It's early morning in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
From CNN staff
Volodomyr Zelensky speaks to the media in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 12. Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Two drones were shot down as they approached the Russian capital Thursday, Moscow's mayor said, the second such attempted attack reported by the official in two days.
It comes a day after Kyiv's forces shelled Russia's western Belgorod region, leaving one person dead and several wounded, according to its governor.
Meanwhile, Ukraine said it struck a Russian command post on Wednesday in the southern city of Nova Kakhovka in the Kherson region. The city is located on the Moscow-occupied east bank of the Dnipro River, where Russian state media and military bloggers claimed Ukrainian forces carried out a raid Tuesday.
Catch up on the latest headlines:
Zelensky appeal: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his call for more air defenses following a Russian attack that left two people dead in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia. He said he would continue to work with allies on Ukraine's request for US-made F-16 fighter jets. Meanwhile, the White House is downplaying a CNN poll that shows most Americans oppose Congress providing additional funding to support Ukraine in its war with Russia ahead of a reported administration request for more aid.
Frontline accounts: After months of headlines about Russian incompetence and disarray, Ukrainian troops are learning that Moscow’s better troops — the paratroopers on the southern frontlines — have not forgotten their training. “You shouldn’t honor the enemy,” one Ukrainian soldier told CNN. “But don’t underestimate him.” Read our exclusive report from the front lines here.
Donetsk attacks: Ukrainian shelling killed a child in the eastern city of Donetsk, the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic said. The Moscow-backed official also accused Ukraine of using cluster munitions — a claim CNN cannot independently verify. Kyiv has provided the Pentagon with a report about the use of controversial American cluster munitions in the fight with Russia, a Ukrainian official told CNN.
Belarus latest:Poland will send more troops to its border with Belarus after the country’s Border Guard asked for 1,000 more people to be deployed there, Polish official news agency PAP reported. Tensions have been escalating in recent weeks between the NATO member and key Kremlin ally after Warsaw accused Minsk of allowing Russian mercenary group Wagner to move toward the border. Meanwhile, the US took action against the regime of Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko to mark the third anniversary of the fraudulent election in the country and his brutal crackdown on protesters.
Russian history: Russia's Ministry of Education this week unveiled new history textbooks with sections about the "special military operation," — a term President Vladimir Putin uses to refer his war in Ukraine — the annexation of Crimea and Western sanctions. Critics say the move is a part of a sustained effort to indoctrinate school children and stifle any independent thinking.
Spying allegations: A German national has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office said. Prosecutors said the man worked for a government agency that equips German armed forces.
1 hr 2 min ago
Drones shot down near Moscow in second attempted attack in 2 days, Russian mayor says
From CNN’s Josh Pennington
Two "attack" drones were shot down as they approached the Russian capital on Thursday morning, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, the second such attack reported by the official in two days.
“This early morning, around 4 a.m., the air defense forces shot down two attack UAVs flying towards the city. One in the Kaluga region, the other near the Central Ring Road,” Sobyanin said in a Telegram post.
CNN has not independently confirmed the reported attacks.
15 min ago
Zelensky reiterates call for more air defenses following deadly Zaporizhzhia attack
From CNN's Radina Gigova
Volodymyr Zelensky visits the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey on July 8. Hakan Akgun/dia images/Getty Images/File
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday reiterated his call for more air defenses following a Russian attack that left two people dead in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia.
"Today, Russian terrorists hit Zaporizhzhia again — an ordinary building was hit, a church and a residential building were damaged," he said in his evening address. "Our entire territory needs much more air defense systems than we have now."
He said the Ukrainian military is working "step by step" to ramp up Air Force capabilities.
"I have no doubt that F-16s will be in our skies," Zelensky said, referring to the US-made fighters jets that he has asked allies to provide for the past few months.
"Tomorrow I will continue this work, trying my best to provide more protection for the sky."
3 hr 15 min ago
Kyiv submits report to Pentagon on cluster munition use
From CNN's Alex Marquardt
Ukraine has provided the Pentagon with a report about the use of controversial American cluster munitions in the fight with Russia, a Ukrainian official told CNN on Wednesday.
The official said the information transmitted to the Defense Department included both the number of rounds fired and the number of Russian targets destroyed, though the official declined to say what those figures are.
The expected report was a request by the US as part of the agreement to send artillery rounds with cluster bomblets — known as DPICMs — to Ukraine. In an interview with CNN last month, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said he was planning to submit the report to his counterpart, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
CNN has asked the Pentagon for comment.
Ukrainian officials have said they expect the DPICMs to be more effective than standard artillery rounds, particularly against large groupings of Russian troops and equipment. Last month, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said they were “having an impact on Russia’s defensive formations and Russia’s defensive maneuvering.”
The US, Russia and Ukraine are not signatories to the Convention on Cluster Munitions which bans the production and use of the weapons and was signed by more than 100 countries.
3 hr 17 min ago
Ukrainian shelling kills child in Donetsk city, Russia-backed official says
From CNN's Josh Pennington
A child was killed and three other people were injured after Ukrainian shelling in the eastern city of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), said Wednesday.
