Jul 28, 2026, 02:30 AM UTC

Cross-border strikes and shelling continued across Ukraine and Russia into July 28. Russian officials reported that air defenses intercepted 12 drones targeting Moscow, leading to temporary flight restrictions at local airports, according to Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.

Simultaneously, Russian forces carried out extensive bombardments across multiple Ukrainian regions. Authorities in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast reported over 50 drone and artillery attacks that left three people dead and six injured, primarily around the Nikopol district. Separate drone strikes hit residential and commercial locations in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, injuring several civilians, including two children.

The strikes coincide with reports from the United Nations Security Council, where UN Political Affairs chief Kayoko Gotoh warned of a sharp surge in Ukrainian civilian casualties during July due to persistent attacks on residential areas and infrastructure.

Sources: Ukrinform

German police have shot and killed a 21-year-old suspect following a vehicle attack at Berlin's Christopher Street Day parade on Saturday evening. Authorities identified the slain man as Abdul Ballout, a German citizen of Lebanese descent.

The incident occurred near Tiergarten park when a white van was driven into a crowd, killing one woman and injuring 16 others. Following an intensive manhunt across the capital, officers located Ballout in the western borough of Spandau. Police opened fire after the suspect reportedly charged at officers with a knife.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that initial evidence indicates a suspected "Islamist attack." Federal and local law enforcement agencies are continuing to investigate Ballout's background and potential ties to extremist networks.

Sources: BBC News, Die Zeit, Koha, Tagesschau

Austria’s coalition government has finalized an agreement on reforming the national military and civilian service after months of internal debate. The deal was struck just hours before a scheduled summer cabinet meeting. Under the revised plan, the standard six-month basic military service will be supplemented by three months of mandatory militia training exercises. Civilian service will remain nine months long, with an option for volunteers to extend by two months beginning in 2027.

The agreement followed lengthy negotiations after an expert commission presented options earlier this year, discarding a previous proposal for a public consultation. Opposition support will still be needed in parliament to secure the two-thirds majority required for the civilian service provisions.

Sources: Der Standard, Die Presse, ORF.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are traveling to Washington to attend the funeral of long-time Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

During the visit, both leaders will hold separate meetings with US President Donald Trump at the White House. The discussions are set to focus on active global conflicts, with Zelensky expected to confer on the ongoing war in Ukraine, while Netanyahu will address regional tensions and conflict involving Iran. The concurrent meetings bring two major international security crises to the White House agenda on the same day.

Sources: BBC News

The US Department of Justice has submitted an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court seeking to implement changes to electoral laws ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. The filing requests the immediate suspension of a lower court ruling that previously blocked voting reforms initiated under President Donald Trump.

By asking the nation's highest judicial body to intervene, the administration aims to bypass lower court restrictions and enact the contested voting provisions before citizens go to the polls. The emergency application underlines the intensifying legal and political disputes surrounding election administration and voter access across the United States ahead of the critical congressional races.

Sources: Die Zeit.