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A Ukrainian drone attack struck an oil terminal in St. Petersburg on Saturday, Russian officials said, as Kyiv presses on with bombardment of Russia’s oil infrastructure. Almost daily long-range attacks on Russian oil facilities have created a fuel crisis and heaped political pressure on the Kremlin as its all-out invasion of Ukraine stretches into its fifth year. Gov. Alexander Beglov said the city’s Kirovsky district on the Baltic Sea was hit. He also said that air defenses shot down 72 Ukrainian drones across Russia’s second-largest city and the surrounding region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as part of…

By RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service and Alyona Yatsyna July 04, 2026 SUMY, Ukraine — A nightlong Russian guided bomb attack struck the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, with one strike landing near a residential building. At least four people were killed and dozens injured in the attack. “This is one of the central areas of the city of Sumy. It’s a place where people come for evening walks,” RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service correspondent Alyona Yatsyna reported from the scene shortly after the strike late on July 3. Images from the ground showed holes in the five-story building, as Regional Governor Serhiy Kryvosheyenko…

Contracts WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES The RAND National Defense Research Institute, Santa Monica, California, has been awarded a task order contract (HQ003426DE016) with a value of $452,461,776. The purpose of this contract is to provide research, studies, analysis, analytic models, simulations, and wargaming exercises that bring together analysts, government officials, academia, and industry to address government challenges, and other technical and analytical support useful for policy and program planning and management by its sponsors. Work will be performed at the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia; Santa Monica, California; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The estimated completion date is Aug. 1, 2026. The total amount of…

Editor’s Note: Few rivalries in American history have been as consequential — or as personal — as the one between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.  The two men could hardly have been more different. Adams, the stocky and combative Massachusetts lawyer, was blunt to a fault and quick to suspicion. Jefferson, the tall, elegant Virginia planter, was reserved and idealistic. The two held diverging political philosophies as well. Adams preferred a strong, central government while Jefferson favored states’ rights and limited government. This rift eventually led to an epic falling out, culminating in the presidential election of 1800, as Jefferson…

Santiago Ponzinibbio returns to action at UFC Abu Dhabi.The UFC announced Friday that Ponzinibbio (30-9) is set to fight England’s Sam Patterson (14-3-1) in a welterweight bout on its July 25 Etihad Arena card. This marks Ponzinibbio’s first fight since May 2025.Ponzinibbio, 39, was once on his way to a title shot after winning seven straight fights from 2015-2018. However, the Argentine was hindered by numerous health issues and then lost to Li Jingliang in a comeback fight in 2021. Since that defeat, Ponzinibbio has won just three of his past eight fights. In his most recent outing, he suffered…

Composite repair time for F/A-18 Super Hornets could be slashed in half with a groundbreaking 3D-printing repair method, according to the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division.By utilizing a “high-performance, 3D-printed composite patches that can be applied directly onto the aircraft,” the 3D-printing method has the possibility of enabling sailors to perform complex composite fixes directly at forward operating bases, abandoning the need for “highly specialized maintenance artisans” and lengthy turnaround times that can cause severe delays, a Wednesday release notes. “Our goal is to put capability directly into the hands of the Fleet,” NAWCAD Commander Rear Adm. Todd Evans…

The TWZ Newsletter Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy. I hope all our American readers, have a great weekend enjoying the 250th birthday of the United States of America! Sit back, have a brew and a dog, smoke a cigar, enjoy the fireworks! And, above all else, watch tomorrow’s flyby! Have a great weekend everyone and happy bday Lady Liberty! This week’s caption reads: A F-117 Stealth Fighter from the 49th Fighter Wing, based at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, shows off its paint job during a March 12…

More than a decade after leaving the Army, Medal of Honor recipient Clint Romesha still thinks about service. Not because he’s wearing a uniform. Not because he’s receiving orders. And not because he’s reliving the battle that earned him the nation’s highest award for valor. Instead, Romesha sees service as something that continues long after military service ends. Taking the uniform off gives us the opportunity to continue to serve, Romesha told Military.com. As the United States is at the 250th anniversary of its founding, veteran advocates say that mindset may be one of the military community’s greatest contributions to…

Austin Trout wanted to celebrate the Fourth of July in style, but he ended up on the wrong side of the fireworks.On Friday night, Trout faced off with Ben Bonner in the main event of BKFC Liberty Brawl at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Since moving to bare-knuckle in 2023, the former WBA boxing champion had put together a strong run in BKFC, stacking up five wins in a row, including winning the BKFC welterweight championship. But that run came to an end against Bonner, who brutally knocked him out in the second round.Trout cut quite the scene walking to…

SUVA, Fiji — When the call came just days before a pair of high-profile performances, Cpl. Lawrance Delanimati didn’t hesitate. The Republic of Fiji Military Forces band specialist and section commander was asked to do something few musicians would ever experience; join the U.S. Army 25th Infantry Division Band’s rock ensemble with almost no preparation after the band’s bassist became ill while traveling from the Republic of the Marshall Islands. “I was contacted on Monday while the band was still flying in,” Delanimati said. “They explained the situation and asked if I could fill in. It was a challenge, but…