Zelenskyy urges swift EU sanctions after wave of Russian strikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for the rapid adoption of a new European Union sanctions package against Russia following a wave of overnight strikes across the country.

“Last night, the Russians launched 135 drones and 10 missiles of various types at our cities and communities, most of them ballistic. (...) Pressure on Russia must be increased. We must not lose time, and the EU’s 21st sanctions package should be adopted already this week. Every day of delay in sanctions decisions means additional time for Russia to prepare for sanctions. All components — chips, microcircuits, dual-use goods — everything Russia uses to prolong the war and strike people must be stopped. And our agreements with partners on European anti-ballistic defence are what can truly add security for our people.

We need to move together — every company and every country must be true defenders of life. The collective capabilities are sufficient, and together we can build truly reliable protection for Ukraine and all of Europe,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said fires broke out in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi and Darnytskyi districts following the attacks, with damage reported to infrastructure including a boarding school. A warehouse caught fire in Holosiivskyi, while vehicles ignited in an open area in Darnytskyi. Both fires were quickly extinguished.

Officials said there were no casualties in Kyiv, noting that “fortunately, there were no victims or injuries.”

In the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, 16 people, including a child, were injured in what regional authorities described as sustained attacks. Regional head Ivan Fedorov said Russian forces carried out 17 airstrikes, launched 691 drones — mostly FPV types — conducted two multiple rocket launcher strikes, and carried out 301 artillery attacks. Authorities received 190 reports of damage to infrastructure, homes, vehicles, and outbuildings.

Separately, a drone strike damaged civilian railway infrastructure in the Dnipropetrovsk region after hitting a freight locomotive, according to Ukraine’s Ministry for Communities and Territories Development. The train had been stopped in advance, and the crew had been evacuated, preventing casualties. The strike damaged the locomotive and cut power to the overhead line.

Regional officials said Russia also carried out around 20 drone attacks across four districts of the Dnipropetrovsk region.

In the Chernihiv region, a drone strike hit a residential building in the Nizhyn district, causing a fire that was later extinguished. “In the early morning, a Russian UAV attacked a residential house in the Nizhyn district. A fire broke out in the house, which rescuers quickly extinguished,” the State Emergency Service said.

In northern Zhytomyr region, attacks on July 14 damaged urban infrastructure, according to local authorities.

By Tamilla Hasanova