Russia launched another large-scale overnight missile and drone assault on Kyiv early Tuesday, marking the fifth major attack on Ukraine’s capital this month as Moscow continues to intensify its aerial campaign against the country.

The latest bombardment damaged multiple locations across Kyiv, including a school and a business facility, while emergency officials reported several fires in different parts of the city.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack struck at least 16 sites in the capital and also targeted critical infrastructure in central and southern Ukraine.

“Last night, the Russians launched 135 drones and 10 missiles of various types, most of them ballistic, against our cities and communities,” Zelensky wrote in a post on X.

According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia carried out one of its largest overnight attacks in recent weeks, deploying 135 drones alongside 10 missiles, most of which were ballistic.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that its air defence systems intercepted five of the eight ballistic missiles directed at the country, achieving a higher interception rate than earlier attacks this month.

Air defence units also destroyed 108 of the 135 drones launched during the assault.

Despite those interceptions, several missiles and drones reached their targets, damaging residential and commercial areas throughout Kyiv.

City officials confirmed multiple fires following the strikes, while emergency crews were deployed across affected districts to assess damage and assist residents.

Beyond Kyiv, Russian forces also attacked strategic infrastructure in central and southern Ukraine, according to President Zelensky.

Regional officials reported that seven people were injured in Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region, while another three sustained injuries in the northern Chernihiv region.

The renewed attacks come as Ukraine continues to face mounting pressure from increasingly frequent Russian air assaults targeting civilian infrastructure and energy facilities.

Following the latest strike, President Zelensky renewed calls for stronger international action against Moscow, urging European allies to move forward with another package of sanctions.

“There must be greater pressure on Russia,” he said, appealing to European governments to approve the proposed sanctions measures this week.

The Ukrainian leader has repeatedly argued that increased economic and diplomatic pressure remains essential to limiting Russia’s ability to sustain the war.

Russia has significantly increased the pace of its drone and missile attacks during the summer months, launching near-nightly assaults on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure.

Military analysts say the intensified campaign comes as Ukraine faces shortages of air defence ammunition, particularly systems capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.

The conflict, now in its fifth year, continues to place enormous strain on Ukraine’s civilian population and critical infrastructure.

At the same time, Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone strikes inside Russian territory, targeting oil facilities, industrial sites and weapons production centres.

Kyiv says the operations are intended to weaken Russia’s military logistics and reduce its capacity to continue the war.

Russian authorities reported that drone debris caused a fire at the Afipsky oil refinery in the southern Krasnodar region.

Officials also confirmed that debris fell in an industrial zone in Salavat, located in Russia’s Bashkortostan region in the Ural Mountains.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently warned that Moscow would respond forcefully to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.

According to Putin, future retaliatory strikes would be “several times more powerful” and would continue to increase in scale.

His remarks underscore growing concerns that both sides are escalating long-range attacks, raising fears that the conflict could become even more destructive as diplomatic efforts remain stalled.

Firefighters in France continued battling a major forest wildfire south of Paris for a third consecutive day on Tuesday as an intense heatwave tightened its grip across Europe, increasing the risk of more destructive fires across the continent.

Authorities deployed waterbombing aircraft to assist ground crews battling the blaze in the historic Fontainebleau forest, while several European countries, including Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, experienced soaring temperatures linked to the latest spell of extreme weather.

The wildfire near Paris comes as scientists warn that climate change is making heatwaves more frequent, more intense and increasingly capable of creating ideal conditions for devastating wildfires.

According to the Reuters Climate Monitor, average daytime temperatures across Western Europe reached 29.4 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, approximately 6.3 degrees above the seasonal average recorded between 1961 and 1990.

France and Belgium recorded some of the highest temperature anomalies, with average highs exceeding historical norms by as much as 9.1 and 9.4 degrees Celsius respectively.

Firefighters Continue Battle in Historic Fontainebleau Forest

French emergency responders worked through the night in an effort to contain the wildfire sweeping through the Fontainebleau forest, one of the country’s best-known natural landmarks and home to the historic Fontainebleau Palace.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez confirmed that firefighters were still struggling to bring the blaze under control.

“It is not under control,” Nunez said, adding that the main wildfire in Fontainebleau, along with another nearby blaze that erupted on Monday afternoon, had already destroyed about 1,300 hectares (3,212 acres) of forest land.

Authorities also confirmed that at least two people had been arrested on suspicion of starting the Fontainebleau fire.

Nationwide, Nunez disclosed that 59 individuals have been arrested this wildfire season over suspected involvement in deliberately starting fires.

