Ukraine War News Today - Top Stories and Breaking Updates from Kyiv Post

The Senate Armed Services Committee has voted to extend the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) through 2028, but a supplemental package has yet to be requested by the Trump administration.

The US Senate Armed Services Committee has voted to authorize $500 million in security assistance for Ukraine for Fiscal Year 2026 under a draft of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA.) 

The funding is a part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which was created in 2015 to provide DoD security assistance to Ukraine’s military, intelligence support, training, logistics, and supplies.

US President Donald Trump has signaled he will take a tougher line with Moscow after it rejected his peace mediation efforts and escalated attacks across Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump has hinted at a strong response on Friday after Russia struck a maternity hospital in Ukraine’s Kharkiv overnight. 

Before getting on a helicopter at the White House to examine the flooding in Texas, a reporter asked Trump if he had heard of the Kharkiv attack that injured close to a dozen people. In response, he issued a cryptic warning. 

Electricity prices became the main driver of deceleration, as they didn’t increase, but fruit is holding on to growth because of damage cause by spring frosts.

In June, inflation in Ukraine eased to 14.3% year-over-year, down from 15.9% in May, the country’s State Statistics Service reported.

Core inflation, a significant signal for long-term price pressure dynamics for consumers and central banks, slowed down 0.3% in June compared to the previous month.

With an annual capacity of 2.6 billion cubic meters, the pipeline was carrying more than 4.1 million cubic meters of gas at the time of the explosion.

A powerful explosion struck the Russian city of Langepas in western Siberia on the evening of July 10, destroying a major gas pipeline and igniting a massive fire, according to Kyiv Post sources within Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR).

The pipeline, which supplied gas to Russian military-industrial facilities in the Chelyabinsk, Orenburg and Sverdlovsk regions, was targeted in a special operation, the sources said.

The project, called “Clear Sky,” has downed close to 550 Russian drones over the Kyiv region within the last few months, according to a military official.

Ukraine will scale-up its air defense network over Kyiv using interception drones, according to a military official.

The enhancement comes as Russia launched record aerial assaults across Ukraine in recent weeks, with the prospect of procuring additional “conventional” air defense systems for Kyiv still in limbo.

A Rotterdam court sentenced a 43-year-old man who was found guilty of stealing and passing technical information to Russian intelligence for 18 months.

A 43-year-old Russian, identified as German Aksyonov, was found guilty of downloading sensitive technical information relating to semiconductors from the computer servers of two Dutch companies – ASML, a leading producer of machines to manufacture semiconductors, and NXP which makes microprocessors used in advanced communications systems – and passing it to an unnamed Russian intelligence agency. 

Aksyonov was sentenced to three years in prison on Thursday for breaking sanctions laws, illegally appropriating confidential secrets, and “computer trespass.” 

As the world gathers in Rome to work out how to help Ukraine recover and rebuild, Kyiv Post speaks to one Kyiv-based American who has been doing exactly that for more than a decade.

Daniel Aspleaf, an American engineer based in Kyiv, spends more hours of his working days at a restaurant near his office than he would care to. Apart from the delicious Texas ribs on offer, the restaurant has an underground dining room with good wi-fi that doubles as a bomb shelter, so he can work in relative safety, without having to worry too much about Russian drones and missiles.

The Russian foreign minister will meet North Korean officials in the coastal resort of Wonson. The two countries may discuss North Korean weapons and troops for Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov landed in North Korea for a three-day state visit today, according to Russian state media.

Lavrov is visiting the newly developed coastal resort of Wonson, where North Korea hopes to build its tourism industry with Russian tourists.

Russia is waging a silent war on minds, not battlefields, says disinfo expert Pekka Kallioniemi – using propaganda to divide the West and block aid to Ukraine.

Senator Chuck Schumer called the weapon freeze “a dangerous breakdown in communications and, at worst, a sign that Secretary Hegseth is more interested in helping Putin than helping Ukraine.”

WASHINGTON DC – The Top Senate Democrat on Friday unleashed a scathing critique of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of “jeopardizing” Ukraine’s survival against Russia by “haphazardly” canceling vital weapons shipments, and implicitly aiding Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Even a momentary pause in vital weapons shipments to Ukraine “emboldens Putin,” Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the minority leader, told a Senate floor session. “When Putin observes disorganization and a lack of strategy, he has no incentive to negotiate.”

His remarks came after the second such incident this year. Hegseth’s recent decision to pause aid on July 1 was reportedly reversed by President Donald Trump, prompting calls for accountability and even a change in Pentagon leadership.

