Ukrainian tourists sunbathe as Putin's bombs rain down near Black Sea beach resort

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 18:05, 29 July 2026 | Updated: 18:11, 29 July 2026 Ukrainian tourists have been sunbathing as Vladimir Putin's army rains down bombs near a Black Sea resort.  Photos taken from the port city of Odesa showed scores of sunbathers looking on in horror as smoke rises from the distance.  Russia's defence ministry said its forces struck two vessels it said were carrying weapons and military equipment to Ukrainian ports near Odesa.  It later said Russian forces had also hit a fuel storage facility in Odesa, two additional vessels in the port of Pivdennyi near Odesa, and another vessel north-west of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island in the Black Sea.  It said, without providing evidence, that all the vessels were being used to transport military supplies to Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine have both stepped up attacks in recent weeks on shipping in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, driving wheat prices higher. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces hit two of Russia's biggest oil refineries overnight in its latest long-range strikes, officials said Wednesday, as Kyiv deepened its economic, military and diplomatic pressure on Moscow. Ukraine's almost daily long-range drone and missile strikes using domestically developed weapons have battered Russian oil facilities for months. The operation has brought a fuel crisis that is embarrassing the Kremlin more than four years after Russia's all-out invasion of its neighbour. Local residents and visitors relax on a beach on the outskirts of Odesa as smoke from a fire rises in the background following a Russian missile strike during an air raid alert, on July 29, 2026 in Odesa, Ukraine Photos taken from the port city of Odesa showed scores of sunbathers looking on in horror as smoke rises from the distance Firefighters work at the site of the postal distribution centre of Nova Post company, hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, July 25, 2026. The overnight attacks started fires at a Lukoil refinery in Russia's Perm region, more than 900 miles from Ukraine, and a refinery in Ryazan, about 180 miles from the border, Ukraine's Security Service and General Staff said in separate statements. The refineries have a combined annual production capacity of around 220 million barrels of oil, according to Ukraine, and make a vital contribution to Russia's military effort and its government revenue. It was not immediately possible to independently verify the claims. Ryazan Gov. Pavel Malkov said only that six people were taken to hospital after a drone attack. He said drone debris caused fires at unidentified 'industrial sites'. Russian online retailer Wildberries, a major supplier likened to Amazon that Ukraine has targeted in recent days, said it evacuated employees from a facility in Ryazan but provided no further details. Russia has sophisticated air defences but its vast territory is hard to comprehensively cover. The attacks came hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Washington on Tuesday for talks with US President Donald Trump to push for more vital American help for Ukraine's fight against its much bigger enemy. 'Russia must feel that every day of this war will only come at a higher cost for it. We need to weaken the aggressor and keep up the pressure to bring an end to this war closer,' Mr Zelensky said on social media. Ukraine's recent high-profile successes against Russia have impressed Washington and helped restore US goodwill after Mr Trump's reluctance at the start of his second term to keep supporting Kyiv. That stance had raised the spectre of Ukraine and Europe having to stand up to Russian aggression alone. Russia's defence ministry said its forces struck two vessels it said were carrying weapons and military equipment to Ukrainian ports near Odesa Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces said on Tuesday that its drones had now struck 201 Russian shadow-fleet and associated vessels since Operation MoLoCHKa was launched on July 6 It comes as the director and founder of a Russian drone manufacturer was wounded in a shooting on Wednesday, in what prosecutors described as an 'attempted murder'. Andrei Cherezov, head of the Russian Air Transport Laboratory, was returning home from work at around 1.00am (2200 GMT Tuesday) when he was attacked by an unknown assailant, Russia's Izvestia newspaper reported. The company is most famous for developing the 'Ovod' family of combat drones that the Russian army uses in its war with Ukraine. Prosecutors have opened an investigation into attempted murder. They did not release any information on Mr Cherezov's condition. The shooting took place in the city of Tula, around 90 miles south of Moscow. 'The victim has been hospitalised,' the Tula branch of Russia's Investigative Committee said on its website. 'Investigative actions are currently underway to identify the perpetrators and establish all the circumstances of the incident.' Izvestia also reported that Mr Cherezov's wife had heard three shots but had not seen who opened fire on her husband. Kyiv has targeted a range of Russian defence and military figures since Moscow sent troops into its neighbour in February 2022. Ukraine's administration made no immediate comment on this latest attack.