Live: Russian attack sets ablaze Ukraine’s Izmail port infrastructure

Russia struck the area around Ukraine’s largest Danube port of Izmail overnight, causing damage and triggering a fire, regional authorities said. Meanwhile, Moscow reported intercepting and destroying 362 Ukrainian drones overnight, with an attack in Russia’s Salavat area igniting a blaze at an oil refinery.

Drone Attack Triggers Fire at Russia’s Salavat Oil Refinery

A drone strike ignited a fire in an industrial area of Salavat, Russia’s Bashkortostan republic, home to a major oil refinery and petrochemical complex. The incident was confirmed by the republic’s head, Radiy Khabirov, on messaging app Telegram.

Russia Claims to Have Intercepted 362 Ukrainian Drones Overnight

Russia’s Defence Ministry said it intercepted and destroyed 362 Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple regions, as reported by local authorities.

Ukraine’s Military Aid Surges Despite Long-Term Shortages

Boosted by new EU financing, military aid to Ukraine in June reached its highest level since the U.S. pulled funding, though long-term support remains a concern. According to the Kiel Institute, Kyiv received 7.2 billion euros ($8.3 billion) in military aid in June, the highest allocation since the 9.04 billion euros given in April 2024. U.S. funding had ceased in February 2025. This marked the third-largest monthly funding increase from donors since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, as tracked by the think tank’s Ukraine Support Tracker.

The surge was largely driven by the European Union’s new Ukraine Support Loan, which helped European institutions distribute 4.3 billion euros of military aid in May and June.

The 90-billion-euro EU loan was introduced in 2026 to support Ukraine’s budgetary and defence needs in both 2026 and 2027.

“The rapid launch of the Ukraine Support Loan sends a positive signal to Ukraine,” said Taro Nishikawa, project lead of Kiel’s Ukraine Support Tracker.

In addition, Germany allocated 700 million euros, Denmark 600 million euros, and the Netherlands 500 million euros to bolster Ukraine’s military efforts.

Ukraine’s Izmail Port Infrastructure on Fire After Russian Attack

Russia struck the area around Ukraine’s largest Danube port of Izmail overnight, causing damage and setting off a fire, regional authorities said. Izmail, located near the Romanian border in the Odesa region, handles grain and other commodities, and the attack came a day after Ukraine struck Novorossiysk, a major grain export hub in Russia’s Black Sea region.

Romania, a member of NATO and the European Union, scrambled two fighter jets, its defence ministry said on X. An aerial target spent approximately 10 minutes in Romanian airspace before departing for Ukraine.

Hello and welcome to FRANCE 24’s live coverage of the conflict in Ukraine.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)

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