Russian missiles hit Kyiv as Ukraine drones strike Horlivka
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- Russia fired ballistic missiles at Kyiv early Sunday, sparking fires in a tower block near the historic center and wounding at least three civilians, according to mayor Vitali Klitschko.
- Ukraine struck the Russian-held city of Horlivka with drones, killing four civilians, per Kremlin-installed mayor Ivan Prikhodko.
- Separate Russian attacks killed one in Kharkiv (six wounded, including two children) and one man in Zaporizhzhia from a glide bomb, with six others wounded, per mayors Igor Terekhov and Ivan Fedorov.
- Russia's defense ministry claimed to have intercepted 133 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russia, the Black Sea, and Crimea.
- Finland's President Alexander Stubb said "Ukraine's position is stronger than ever since the war began," citing Kyiv's drone campaign against Russian energy sites after a call with Zelenskyy.
- Romania shot down a third suspected Russian drone in its airspace in three days, with two NATO F-16s from Fetești airbase engaging the target over the Black Sea, per President Nicușor Dan.
- Putin called on Russia's navy to defend "shadow fleet" oil tankers from Western "piracy" during a Navy Day speech that, for the second straight year, saw the St. Petersburg parade cancelled over force-protection concerns.
Why it matters: Russia struck civilians across three Ukrainian cities on the same day Ukraine's drones killed four in Russian-held Horlivka and NATO F-16s intercepted a third Russian drone over Romania — showing the 4-year war's escalation now spills into alliance airspace and buries any near-term diplomatic exit.
