Jul 29, 2026, 06:00 AM UTC

Ukrainian forces launched long-range drone strikes against Russian energy and export facilities in the Rostov, Yaroslavl, and Udmurtia regions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed a hit on an export terminal situated roughly 250 kilometres from the frontline. Simultaneously, officials in Moscow reported intercepting 12 incoming drones, which triggered temporary flight suspensions across local airports.

In Ukraine, Russian artillery and drone strikes intensified. Over 50 bombardments in the Dnipropetrovsk region resulted in three deaths and six injuries, while a strike on a commercial location in Zaporizhzhia injured four people, including two children.

Speaking at a UN Security Council briefing, UN official Kayoko Gotoh reported a steep increase in Ukrainian civilian casualties throughout July. She highlighted that relentless attacks on Kyiv resulted in at least 56 civilian fatalities and 232 injuries during the month.

Sources: Investor.bg, Ukrinform

The US Senate advanced a comprehensive energy sanctions package targeting Moscow in an 86–12 procedural vote attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The legislation honors the late Senator Lindsey Graham.

Concurrently, Ukrainian long-range strikes intensified across Russia. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported intercepting over 390 Ukrainian drones overnight, though Ukrainian reports indicated a steel mill near the capital was damaged. Previous drone strikes against Russian retailer Wildberries reportedly caused up to $1.3 billion in economic losses.

On troop recruitment, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev stated that 200,000 volunteers joined the military in early 2024, rejecting Ukrainian claims of an impending forced mobilization. Conversely, Zelenskyy alleged Moscow plans to deploy 30,000 North Korean troops in the Voronezh region and receive additional ballistic missile launchers from Pyongyang.

Sources: Hartpunkt, ORF, Sweden Herald.

Direct military exchanges between the United States and Iran have resumed after American air defenses intercepted a barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles, ending a brief operational pause. Concurrently, regional maritime risks intensified after a commercial tanker hit a naval mine while navigating an unapproved route through the Strait of Hormuz.

The conflict has also linked to European security, with Ukrainian forces targeting an Iranian cargo ship in the Caspian Sea. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha rejected subsequent retaliation warnings from Tehran, calling the threats "unjustified and groundless" due to Iran's military support for Russia.

Meanwhile, operational pressure on American military resources is growing. Reports indicate that shrinking inventories of Patriot air defense interceptors forced U.S. commanders to temporarily scale back strikes and selectively prioritize incoming targets after nearly two weeks of sustained bombardments.

Sources: BBC News, Sweden Herald, The Guardian.

Spain added 486,000 jobs in the second quarter, bringing total employment to a record high of nearly 22.8 million workers and pushing the unemployment rate down to 9.87%, its lowest level since before the 2008 financial crisis.

Data from the latest Labour Force Survey (EPA) shows that foreign workers significantly contributed to this growth, filling nearly half of the newly created positions. The labor participation rate among foreign residents reached 70%, standing 13 percentage points higher than that of Spanish nationals.

While hiring expanded across both the private and public sectors, the overall growth contrasted with a contraction in independent work, as Spain lost 42,900 self-employed positions during the same period.

Sources: El Mundo, La Vanguardia.

Asian equity markets largely declined on Wednesday, driven by a sharp drop in South Korea where the benchmark Kospi index fell by 7%. Semiconductor heavyweights Samsung and SK Hynix faced significant selling pressure amid growing investor anxiety over a potential slowdown in global artificial intelligence spending.

Elsewhere in the region, Japan's Nikkei 225 index declined 1%, though the broader Topix index managed a slight gain of 0.1%. Markets in mainland China also traded lower, with the Shanghai Composite slipping 0.3% and the Shenzhen index down 0.2%. Bucking the regional trend, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index surged 1.7%.

Sources: Sweden Herald