Russia fires drones at civilian areas of Ukraine after sacking transport chief
At least 10 civilians were killed and 38 injured, including three children, in Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said.
Russia has intensified its aerial strikes on civilian areas after more than three years of war. Over the past week, Russia launched some 1,270 drones, 39 missiles and almost 1,000 powerful glide bombs at Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday.
A woman leaves her home that was destroyed by a Russian air strike in Kharkiv (Andrii Marienko/AP)
Russia's bigger army is also trying hard to break through at some points along the roughly 620-mile front line, where Ukrainian forces are severely stretched.
The strain of keeping Russia's invasion at bay, and the lack of progress in direct peace talks, has compelled Ukraine to seek more military help from the US and Europe.
Mr Zelensky said on Saturday that Ukraine had sealed deals with European allies and a leading US defence company to step up drone production, ensuring Kyiv receives 'hundreds of thousands' more this year.
'Air defence is the main thing for protecting life,' Mr Zelensky wrote on Telegram on Monday.
That includes developing and manufacturing interceptor drones that can stop Russia's long-range Shahed drones, he said.
Extensive use of drones has also helped Ukraine compensate for its troop shortages on the front line.
One person was killed in the southern city of Odesa, 27 were injured in north-eastern Kharkiv and falling drone debris caused damage in two districts of Kyiv, the capital, during nighttime drone attacks, Ukrainian authorities said.
Russian short-range drones also killed two people and injured two others in the northern Sumy region, officials said. Sumy is one of the places where Russia has concentrated large numbers of troops.
Also, nine people were injured and seven killed in the eastern Donetsk region, governor Vadym Filashkin said.
Meanwhile, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday that its troops shot down 91 Ukrainian drones in 13 Russian regions overnight, as well as over the Black Sea and the Russian-annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.
The Kremlin dismissed transport minister Roman Starovoyt on Monday, an order published on the Kremlin website said.
The announcement did not give a reason for Mr Starovoyt's dismissal.
Over the weekend, hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo and St Petersburg's Pulkovo airports. Other airports in western and central Russia also faced disruption because of Ukrainian drone attacks.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Western Telegraph
24 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Kenyan police clash with demonstrators leaving 10 dead
Authorities blocked major roads leading into the capital, Nairobi, and most businesses closed amid the strictest measures yet to contain the unrest. Protesters lit bonfires and threw stones at police. Police fired and hurled tear gas canisters, injuring demonstrators. Young men carried another man, his shirt drenched in blood, saying he had been shot. The protests were reported in 17 of 47 counties. Kenyans had planned demonstrations on July 7 to protest against police brutality, poor governance, and to demand President William Ruto's resignation over alleged corruption and the high cost of living. Kenyan riot police barricaded roads leading to Parliament buildings (Brian Inganga/AP) July 7 , known as Saba Saba, is a significant date in Kenya's recent history, marking the first major protests 35 years ago that called for a transition from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy, which was realised in the 1992 elections. Saba Saba is Swahili for Seven Seven, representing July 7. Police officers were stopping private and public vehicles from accessing the city centre. They were also blocking most pedestrians from entering the capital, only allowing through those deemed to have essential duties. 'There is no reversing the Gen Z Saba Saba-like spirit,' said Macharia Munene, professor of history and international relations at United States International University Africa in Nairobi. 'Attempt to criminalise protests is reactive and will not work. It instead makes the government appear retrogressive and desperate enough to subvert the constitution.' Public service minister Geoffrey Ruku had urged all government employees to report to work on Monday, insisting that the demonstrations would not disrupt public services. Interior minister Kipchumba Murkomen said on Sunday that the government would not tolerate violent protests and that police would be deployed to ensure public safety. The roads leading to the country's parliament and the president's office were barricaded using razor wire. On the outskirts of the city in Kitengela town, police fired tear gas on Monday to disperse protesters who had lit bonfires on the road that connects to neighbouring Tanzania. 'They have blocked the roads, blocking us from our work. I am a roadside vendor and I am supposed to get to town and buy merchandise to sell along the road,' said protester Caleb Okoth. 'What do they want us to eat? People are being beaten like dogs for protesting for their rights.' The country has recently experienced a wave of violent demonstrations, initially sparked by calls for police accountability following the death of a blogger in police custody. During protests on June 17, a civilian was shot at close range by police officers, further angering the public and prompting plans for additional demonstrations. On June 25, at least 16 people were killed and more than 400 injured during protests against police brutality, which were timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of anti-tax protests where over 60 people lost their lives.
