NATO says Russia would ‘lose a lot’ if Moscow attacks Poland, Baltics

As Russia launched one of its largest ballistic missile attacks on Kiev, Ukrainian drones carried out the deadliest strikes inside Russia in more than two years; This has raised fears that the attacks will expand further and put further pressure on oil supplies.

Russia launched ballistic missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, killing at least eight people and wounding dozens, Ukrainian officials said Sunday. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that at least one person died and 15 people were injured in Kiev, where residences, warehouses, a supermarket and a dormitory were damaged. He said on Telegram Sunday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the raid on Kiev “One of the biggest ballistic attacks” Since Russia launched an all-out war against the country in 2022.

Separately, there were 3 other people reportedly killed Russia’s attack on the northeastern Kharkiv region on Sunday Ukrainian Air Force said: With a salvo of 25 ballistic missiles, it intercepted 18 missiles and 108 of 126 unmanned aerial vehicles.

Missile bombardment followed Ukraine drone attacks Two warehouses and an oil depot belonging to Russia’s largest online retailer Wildberries were reportedly destroyed on Saturday killed at least nine people and injured more than 80, Ukraine’s deadliest attack in Russia over two years.

Russian Ministry of Defense 379 drones said It was dropped in 19 regions. Zelenskyy told Targeted facilities that Russia uses to provide “approved components for drone production and navigation equipment.”

The tit-for-tat attacks mark a sharp escalation in the campaign that has increasingly targeted Russia’s energy complex. Ukrainian marine drones Hit two large Russia-linked crude oil tankersLouise 1 and Banda in the Black Sea last week, a waterway that accounts for more than 20% of Russia’s seaborne crude oil flows.

NATO Military Committee Chairman Giuseppe Cavo Dragone said: Interview with Kyiv Independent In a statement published on Saturday, it was stated that the defense alliance was ready for any move by Russia towards its eastern flank. Baltic states such as Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland have stepped up defenses of critical infrastructure and transportation systems amid growing warnings of possible Russian attacks.

“Moscow will lose much more than it could gain by touching Poland or the Baltic states. And we are ready,” the alliance’s chief of staff told the Ukrainian news outlet on the sidelines of the July 7 NATO summit in Ankara.

Cavo Dragone said the initial goal of the alliance was a ceasefire and negotiations towards “a long-lasting peace for Ukraine”; He acknowledged the drawdown of allied stockpiles and pointed to joint ventures with Ukraine’s defense industry as a way to maintain support.

Meanwhile, Kyiv pressed for more air defense assistance. “Protection against ballistic missiles is our constant and top priority right now,” Zelenskyy said, adding that interceptors are needed every day. The United States and Ukraine have reached a political agreement on licenses to produce Patriot interceptor missiles, he said last week, adding that he hoped production could begin by the end of the year.

Analysts say any hit to Russia’s crude exports could further aggravate a market already strained by the US-Iran conflict and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. Renewed hostilities in the Gulf region pushed the Brent futures contract above $90 a barrel on Monday as investors braced for a return to all-out war.

“Any reduction in Russian crude oil exports could push prices well above $100,” Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates, told CNBC last week. he said.