"A little girl has been killed as a result of a Ukrainian shell hitting a two-story house in the Petrovskyi district of Donetsk. According to initial reports, two more people were injured. [Another] person was wounded in the Kyivsky district," the Russia-appointed official said in a Telegram post.
Pushilin also claimed Ukrainian forces used "cluster-type artillery." CNN is not able to independently verify his claim.
3 hr 23 min ago
Ukrainian troops on southern front learn not to underestimate their enemy
Exclusive from CNN's Nick Paton Walsh, Kosta Gak, Olha Konovalova, Florence Davey-Attlee and Brice Laine
Rammed back into the bushes, out past destroyed Bradleys and ageing Humvees, the Soviet-era T72 lowers its turret to fire. Its targets are Russian positions, imperiled by Ukraine’s push south, just past the building over the horizon. Three rounds whistle into the distance, the tank is spotted, and is gone in a swirl of dust.
The front line near Robotine has been the focus of Ukraine’s renewed counteroffensive. And for troops here, the fight has been as tough as it has been to hear critical Western analysis of its pace. They have been dealt a tough hand: taking on a prepared Russian military, with donated NATO equipment that’s not always kept at NATO service standards. The Humvee in which CNN was driven to the front — becoming the first media to reach this part of Ukraine’s counteroffensive — had threadbare tires.
“They are wrong,” says Vitaly, a tank operator from the 15th National Guard, of Western criticism of their progress. “We have success. Sometimes more, sometimes less. It depends on how fortified they (the Russians) are.” The Russian troops had a year to get ready, he notes, adding: “The biggest problem is underestimation of the enemy.”
That is less of an issue for the troops here, who must speed past the destroyed US-donated Bradleys that litter the road after their earlier, troubled assaults. During a week spent with troops around the town of Orikhiv, CNN saw a palpable improvement in morale as some advances appeared to be made.
Senior Ukrainian official defends speed of counteroffensive progress
From CNN's Gul Tuysuz
Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, on Wednesday defended progress made by Kyiv in its counteroffensive.
He argued that before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian army was “hysterically feared and not even imagined to be effectively fought against.”
“In order to finally debunk another myth that yesterday people were afraid to even think about, everyone needs to be patient and closely monitor the high-quality work of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They will in any case achieve a mandatory and fair conclusion. Russia will cease to exist as a military threat after the war in Ukraine. At least for Ukraine and Europe. Meanwhile... offensive operations continue,” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In a video released Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the counteroffensive hasn't been easy and is "happening probably slower" than some had hoped.
His remarks came after CNN reported that Western officials describe increasingly “sobering” assessments about Ukrainian forces’ ability to retake significant territory as they struggle to break through Russia’s multi-layered defensive lines, according to senior US and Western officials briefed on the latest intelligence.
Two drones were shot down as they approached Moscow, the Russian capital's mayor said, the second such attempted attack reported by the official in two days.
Ukraine said it struck a Russian command post in Nova Kakhovka, Kherson region. The southern city is on the Moscow-occupied east bank of the Dnipro River, where Russian state media earlier claimed that Ukrainian troops had carried out a raid.
Kyiv's forces also shelled Russia's western Belgorod region, leaving one person dead and several wounded, its governor said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his call for more air defenses following a Russian attack that left two people dead in Ukraine's southern city of Zaporizhzhia.
Volodomyr Zelensky speaks to the media in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 12. Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Two drones were shot down as they approached the Russian capital Thursday, Moscow's mayor said, the second such attempted attack reported by the official in two days.
It comes a day after Kyiv's forces shelled Russia's western Belgorod region, leaving one person dead and several wounded, according to its governor.
Meanwhile, Ukraine said it struck a Russian command post on Wednesday in the southern city of Nova Kakhovka in the Kherson region. The city is located on the Moscow-occupied east bank of the Dnipro River, where Russian state media and military bloggers claimed Ukrainian forces carried out a raid Tuesday.
Catch up on the latest headlines:
Zelensky appeal: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his call for more air defenses following a Russian attack that left two people dead in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia. He said he would continue to work with allies on Ukraine's request for US-made F-16 fighter jets. Meanwhile, the White House is downplaying a CNN poll that shows most Americans oppose Congress providing additional funding to support Ukraine in its war with Russia ahead of a reported administration request for more aid.
Frontline accounts: After months of headlines about Russian incompetence and disarray, Ukrainian troops are learning that Moscow’s better troops — the paratroopers on the southern frontlines — have not forgotten their training. “You shouldn’t honor the enemy,” one Ukrainian soldier told CNN. “But don’t underestimate him.” Read our exclusive report from the front lines here.
Donetsk attacks: Ukrainian shelling killed a child in the eastern city of Donetsk, the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic said. The Moscow-backed official also accused Ukraine of using cluster munitions — a claim CNN cannot independently verify. Kyiv has provided the Pentagon with a report about the use of controversial American cluster munitions in the fight with Russia, a Ukrainian official told CNN.
