Kyiv launches major Crimea drone attack as Ukraine’s foreign minister visits China

Russian forces are conducting drills involving Yars mobile nuclear missile launchers, Russian media reported on Tuesday, in what would be the second such exercise in less than a month.

Missile launcher crews in the Volga river basin, some 700km (435 miles) east of Moscow, were set to move over 100km (62 miles) and practice camouflage and deployment, the Interfax news agency reported.

The drills follow similar exercises in early July in at least two different regions and are taking place less than two months after Russia held tactical nuclear weapons deployment exercises alongside ally Belarus.

Russia’s Kommersant newspaper reported on Tuesday that the systems, equipped with a missile with multiple warheads, can hit targets at a distance of 11,000 km. It also reported that the systems can be mounted onto truck carriers or deployed in silos.

Since invading Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has conducted numerous military exercises on its own or with other countries including China and South Africa.

The Russian defence ministry said its defence systems destroyed 25 attack drones that Ukraine launched overnight.

It said some 21 drones were destroyed over the Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea waters, while two each were downed over Russia’s Bryansk and Belgorod regions that border Ukraine, the ministry said.

If confirmed, it would represent the second major Ukrainian drone attack on Putin’s forces in as many nights. Russia said its defences destroyed 75 Ukrainian drones targeting several Russian regions on Sunday night.

The former deputy prime minister is running for the country’s presidency, writes Kim Sengupta. He knows support from the West against the Kremlin will be vital

The European Union has denied Hungary the right to host the next meeting of foreign and defence ministers over its controversial stance on the Ukraine war and close ties with Russia.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said the decision was a consequence of Hungary’s own actions and “we have to send a signal, even if it is a symbolic signal”.

Hungary has assumed the chair of the Council of the European Union, a role which would normally see it host the informal meeting of foreign and defence ministers scheduled for 28-30 August. Hungary has denounced the move as “completely childish”.

Hungary’s outlier stance on the Ukraine war has angered its European partners, with right-wing prime minister Viktor Orban holding a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month

Mr Orban called it a “peace meeting” and said Hungary “took the first step to restore dialogue” with Russia. He also accused the EU of having a “pro-war policy”.

Mr Borrell told reporters: “If you want to talk about the war party, talk about Putin. “I can say that all member states – with one single exception – are very much critical about this behaviour. “I think it was… appropriate to show this feeling and to call for the next foreign and defence council meetings in Brussels.”

A Czech-led initiative to buy ammunition from around the world for Ukraine will deliver 100,000 rounds to the country in July and August, Czech foreign minister Jan Lipavsky said on Monday.

The Czech Republic has been an avid supporter of Ukraine against Russian aggression and led efforts to raise funds to get more ammunition and shell deliveries to Kyiv.

“During July and August we will send about a total of 100 (thousand) pieces more. From September these deliveries will accelerate,” Mr Lipavsky told reporters in Brussels.

Russia has claimed that its air defence systems in a Crimean port destroyed more than 15 drones launched by Ukraine overnight.

The Russia-installed governor of Sevastopol said today that the Ukrainian assault in the city was thwarted with no loss of lives or infrastructure.

“No objects in the city were damaged,” Mikhail Razvozhayev said on his Telegram channel.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, is arriving for talks in China today to press Russia’s closest ally to end the war.

Mr Kuleba’s visit is unusually long, running from today until Friday 26 July. It comes at the invitation of the Communist Party of China, and will see Mr Kuleba meet with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Monday.

China has presented itself as a neutral party despite its deepening “no limits” ties with Russia. Beijing has not condemned the war but called for peace, presenting itself as a mediator.

However, the US and Europe have accused China of sending dual use components and equipment that can help Russia in the war.

“This will be the first bilateral visit to your country (China) in my capacity as foreign minister. We will discuss important matters, such as restoration of peace, deepening our bilateral dialogue, expanding trade and economic cooperation,” Mr Kuleba said.

“We have a lot to achieve, if we work together.”

Ukraine‘s top commander said on Monday that Russian forces were staging relentless assaults to try to advance towards the town of Pokrovsk, a logistics hub in the east, and that there was active fighting taking place along the entire front line.

“The enemy pays no attention to their fairly high level of losses and continues to push through towards Pokrovsk,” Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a statement from the eastern front.

Pokrovsk is less than 15 miles from Russian-occupied land, according to open-source intelligence battlefield maps, and lies at an intersection of roads and a railway that makes it an important logistics point for the military in the east.

“Active combat operations of varying intensity are taking place along the entire front,” Mr Syrskyi said, noting that Russian forces were also trying to capture floodplain islands near the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X that he respected the “tough but strong decision” by US president Biden to drop out of the campaign, and he thanked him for his help “in preventing (Russian President Vladimir) Putin from occupying our country.”

In a post, he said: “Ukraine is grateful to President Biden for his unwavering support for Ukraine’s fight for freedom, which, along with strong bipartisan support in the United States, has been and continues to be critical.

“Many strong decisions have been made in recent years and they will be remembered as bold steps taken by President Biden in response to challenging times. And we respect today’s tough but strong decision. We will always be thankful for President Biden’s leadership.

“He supported our country during the most dramatic moment in history, assisted us in preventing Putin from occupying our country, and has continued to support us throughout this terrible war.

“The current situation in Ukraine and all of Europe is no less challenging, and we sincerely hope that America’s continued strong leadership will prevent Russian evil from succeeding or making its aggression pay off.”

China’s foreign ministry said on Monday Ukraine foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba will visit China from 23-26 July.