Ukraine-Russia war latest: ‘Russia’s Amazon’ hit by strikes as Trump aide says Putin losing 5,000 troops a week

Firefighters tackle blaze after Russian troops strike petrol station in Ukraine's Sumy regionRussian leader Vladimir Putin is losing a “staggering number” of troops – upwards of 5,000 to 6,000 in a week – in his war against Ukraine, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said.Rubio said the conflict is one of the only wars in history where the number of troops killed in combat is exceeding the number of troops injured.He added: “Russia is now suffering strikes deep in its territory, that’s something we didn’t see [before].”

Reiterating president Donald Trump’s central objective, Rubio said the US wants “that people stop dying, that people stop being slaughtered.”"At the end of the year, winter is still going to hit Ukraine, they're obviously going to have to defend their airspace and there are people suffering every day,” Rubio said in Manila yesterday, calling the conflict a “senseless war”. Meanwhile, Romania shot down drones violating its airspace on Friday morning, its president said.

Ukraine attacked Russian online retail giant Wildberries warehouses, which Kyiv said was part of infrastructure supporting the Russian military. RecommendedTrump ally Laura Loomer meets Zelensky in striking reversal on Ukraine warRubio meets Russia’s Lavrov as US bid to help end war in UkraineZelensky’s new military chief wins widespread approval after surprise sackingRussia says it won’t stop attacks on Black Sea shipping despite Indian protest over sailor deathsRussia says six people were killed in Ukrainian missile attack on Kirov factorySix people were killed and 26 injured in a Ukrainian missile attack on a factory in Russia's Kirov region, the regional governor, Alexander Sokolov, said on Friday.He said that some of those wounded were being treated in hospital and that a fire sparked by the attack had been put out.

Maira Butt24 July 2026 11:40Laura Loomer will ask Trump to ship signed MAGA hats ‘via delivery drone’ to Zelensky’s palace in UkraineHardline right-wing activist Laura Loomer has said she will personally ask President Donald Trump to send a shipment of signed “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) hats to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s presidential palace via a “high-tech delivery drone”.Loomer has backtracked on her position as one of Ukraine’s biggest critics, who has pushed a string of Kremlin-friendly narratives, and declared her support for the country’s cause against invasion by Russia – having conducted an interview with Zelensky for her social media channels that is yet to be released.In snippets shared on X, Loomer noted that Mr Zelensky was wearing a suit and “looks good” in one.

Laura Loomer to ask Trump to ship signed MAGA hats ‘via high-tech drone’ to Zelensky‘We may need to air drop it with a high tech delivery drone since airspace is still close in Ukraine. Either way, we will get this done,’ Ms Loomer saysMaira Butt24 July 2026 11:20In pictures: Aftermath of Ukrainian strikes on St Petersburg(Reuters)Smoke billows from the burning Wildberries warehouse following a Ukrainian drone attack, according to local authorities, in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Saint Petersburg, Russia July 24, 2026, in this still image taken from video. (Reuters)Smoke billows from the burning Wildberries warehouses following a Ukrainian drone attack, according to local authorities, in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Saint Petersburg, Russia July 24, 2026.

(Reuters)Maira Butt24 July 2026 11:00Why is Ukraine attacking Russia’s Wildberries warehouses?A significant warehouse operated by Russian online retail giant Wildberries in the Leningrad region, near St. Petersburg, caught fire on Friday following what Governor Alexander Drozdenko attributed to a Ukrainian drone attack.

Three people sustained injuries in the incident. Wildberries confirmed it had ceased operations at two regional logistics sites and evacuated staff from its Crimea warehouse. A Reuters video from the scene depicted two vast plumes of black smoke rising over the area.

This marks the fifth attack on Wildberries warehouses since 18 July, affecting around 10 per cent of its logistics capacity. Smoke rises from Wildberries warehouse on fire, from what the Ukrainian authorities say was following a drone attack, in Leningrad Region, Russia July 24, 2026 in this screengrab taken from a social media video. (Reuters)While Wildberries reported no staff injuries in this latest strike, eight people were killed in the 18 July attacks on logistics hubs in Kotovsk and Elektrostal.

On 22 July, 10 people were injured in attacks on Wildberries warehouses in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk. Kyiv maintains that the company is part of infrastructure supporting the Russian military, a claim Moscow denies, stating Wildberries is central to the consumer economy and handles no military supplies. Together with competitors, Wildberries and Ozon sell goods and services equivalent to 8.

5 per cent of Russia's gross domestic product, employing four million people, or o