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Ukraine calls for tighter sanctions as Russian attacks spark Kyiv gridlock

3:17 PM ETConfirmed

World Desk

In Short: Ukraine’s air defenses downed 101 of 138 drones launched by Russia overnight. France and Slovakia have forced the European Union to remove two Russian oligarchs from the sanctions list, a move necessary for the EU to extend sanctions for 36 months.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on allies to tighten sanctions against Russia after a wave of strikes triggered gridlock across Kyiv. Zelenskyy urged international partners to prevent Moscow from sourcing components for its arsenal, as Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine face attacks around the clock.

The city of Kyiv experienced significant disruptions following Russian aerial attacks that forced the partial closure of three bridges over the Dnipro River. Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that Russia was “tearing Kyiv apart” and that the city should now be on a war footing.

Zelenskyy has persistently called for additional help to boost Ukraine’s air defences during Moscow’s concentrated air campaign. He noted that supply chains for such weapons trail through Europe, the United States, China, and Japan.

European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc was “working on new proposals to tighten sanctions enforcement” and implement new measures. US President Donald Trump separately signed a sweeping Russian sanctions package into law, targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, banks, other financial institutions, and the energy and defence sectors.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian strikes targeted a kindergarten in Kherson, a grocery store in Kharkiv, and apartment buildings in Kramatorsk and Sumy. At least four people were reported wounded in the Dnipro, Odesa, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Poltava, and Rivne regions.

The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that its drones hit a bridge over the Dnipro River in Kyiv, a power station in the surrounding region, the Izmail port near Odesa, and a cargo vessel. Ukraine’s military responded with overnight attacks on Russia, hitting a Lukoil facility in Volgograd and an oil dispatch station in the Samara region.

Traffic chaos gripped the Ukrainian capital on Friday after Russian drone attacks overnight closed key bridges. Kyiv’s Southern Bridge and Paton Bridge, key routes for cars and public transport across the Dnipro River, were closed in both directions.

Long lines of stationary cars and buses were gridlocked on main roads as commuters sought alternative routes or made their way on foot. Mayor Klitschko emphasized that it was no longer possible to pretend that they could live as they did in peacetime.

At least six civilians have been murdered and 38 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day. In Zaporizhzhia city and the surrounding region, eight people were wounded amid attacks on a shopping mall, an educational institution, and residential buildings.

Data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air shows that China accounted for 50% of Russian crude exports between December 2022 and August 2026, followed by India at 37%. The bill, passed by the US House of Representatives, gives Trump broad powers to levy tariffs of up to 100% on the top five purchasers of Russian oil and gas.

Russian forces launched strikes near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing along Ukraine’s western border with Poland, damaging a filling station and hitting the locomotive of a passenger train en route to Warsaw.

The latest attacks and gridlock in Kyiv add to the ongoing challenges faced by Ukraine, with international support and sanctions playing a critical role in the conflict.

Background

What's confirmed

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on allies to tighten sanctions against Russia after a wave of strikes triggered gridlock across Kyiv. Zelenskyy urged international partners to prevent Moscow from sourcing components for its arsenal, as Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine face attacks around the clock.
• The city of Kyiv experienced significant disruptions following Russian aerial attacks that forced the partial closure of three bridges over the Dnipro River. Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that Russia was “tearing Kyiv apart” and that the city should now be on a war footing.
• Zelenskyy has persistently called for additional help to boost Ukraine’s air defences during Moscow’s concentrated air campaign. He noted that supply chains for such weapons trail through Europe, the United States, China, and Japan.
• European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc was “working on new proposals to tighten sanctions enforcement” and implement new measures. US President Donald Trump separately signed a sweeping Russian sanctions package into law, targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, banks, other financial institutions, and the energy and defence sectors.
• Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian strikes targeted a kindergarten in Kherson, a grocery store in Kharkiv, and apartment buildings in Kramatorsk and Sumy. At least four people were reported wounded in the Dnipro, Odesa, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Poltava, and Rivne regions.
• The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that its drones hit a bridge over the Dnipro River in Kyiv, a power station in the surrounding region, the Izmail port near Odesa, and a cargo vessel. Ukraine’s military responded with overnight attacks on Russia, hitting a Lukoil facility in Volgograd and an oil dispatch station in the Samara region.
• Traffic chaos gripped the Ukrainian capital on Friday after Russian drone attacks overnight closed key bridges. Kyiv’s Southern Bridge and Paton Bridge, key routes for cars and public transport across the Dnipro River, were closed in both directions.
• Long lines of stationary cars and buses were gridlocked on main roads as commuters sought alternative routes or made their way on foot. Mayor Klitschko emphasized that it was no longer possible to pretend that they could live as they did in peacetime.
• At least six civilians have been murdered and 38 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day. In Zaporizhzhia city and the surrounding region, eight people were wounded amid attacks on a shopping mall, an educational institution, and residential buildings.
• Data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air shows that China accounted for 50% of Russian crude exports between December 2022 and August 2026, followed by India at 37%. The bill, passed by the US House of Representatives, gives Trump broad powers to levy tariffs of up to 100% on the top five purchasers of Russian oil and gas.
• Russian forces launched strikes near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing along Ukraine’s western border with Poland, damaging a filling station and hitting the locomotive of a passenger train en route to Warsaw.
• The latest attacks and gridlock in Kyiv add to the ongoing challenges faced by Ukraine, with international support and sanctions playing a critical role in the conflict.

What's still developing

• Ukrainian forces also carried out missions in several other Russian regions that targeted airfields, industrial sites and other facilities, including in the Black Sea, Zelenskyy said.
• Russian authorities in the Black Sea port town of Tuapse said an enterprise was damaged by drone debris, but they did not provide details.
• The removal of Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman was necessary for the EU to extend the sanctions for 36 months rather than the originally planned 12.
• The election is the first national vote during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
• The bill is named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Ukraine's staunchest defenders in Washington before his death on 11 July.
• Additionally, the bill includes sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior figures within the Russian government as well as banks and other financial institutions and Russia's "shadow fleet" of tankers used to circumvent existing sanctions.
• Senator Graham had long sought to push the Trump administration to do more to punish Russia for the war that followed its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
• Concurrently, state rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia reported that Russian munitions struck the locomotive of a passenger train traveling from Kyiv to Warsaw approximately two kilometers from the Polish border.

Sources

• Al Jazeeralink
• EA WorldViewlink
• BBClink
• Kyivpostlink
• Turkiyetodaylink
• Thediplomaticinsightlink
• NPRlink
• Themoscowtimeslink
• Timesofisraellink
• Newscordlink
• Nypostlink
• Washingtonstandlink
• Warpbeatlink
• WarpBeat — background on Russian Attacks Kill 9, Wound 56 in Ukraine link
• WarpBeat — background on Russian Attacks Kill 9, Wound 56 Across Ukraine link
• Mint — video link