Ukraine war briefing: Two Chinese nationals arrested in Neptune missile espionage case

Ukraine reported the arrest of a Chinese father and son, both suspected of involvement in espionage related to Kyiv’s Neptune cruise missile programme.

Counterintelligence officials detained a 24-year-old former student in Kyiv after he was provided with technical documentation concerning Neptune production, according to Ukraine’s SBU. Authorities later detained his father when he traveled from China to Ukraine, allegedly to coordinate his son's activities and transport documents to Chinese special services, the SBU stated.

A Ukrainian official informed Reuters that these individuals are the first Chinese nationals arrested for espionage since the beginning of Moscow’s 2022 large-scale invasion. Kyiv has previously accused China of supplying components and technologies used in the Russian drone and missile programme. The Chinese government has denied such trade. The Chinese embassy in Kyiv did not respond to Reuters' request for comment regarding the Neptune case, and a lawyer representing the two men could not be immediately reached.

US officials stated that the United States has resumed deliveries of artillery shells and mobile rocket artillery missiles to Ukraine. The deliveries, which had been paused, included 155mm artillery shells and GMLRS (mobile rocket artillery) missiles. The shipment that was previously suspended consisted of 30 Patriot missiles, 8,500 155mm artillery shells, over 250 precision GMLRS missiles, and 142 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles.

Kyiv experienced renewed bombardment early Thursday morning. According to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv military administration, air defences engaged Russian drones, and one drone struck an apartment building in central Kyiv. Debris was reported in various districts of the city. Reuters witnesses described hearing loud explosions.

On Wednesday, Russia conducted what Ukrainian officials described as the largest missile and drone attack since the conflict began over three years ago. Lutsk, a town in western Ukraine, was a primary target due to its military airfield and infrastructure. Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 728 drones and 13 missiles, with air defence systems intercepting 711 drones and seven missiles. Air force representatives indicated that new Ukrainian drones contributed to the defence, and that most Russian drones were decoys.

Local officials reported that a one-year-old boy was killed in a Russian attack on the village of Pravdyne in the southern Kherson region. Some accounts stated that he and his grandmother, who was seriously injured, were struck by a drone in their backyard. Ukrainian prosecutors reported that Russian drone and bombing attacks in two towns in Donetsk resulted in eight civilian deaths on Wednesday. Officials released images of two individuals who died in a car reportedly hit by a Russian drone.

Casualties included three fatalities and one injury in the frontline town of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region, according to the national emergency services. A one-storey administrative building was destroyed, and rescue teams recovered bodies from the debris. Firefighters extinguished fires in four buildings. Vadym Filashkin, governor of Donetsk oblast, advised residents to consider relocating to less dangerous regions of Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Keith Kellogg held a meeting, which the Ukrainian president described as substantive. They discussed weapons supplies, air defence enhancement, procurement of American weapons, joint defence manufacturing, and localisation efforts in Ukraine. Both officials were in Italy prior to a conference scheduled for 10-11 July focused on Ukraine’s recovery and long-term reconstruction.