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Kyiv says attack on Ukraine, which came hours after a Trump-Putin phone call, was the largest since the war began
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A Polish minister has told Donald Trump that Vladimir Putin is “mocking” his efforts towards peace, following a huge Russian air attack on Kyiv.
Moscow’s forces launched a record 539 drones and 11 missiles at Ukraine overnight, the Ukraine air force said. City authorities said at least 23 people were injured and heavy damage was sustained to railway infrastructure, buildings and cars.
The Polish consulate was among the buildings damaged, Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski said on X.
“President Trump, Putin is mocking your peace efforts,” he told the US president directly.
Mr Sikorski also called for Washington to fully restore the supply of weapons to Ukraine, after it partially halted transfers over concerns regarding its remaining stockpiles in the US.
“Please restore supplies of anti-aircraft ammunition to Ukraine and impose tough new sanctions on the aggressor,” Mr Sikorski said.
The strikes came just hours after Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin held a phone call, which the US president said resulted in “no progress at all” towards peace in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Dutch and German intelligence agencies both said on Friday Russia has made “widespread” use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Russia has been accused by European intelligence agencies of “widespread” use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine.
While it was already accused of using tear gas in its three-year war in Ukraine, German and Dutch intelligence agencies say Moscow has expanded its use of chemical weapons on the battlefield, including the use of potentially-lethal chemical choking agent chloropicrin.
Dutch intelligence said the chemical is dropped from Russian drones to force soldiers out of trenches so they can be shot, as Russia looks to continue making gains on the battlefield despite international efforts towards peace.
The chemical, which was widely used during World War One, can cause irritation of the lungs, eyes and skin and can cause diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea.
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Germany’s new military service scheme will train recruits over a six-month period in simple tasks like guard duties, sources familiar with the plans told Reuters on Friday, as the country seeks to boost its defences after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
With the help of the scheme – which is to be voluntary, with the possibility of drafting recruits if uptake is deemed too low – Germany hopes to double the number of its trained reservists from the current 100,000.
The defence ministry declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.
Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski has told Donald Trump that Vladimir Putin is “mocking” his peace efforts.
He urged the US president to restore full weapon supplies to Ukraine, after the US withdrew some military support citing the need to keep some of its machinery at home.
“Massive Russian attack last night has caused fires and much damage, including to the Polish consulate in Kyiv,” Mr Sikorski wrote on X.
“President Trump, Putin is mocking your peace efforts.
“Please restore supplies of anti-aircraft ammunition to Ukraine and impose tough new sanctions on the aggressor,” he added.
Russia and Ukraine exchanged another batch of prisoners of war on Friday, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement, without specifying how many soldiers were involved in the swap.
The warring sides have exchanged prisoners several times – the latest on June 26 – as part of an agreement struck in Istanbul last month.
Waves of drone and missile attacks targeted Kyiv overnight into Friday in the largest aerial attack since Russia’s war in Ukraine began, injuring 23 people and inflicting damage across multiple districts of the capital.
Russia launched 550 drones and missiles across Ukraine overnight, the country’s air force said. The majority were Shahed drones, while Russia used 11 missiles in the attack.
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Russia’s Rostov region and the Sergiyevo-Posadsky district near Moscow came under drone attack overnight into Friday, Russian authorities have reported.
Drones attacked several cities, damaging cars and residential buildings in the Rostov region, the regional governor Yury Slyusar said. Debris from one of the drones dropped on a local stadium, he added.
Russian authorities also said a high-rise building was destroyed in the village of Dolotnika, where a floor slab collapsed killing a pensioner. A total of 200 residents were evacuated, authorities said according to Ukrainska Pravda.
Russia has increased its use of chemical weapons in Ukraine, Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency said on Friday, citing evidence it obtained alongside its Dutch counterparts.
Russia uses not only tear gas, but also “the more dangerous chemical chloropicrin, which can be lethal in high concentrations in enclosed spaces” in Ukraine, the BND said in a statement.
“This represents a more serious violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the use of this lung warfare agent under all circumstances,” it said.
The defence minister and chief of military intelligence in the Netherlands told Reuters.
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Ukraine war latest: Trump told Putin is ‘mocking’ peace efforts by Polish minister – The Independent
