Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin strikes civilian ship near Black Sea port after threatening ‘powerful’ attacks

Rescuers battle blaze as Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia leaves 12 injured, including one childRussia has attacked a civilian ship near the Black Sea port of Odesa, Kyiv has said, hours after Vladimir Putin vowed a powerful retaliation to Ukrainian attacks on its territory. The Russian president said Moscow would respond to Ukrainian attacks on its territory with retaliatory strikes that would be "several times more powerful", adding that the scale of such responses would increase.Moscow’s economy is increasingly strained by Kyiv’s recent long-range attacks on refineries, tankers and terminals that have caused widespread fuel shortages.

No casualties have been reported in the attack, Ukrainian navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk said. Moscow also launched fresh attacks on Kyiv, sparking fires in parts of the city, officials said, as the air alert was sounded in the early hours today.Mayor Vitali Klitschko said drone debris had hit the ground in an open area in an eastern suburb and cars had been set ablaze.

Six people were injured elsewhere in a town outside Kharkiv, its regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.RecommendedLindsey Graham’s death deprives Ukraine of a key ally who had Trump’s ear, experts sayPutin ‘will never make peace in Ukraine’ – Here’s the reason whyIs there a way out of Vladimir Putin’s forever war?UK joins 90 billion euro EU loan to UkraineUkraine says it struck two Russian oil refineries overnightWe’re seeing reports from the Ukrainian military of fresh strikes on two Russian oil refineries.

Facilities in the Bashkortostan and Krasnodar regions were attacked overnight, the military said.Ukraine's General Staff said on Telegram the strikes caused fires at the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat complex as well as near the Afipsky oil refinery.We’re working to bring you more on the attack.

Alex Croft14 July 2026 11:30Lindsey Graham’s death deprives Ukraine of a key ally who had Trump’s ear, experts saySophie Clark reports:Senator Lindsey Graham’s sudden death has removed a “vital diplomatic buffer between Washington and Kyiv”, experts have said, complicating support for Ukraine at a vital juncture of the war with Russia.Jaroslava Barbieri, a Research Fellow at the Ukraine Forum at Chatham House, told the Independent that Graham has been a critical voice in US foreign policy when it comes to support for Ukraine.The Republican senator for South Carolina was one of few vocally pro-Ukraine voices in the Republican Party.

He used his leverage in the Senate to lobby for military aid to Ukraine dating back to Russia’s initial illegal invasion of Crimea in 2014, per CNN.Since the invasion of Crimea, Graham, a prominent foreign policy hawk, has pushed for legislation that would prevent the U.S.

from ever recognising seized Ukrainian land as Russian, maintaining NATO funding, and increasing sanctions on the Russian economy.A picture taken on July 10, 2026 shows U.S.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaking to the media after his meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (Reuters)He even once called for someone in Vladimir Putin’s inner circle to assassinate the Russian president, saying they would be “doing your country – and the world – a great service,” per the Associated Press.Ms Barbieri told the Independent: “Senator Lindsey Graham served as a crucial bridge between traditional Republican foreign policy hawks and Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ administration, using his direct personal access to champion robust support for Ukraine and secure recent White House backing for major secondary sanctions against Russia.“His sudden passing removes a vital diplomatic buffer between Washington and Kyiv.”

Graham, 71, passed away suddenly from what a preliminary medical report has called an aortic dissection on Saturday.Read more here. Alex Croft14 July 2026 11:02Moscow attacks civilian vessel near Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa - KyivRussian forces have attacked a civilian vessel near Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa, Ukrainian navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk has said.

No casualties have been reported in the attack, Pletenchuk added. Odesa, Ukraine’s most important Black Sea port that is not under Russian occupation, has come under sustained Russian attack since it launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Alex Croft14 July 2026 10:30Watch: Emergency restoration work under way in Ukraine's Sumy after latest Russian airstrikesEmergency restoration work under way in Ukraine's Sumy after latest Russian airstrikesAlex Croft14 July 2026 10:01Ukrainian drones strike 11 vessels in Sea of AzovUkrainian drones hit 11 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov overnight, Kyiv's drone forces commander said on Tuesday.

In a statement on Telegram, Robert Brovdi said the targets included five tankers, five dry cargo vessels and a tugboat, bringing the total number of vessels struck in the past nine days to 116.Alex Croft14 July 2026 09:35Moscow may divert cargo from vessels in Sea of Azov after Ukrainian attacksMoscow has said it i