By Julia Struck
Explosions were heard in Poltava early in the morning amid an alert for drone attacks. Later, it was confirmed that Russian forces launched Shahed drones at the city.
Ukraine鈥檚 Ground Forces reported that one of the strikes ignited a fire at the Poltava Unified City Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC). Another drone hit a private residence near the regional TRC, also causing a fire.
Poltava City Council Secretary Kateryna Yamshchykova confirmed the city was under a 鈥渕assive drone attack鈥 and said emergency response teams were working on the ground.
Russia launched a Shahed drone attack on Odesa early Thursday, July 3, striking a residential high-rise and injuring six people, including a 7-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl.
According to DSNS, the strike caused a fire between the 7th and 9th floors. Six apartments were destroyed, and 36 more were damaged. Authorities say the building is currently unsafe to enter.
From 9:30 p.m. Wednesday to Thursday morning, Russia launched 52 Shahed and decoy drones from multiple directions. Ukraine鈥檚 Air Force said 40 were neutralized – 22 by fire and 18 by electronic warfare. Still, drone strikes hit seven locations, with additional damage from falling debris.
Those attacks come as Russia intensifies strikes across Ukraine, more than doubling the number of attacks in June 2025 compared to the same month last year.
Meanwhile, the White House has paused shipments of key air defense and precision weapons to Ukraine after a Pentagon review revealed dangerously low stockpiles of Patriot missiles, Hellfires, guided bombs, and artillery shells.
Though Ukraine鈥檚 Defense Ministry said it had not received formal notice, officials have requested clarification and emphasized that delays in aid could embolden Russian aggression. Kyiv also summoned the deputy chief of the US Embassy to highlight the urgency of continued support.
In Washington, the Trump administration downplayed concerns, answering the Kyiv Post鈥檚 correspondent鈥檚 question on weakening Ukraine鈥檚 defensive capabilities. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said US support for Ukraine remains firm, and the pause affects only specific systems.
She insisted the move won鈥檛 change Russia鈥檚 battlefield behavior and that the US is still supplying other weapons, including potential Patriot missile transfers.