Trump: 'What Russia is doing is disgusting. I will impose sanctions on Moscow, don't know if it will help"

The most massive attack in recent weeks hit Ukraine in the night between Wednesday and Thursday. More than 300 drones and eight Russian missiles were launched all over the territory, with Kiev as the main target.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, it was one of the most intensive operations since the beginning of the conflict: 309 drones of various types - including several Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones - and eight Iskander-K cruise missiles. Kiev's air defences shot down three missiles and electronically neutralised or intercepted as many as 291 drones. Nevertheless, the damage is extensive.

One of the missiles hit a residential building in the capital, while 21 kamikaze drones targeted 12 different locations. Debris from the downed ones fell at 19 locations, most of them in the capital.

There are 16 victims and 135 wounded ascertained by the Ukrainian authorities. Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on his Telegram channel that 1 August in Kiev was declared a day of mourning in memory of the victims of the Russian occupiers' massive attack on the Ukrainian capital.

"Since the early hours of the night, our rescuers, firefighters and medics have been at work on the affected sites," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X. "The capital was the main target. In one of the residential districts an entire section of an apartment block was destroyed."

The Ukrainian leader harshly denounced the attack, speaking openly of the need to intensify international pressure on Moscow: 'The world has once again seen Russia's response to our desire for peace, shared with America and Europe. New spectacular killings. That is why peace without force is impossible. All the tools to force Moscow to negotiate are in the hands of our partners'. Zelensky reiterated that any agreement Ukraine signs with its allies must be geared towards protecting civilians and safeguarding human lives.

Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha also commented harshly on the attack: 'Now is the time to exert maximum pressure on Moscow, to synchronise all stages of sanctions. It is time to achieve peace through force. It is probably necessary to reset any time given to Putin to demonstrate a constructive approach'. An implicit reference also to international diplomatic balances and relations with the United States, where President Trump - according to Sybiha - 'has been very generous and patient' with the Kremlin leader.

While Ukraine mourns the civilian victims and asks for new guarantees from the allies, the Russian Defence Ministry announced the capture of the city of Chasov Yar, in the Donetsk region. A strategic location for connections in the eastern part of the country, at the centre of the most violent clashes for months. The war, while waiting for a diplomatic breakthrough that continues not to arrive, continues with an escalation that involves not only the military fronts but also cities and civil infrastructures, with devastating effects on the population.

The Ukrainian army has denied the Russian claim to have captured the eastern stronghold of Chasiv Yar, a spokesman for a unit engaged in the area told Afp. "I always advise against considering the Russian Defence Ministry as a source of information. They lie systematically and just making us comment on their latest lies every time is wrong," said Viktor Tregubov, spokesman for the Khortytsia Strategic Operations Group.

Donald Trump has claimed that former Russian president and current deputy head of the National Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, is entering 'very dangerous territory'. On Monday, Medvedev criticised Trump for what he called a "game of ultimatums" with Russia and said that each new ultimatum, such as imposing an additional tariffs of up to 100 per cent as a secondary sanction on countries such as India and China that continue to buy hydrocarbons from Russia unless he reaches a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine soon, "represents a threat and a step towards war" with the US.

Yesterday, 30 July, Trump announced that India 'will pay 25% tariffs plus an additional penalty from 1 August', claiming that it 'has always purchased most of its military equipment from Russia and is the largest buyer of Russian energy'.

"I don't care what India is doing to Russia. As far as I am concerned, let them collapse their dead economies together. We have done very little business with India: their tariffs are too high, among the highest in the world. Similarly, Russia and the US do almost no business together. Let's keep it up and tell Medvedev, the failed former president of Russia who still thinks he is president, to watch his mouth. He is entering very dangerous territory!" wrote Trump on Truth.

Volodymyr Zelensky backtracked and gave a clean sweep to the law passed just nine days ago that undermined the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (Nabu) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (Sapo) by placing them under the supervision of the Prosecutor General, who in turn was appointed by the head of state. The move, endorsed by the Ukrainian parliament under pressure from Zelensky and powerful cabinet chief Andriy Yermak, had plunged the country into what several analysts considered Ukraine's deepest political crisis since the outbreak of war in February 2022. In a session marked by heated tones with deputies coming to blows, the Rada gave the green light to a new law restoring essential guarantees for the independence of anti-corruption bodies. "It is the right decision. It is very important for the state to listen to public opinion. Ukraine is a democracy, without a doubt,' was the comment of Zelensky, who made it known that he had already signed the measure. The signing 'is a positive step. The rule of law and anti-corruption reforms in Ukraine should continue. They remain essential for Ukraine's progress on the European path. The EU will continue to support these efforts,' was the contained applause of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa. "Critical issues remain. This is not the end of the process': EU membership requires 'continued efforts to ensure a strong capacity to fight corruption and respect the rule of law', noted a Berlaymont Palace spokesperson.

Berlin was more explicit, with Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul emphasising that today's vote was 'necessary to regain lost trust'. From Kiev to Lviv, from Dnipro to Odessa, thousands had taken to the streets to protest against the gag against the symbolic anti-corruption institutions, born in the wake of the Euromaidan events in 2014. To date, some 70 MPs, 31 of whom are in office, have been accused of corruption by the Nabu. But, among observers, there are those who have noted that behind the anti-Zelensky protest there were also the first, underground movements for a possible succession to the Ukrainian head of state. The protest had crossed the borders of Ukraine to spread to European capitals. Zelensky tried, in vain, to defend the law. His reasons - alleged Russian interference in the two anti-corruption institutions and inefficiency in carrying out their work - had not convinced the European allies at all.