Record Russian strike on Kyiv, Ukraine-Russia prisoner exchange – Friday brief

Kyiv faces heavy attack with ballistic missiles and Shahed drones: Details

On the night of July 4, Kyiv once again became the target of a large-scale Russian air strike. The capital was attacked with missiles and drones. After the nighttime alarm, fires, debris, destruction, and casualties were reported in various areas of the capital.

From night until morning, Kyiv was shrouded in smoke, and residents were urged to close their windows for their own safety. Rescuers, medics, police, and utility workers are still dealing with the aftermath of the strike.

Read about the extent of the destruction in the RBC-Ukraine article.

It should be noted that in a comment to RBC-Ukraine, military expert Mykhailo Samus spoke about what could have caused this massive shelling.

Meanwhile, the Polish Foreign Ministry sent a note to the Russians regarding the damage to the embassy in Kyiv.

The ministry emphasized that such strikes violate international law, specifically the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Back from Russian captivity: Ukraine completes eighth prisoner exchange (photos, video)

On Friday, Ukraine and Russia carried out another prisoner exchange. It was the eighth such exchange under the June agreements in Istanbul.

It should be added that during the large-scale exchange, in addition to military personnel, Ukraine also managed to return a special category of civilians.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) showed exclusive photos and videos from the latest prisoner exchange.

Kryvyi Rih hit hard: Fire rages, power knocked out after latest strike

Yesterday afternoon, Russian troops struck Kryvyi Rih. The strilke caused a large fire and power outages in the city, and there are casualties.

Everything that is known about the consequences of the attack on Kryvyi Rih can be found in the article by RBC-Ukraine.

In the evening, the Russian army struck the city again, resulting in a fire in Kryvyi Rih.

RBC-Ukraine wrote about what Russia could have used to strike Kryvyi Rih and why it is unlikely to be a KAB.

First details of Trump-Zelenskyy call

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump held a telephone conversation.

According to Zelenskyy, he agreed with Trump to strengthen the protection of Ukrainian airspace from Russian attacks.

Also, according to the Ukrainian head of state, he and Trump agreed on a meeting between US and Ukrainian teams.T

This conversation took place against the backdrop of the suspension of arms supplies to Ukraine from the US. In particular, this decision affected Patriot missiles.

At the same time, Reuters, citing a source, writes about optimism regarding the resumption of Patriot missile supplies to Ukraine after a “very good” conversation between the presidents.

Bus overturns in Germany with Ukrainians among passengers

A bus carrying 54 people overturned near the town of Röbel in Germany. Among the passengers were Ukrainian citizens, according to NDR.

A FlixBus carrying 54 passengers and two drivers was en route from Copenhagen to Vienna when it overturned and veered into a ditch at around 2:30 a.m.

According to police, 31 people were injured — 25 sustained minor injuries and six were seriously hurt. One person was trapped inside the vehicle and was rescued after two hours. The man suffered life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to a hospital in Berlin.

Russian plant hit by drones resembling Iranian Shahed, possibly Ukrainian-made

Ukraine carried out a strike on the Azov Optical and Mechanical Plant in Russia’s Rostov region overnight on July 4. The facility was targeted with a new type of strike drone that visually resembles the Iranian-Russian Shahed, according to Defence Blog and a post by

The outlet analyzed photos and videos that circulated in Russian social media on the morning of July 4. One video captured the moment the drone hit the plant, and the drone's appearance closely resembled that of a Shahed.