A Ukrainian court remanded in custody Vasyl Goncharuk, the organiser of a weapons exhibition that was struck by Russia in an attack killing at least 11 people. Prosecutors accused him of negligence leading to loss of life after the Russian ballistic missile strike on a shooting range outside Kyiv on Friday. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it "certainly should not have been taking place there." Russia's defence ministry confirmed it hit the site during "a demonstration of Ukrainian and foreign-made" drones. Goncharuk appeared at the Kyiv court limping and said he sustained light injuries. Prosecutors said the weapons association invited more than 300 people including military personnel, state representatives and business figures without official authorisation, providing only a small shelter. The event was promoted on social media.
Drone Expo Organiser Remanded
Agence France-Presse reported seeing homes in ruins and victims in body bags after the attack. Previous incidents of Russian attacks on openly held Ukrainian military gatherings have triggered outcry and resignations. A Wildberries warehouse in the Koledino district of Moscow was reportedly on fire on Tuesday morning after being hit by drones. The distribution complex for the Amazon-like chain had been targeted previously. A steel factory in Chekhnov, Moscow oblast, was also hit, the Kyiv Independent reported. The Russian regional governor, Andrei Vorobyov, said an apartment building in Chekhov was damaged. Drones targeted other areas including Podolsk, Domodedovo and Kolomna.
US Drone Production Lag
The Pentagon official tasked with building a domestic drone industry said on Monday the US was still far behind Ukraine's production capabilities. Travis Metz, chief operating officer of the Defense Innovation Unit, told Reuters that Ukraine would produce 6m-7m small first-person-view attack drones this year – roughly 500,000 a month. By comparison, the Pentagon's $1.1bn programme will have ordered just under 200,000 altogether by February. But the US would catch up and lead the sector, he predicted. The Pentagon is insisting military drones must be made with US parts to foster "a wholly domestic" supply chain. None of the drones from the 19 companies competing an August test event may contain banned parts like Chinese-made motors or battery packs. "It's an increasingly difficult thing," Metz said. Ukrainian companies competing in the test, called Gauntlet II, are being required to localise production in the US as a condition of future orders.
Zelenskyy's Washington Visit
All 100 members of the US Senate have been invited to a meeting on Tuesday evening with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine's president will be in Washington for the funeral of the late Republican senator Lindsey Graham, a strong supporter of Ukraine. A Senate aide said voting might also begin during Zelenskyy's visit on a bill to impose sanctions on Russia championed by Graham. Zelenskyy is due to meet on Tuesday with Donald Trump. Andy Burnham, UK prime minister, welcomed Zelenskyy in his first meeting with another world leader since becoming prime minister. "It is intended to send a very clear message," Burnham told him. "We are with Ukraine 100%, I am personally with you 100%, and I will honour every commitment this country has made to Ukraine in full." Burnham said Britain was providing new jamming technology, Stone Cloak, to Ukraine that would "help them to hit their targets and help save Ukrainian lives." Zelenskyy posted that he was "grateful" to Britain for "today's decision to provide Ukraine with electronic warfare technologies" that would "certainly be useful on the battlefield."
Romania Expels Russian Diplomat
Romania's foreign ministry said it had expelled a diplomat at Russia's embassy after repeated violations of its national airspace by drones. Romanian F-16 fighter jet pilots have shot down three drones in as many days. The Russian ambassador was shown drone fragments that Romanian authorities identified as a Russian "Shahed model." Two people were hurt in May when a drone smashed into an apartment building in the Romanian city of Galati near the border with Ukraine.
Latest Strikes and Aid
Ukraine struck a Russian export terminal in the Rostov region, as well as oil facilities in the Yaroslavl and Udmurtia regions, Zelenskyy said on Monday. "Last night, our long-range sanctions were effective in the Rostov region. An export terminal approximately 250km (155 miles) from the frontline was hit," he posted. "Deep strikes also targeted oil facilities in the Yaroslavl region and the Udmurt Republic, which is 1,300km from Ukraine's state border." Five people were reported killed in Russia's Rostov region. Russian forces meanwhile struck three Ukrainian ports, including fuel loading and storage facilities at the port of Odesa, the defence ministry in Moscow said on Monday. Russian strikes on frontline localities in eastern Ukraine killed seven people and injured more than 20 on Monday, officials said. Prosecutors in the Donetsk region said three people died in two areas near the contested city of Kostiantynivka. A fourth person was killed near Kramatorsk. Prosecutors said a total of 18 people were injured throughout Donetsk region. In Ukraine's adjacent Dnipropetrovsk region, Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said three people were killed and six wounded in more than 50 drone and artillery attacks on five districts. Two people died near the town of Nikopol and one person was killed near the town of Syneklykove. Over the border in Russia's Belgorod region, a Ukrainian drone struck a building, killing one and injuring two. Donald Trump's administration has told members of Congress it will not finish spending $400m in aid to Ukraine until fiscal year 2029, even as Kyiv runs critically low on weapons. Democrats and some of Trump's fellow Republicans have criticised the Pentagon for sitting on aid for Kyiv. In May, the Pentagon sent a letter outlining its spending plan: $200m for weapons, ammunition and explosives, $99.9m for vehicles, spares and equipment, and $100m for services such as transportation of defence articles to Ukraine. The funds still have not been put to use.
