NewsWorld newsRussia Ukraine warWith the NATO conference underway in Turkey, President Zelensky has appealed for help defending against Vladimir Putin's ballistic missiles and has ordered a blitz targeting Russian capital Moscow15:51, 07 Jul 2026Updated 15:59, 07 Jul 2026Ukrainian forces have launched their biggest drone onslaught on Moscow in two years as President Volodymyr Zelensky warned “the skies:” will win Kyiv the war.‌More than 430 drones targeted the Moscow region overnight with 36 aimed at the capital, causing widespread disruption as Kyiv’s troops hammered Russian positions elsewhere. In one night of devastation for Russian President Vladimir Putin Ukraine ’s drone teams also smashed eight of Moscow’s illegal ‘shadow fleet’ oil tankers in the sea.‌A ferry and a cargo ship linking the mainland to Crimea were also blown up as Putin is facing immense pressure over his increasingly inability to fund his full-scale invasion.‌Zelensky told the FT : “Today I believe victory in this war belongs to whoever is smarter. We have moved into the air domain. And in the air, we are already competitive.” Ukraine’s frontline drones commander Robert Brovdi said: “Pilots …hunted down and hit eight tankers from Russia's shadow fleet in a single night. The battle for fuel supplies to Crimea in the Sea of Azov continues.“We will stand. Moscow will fall. We will feed and rebuild Crimea.” Even though many of the Ukrainian drones heading for Moscow were shot down, falling debris is believed to have caused widespread damage. But it is terrible news for beleaguered Putin whose war in Ukraine is becoming increasingly unpopular across the country because of petrol shortages.‌The large-scale assault on Russian targets by Ukraine was launched 24 hours as many as 19 were killed by a Russian ballistic missile onslaught on Kyiv. Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba argued the case for the attacks as they are aimed at crippling Putin’s ability to pay for his war.Kuleba said: “Legitimate questions arise as to whether the activities of such vessels can be regarded solely as ordinary commercial operations.” He said Putin’s ‘shadow fleet’ is “critical to the generation of budget revenues for the Russian Federation and the continuation of its war effort.”Zelensky was expected to appeal to the NATO summit in Turkey for more urgent supplies of anti-ballistic missile protection to help deal with Russian attacks. Because of arching trajectory of ballistic missiles Ukraine’s defence systems are less able to shoot them down as they have less time. The summit in Ankara is also be a chance for Zelensky to hold meetings with Donald Trump and emphasise his case that Russia's attacks show Putin is on the back foot.Article continues belowPutin is seen by many as vulnerable currently because Russia is not making meaningful progress in the war in Ukraine and Kyiv is attacking across the border. Zelensky has demanded European allies hand over their own stockpiles of Patriot missiles, arguing that they're no good to anyone in storage when civilians are being killed now in Ukraine. He said recently: "Russia is placing its bets on ballistic weapons, and those who want peace must place their bets on protection against ballistic attacks.”But Patriot systems are in short supply worldwide and it's not clear how many would ever be enough if Russia were to escalate its ballistic attacks further. The Russian attacks, though, do suggest that Ukraine's deep strikes are deeply affecting Moscow society. After years of Russia targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, including power stations in mid-winter, Moscow is now accusing Kyiv of "terrorism" for hitting its oil refineries with drones.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Donald TrumpVladimir PutinVolodymyr ZelenskyRussiaUkraineRussia Ukraine war