Belarus latest:Poland will send more troops to its border with Belarus after the country’s Border Guard asked for 1,000 more people to be deployed there, Polish official news agency PAP reported. Tensions have been escalating in recent weeks between the NATO member and key Kremlin ally after Warsaw accused Minsk of allowing Russian mercenary group Wagner to move toward the border. Meanwhile, the US took action against the regime of Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko to mark the third anniversary of the fraudulent election in the country and his brutal crackdown on protesters.
Russian history: Russia's Ministry of Education this week unveiled new history textbooks with sections about the "special military operation," — a term President Vladimir Putin uses to refer his war in Ukraine — the annexation of Crimea and Western sanctions. Critics say the move is a part of a sustained effort to indoctrinate school children and stifle any independent thinking.
Spying allegations: A German national has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office said. Prosecutors said the man worked for a government agency that equips German armed forces.
Two "attack" drones were shot down as they approached the Russian capital on Thursday morning, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, the second such attack reported by the official in two days.
“This early morning, around 4 a.m., the air defense forces shot down two attack UAVs flying towards the city. One in the Kaluga region, the other near the Central Ring Road,” Sobyanin said in a Telegram post.
CNN has not independently confirmed the reported attacks.
Volodymyr Zelensky visits the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey on July 8. Hakan Akgun/dia images/Getty Images/File
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday reiterated his call for more air defenses following a Russian attack that left two people dead in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia.
"Today, Russian terrorists hit Zaporizhzhia again — an ordinary building was hit, a church and a residential building were damaged," he said in his evening address. "Our entire territory needs much more air defense systems than we have now."
He said the Ukrainian military is working "step by step" to ramp up Air Force capabilities.
"I have no doubt that F-16s will be in our skies," Zelensky said, referring to the US-made fighters jets that he has asked allies to provide for the past few months.
"Tomorrow I will continue this work, trying my best to provide more protection for the sky."
Ukraine has provided the Pentagon with a report about the use of controversial American cluster munitions in the fight with Russia, a Ukrainian official told CNN on Wednesday.
The official said the information transmitted to the Defense Department included both the number of rounds fired and the number of Russian targets destroyed, though the official declined to say what those figures are.
The expected report was a request by the US as part of the agreement to send artillery rounds with cluster bomblets — known as DPICMs — to Ukraine. In an interview with CNN last month, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said he was planning to submit the report to his counterpart, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
CNN has asked the Pentagon for comment.
Ukrainian officials have said they expect the DPICMs to be more effective than standard artillery rounds, particularly against large groupings of Russian troops and equipment. Last month, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said they were “having an impact on Russia’s defensive formations and Russia’s defensive maneuvering.”
The US, Russia and Ukraine are not signatories to the Convention on Cluster Munitions which bans the production and use of the weapons and was signed by more than 100 countries.
A child was killed and three other people were injured after Ukrainian shelling in the eastern city of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), said Wednesday.
"A little girl has been killed as a result of a Ukrainian shell hitting a two-story house in the Petrovskyi district of Donetsk. According to initial reports, two more people were injured. [Another] person was wounded in the Kyivsky district," the Russia-appointed official said in a Telegram post.
Pushilin also claimed Ukrainian forces used "cluster-type artillery." CNN is not able to independently verify his claim.
Rammed back into the bushes, out past destroyed Bradleys and ageing Humvees, the Soviet-era T72 lowers its turret to fire. Its targets are Russian positions, imperiled by Ukraine’s push south, just past the building over the horizon. Three rounds whistle into the distance, the tank is spotted, and is gone in a swirl of dust.
The front line near Robotine has been the focus of Ukraine’s renewed counteroffensive. And for troops here, the fight has been as tough as it has been to hear critical Western analysis of its pace. They have been dealt a tough hand: taking on a prepared Russian military, with donated NATO equipment that’s not always kept at NATO service standards. The Humvee in which CNN was driven to the front — becoming the first media to reach this part of Ukraine’s counteroffensive — had threadbare tires.
“They are wrong,” says Vitaly, a tank operator from the 15th National Guard, of Western criticism of their progress. “We have success. Sometimes more, sometimes less. It depends on how fortified they (the Russians) are.” The Russian troops had a year to get ready, he notes, adding: “The biggest problem is underestimation of the enemy.”
That is less of an issue for the troops here, who must speed past the destroyed US-donated Bradleys that litter the road after their earlier, troubled assaults. During a week spent with troops around the town of Orikhiv, CNN saw a palpable improvement in morale as some advances appeared to be made.
Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, on Wednesday defended progress made by Kyiv in its counteroffensive.
He argued that before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian army was “hysterically feared and not even imagined to be effectively fought against.”
“In order to finally debunk another myth that yesterday people were afraid to even think about, everyone needs to be patient and closely monitor the high-quality work of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They will in any case achieve a mandatory and fair conclusion. Russia will cease to exist as a military threat after the war in Ukraine. At least for Ukraine and Europe. Meanwhile... offensive operations continue,” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In a video released Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the counteroffensive hasn't been easy and is "happening probably slower" than some had hoped.
His remarks came after CNN reported that Western officials describe increasingly “sobering” assessments about Ukrainian forces’ ability to retake significant territory as they struggle to break through Russia’s multi-layered defensive lines, according to senior US and Western officials briefed on the latest intelligence.
