Ukraine and Russia escalate strikes amid Belgian forest fires and fatal Hungarian bus crash

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia saw significant escalations, including one of Ukraine’s largest aerial attacks on Russian territory, targeting a rocket fuel production facility. In response, Russian forces launched ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv, causing fires and casualties. Reports from the Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions also confirmed fatalities.

In other international news, Belgium is battling one of its worst historical forest fires, with nearly 3,000 hectares burned in a nature reserve. Meanwhile, a fatal bus accident in Hungary involving Polish citizens traveling from Bosnia resulted in 12 deaths and at least 10 injuries; authorities suspect the driver fell asleep at the wheel.

Additionally, a drone, believed by NATO to be Russian, was shot down by a fighter jet after violating Romanian airspace. In the combat zone, footage emerged of a Russian T-72B3A tank equipped with the Arena-M active protection system failing during its first combat engagement against Ukrainian drones.