KYIV, July 7: Russian attacks on Ukraine have killed at least 11 civilians and injured over 80 others, including seven children. Russian transport minister Roman Starovoit was found dead in an apparent suicide, following a weekend of travel chaos due to the threat of drone attacks from Ukraine. Russian officials did not give a reason for his dismissal, but air traffic disruptions have become customary amid frequent Ukrainian drone raids and were unlikely to have triggered his dismissal. Starovoit served as Russia’s transport minister since May 2024 and could have been linked to an investigation into the embezzlement of state funds allocated for building fortifications in the Kursk region.
Russia fired more than 100 drones at civilian areas of Ukraine overnight, and Ukraine has recently intensified its airstrikes on civilian areas after more than three years of war. In the past week, Russia launched 1,270 drones, 39 missiles, and almost 1,000 powerful glide bombs at Ukraine. Ukraine’s bigger army is also trying hard to break through at some points along the roughly 1,000-kilometer front line, where Ukrainian forces are severely stretched. The strain of keeping Russia’s invasion at bay, the lack of progress in direct peace talks, and last week’s halt of some promised U.S. weapons shipments has compelled Ukraine to seek more military help from the U.S. and Europe.
Ukraine has signed deals with European allies and a leading U.S. defense company to step up drone production, ensuring Kyiv receives “hundreds of thousands” more this year. The extensive use of drones has also helped Ukraine compensate for its troop shortages on the front line. More Russian long-range drone strikes targeted military mobilization centers for the third time in five days, in an apparent attempt to disrupt recruitment. (AP)