Leader Live
29 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Umpire given a rest while Wimbledon officials insist tech fail can't be repeated
Officials blamed human error for the incident at a crucial stage of the fourth-round match between Sonay Kartal and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, with the system inadvertently turned off and not flagging that a shot from the British player was out. Pavlyuchenkova, who would have moved 5-4 ahead, was furious with umpire Nico Helwerth for ordering the point to be replayed rather than making the call himself, accusing him of stealing the game and the tournament of home bias. German Helwerth, who had officiated at matches on each of the first seven days and is one of the sport's leading umpires, was notably absent on Monday, although organisers insisted it was a regular day off rather than a reaction to Sunday's events. Wimbledon officials apologised to both players, and chief executive Sally Bolton said: 'It was important for us to to explain as much as we could at that point in time what we believed had happened, and to apologise to the players for it happening in the first place. 'We're deeply disappointed that this has happened in the Championships. It was a human error. The ball-tracking technology is working effectively.' The system has replaced line judges for the first time this year and such a high-profile malfunction is hugely embarrassing for the All England Club. Bolton refused to go into the details of how the error had happened, or to explain what safeguards had been put in place during a briefing with reporters on Monday morning. 'They stole the game from me' 😠 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova wasn't happy when #Wimbledon's electronic line-calling system failed ❌ — BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 6, 2025 'I wasn't sat there, so I don't know what happened,' she said. 'It was clearly deactivated in error, because you wouldn't ordinarily deactivate a set of cameras mid-match intentionally. 'Once this happened, we did a full review of all of our systems and processes to check all of those kinds of things and to make sure that, both historically and moving forward, we have made the appropriate changes that we needed to make. So we're absolutely confident in the system.' Organisers later clarified the changes that have been made, with a spokesman saying: 'Following our review, we have removed the ability for Hawk-Eye operators to manually deactivate the ball tracking. This error cannot now be repeated.' Pavlyuchenkova, who went on to lose the game in question but won the match, was critical of Helwerth in her post-match press conference. 'I just thought also the chair umpire could take initiative,' said the Russian. 'That's why he's there sitting on the chair. He also saw it out, he told me after the match. He probably was scared to take such a big decision.' Bolton cited a breakdown in communication between the review official and the umpire, with Helwerth unaware the system had not been working previously during the game. It is also a big week in a different type of court for the All England Club, with a judicial review into the decision to grant planning permission for its expansion into neighbouring Wimbledon Park taking place at the High Court on Tuesday and Wednesday. There has been vehement local opposition to the scheme, which will see 39 new courts, including an 8,000-seat show court, built on the site of a former golf club. Wimbledon chair Debbie Jevans will be at the High Court on Tuesday, and Bolton said: 'We remain really confident that we'll make the progress we need to make.'
South Wales Argus
29 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Yemen's Houthi rebels claim responsibility for attacking ship in Red Sea
Military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the Houthis attacked the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned vessel with bomb-carrying drone boats and missiles. The attack on Sunday left the Magic Seas ablaze in the Red Sea. Its 22 crew abandoned the ship and were safely rescued. Houthi rebels claimed the attack on a ship (Osamah Abdulrahman/AP) Mr Saree said the Houthis attacked the vessel as the ship belonged to a company which it said continued to do port calls in Israel. Following the attack, the Israeli military said that it struck Houthi-held ports at Hodeida, Ras Isa and Salif, as well as the Ras Kanatib power plant. It released footage showing an F-16 launching from Israel for the strike, which came after the Israeli military issued a warning for the area. 'These ports are used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which are employed to carry out terrorist operations against the state of Israel and its allies,' the Israeli military spokesman said. He also said the military struck the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle-carrying vessel that the Houthis seized back in November 2023 when they began their attacks in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war. 'Houthi forces installed a radar system on the ship and have been using it to track vessels in the international maritime arena to facilitate further terrorist activities,' the spokesman said. The Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader was affiliated with an Israeli billionaire. It said that no Israelis were on board. The ship had been operated by a Japanese firm, NYK Line. The Houthis acknowledged the strikes but offered no damage assessment from the attack. Mr Saree claimed its air defence forces 'effectively confronted' the Israelis. Israel has repeatedly attacked Houthi areas in Yemen, including a naval strike in June. Both Israel and the United States have struck ports in the area in the past — including an American attack that killed 74 people in April — but Israel is now acting alone in attacking the rebels as they continue to fire missiles at Israel. Israeli defence minister Israel Katz threatened to launch further strikes. 'What's true for Iran is true for Yemen,' Mr Katz said in a statement. 'Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have it cut off. The Houthis will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions.' The Houthis then responded with an apparent missile attack on Israel. The Israeli military said that it attempted to intercept the two missiles launched by the Houthis but they appeared to make impact, though no injuries have been reported. Sirens sounded in the West Bank and along the Dead Sea. The attack on the Magic Seas, a bulk carrier heading north to Egypt's Suez Canal, happened about 60 miles south west of Hodeida, which is held by the Houthis. The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre first said that an armed security team on the vessel had returned fire against an initial attack of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, though the vessel later was struck by projectiles. Ambrey, a private maritime security firm, said that the Magic Seas also had been attacked by bomb-carrying drone boats.
