Russian strikes wounded several in Ukraine's capital after Kyiv launched a deadly wave of drones that struck e-commerce warehouses in Russia. The latest bombardment highlights a dual challenge for Ukraine in its fifth year of war, facing almost daily Russian attacks alongside rare domestic political instability triggered by a sudden wartime shakeup of its military leadership.
Escalating Tensions
AFP journalists in Kyiv heard explosions moments after the Ukrainian air force warned residents via Telegram of incoming ballistic missiles. One of the explosions was so powerful it set off alarms of cars parked in the city centre, an AFP journalist said. Authorities offered conflicting information on the number of people wounded or killed in the attack. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said seven people were wounded, but did not report any deaths. Ukraine's state emergency service said two people were wounded.
Retaliatory Measures
On Saturday, Ukraine sent attack drones to destroy e-commerce warehouses in the Moscow and Tambov regions, killing eight people and causing major fires. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky alleged the centres were used 'to supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment'. Kyiv has in recent months intensified its strikes on Russian territory, disrupting the lives of ordinary Russians -- strikes it calls retribution for more than four years of bombardments against its territory.
The campaign, which Kyiv calls 'long-range sanctions', has mostly targeted Russia's oil infrastructure triggering a full-blown fuel crisis in one of the world's biggest oil-producing countries. More than 370 drones were launched toward the Moscow region overnight, said the mayor of the Russian capital, Sergei Sobyanin. Between July 11 and 18, almost 1,892 Ukrainian drones heading towards Moscow were intercepted, he added.
But even as the war raged, in big cities across Ukraine, thousands gathered for a third day in a row to protest on Saturday the removal of popular defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov. The tech-savvy minister was ousted by Zelensky in a surprise government reshuffle just as Ukraine appeared to be gaining momentum on the battlefield, triggering a rare public backlash. The demonstrations came as the president held two days of meetings with top military commanders, fuelling media speculation he could be looking for a replacement for army chief Oleksandr Syrsky.
