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Ukraine has hit 12 Russian tankers in the Sea of Azov, the general staff of the armed forces has said.
“The affected vessels were used, among other, to supply fuel and oil materials to the grouping of troops of the Russian Federation, as well as to transport oil and petroleum products in the absence of international sanctions,” read a statement on Telegram.
“They provide the export of energy carriers, which is one of the key sources of financing the war against Ukraine.”
One tugboat and one dry loader were also among the vessels struck.
Meanwhile, president Donald Trump has said the US will allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors by giving the war-hit nation a license to built a defence against incoming Russian missiles.
“We’re going to give a license to you to make Patriots. That’s pretty cool. This way, you can’t complain that we’re not giving ’em enough,” Trump said at a meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the Nato summit in Ankara.
However, Trump’s announcement triggered condemnation from Moscow, with a foreign ministry spokesperson saying Nato’s decisions at the Turkey summit could have catastrophic consequences.
I have visited Russia every year since the Ukraine war began. The mood has changed
The hope is that an economic crisis in Russia leads to social unrest and political instability, possibly resulting in the collapse of the ruling regime. This would not be an unprecedented event in Russian history. The Soviet Union rapidly unravelled amid economic and political crisis in 1991. But how likely is this scenario for Russia today?
Maira Butt9 July 2026 16:30
In pictures: Zelensky meets world leaders at Nato summit this week
U.S. President Donald Trump (R) meets with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (L) for bilateral talks at Beştepe Presidential Compound during the NATO Summit on July 08, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. Leaders from NATO’s 32 countries, plus NATO allies like Ukraine, gathered in the Turkish capital to discuss a range of issues involving spending targets, defence industrial production, and support for Ukraine, among other topics. (Getty)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (L) shake hands with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Ankara, on July 7, 2026. (Photo by Michael Kappeler / POOL / AFP via Getty Images) (AFP/Getty)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (2R) meets with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (2L) during a bilateral meeting during the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Ankara, on July 7, 2026. (AFP/Getty)
Maira Butt9 July 2026 16:00
Nato chief Mark Rutte claims that Trump trashing European allies is ‘like a family argument’
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has once again come to the defence of Donald Trump, insisting that the President’s divisive comments about European allies are akin to a “family argument”.
Rutte, who refused to criticise the US leader throughout, was asked by a Danish reporter if supporting Trump while he lashed out at allies and started trade wars “has any effect on your self-respect“.
Maira Butt9 July 2026 15:30
Ukraine’s top prosecutor says no signs of Kyiv being behind Nord Stream blasts
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General denied on Thursday Kyiv’s involvement in blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022, and proposed forming a joint investigation team with Germany, which suspects that Ukrainian state entities were behind the explosions.
The explosions, months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, damaged the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, a vital route for Russian gas exports to Europe, as well as the Nord Stream 2 branch, which had yet to enter service.
The Prosecutor General’s office said in a statement that, based on the investigation so far, no evidence indicated that Ukraine, its official entities or any of its officials were involved in the September 2022 explosions in the Baltic Sea, or had issued any related orders on behalf of Ukraine.
Gas leak at Nord Stream 2 as seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm, Denmark September 27, 2022. (Reuters)
Maira Butt9 July 2026 15:00
Watch: Zelensky shares footage he says shows Ukrainian army striking Russian oil depotsZelensky shares footage he says shows Ukrainian army striking Russian oil depots
Maira Butt9 July 2026 14:30
Trump confuses Iran for ‘Islamic Republic of Japan’ in Zelensky Q&A
The 80-year-old American president was in the midst of a freewheeling impromptu press conference alongside the Ukrainian leader when he began extolling the virtues of American defensive weaponry after what he said was an attack on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln.
Maira Butt9 July 2026 13:30
Kremlin says US has ‘misconception’ that escalation of Ukrainian strikes can help end war
Russia said on Thursday that the United States was mistaken in its belief that deep Ukrainian strikes into Russian territory could help bring about an end to the war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said that any creation of a no-fly zone over Ukraine would mean that Nato was operating there, which was exactly what Russia was trying to prevent.
Maira Butt9 July 2026 13:04
Trump’s announcement on Patriots for Ukraine welcomed in Washington
Senior officials in the US have welcomed Donald Trump’s announcement on allowing Ukraine to make their own Patriot missile interceptors.
Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s ambassador to Washington, said the meeting in Ankara sent “several important strategic signals” about collaboration between the US and Ukraine and said she looked forward to turning the signals into concrete decisions.
“We highly value the United States’ continued engagement in advancing a path toward a just and lasting peace,” Stefanishyna said in a statement.
US lawmakers also praised the announcement.
“This is a great decision,” Republican Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska said on X.
“The manufacturer is currently not keeping up with the needs, and this will surely help.”
Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut also praised the announcement.
“Enabling Ukraine to manufacture Patriot interceptors will save civilian lives, strengthen its long-term security, & bolster the arsenal of the democratic world,” he said on X.
Maira Butt9 July 2026 13:00
Russia bans diesel exports to protect domestic supply after Ukrainian drone attacks on oil facilities
Russia introduced a ban on diesel exports on Wednesday among a raft of measures to support the domestic fuel market after systematic Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries triggered gasoline shortages and price spikes.
Drivers in many regions are facing hours-long lines to refuel as intensifying Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure squeeze supplies of diesel and gasoline.
Deputy prime minister Alexander Novak told a televised government meeting, chaired by president Vladimir Putin, that the fuel situation remained complex and that “it is clear that the current situation at filling stations is causing concern among the public”.
“Today, a ban on diesel fuel exports was introduced, and this will make it possible to increase supplies to the domestic market,” he said, adding that Russia would start importing fuel in July.
The ban will stay in place till 31 July.
Industry sources said last week that Russia had started seaborne imports of gasoline from India.
Maira Butt9 July 2026 12:25
Russia fumes at Nato summit decisions on aid for Ukraine and defence
Russia denounced Nato’s decisions at a summit in Turkey, saying they could have catastrophic consequences, after the alliance announced military aid to Ukraine and reaffirmed members’ commitment to collective defence.
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Nato’s priorities remained unchanged.
“The militarisation of the European continent, the focus on building up defence capabilities, preparation for an armed conflict with Russia, and, of course, aid to Ukraine,” she said.
“It is a pity, because if Nato strategists had stopped and thought for a moment, they might not have made such irresponsible decisions that could lead to a catastrophe not just for the alliance, but for the whole world,” Zakharova said in a statement on her ministry’s website.
Nato members at the summit pledged €70bn (£59.7bn) in military assistance to Ukraine for 2026.
They reaffirmed their “ironclad commitment” to collective defence under the alliance’s Article 5 pact in a summit declaration and unveiled arms deals worth at least $50bn.
In her comments, Zakharova said “cracks” between the United States and its Nato partners “have not gone anywhere”.
“Against this backdrop, the Americans do not hide their disappointment with the North Atlantic bloc,” she wrote.
“The issue with Greenland is not being resolved according to the American scenario. There is also resentment that alliance members, as Washington sees it, did not act in a supportive way when the United States needed their backing,” she said.
Maira Butt9 July 2026 11:50