Russia Strikes Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih Shopping Center, and Civilian Cargo Ship

Russian forces launched a widespread drone and ballistic missile attack against Ukraine early Sunday morning, July 26, causing fires across multiple districts in the capital, striking a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih. In Kyiv, the State Emergency Service (DSNS) reported that fires broke out in the Desnianskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, and Solomianskyi districts following the overnight strikes.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. In the Desnianskyi district, emergency crews extinguished a fire that engulfed a 150-square-meter warehouse, as well as 10 passenger cars and one truck in a parking lot. In the Shevchenkivskyi district, a four-story abandoned building caught fire, which was subsequently put out by rescue workers. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko previously reported that in the Shevchenkivskyi district, debris struck an 18-story residential building, igniting a fire on the 7th and 8th floors. In the Solomianskyi district, a non-residential building caught fire and sustained structural damage. According to the DSNS, there were no casualties reported in the capital following the overnight attack. Explosions were also reported in the northeastern city of Kharkiv. Strike on Kryvyi Rih shopping center Concurrently, Russian forces attacked the central city of Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipropetrovsk region early on the morning of July 26. According to Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, the strike hit a local shopping center, sparking a large fire. Other Topics of Interest Russia’s Return to Olympics Exposes IOC’s Moral Collapse The International Olympic Committee’s decision to welcome Russia back to the LA Olympics is shameful, hypocritical and self-defeating. Hanzha stated that information regarding potential casualties is currently being verified. Attack on Palau-flagged grain ship The urban strikes coincided with a renewed assault on civilian maritime infrastructure in the Black Sea. On the evening of July 25, Russian forces launched a double drone strike against a civilian cargo ship sailing under the flag of Palau as it departed a port in the Odesa region. According to Mykola Kalashnyk, Ukraine’s Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, the vessel was transporting approximately 2,800 tons of corn to Greece. The strikes caused a massive fire on board the vessel. Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service reported that marine guards responded to a distress signal and evacuated individuals from the burning ship. Seven crew members and a Ukrainian pilot were rescued and transported to a secure location where they are receiving medical monitoring. Two sailors remain missing after being thrown into the water following the initial explosion. A search and rescue operation is currently underway. Kalashnyk condemned the attack, stating that it represents a deliberate strike on civilian infrastructure and international shipping, threatening global food security. Previous deadly strikes in the South The overnight barrage follows a series of deadly daytime attacks in southern Ukraine on July 25. Russian forces struck the southern city of Zaporizhzhia with three guided aerial bombs, hitting an industrial facility dedicated to the purification and delivery of drinking water. The strike killed one woman and injured eleven others, including three children. Earlier on the morning of July 25, Russian artillery shelled the central and Korabelny districts of Kherson. The strike hit a multi-story apartment building, killing a 47-year-old man and severely injuring two other residents, while causing widespread structural damage to surrounding residential and educational buildings. Tymur Dubovyk - journalist, newsfeed editor