Russo-Ukrainian war, day 1634: Ukrainian hackers hobble Russia’s biggest marketplace, missiles reach Samara

Exclusives

Russia hunted civilians by drone in Kherson. Victims are suing the US firm they say helped connect the attackers.

Ukraine's quiet counteroffensive took 745 square km. Russia's dead Starlink is how. Six months, 26 settlements, and almost no video. Russia lost its battlefield communications three days in, and Ukrainian armor drove through the gap.

Ukraine's Zaporizhstal may idle half its capacity to fit new EU steel quotas. The EU dropped its steel duties in 2022 to help Ukraine through the war. On 1 July, it halved the tariff-free quotas and taxed the remainder at 50%.

Kosova is no precedent for Russia's annexation of Crimea—Ukraine should say so. Acknowledging Kosova's exceptional path would strengthen Kyiv's case against Moscow's occupation referendums, not weaken it.

Military

Captured Russian soldier describes 28-km crawl that killed most of his group before reaching Ukrainian lines. There, they were cut down from 16 to four and surrendered, the 71st Brigade says.

Reported Flamingo strike hits Samara industrial area housing factory that builds rockets for Russia's Starlink rival. The strike reached an industrial area in Samara roughly 900 kilometers from Ukraine.

Intelligence and technology

A jet-powered BM-35 can now hit 350 km/h. Russia says that's specifically to outrun Ukraine's interceptors. Russia has begun fitting jet engines to another attack drone, the BM-35, to outrun Ukraine's interceptors, following the same shift it made with Shaheds, adviser Serhii Beskrestnov says.

First warehouses burned, now payment system is down: Ukraine launches dual campaign against Russia's largest marketplace that reportedly moves drone parts. Ukrainian hackers disrupted the payment and customer-service systems of Russia's Wildberries marketplace, HUR says.

International

70 rescuers, 15 pieces of equipment, two weeks in France: Ukraine's rescuers just came home from their first-ever EU civil-protection mission. Ukraine's rescuers returned from nearly two weeks fighting French wildfires.

Humanitarian and social impact

Ukraine still hands Kremlin opponents back to Russia—even now. Ukraine never stopped handing Kremlin opponents to Russia and its own prisoner swaps, human rights defender says.

Read our earlier daily review here.