Ukraine updates: Russia downs over 50 drones overnight

Russia's Defence Ministry says its units have destroyed at least 55 drones during a Ukrainian attack on southern and southwestern Russia on Monday night.

The drone attack comes after the US signalled that it was ramping up the pressure on the Kremlin, with President Donald Trump announcing tariffs and new weapons for Ukraine.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has met with China's leader Xi Jinping, while European Union foreign ministers were gathering in Brussels for a summit that will discuss the bloc's support for Ukraine and tougher sanctions on Russia.

Below is a roundup of news and analysis on Russia's war in Ukraine from July 15, 2025:

07/15/2025July 15, 2025

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov meets China's Xi Jinping

This week, Lavrov has met with Russia's key backers China and North KoreaImage: Maria Zakharova/Russian Foreign Ministry/AP/picture alliance

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday.

Lavrov, who visited Russia's ally North Korea last week, is in China to attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers' meeting.

"Lavrov conveyed to the Chinese leader a friendly greeting and best wishes from the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin," the Russian ministry said in a statement.

"The two sides discussed a number of issues concerning bilateral political contacts ... including preparations for the Russian President's upcoming visit to the People's Republic of
China."

The Russian president is due to travel to China for a SCO leaders' summit in September.

Since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and Ukraine's Western allies imposed a range of sanctions against Russia, Moscow has increasingly relied on support from China and North Korea.
 

07/15/2025July 15, 2025

Russia destroys dozens of drones in Ukrainian attack

An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian southwestern regions of Lipetsk and Voronezh has left several people injured and damaged homes and other buildings, Russian authorities said Tuesday.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram that a total of 55 Ukrainian drones were downed overnight over five Russian regions as well as the Black Sea.

Regional governor Governor Alexander Gusev 12 drones were destroyed over the Voronezh border region, where "several people sustained minor injuries due to debris from a downed UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles)."

Several apartments in residential buildings in Voronezh, which is the administrative center of the region of the same name, were damaged, as were houses in the city's suburbs, Gusev said.

In the neighboring Lipetsk region, a drone crashed in an industrial zone in the city of Yelets, regional governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram, adding that one person was injured in the attack.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine about the Russian reports of the attack, and the full extent of the damage caused was unclear.

07/15/2025July 15, 2025

Welcome to our coverage

Welcome to DW's coverage of the latest developments in Russia's war in Ukraine.

After months of trying to bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, US President Donald Trump appears to have run out of patience with his Russian counterpart.

At a meeting with NATO's Secretary General Mark Rutte in Washington on Monday, Trump said he was "very unhappy" with Russia and threatened "very severe tariffs" against it and any countries that trade with it.

He also said the US would send weapons, including Patriot missiles, to the military alliance to support Ukraine.

The missiles and other forms of support for Ukraine will be high on the agenda for European Union foreign ministers who are meeting in Brussels on Tuesday. 

The ministers are also expected to discuss pending sanctions targeting Russian energy exports.

As Ukraine's Western allies continue to try to drum up support for Kyiv, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is continuing his tour of East Asia with a visit to China, one of Russia's most important backers since it launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Meanwhile, as diplomatic efforts ramp up, the war continues to rage on. Russia said it downed more than 50 Ukrainian drones during an overnight attack.

Stay tuned as we bring you more updates on those meetings and other developments in Russia's war in Ukraine.