Kyiv announced on 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, two dry cargo ships, and a dredger, in addition to the oil tankers.

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

The commander of Ukraine's drone forces, Robert Provdikma, said his units targeted 21 fuel tankers in the Sea of Azov overnight, in addition to 7 other cargo and support vessels, 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)

Officials reported that Russia also launched an attack on the Ukrainian capital on 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. A number of people were injured in Kyiv in the Russian attack, which used ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.

If confirmed, the Ukrainian General Staff's announcement 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. The regional governor of Rostov, 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 was killed, a sailor on board a support vessel.' He added that the damage to the ships – including a tanker carrying highly flammable methanol – was minor, and there was no risk of cargo leakage. The claims made by both sides have not been independently verified.

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

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

The new Russian missile attack on Kyiv on Saturday injured 11 people, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He wrote on X: 'Eleven people, including a child, were injured in Kyiv from the Russian attack last night.'

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

Reporters from Agence France-Presse (AFP) at the scene reported hearing two series of explosions in the early hours of Saturday, alongside a warning from authorities of a Russian missile attack.

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

Zelenskyy added that Moscow targeted Ukraine with 'more than 120 drones and 12 missiles, half of which were 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 Ministry of Defense 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 unspecified location in Ukraine on August 4, 2024 (AP)

Ukraine is urging its allies to send supplies as it faces a severe shortage of ammunition for its Patriot air defense systems, and has become largely incapable of shooting down ballistic missiles that are several times faster than sound over the past month. It has appealed to its allies for more supplies of this ammunition, and also urged Europe to cooperate with Kyiv in developing a ballistic missile defense system.

US President Donald Trump recently said that Ukraine will be granted a license to produce its own Patriot interceptor missiles. After the latest attack, Zelenskyy 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 is also putting pressure on Russian military logistics supplies in the 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 the front lines.

Separately, the Ukrainian president announced on Friday a reform of the country's assault forces, amid

a scandal involving the death of military conscripts during basic training. Zelenskyy 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 'Skelya' 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 said the goal is to 'push' for a ceasefire and 'resume' peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

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