At least 11 people have been killed and dozens more wounded in two Ukrainian strikes—one on a Russian Black Sea resort and another on the annexed Crimean peninsula, officials said.
Russian authorities said seven people, including three children, died and about 40 were injured at the resort town of Gelendzhik. Moscow described the incident as a deliberate Ukrainian drone attack targeting civilians.
Videos shared on social media and verified by Reuters appeared to show a drone crashing into a crowded beach area near Gelendzhik, followed by a powerful explosion.
Reuters identified the location by comparing the buildings, coastline and surrounding trees with satellite and archive imagery.
Both Russia’s Black Sea coast and Crimea are popular summer destinations for Russian holidaymakers.
Ukraine frequently launches hundreds of drones into Russia overnight, describing the attacks as retaliation for Moscow’s repeated drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian towns and cities.
Four people were killed in a separate strike on Crimea, which Russia annexed, while Ukrainian officials said a Russian attack killed three people in the eastern city of Kryvyi Rig.
Pallbearers carry the coffins of family members during a funeral ceremony in Kryvyi Rig
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has repeatedly attacked its neighbour, including from positions on the Crimean peninsula.
In recent months, Ukraine has stepped up its strikes on Crimea, seized by Moscow in 2014, contributing to electricity and fuel shortages during the summer.
A Russian attack on Kryvyi Rig, the home city of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, killed three people, according to a local official.
“A fire broke out at the scene. A gas station and several cars were badly damaged,” said Oleksandr Ganzha, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region.
A photograph posted by Mr Ganzha showed firefighters battling the blaze alongside the charred remains of a car at the petrol station.
Zelensky sacks his ambassador to the US
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed his ambassador to the United States, Olga Stefanishyna, in a move widely expected after last month’s government reshuffle.
The decree was issued as Kyiv was pressing Washington for additional Patriot air defence systems to help shield Ukraine from Russian strikes.
In a Facebook post that included a letter requesting her release from the post, Ms Stefanishyna said the decision was hers and had been “dictated by personal circumstances”.
She described her assignment in Washington as “the greatest honour” of her life.
Mr Zelensky, who carried out a controversial reshuffle in July, has not announced a successor for Ms Stefanishyna.
Kremlin critic Nadezhdin flees Russia for France
Meanwhile, Russian anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin, who was recently detained outside Moscow and barred from running for parliament, has said he left the country in a video recorded in Paris.
Mr Nadezhdin was among the few politicians who had openly criticised President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s war in Ukraine while continuing to live in the country.
Nearly all of Mr Putin’s prominent critics are now in prison, exile or dead.
Mr Nadezhdin had hoped to stand in tightly controlled parliamentary elections scheduled for September.
Boris Nadezhdin quit his election campaign last month
As his campaign gathered momentum last month, authorities designated him a “foreign agent”, briefly detained him and then fined him 1,000 rubles (€10) for displaying “extremist symbols”. The hearing became dramatic when paramedics were called after his blood pressure rose sharply.
Under mounting pressure—which would technically have prevented him from standing—he announced that he was ending his campaign, saying he had been “silenced” and “pushed out of politics”.
He posted a video on his Telegram channel showing the Eiffel Tower in the background.
“I have some good news: I’m alive and free. Unfortunately, not in Russia,” Mr Nadezhdin said.
“For now, I need to get my bearings and figure out how to move forward. I’ll write about my plans later,” he added.
Mr Nadezhdin had been campaigning to become an MP representing the town of Dolgoprudny outside Moscow.
He said last month that officials had targeted him because they were “nervous” about his popularity.
The former municipal councillor also tried to run for president in 2024 against Mr Putin, collecting tens of thousands of signatures before being barred from the election.
Denmark begins extended military conscription in response to Russia, Trump
Elsewhere, about 1,600 Danish recruits have begun the country’s newly extended conscription programme, starting an 11-month period of military service as Denmark expands its defences in response to concerns over Arctic security and the war in Ukraine.
Denmark announced in 2024 that women would be included in conscription for the first time and that standard service would rise to 11 months from four. The number of conscripts is also expected to grow to 7,500 a year by 2033, up from 5,000.
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The latest intake comes as Denmark prepares to send conscripts to Greenland for the first time later this month. A company of more than 100 soldiers will spend one month there, taking over operational duties from professional troops.
The deployment has additional political significance because US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for the annexation of the semi-autonomous Danish territory, citing national security concerns. The governments of Greenland and Denmark have firmly rejected the demand.
Speaking at last month’s NATO summit in Ankara, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said her country was prepared to defend every inch of territory covered by the military alliance, “including our own”.
French court rejects pro-Kremlin commentator’s deportation appeal
A court in Paris has rejected an appeal by a Russian television commentator ordered to leave France after authorities accused her of promoting pro-Kremlin propaganda.
The decision follows France’s move last week to expel Xenia Fedorova and freeze her assets, an action she condemned as “censorship”.
Xenia Fedorova was a former journalist for Russia’s state-run RT
The 45-year-old, who previously worked as a journalist for Russia’s state-run RT television channel, failed to demonstrate that being ordered to leave France would result in “serious personal consequences”, the Paris administrative court said.
Her lawyer said Ms Fedorova was outside France when the expulsion order was issued and would not return unless the decision was suspended or overturned.
She plans to challenge the ruling, her lawyer Emmanuel Piwnica said.
