Jul 30, 2026, 12:00 AM UTC

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of an imminent overnight Russian strike during talks with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Lublin, appealing to international allies for additional air defense systems. The warning comes as Ukraine reportedly lost an F-16 fighter jet during recent military operations.

Concurrently, Ukrainian forces launched extensive long-range drone strikes against Russian infrastructure, including Wildberries logistics hubs—causing an estimated $1.3 billion in damage—and a steel plant near Moscow. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin stated that air defenses intercepted over 390 drones, omitting mention of the damaged facility.

Additionally, Zelenskyy claimed Moscow plans to deploy 30,000 North Korean soldiers to the Voronezh region and acquire new ballistic missile launchers from Pyongyang. Separately, France expelled a Russian propagandist, and Moscow issued an arrest warrant for Telegram's founder.

Sources: FAZ, Hartpunkt, ORF, Sweden Herald.

Ukrainian forces launched overnight strikes targeting two major Russian oil refineries, including facilities in the Ryazan region roughly 360 kilometers from the border, alongside military logistics centers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attacks as part of an ongoing campaign to restrict Moscow's financial and logistical capacity to sustain its war effort. The military operations occurred shortly after Zelenskyy met with US President Donald Trump at the White House to request enhanced air defense systems against Russian missile attacks. Trump characterized his meeting with Zelenskyy as positive, while the Ukrainian leader also held discussions with US senators during his Washington visit.

Sources: HRT Vijesti, Tanjug, Vijesti

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for a national "state pact against climate change" during a visit to the uncontrolled wildfire in La Vall d'Uixó, Castellón. While firefighters report initial progress stabilizing major blazes across Ávila, Madrid, and Toledo, severe destruction continues.

Infrastructure across central Spain faces widespread disruption, with damaged networks affecting mobile service, Wi-Fi connectivity, and operations at local NASA satellite communications facilities. Emergency shelters remain under heavy strain; the National Police Academy in Ávila alone hosted over 1,500 evacuees as total displacements across four provinces reach nearly 90,000 people. First responders described the situation as overwhelming as unified command structures work to prevent separate fronts from merging.

Sources: El Mundo, La Vanguardia

The US Federal Reserve has kept its benchmark interest rate at 3.5% to 3.75% for the fifth consecutive meeting. The decision by the Federal Open Market Committee passed in a 9–3 vote, with three officials advocating for an immediate quarter-point increase due to lingering inflation risks.

Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh reaffirmed the central bank's commitment to its 2% inflation target, indicating that further monetary tightening remains possible at the upcoming September meeting when new economic forecasts become available. Warsh noted that raising rates "could well be part of that solution," though he refrained from explicitly committing to a future hike.

Following the announcement, major Wall Street indices closed sharply lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2.2 percent, marking its steepest single-day drop since April last year, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 1.7 percent and the S&P 500 dropped 1.5 percent.

Sources: Bloomberg, DR, FAZ, Sweden Herald.

The US Federal Reserve has decided to keep interest rates unchanged, resisting opposing pressures from rising inflation and demands from President Donald Trump.

In its second monetary policy decision since Kevin Warsh assumed leadership of the central bank, officials opted against initiating the first interest rate hike in three years. Policymakers faced escalating inflationary headwinds linked to spending in the artificial intelligence sector, newly introduced tariffs, and broader geopolitical instability surrounding the ongoing conflict in Iran.

Despite external political demands and persistent economic volatility, the central bank chose to maintain its current stance to navigate price pressures while supporting stability.

Sources: La Vanguardia