(KYIV) – Ukraine has struck logistics centres belonging to the Russian e-commerce giant Ozon for the third consecutive night, according to regional authorities. A separate facility belonging to a Russian home goods retailer was also hit in Krasnodar, where falling drone debris killed two children and wounded seven other people.
Ozon facilities in three separate locations were targeted overnight, along with parts of occupied Crimea. The strikes followed weeks of attacks on Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries. Over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had begun a new campaign aimed at preventing large scale Russian missile attacks. Moscow continued to attack Ukrainian cities and villages, with at least three people killed in an overnight strike on Kharkiv.
Leaders from the UK, Estonia, Moldova, and Luxembourg, along with European Union officials, have arrived in Kyiv to mark 35 years of Ukrainian independence. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, European Council President Antonio Costa, Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden, Moldovan President Maia Sandu, and Estonian President Alar Karis arrived at Kyiv railway station on Monday ahead of the Independence Day ceremonies.
The European Commission has also announced an additional €6.1 billion to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences amid continued Russian attacks. This funding is on top of €16 billion in previously approved procurement plans to help Ukraine acquire new air defence systems.
Debate is growing over whether Ukraine should hold elections during the war. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been in office since 2019, while elections are prohibited under martial law. Former US Ambassador to Ukraine, William B. Taylor, told TVP World that a wartime vote has been rejected by the Ukrainian people. He cited the difficulty of enabling a million soldiers and approximately four million Ukrainians abroad to vote, as well as the challenge of securing polling places from Russian attacks.
President Zelenskyy has also signed a law establishing a National Pantheon memorial at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra historical complex. The move comes despite Polish concerns over who may eventually be honoured at the site. The bill was approved by Ukraine’s parliament on 1st July to honour Ukrainians considered important to the country’s independence and statehood. Poland is concerned that the Pantheon could include figures linked to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, which is widely held responsible for the mass killing of Poles in Volhynia during World War II. Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki warned that including people responsible for crimes against Poles would damage Ukraine’s relations with Poland and Europe.
A newly formed pro presidential party in Kazakhstan, Adilet, won a large majority in Sunday’s snap parliamentary elections. The party is chaired by President Kassym Jomart Tokayev’s former chief of staff and is effectively a rebrand of the Amanat party, which had ruled the country for decades. According to exit polls, Adilet is projected to receive around 72 percent of the vote. Critics argue that creating another fully loyal political force further strengthens Tokayev’s grip on power while presenting the change as part of a democratic reform process.
In Germany, Alternative for Germany co leader Alice Weidel said the party would withdraw Germany from the Schengen agreement and abandon the euro if it came to power. Her comments come ahead of next month’s state election in Saxony Anhalt, where the party holds a strong lead in opinion polls.
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