Overview
- Ukrainian long‑range drone and missile strikes struck a St. Petersburg oil terminal, port facilities and the Kronstadt naval base while a separate strike in northern Crimea killed one person, according to Ukrainian confirmations and Moscow‑installed regional officials.
- The attacks form part of a 40‑day pressure campaign approved by Kyiv to degrade Russian energy and logistics, with officials and analysts saying refining output has fallen and more than a dozen regions have imposed fuel rationing.
- Russia reports shooting down hundreds of drones and describes the strikes as terrorism, while President Vladimir Putin has publicly downplayed shortages as manageable and rejected ceasefire proposals.
- The 90‑minute call on July 4 between President Donald Trump and President Putin included an offer from Trump to help find a settlement and a pledge that U.S. envoys would continue mediation efforts, according to the Kremlin.
- The strikes are raising immediate costs for Russian civilians through rationing and halts to retail sales in occupied Crimea, and they increase pressure on diplomatic channels ahead of next week’s NATO summit even though Kyiv and Moscow remain far apart on core terms.