France Faces One of Its Worst Wildfire Seasons

The Interior Minister warned that France is heading toward what could become one of its most destructive wildfire seasons on record.

According to government figures, more than 32,000 hectares have already burned across the country in 2026, surpassing the total area destroyed during the whole of 2025.

“We expected this with this major drought,” Nunez said.

Officials say prolonged dry conditions combined with repeated heatwaves have left forests and vegetation exceptionally vulnerable to ignition.

Europe Endures Another Extreme Heatwave

The current heatwave marks the third major episode of extreme temperatures affecting Europe this year.

After impacting France, Britain and Spain, the hot weather is now advancing into Italy, where meteorologists have warned of even higher temperatures in the coming days.

Authorities expect inland areas of Sardinia to experience temperatures of up to 44 degrees Celsius later this week, while Florence could reach 39 degrees and Rome approximately 38 degrees.

Weather experts also said the heatwave is being accompanied by fine sand blowing in from North Africa, further worsening atmospheric conditions across parts of southern Europe.

Climate Change Driving More Dangerous Conditions

Climate scientists continue to link the increasing frequency and intensity of European heatwaves to global climate change.

Rising temperatures are drying out forests and scrubland, creating conditions that allow fires to spread more rapidly and become harder to control.

The latest extreme weather follows two previous record-breaking heatwaves in May and late June, which researchers say contributed to more than 10,000 excess deaths across Europe and the United Kingdom.

Scientists concluded that the unusually high death toll was primarily caused by prolonged exposure to extreme heat.

Spain Still Recovering From Deadly Wildfire

While France continues battling active fires, Spain remains focused on recovering from last week’s deadly wildfire in the tourist region of Almeria.

Authorities are still working to identify victims after the blaze claimed at least 13 lives, many of them foreign nationals, while 10 people remain missing.

Emergency services continue search operations in affected areas as investigators assess the full extent of the disaster.

As temperatures continue to rise across Europe, emergency agencies remain on high alert, warning that dry conditions, powerful winds and persistent heat could trigger additional wildfires in the coming days.

At least 2,700 people are estimated to have died in England and Wales during two severe heatwaves that struck in May and June, according to a new study released on Monday. Researchers say the unusually early and intense periods of extreme heat highlight the growing health risks associated with climate change.

The study was carried out by experts from Imperial College London, the Met Office, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who analysed weather data, climate models and previous research on excess deaths linked to heatwaves.

The United Kingdom, along with much of western Europe, experienced two record-breaking heatwaves during the period. England recorded monthly temperature highs of 35.1°C in May and 37.7°C in June, making them some of the hottest early summer conditions ever observed.

“They were extreme heatwaves for the UK, and for all parts of western Europe, and they’re particularly exceptional for the timing and how early in the year they occurred,” Mark McCarthy, science manager of the Met’s climate attribution team, was quoted as saying in the study.

According to the findings, approximately 550 people died due to heat-related conditions between 21 and 29 May, while nearly 2,200 deaths were recorded during the second heatwave between 18 and 28 June across England and Wales.

The researchers noted that the official number of heat-related deaths will be published in the coming weeks by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) after analysing certified death records from the recent heatwaves.

Lea Berrang Ford, head of the UKHSA’s Centre for Climate and Health Security, said the study demonstrates the growing danger posed by rising temperatures.

“The models in the study released Monday help illustrate the scale of risk associated with extreme heat and the growing threat climate change poses to our wellbeing,” said Lea Berrang Ford, head of UKHSA’s Centre for Climate and Health Security.

The report also links the deadly heatwaves to climate change, with researchers estimating that daytime maximum temperatures were 3°C to 4°C higher than they would have been without the effects of global warming.

The authors warned that climate change is increasing both the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, making such events more dangerous for vulnerable populations.

Their concerns echo previous warnings from the Climate Change Committee (CCC), the independent body that advises the UK government on climate policy. Last year, the committee concluded that the country was “not ready” to cope with the impacts of climate change.

In a separate report published in May, the CCC estimated that 92 per cent of homes in Britain could become dangerously hot by 2050. It recommended that the government introduce maximum workplace temperature limits and invest in cooling systems for public buildings, including hospitals and schools.

The latest findings add to growing evidence that extreme heat is becoming a significant public health threat in the UK. As climate change continues to drive higher temperatures, experts say stronger adaptation measures will be essential to reduce future heat-related deaths and protect communities from increasingly frequent heatwaves.