Russia has launched a combined attack with ballistic missiles and drones against Ukraine, with the main targets being the Kiev region and the city of Zaporizhia, Ukrainian authorities have announced.
The Russian Supreme Court has banned the anti-war party "Yabloko" from participating in the parliamentary elections in September. According to Ukrainian military intelligence, Moscow is preparing a new mobilization after the elections.
This was summarized by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
According to data from the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia has used "Iskander-M" missiles, North Korean KN-23 and anti-ship "Zircon" missiles, as well as 120 drones of the "Shahed", "Gerbera" types and "Parody". Ukrainian air defenses shot down 98 drones. 21 sites in Ukraine were hit, and debris fell on five.
A ballistic missile hit a children's hospital in Kiev, damaging a gas pipeline and the building's glazing. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian missile and air strikes killed at least six people and wounded 19 in Zaporizhia.
The strike on the Zaporozhstal metallurgical plant killed seven employees and wounded 21, its owner, Metinvest, said. The coke and blast furnace plants were damaged, causing work to stop. Russia confirmed the strike on the plant and said it also hit the Nova Poshta postal company and a transport and logistics center in Kiev. Electrical substations in Kherson and Kharkiv regions were also hit, as well as infrastructure in Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv regions.
Russia is believed to be using a small number of North Korean KN-23s to test and improve their accuracy. Ukraine reports that North Korea has provided Russia with at least 40 such missiles. Moscow resumed their use in late July 2025.
Meanwhile, Russia may be preparing to deploy North Korean missile units and missiles in the Voronezh region. Ukrainian military intelligence claims that a North Korean unit with up to 120 ballistic missiles, possibly KN-23s, could be stationed there. A training center is being built in the region, with completion expected by the end of 2026.
On the political front, the Russian Supreme Court has banned the liberal Yabloko party from participating in the September parliamentary elections. The decision was made following a lawsuit by the Rodina party, which accused Yabloko of violating copyrights and promoting extremist slogans. The court also presented evidence of alleged foreign funding from the United States and Germany.
"Yabloko" is the only registered party in the country that expresses a position against the war in Ukraine. It is campaigning under the slogan "For Peace and Freedom" and calls for a ceasefire. The decision may be part of the Kremlin's efforts to limit any visible support for anti-war positions before the elections. The party has minimal chance of threatening the ruling United Russia, but its growing popularity could attract those dissatisfied with the war, which the government probably fears.
The founder of "Yabloko" Grigory Yavlinsky said the party would appeal the decision.
The party received just 1.34% of the vote in the 2021 elections and has not fielded a candidate since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022. The efforts against "Yabloko" show that the Kremlin is unwilling to risk losing even a few percentage points in the election. This could signal that the Kremlin intends to use the election as a referendum on its war in Ukraine.
Moscow is likely afraid that the overwhelming public support for "Yabloko" would jeopardize the public’s willingness to believe the election results.
Yavlinsky advocated a ceasefire in Ukraine as part of his presidential campaign in December 2023. At the time, the Kremlin likely allowed him to criticize the Russian government’s military policies in order to make the election appear fair.
The party’s removal in 2026 suggests that the administration is less concerned about making the election appear free and fair. The Kremlin is clearly more concerned that anti-war sentiment does not gain traction in the country.