Russian strikes kill Ukrainian woman as NATO jet downs drone over Romania

Key Points:

• Russian missile and drone strikes killed one woman and wounded six others in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, while Kyiv was also targeted by ballistic missiles, injuring one person and causing fires in non-residential areas.
• Romania’s Defence Ministry reported that a Spanish F-18 jet shot down a drone violating Romanian airspace during a NATO mission, marking the fourth drone shot down in Romania this year amid frequent Russian drone incursions.
• Russia continues near-daily missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, targeting areas far from the front lines and impacting civilian populations, with July marking the highest civilian casualties since 2022 according to UN data.
• In response, Ukraine has escalated strikes deep inside Russia, including a large-scale drone incursion on Moscow that led to over 100 drones being shot down and three injuries from falling debris.
• The conflict’s effects extend to regional security, with mines and unmanned sea drones reported in the Black Sea, complicating shipping lanes and heightening tensions in neighboring countries like Romania.