Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) with US Sen. Richard Blumenthal (C) and Sen. Lindsey Graham, Rome, Italy, July 10, 2025

Ukraine War, Day 1,232: Russia’s Drone and Missile Bombardment of Kyiv Kills 2, Injures 25

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1733 GMT:

Using open sources, BBC Russian and the independent Russian outlet Mediazona has identified 523 foreign nationals killed fighting for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The slain men were from 28 countries. They are among 118,139 Russian military fatalities confirmed by the two outlets.

The largest number of foreign fatalities are from Tajikistan (72), Nepal (70 with around 50 missing) and Uzbekistan (66). In the Tajik and Uzbek cases, more than half of the men had been incarcerated in Russian penal colonies. Many signed contracts with the Wagner mercenary group in exchange for sentence cancellation.

UPDATE 1639 GMT:

A Ukrainian operation has caused an explosion on a major gas pipeline in the Tyumen region in western Siberia, around 3,000 km (1,864 miles) from the Ukraine-Russia border.

An official in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency HUR said a section was damaged of the pipeline which supplies Russian military-industrial facilities in the Chelyabinsk, Orenburg, and Sverdlovsk regions. The cost is estimated at $1.3 million, and repairs could take a month.

UPDATE 1513 GMT:

Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have raided the home and military unit of Vitaliy Shabunin, head of the Executive Board of the Anti-Corruption Action Center.

The center said the searches took place without a court order. It believes they may be connected to a criminal case involving Viktor Yushko, a serviceman and former commander of the 207th Battalion of the territorial defense of Kyiv, where Shabunin served at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.

Yushko is under investigation for alleged abuse of power, authorizing fictitious business trips for military personnel including Shabunin, so they could avoid combat.

On Wednesday, Shabunin was reassigned from his post in Kharkiv city to a frontline brigade.

The Center said in a statement, “We consider these searches to be another wave of attack on Vitaliy Shabunin and the AntAC for criticizing the Presidential Office and [Chief of Staff] Andrii Yermak personally.”

In May, Shabunin said three criminal cases have been opened against him since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. He believes the pressure is because of his regular criticism of Presidential Deputy Chief of Staff Oleh Tatarov.

Tatarov was charged with bribery in 2020 but the case was closed before it reached trial. President Volodymyr Zelensky has refused to fire or suspend the Deputy Chief of Staff.

UPDATE 1508 GMT:

A Russian attack on the port city of Odesa in southern Ukraine has injured at least eight people.

The strikes damaged residential and administrative buildings, civilian infrastructure, cars, and a stable. The full extent of casualties and destruction is being established.

UPDATE 1502 GMT:

Ukraine President Voloydmyr Zelensky has commented on Russian attacks which killed at least nine civilians and injured at least 42 over the past day:

Ukraine needs protection – air defense above all. Interceptor drones. This was discussed with all our partners. We have received positive signals, and it is crucial that these signals turn into real investments in this technology. Sanctions must be strengthened.

UPDATE 1457 GMT:

Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz says frozen Russian assets should not be released until Moscow pays back at least €500 billion ($585 billion) in compensation to Ukraine.

The G7 countries — Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, the UK, and the UK — immobilized around $300 billion in Russian sovereign assets at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

UPDATE 0836 GMT:

Ukrainian drones carried out a widespread attack on Russian defense industry facilities overnight.

Local authorities and eyewitnesses indicate strikes on the Beriev Aircraft Manufacturing Plant in Taganrog in the Rostov region in southwest Russia, and on the Voronin Lukhovitsky Aviation Plant and Kronshtadt drone development in the Moscow region.

UPDATE 0821 GMT:

At least nine civilians have been killed and at least 42 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.

In the Donetsk region in the east, seven people were slain and nine injured.

In the neighboring Kharkiv region, one person was killed and 14 wounded amid Russian strikes on 10 settlements.

The mayor of Kharkiv city, Ihor Terekhov wrote on Telegram, said the Russians hit a maternity hospital with “women in labor and babies”. There were no casualties as the building was evacuated to another medical center.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region in south-central Ukraine, one man was murdered and a 22-year-old woman injured.

Casualties were also reported in the Kherson, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

UPDATE 0807 GMT:

Ukraine and the International Atomic Energy Agency have signed a memorandum of understanding to support energy recovery.

President Volodymyr Zelensky met IAEA head Rafael Grossi in Rome on Thursday.

UPDATE 0718 GMT:

Ukraine has received another €1 billion ($1.2 billion) from the European Union, drawing from profits of frozen Russian assets.

Kyiv has been supported with more than $18.5 billion from frozen Russian assets this year.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced further EU commitments at Thursday’s Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome.

directing the money toward swift recovery projects, according to Shmyhal.

At the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome on July 10 and 11, the Ukrainian delegation will urge international partners to jointly develop legal mechanisms for the full confiscation of Russian assets, Shmyhal added.

UPDATE 0709 GMT:

The Netherlands has pledged €300 million ($350 million) to support Ukraine’s reconstruction and economic recovery through 2026.

The commitment is part of a broader package of non-military aid of more than €500 million ($583 million) that the Netherlands has reserved for Ukraine for 2025 and 2026.

Funds will go to Dutch companies and organizations involved in Ukraine’s reconstruction, restoration of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and drinking water supplies, and construction of a new wing at the Children’s Hospital in Lviv in western Ukraine.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: With the possibility that Donald Trump may finally support Ukraine’s resistance of a 40 1/2-month Russian invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has met US senators proposing toughened sanctions on Moscow.

On the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome, Zelensky conferred with Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal, whose bill has the support of at least 82 of 100 senators. Provisions include a 500% tariff on imports from countries that continue purchasing Russian oil and raw materials.

The President said, “Without a doubt, this is exactly the kind of leverage that can bring peace closer and make sure diplomacy is not empty.”

Senator Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Wednesday that they are ready to advance the legislation. Thune, citing “substantial progress” in talks with the White House, said he expects the bill to come up for a vote before senators go on an extended recess in August.

However, a “senior Administration official” indicated that Trump would veto the bill without changes ensuring that Trump, rather than the legislators, had the power to decide when the sanctions would be imposed.

Trump: I’ll Approve Military Aid to Ukraine

Frustrated that Vladimir Putin is rejecting a ceasefire and escalating drone and missiles attacks on Ukraine’s civilians, Trump said on Thursday that he may authorize new allocations of weapons to Kyiv.

Until now, the Trump Administration has only delivered packages previously authorized by its predecessor under President Joe Biden. Those deliveries were renewed this week after a brief suspension by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Trump is using the Presidential Drawdown Authority for the new supplies. One source suggested the value could be around $300 million.

Trump indicated that he will also accept a German proposal to sell Patriot air defense systems to NATO countries, who will transfer the missiles to Ukraine. He told the US outlet NBC News:

We’re sending weapons to NATO, and NATO is paying for those weapons, 100%. We’re going to be sending Patriots to NATO, and then NATO will distribute that.

Merz said on Thursday that he had spoken with Trump but there has been no final decision. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also posted about a conversation with Trump: “I am now working closely with Allies to get Ukraine the help they need.”

Zelensky told Graham and Blumenthal:

Our current priority is bolstering air defense. Russia is aiming to launch attacks involving up to a thousand drones at once. That is why it is crucial to scale up protection, particularly by investing in interceptor drones….

We are ready for different formats, including purchasing a large defense package from the United States, jointly with Europe, to protect lives.