Kyiv announced Saturday that it launched a drone attack on 21 Russian oil tankers in the Sea of Azov overnight. The General Staff said via Telegram that the drones also struck 4 tugs, 2 dry cargo vessels, and a barge, in addition to the oil tankers.

Destruction in a residential neighborhood of Kyiv caused by Russian shelling (AFP)

Commander of Ukraine's drone forces, Robert Provodikma, said his units targeted 21 fuel tankers in the Sea of Azov overnight, in addition to 7 other cargo and support ships, bringing the total number of ships targeted this week to 76.

Smoke rises during Russian missile strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early Saturday (AFP)

Meanwhile, officials reported that Russia also launched an attack on the Ukrainian capital Saturday, killing two people and injuring 19 others, as Kyiv awaits supplies of air defense ammunition after shortages undermined its ability to repel Russian attacks. Several people in Kyiv were injured in the Russian attack, which used ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.

If the Ukrainian General Staff's announcement is confirmed, it would be the largest Ukrainian drone attack in terms of numbers in a series of recent operations against Russian ships.

Russia previously reported much lower numbers regarding the latest attack. Rostov regional governor Yuri Slyusar, as quoted by several international news agencies, said only 4 ships were attacked at sea in the evening.

Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin during the Anchorage summit in Alaska on August 15, 2025 (Reuters)

He wrote on Telegram: 'One person, a sailor on a support vessel, was killed.' He added that the damage to the ships - including to a tanker carrying highly flammable methanol - was minor, and there is no risk of cargo leakage. The claims made by both sides have not been independently verified.

Part of a meeting with Trump and Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8 (AP)

Kyiv itself has been subjected to heavy strikes since last June, while Ukraine currently lacks interceptor missiles to counter increasing Russian ballistic attacks.

The new Russian missile attack on Kyiv on Saturday injured 11 people, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. He wrote on X: '11 people, including a child, were injured in Kyiv as a result of last night's Russian attack.'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers a speech at the 36th summit of heads of state and government of NATO in Ankara, Turkey on July 7, 2026 (AFP)

AFP correspondents on the ground reported hearing two series of explosions in the early hours of Saturday, alongside authorities' warnings of a Russian missile attack.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said: 'Civilian infrastructure was attacked by Russia even before the air raid warning was issued,' calling on Ukraine's allies to speed up delivery of the air defense support packages agreed upon at the NATO summit days ago.

Zelensky added that Moscow targeted Ukraine with 'more than 120 drones and 12 missiles, half of them ballistic missiles,' noting that Ukrainian air defenses were unable to shoot down any of these missiles.

According to AFP, sirens sounded for several minutes after the first explosion. Advisor to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry Serhiy Sterniko said on Telegram that Russia may have used missiles from the S-400 air defense system in this attack.

These missiles were originally designed to hit aerial targets, but Moscow has previously used them as ballistic missiles to strike ground targets.

Sterniko explained that detecting them by radar is 'more difficult,' considering that 'these attacks have no military logic.'

Two Ukrainian F-16 jets fly over a Patriot missile platform at an undisclosed location in Ukraine on August 4, 2024 (AP)

Ukraine is appealing to its allies for supplies, as it faces a severe shortage of ammunition for its Patriot air defense systems, and has become largely unable to shoot down ballistic missiles that are several times supersonic over the past month. It has urged its allies to provide more of this ammunition, and also called on Europe to cooperate with Kyiv in developing a ballistic missile defense system.

U.S. President Donald Trump recently said Ukraine would be granted a license to produce its own Patriot interceptor missiles. After the latest attack, Zelensky called for accelerating these projects 'as quickly as possible.' Russia has intensified its attacks on the capital in recent weeks. Since the beginning of the month, strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding area have killed more than 60 people.

Kyiv, in turn, is putting pressure on Russian military logistics in areas occupied by Moscow in southern Ukraine, seeking to deprive Russian forces of fuel and ammunition by launching strikes on trucks and ships deep behind front lines.

On another note, the Ukrainian president announced Friday a reform of the country's assault forces, following

a scandal related to the deaths of military conscripts during basic training. Zelensky said in his nightly video address: 'There are many questions and problems that need to be resolved, especially regarding the treatment of personnel.' He added that criminal investigations are ongoing, and that changes will also be made to the leadership of the assault forces.

The announcement came after media reports that more than 20 conscripts died during basic training in the 425th Separate Assault Regiment 'Scythia' over 6 months.

In a related context, French President Emmanuel Macron will host on Monday at least 25 heads of state and government, including the Ukrainian president, in a meeting of the 'coalition of the willing' aimed at 'intensifying support for Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia,' according to the Élysée. The French presidency clarified that the goal is to 'push' for a ceasefire and 'resume' peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

Destruction following a Russian attack on the Zaporizhzhia region in eastern Ukraine on July 10, 2026 (Reuters)