be in South Sudan by Friday. The Supreme Court majority wrote that their decision on June 23 completely halted Murphy's ruling and also rendered his decision on the South Sudan flight 'unenforceable.' The court did not fully detail its legal reasoning on the underlying case, as is common on its emergency docket. Two liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented, saying the ruling gives the government special treatment. 'Other litigants must follow the rules, but the administration has the Supreme Court on speed dial,' Sotomayor wrote. Justice Elena Kagan wrote that while she disagreed with the original order, it does countermand Murphy's findings on the South Sudan flight. Attorneys for the eight migrants have said they could face 'imprisonment, torture and even death' if sent to South Sudan, where escalating political tensions have threatened to devolve into another civil war. 'We know they'll face perilous conditions, and potentially immediate detention, upon arrival,' Trina Realmuto, executive director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, said Thursday. The push comes amid a sweeping immigration crackdown by Trump's Republican administration, which has pledged to deport millions of people who are living in the United States illegally. The Trump administration has called Murphy's finding 'a lawless act of defiance.' McLaughlin called Thursday's decision 'a win for the rule of law, safety and security of the American people." Authorities have reached agreements with other countries to house immigrants if authorities can't quickly send them back to their homelands. The eight men sent to South Sudan in May had been convicted of crimes in the US and had final orders of removal, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have said. Murphy, who was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden, didn't prohibit deportations to third countries. But he found migrants must have a real chance to argue that they could be in danger of torture if sent to another country, even if they've already exhausted their legal appeals. The men and their guards have faced rough conditions on the naval base in Djibouti, where authorities detoured the flight after Murphy found the administration had violated his order by failing to allow them a chance to challenge the removal. They have since expressed a fear of being sent to South Sudan, Realmuto said.
Hindustan Times
25 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
‘We'll see what happens': Trump hopeful of Hamas decision on Gaza ceasefire in 24 hours
US President Donald Trump said on Friday it would probably be known in 24 hours whether the Palestinian militant group Hamas has agreed to accept what he has called a "final proposal" for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza. President Donald Trump, center, speaks with reporters as, from left, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Rep. Zachary Nunn, R-Iowa, Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem listen as they arrive on Air Force One, Friday, July 4, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP) The president also said he had spoken to Saudi Arabia about expanding the Abraham Accords, the deal on normalization of ties that his administration negotiated between Israel and some Gulf countries during his first term. Trump said on Tuesday Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, during which the parties will work to end the war. He was asked on Friday if Hamas had agreed to the latest ceasefire deal framework, and said: "We'll see what happens, we are going to know over the next 24 hours." A source close to Hamas said on Thursday that the Islamist group sought guarantees that the new US-backed ceasefire proposal would lead to the end of Israel's war in Gaza. Two Israeli officials said those details were still being worked out. Dozens of Palestinians were killed on Thursday in Israeli strikes, according to Gaza authorities. The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, Israeli tallies show. Gaza's health ministry says Israel's subsequent military assault has killed over 56,000 Palestinians. It has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations. A previous two-month ceasefire ended when Israeli strikes killed more than 400 Palestinians on March 18. Trump earlier this year proposed a U.S. takeover of Gaza, which was condemned globally by rights experts, the U.N. and Palestinians as a proposal of "ethnic cleansing." ABRAHAM ACCORDS Trump made the comments on the Abraham Accords when asked about U.S. media reporting late on Thursday that he had met Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman at the White House. "It's one of the things we talked about," Trump said. "I think a lot of people are going to be joining the Abraham accords," he added, citing the predicted expansion to the damage faced by Iran from recent U.S. and Israeli strikes. Axios reported that after the meeting with Trump, the Saudi official spoke on the phone with Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of Iran's General Staff of the Armed Forces. Trump's meeting with the Saudi official came ahead of a visit to Washington next week by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Stephen Coates)
