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Ukraine launched 1 of its broadest caller drone offensives against Russia’s maritime and power networks this week, claiming strikes connected 21 vessels successful 3 days arsenic attacks connected awesome refineries heavy wrong Russia intensified unit connected Moscow’s substance supplies.
The activity of attacks offered a striking show of Ukraine’s increasing long-range capabilities.
On Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met President Donald Trump astatine nan NATO acme successful Ankara, wherever Trump said nan United States would let Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air-defense interceptors and nan 2 leaders discussed a imaginable drone agreement.
TRUMP SAYS US WILL LET UKRAINE MAKE PATRIOT MISSILES IN MAJOR POLICY SHIFT
Drone footage shows occurrence and fume rising from, what nan Rostov region Governor said, was an quiet lipid tanker, pursuing Ukraine's overnight drone attacks connected Russia, confirmed by nan Ukrainian military, astatine a spot fixed arsenic nan Sea of Azov, successful this screengrab from a handout video released connected July 8, 2026. (Commander of Unmanned Aerial Systems Force/Handout via REUTERS )
Zelenskyy made aerial defense his apical privilege during nan bilateral gathering and said nan 2 governments had besides begun moving connected a separate drone agreement.
"Air defense is nan priority," Zelenskyy said. He described nan emerging drone woody arsenic "a very bully beginning" and said he hoped to talk further specifications pinch Trump.
The timing allowed Zelenskyy to get astatine nan acme pinch grounds that Ukraine’s domestic drone industry tin frighten Russian assets acold beyond nan accepted battlefield.
UKRAINE’S BATTLEFIELD IS TRANSFORMING THE FUTURE OF NATO
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a bilateral gathering pinch Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy alongside nan NATO leaders acme astatine nan Bestepe Presidential Compound, successful Ankara, Turkey, July 8, 2026 (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
Trump praised Zelenskyy arsenic "very effective" and credited Ukrainian forces pinch successfully operating American weapons against Russia’s overmuch larger military.
"He’s had nan champion instrumentality because he had our equipment," Trump said. "But personification has to usage that equipment. And you person a batch of brave group that are utilizing that equipment."
Ukraine is progressively forcing Russia to take sides refineries, airfields, shipping routes and different infrastructure acold beyond nan front. Kyiv has not achieved a comparable breakthrough successful nan grinding crushed campaign, and Russia continues to bombard Ukrainian cities. But repeated long-range strikes person begun disrupting substance accumulation and maritime logistics while imposing costs connected parts of Russia that were erstwhile mostly insulated from nan fighting.
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Black fume billows from nan area of Gazprom Neftâs Moscow lipid refinery, located connected nan southeastern outskirts of Moscow, connected June 18, 2026, pursuing what nan Russian capital's politician described arsenic a large-scale drone onslaught by Ukraine. (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
On Tuesday, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces said 9 Russian-linked vessels were struck successful nan Sea of Azov connected Wednesday, bringing nan number targeted complete 72 hours to 21.
Commander Robert "Magyar" Brovdi said nan targets included 19 lipid tankers, a cargo vessel and a ferry operating adjacent Russian-occupied Crimea, according to East2West news agency. He described nan run against nan fleet arsenic reaching an "industrial scale."
Ukrainian and Russian officials confirmed that nan overnight violative targeted tankers, refineries, pipeline accommodation and a subject airfield crossed respective Russian regions.
Ukraine says galore of nan vessels were portion of Russia’s alleged protector fleet and were being utilized to carrier substance to Crimea, nan Black Sea peninsula Moscow seized and illegally annexed successful 2014.
In this photograph taken by an anonymous source, fume rises from lipid retention accommodation deed by occurrence successful Bryansk, Russia, connected April 25. (AP)
The maritime strikes were accompanied by attacks connected nan Saratov refinery and power accommodation successful nan Russian regions of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. Russian authorities said 1 personification was killed successful Saratov.
Ukraine besides said it struck nan Borisoglebsk subject airfield successful Russia’s Voronezh region. The guidelines has been utilized by Russian combat craft progressive successful attacks against Ukraine, according to Kyiv.
The latest activity followed a Ukrainian onslaught Monday connected nan Omsk refinery successful Siberia, astir 1,700 miles from Ukrainian-controlled territory. The installation is Russia’s largest lipid refinery and processed astir 460,000 barrels of crude per time past year, according to Reuters.
UKRAINE LAUNCHES WHAT APPEARS TO BE ONE OF ITS LARGEST DRONE ATTACKS AGAINST RUSSIA: REPORT
Two manufacture sources subsequently told Reuters that nan Omsk installation had halted lipid processing pursuing nan attack.
The disruption comes arsenic parts of Russia look gasoline and diesel shortages attributed successful portion to repeated Ukrainian attacks connected refineries and substance depots.
Long lines person formed astatine filling stations successful respective cities, while immoderate regions person introduced purchasing restrictions. Russia announced Wednesday that it was temporarily banning diesel exports done July 31 to protect home supplies.
Smoke and flames emergence complete Moscow connected June 18, 2026, pursuing a Ukrainian drone onslaught that deed nan Kapotnya lipid refinery and different targets successful nan Russian capital. (East2West)
The shortages person go 1 of nan astir visible ways nan warfare is reaching mean Russians.
Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of nan Kremlin-funded RT network, acknowledged nan hardships during an quality connected Russian authorities tv and urged Russians not to respond by challenging nan country’s leadership.
"There is nary petrol," Simonyan said successful a translated clip distributed by location media.
Recalling nutrient rationing aft nan illness of nan Soviet Union, she said: "We endured it. And we will strengthen it now."
Simonyan based on that Russia’s enemies wanted nan organization to respond arsenic it had during nan 1917 gyration and "run disconnected to overthrow" nan czar.
"Yes, it is hard, yes, very hard," she said, urging Russians to stay calm.
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The unit connected Russia’s power infrastructure formed nan backdrop to Zelenskyy’s Wednesday meeting pinch Trump astatine nan Beştepe Presidential Compound.
Russia continued its bombardment of Ukraine during nan summit, striking Kyiv and different cities pinch missiles and drones. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said retention accommodation were burning successful nan capital’s Desnyanskyi territory and reported different occurrence successful nan Sviatoshynskyi district.
Efrat Lachter is simply a newsman for Fox News Digital covering world affairs and nan United Nations. Follow her connected X @efratlachter. Stories tin beryllium sent to [email protected].