Putin honors Gen. Sukhrab Akhmedov with Russia’s top title, despite his record of battlefield failures and massive troop losses.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded the country’s highest military honor — the title of “Hero of Russia” – to a general that many soldiers say should be held responsible for some of the worst battlefield disasters of the war.

The award went to Lieutenant General Sukhrab Akhmedov, who is currently in charge of Russian forces in the Kursk region near Ukraine’s border.

Ukrainian drones reportedly struck a major Russian aircraft plant near Moscow that produces MiG-29 and MiG-31 fighters and works on Shahed drone modernization.

A drone strike overnight targeted a key aircraft plant near Moscow, damaging a critical infrastructure facility on site, according to Ukrainian and Russian sources.

“The Lukhovitsky Aircraft Factory in the Moscow Region was hit,” Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, confirmed via Telegram.

Daily updates from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) regarding frontline developments and casualty figures amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

As of July 11, Russia has lost 1,031,620 troops after launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022 – including 1,040 troops over the past day, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU). 

Russian casualties in Ukraine surpassed one million on June 16.

The Ukraine Fund at $540 billion is destined for Ukraine reconstruction, while the $460 billion European Structural Fund to Support Ukraine $460 billion is for private sector investment.

Ukraine is launching two funds worth $1 trillion to bridge wartime financing gaps and lure European industry, betting on confiscated Russian assets and private investment to rebuild its economy and defense capabilities.

The two funds will support reconstruction and modernization initiatives, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said, announcing the initiative at the ministerial-level, Ukraine Donor Platform meeting – part of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC-2025) in Rome.

Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Kellogg in Rome ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC), held Thursday and Friday.

US Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg is set to arrive in Kyiv on Monday, July 14, for a week-long visit – coinciding with US President Donald Trump’s expected announcement of a “major statement on Russia.”

“We’ll be in Kyiv on Monday. So we’ll be there for the whole week,” Kellogg told a reporter from Novyny Live.

The attack comes just days after similar strikes on recruitment offices in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia on July 7, when Russian drones targeted the regional draft centers.

Russian drones hit a military recruitment center in the southern city of Odesa early Thursday, July 11, in what appears to be part of a growing campaign to disrupt Ukraine’s efforts to draft new soldiers.

The attack, carried out with Shahed drones, struck the building of the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center (TRSSC), Ukrainian media RBC-Ukraine reported, citing its sources.

Rome hosts the latest reconstruction summit, with warnings for those who, in the name of their own interests, stood by Russia and its crimes instead of supporting Ukraine.

ROME – Just days after Donald Trump pivoted from praising Vladimir Putin to insulting him, another kind of message was sent from Rome: one of unity, resolve, and reconstruction. At the fourth international conference on Ukraine’s recovery – this time convened by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – the European response to Russia’s war was not only reaffirmed but strategically repurposed.

The setting was deliberately ambitious: 15 heads of state and government, some 4,000 participants, and representatives from roughly 2,000 companies. If previous conferences were about solidarity, this one focused squarely on execution – on building not only what Russia has destroyed, but also a vision of Europe’s future economic and geopolitical order.

Russia has pummelled Ukraine this week with the largest drone and missile barrages since Moscow sent troops into its neighbour more than three years ago.

The EU’s top diplomat on Friday slammed Russia’s latest blitz on Ukraine as “unacceptable”, saying the 27-nation bloc was pondering a new raft of sanctions against Moscow.

Russia has pummelled Ukraine this week with the largest drone and missile barrages since Moscow sent troops into its neighbour more than three years ago.

The Russian state is collapsing – structurally, economically, and psychologically. Not just on the front lines, but deep within the Kremlin’s own walls.

Today, once again, Ukrainian drones struck Moscow. Airports were closed. Russian air defenses fired and Russian social media lit up with panic. But the real story isn’t just about a drone strike.

It’s that the Russian state is collapsing – structurally, economically, and psychologically. Not just on the front lines, but deep within the Kremlin’s own walls. Economically, militarily, and socially, Putin’s regime is cracking.

He also revealed details of what he called a new arrangement between the United States, NATO, and Ukraine over arms deliveries – a deal he said was finalized at last month’s NATO summit.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he plans to make a “major statement” on Russia next week and confirmed his support for a Senate bill that would impose tough new sanctions on Moscow – while leaving the final decision to him.

“I’m disappointed in Russia, but we’ll see what happens over the next couple of weeks,” Trump told NBC News. “I think I’ll have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday,” he said, declining to elaborate.

