Russia pounds Ukraine with hundreds of drones, killing at least one person
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia fired more than 300 drones overnight into Saturday, along with more than 30 cruise missiles.
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One person died when Russian forces attacked the Black Sea port city of Odesa with more than 20 drones and a missile, the city's mayor, Hennadii Trukhanov, said, while five people were rescued when a fire broke out in a residential high-rise building.
A residential building burns in Odesa (Ukrainian Emergency Service/AP)
According to Mr Zelensky, six other people were wounded in the attack on Odesa, including a child, and critical infrastructure was damaged in Ukraine's north-eastern Sumy region.
The Ukrainian president also thanked international leaders 'who understand how important it is to promptly implement our agreements' aimed at boosting Ukraine's defence capabilities, including joint weapons production, drone manufacturing, and the supply of air defence systems.
Moscow has been intensifying its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities. It often batters Ukraine with more drones in a single night than it did during some entire months in 2024, and analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate.
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On July 8, Russia unleashed more than 700 drones — a record.
Russia's Defence Ministry said it shot down 71 Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 13 were shot down as they approached the Russian capital.
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When the big gun booms, the earth shakes. The shockwave from the AS90 self-propelled howitzer is so strong it pulverises falling raindrops, sending a fine spray into the faces of the Ukrainian artillery crew as they launch a high explosive round towards the Russian trench line. 'Waiting…' a voice crackled over a radio, then: 'Fire, Fire!' Again the behemoth vehicle rocked back on its haunches. 'Load!' came the radio command. A Ukrainian loader sweated in the dugout as he fed the 45kg shells into 45 tonnes of British engineering. Another was setting the fuses, while inside the mobile howitzer, a gunner manoeuvred the cannon to the instructions from his commander. 'Aim point Azimuth [number]! Waiting … Fire, Fire!' The crew fired six rounds in quick succession, targeting five Russian soldiers in a trench, and after each shot making minor adjustments to their aim. Then, as quickly as they had taken their positions, the soldiers filed back into their bunker. 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