After losing his seat in last year’s UK General Election, Jack, a former Afghanistan veteran, signed up with the International Legion of Ukraine. He now serves with Defense Intelligence.

Why Ukraine’s Media Recovery Must Be at the Center of Reconstruction Talks

As the Ukraine Recovery Conference takes place in Rome, one glaring omission should trouble anyone who cares about the country’s future: the near-total absence of Ukraine’s devastated media sector from the agenda.

While tourism and sport were given space on the program, there was no dedicated session to address the state of Ukrainian media—despite repeated appeals over the past two years to senior officials in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s circle, including Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.

Reports emerged of attacks near key military sites, including the Kronstadt drone plant, defense factories in Tula, and strategic aviation facilities in Taganrog and Lukhovitsy.

Russia claims it intercepted 155 Ukrainian UAVs across multiple regions, as explosions and suspected strikes were reported near several high-value military targets – including the Kronstadt drone factory near Moscow and three key defense enterprises in the Tula region.

According to Russian media reports, drones attacked the Kronstadt drone manufacturing plant in Dubna, Moscow Region.

Russia’s transport minister was found dead in his car on Monday, hours after being fired by Putin, with Russian investigators saying he shot himself.

The reported suicide of Russia’s transport minister hours after he was dismissed by President Vladimir Putin and amid speculation he would be arrested on corruption charges, has shocked the country’s elite.

Several hundred mourners, including some ministers and state officials, streamed past the open coffin of Roman Starovoyt on Thursday.

Russian Shahed drone strikes on Kharkiv damaged a maternity hospital and other civilian sites, injuring nine people and sparking multiple fires across the city and region

A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv early Friday, July 11, damaged a maternity hospital and injured nearly a dozen people, according to local officials.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote on Telegram that the explosions hit a maternity hospital where “women in labor and their babies were.”

Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s Nikol Pashinyan met in Abu Dhabi in an attempt break through the impasse in peace negotiations. The countries have been at war on and off for decades.

In a surprise diplomatic maneuver, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met on July 10 for direct one-on-one talks in Abu Dhabi, amid growing concerns over stalled peace negotiations between the two South Caucasus rivals.

The meeting was held behind closed doors, without mediators from Russia, the EU, or the US. According to regional analysts, the choice of venue signals a quiet shift away from traditional formats and a search for new frameworks as Western-led diplomacy struggles to produce results.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed frustration following a June 10 meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about Russia’s lack of progress towards ending the war in Ukraine.
• The Kremlin continues efforts to use its diplomatic engagements with the United States in an effort to divert attention from the war in Ukraine and toward the potential restoration of US-Russian relations.
• The Economist assessed that it would take Russia about 89 years to seize all of Ukraine at its current relatively accelerated rate of advance, which has fluctuated throughout the war and is unlikely to remain constant.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US Special Envoy to Ukraine General Keith Kellogg in Rome on July 9.
• The United States reportedly resumed some military aid shipments to Ukraine.
• Ukraine’s Western allies continue to provide military aid to Ukraine.
• Russia launched another large-scale missile and drone strike against Ukraine on the night of July 9 to 10 that heavily targeted Kyiv City, resulting in civilian casualties and significant damage to civilian infrastructure.
• Russia’s strike tactics, coupled with the increased scale and concentrated targeting of Russia’s recent strike packages, aim to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and are resulting in significant damage.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed Deputy Foreign Minister and Presidential Special Representative to the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov on July 9.
• Russian forces recently advanced near Borova, Toretsk, and Novopavlivka.

“Drones are the biggest battlefield innovation in a generation, accounting for most of this year’s casualties in Ukraine,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says.

WASHINGTON DC – In a significant policy shift, the Pentagon on Thursday announced a sweeping initiative aimed at establishing US military drone dominance, declaring drones as the most critical battlefield innovation of this generation.

The move came amid growing concerns over adversaries’ rapid production of low-cost drones and a perceived lag in US capabilities due to past bureaucratic hurdles.

Veteran American diplomat warns against “Russian rabbit hole” as US Secretary of State exchanges “new Ideas” with his Russian counterpart in Malaysia.

WASHINGTON DC – The United States on Thursday “strongly condemned” Russia’s record-breaking attacks on Ukraine, calling it “abhorrent.”

“The escalating Russian attacks – the President [Donald Trump] has been clear they’re abhorrent,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told Kyiv Post’s Washington correspondent during a daily briefing.