Ukraine downs 5 Russian ballistic missiles as Kyiv looks to harden its air defenses

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's air force said Tuesday it intercepted five ballistic missiles launched by Russia in a raft of overnight attacks, although other missiles and drones got through and hit warehouses and a school in the capital of Kyiv.

It was the first time in almost two weeks that Ukraine said it had downed Russian ballistic missiles, which are harder to stop than drones or cruise missiles and have pummeled the country in Moscow's 4-year-old full-scale invasion.

Ukrainian air defenses likely used the U.S.-made Patriot surface-to-air guided missile system that is the most effective way of countering ballistic missiles, but ammunition for it has been in short supply amid the Iran war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Paris this week to change that, announcing his country is joining with nine other nations to form a coalition that will build a shared ballistic missile shield for Europe. On Monday, he said Ukraine and its partners could jointly develop a mass-produced, low-cost system in the next 12 months.

Zelenskyy on Tuesday attended France’s annual Bastille Day celebrations, receiving an ovation from European leaders. His country’s troops got the loudest cheers of the day from crowds watching along the Champs Elysees.

The parade featured about 500 troops from the ″coalition of the willing″ group of countries that have pledged to help with Ukraine’s postwar security. French President Emmanuel Macron called it a ″great honor″ to welcome them to the parade.

Tuesday's attack in Kyiv caused fires at two warehouses and also damaged a school, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement it targeted military manufacturing facilities that produce long-range missiles and drones.

Moscow is seeking to choke off Ukrainian strikes on oil facilities deep inside Russia that have caused critical fuel shortages, frustrating the public and, Western analysts say, are hindering the Russian army’s advance on the front line.

Ukraine’s air force said one ballistic missile and 25 drones struck 17 locations, while falling debris was reported in 10 locations.

Ukraine urgently needs to improve its air defense shield before winter. Much of the country is at the mercy of Russian missiles that have hammered its power grid since 2022, making winters almost unbearable.

President Donald Trump said at the NATO summit last week that the U.S. will give Ukraine a license to make Patriot systems itself. However, they are expensive, in high demand and take a long time to produce, so it will likely be years before any Ukrainian-made systems are ready to deploy.

Ukraine, meanwhile, kept up its long-range onslaught on Russian targets, especially oil facilities.

An attack in southern Russia's Krasnodar region caused a fire at the Afipsky Oil Refinery that was later put out, authorities there said.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine also hit an oil refinery in the city of Salavat in the Bashkortostan region, some 1,400 kilometers (900 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Bashkortostan Gov. Radiy Khabirov confirmed an attack on an industrial area in Salavat, but didn’t say what was hit.

In addition, the Ukrainian navy struck four Russian tankers operating as part of Moscow's so-called shadow fleet of aging tankers of uncertain ownership and safety practices that are dodging international oil sanctions and a patrol boat, Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine claimed Monday it struck 105 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov next to the Crimean Peninsula between July 6-13.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses overnight intercepted 288 Ukrainian drones.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rebuffed ceasefires offered by Zelenskyy.

“This war must be brought to an end, and all reasonable diplomatic proposals are on the table,” Zelenskyy said on social media.

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Eva Van Dam contributed from Paris.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska leave after the Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue, in Paris, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Ukrainian soldiers march during the Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue, in Paris, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

French President Emmanuel Macron, right, speaks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky after the Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue, in Paris, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron address a press conference after the Coalition of the Willing summit on security guarantees for Ukraine in Paris, Monday, July 13, 2026. (Teresa Suarez/Pool Photo via AP)

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — David Howard was aged 7 when he was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. By the time he was a teenager — well before recent medical advances for this rare genetic condition — he’d found out via internet searches he wasn’t expected to live beyond his mid-20s.

Imagine, then, how blessed this Irishman, now 27, feels to be walking the sun-kissed fairways of Royal Birkdale this week and about to take on the best golfers in the world at the British Open.

“Here I am, as healthy as ever and playing at the Open. It’s just nuts,” Howard said with a smile at the back of the 18th green after his first practice round, in the company of former champions Padraig Harrington and Shane Lowry. “Yeah, I’d like to think I’m an inspiration.”

Being a qualified mechanic and No. 1,456 in the world amateur rankings ensures Howard, who came through one of four local qualifying events to take his place in golf’s oldest major, is no normal British Open participant.

Also making him different is what he packs in his golf bag for each round: As important as his clubs is his medication, with Howard taking up to 30 tablets a day to prevent infection and help digest food properly.

Cystic fibrosis causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the body, which can lead to damage, blockages and infections in the lungs and other affected organs.

There’s no cure for this condition that requires life-long care, but new treatments can manage symptoms and have given Howard a new lease of life.

He doesn’t hide away from his previous struggles. Like turning to alcohol in his late teenage years when thinking he "wasn’t going to be here much longer” or what he described as “manic episodes and psychosis” during the pandemic when he couldn’t get out of bed or talk to anyone for weeks.

Now, he has gotten his life together. He decided to stop working as a mechanic at the end of 2023 — he still dabbles in it, mainly fixing his family members’ cars — and focus full-time on golf.

That comes with its health benefits, too.

“As a mechanic, working in dusty garages probably wasn’t ideal for me,” Howard said. “Being in the fresh air, around the coastlines with salty air, it’s really good. Hot weather is also good for CF, but there’s just a few things you need to keep on top of.”

He takes digestive enzymes every time he eats to break down fatty foods, so plenty of them will be needed for each round at Birkdale, where his caddie will be his father, John. The cystic fibrosis unit in his local hospital in Cork, Ireland, gives him a daily plan and advice.

Howard can still get sick, especially after flights, but instead of being hospitalized two or three times a year, he now can get by with a two-week course of antibiotics.

“It’s great we are living longer with CF compared to before,” he said. “Loads of positives to take from it — living adulthood is the next challenge, but that’s a great thing to have to worry about.”

It’s clear Howard cannot believe the position he has found himself in as he embarks on a golfing career that has already seen him win the East of Ireland championship and represent Ireland in home internationals. He will attend qualifying school later this year in an attempt to become a professional on the European tour.

Since qualifying for the Open last month, Howard has been contacted by kids with cystic fibrosis and their parents, who have said they are using him as “someone to look up to.”

“It’s a big thing,” he said. “Growing up with CF, it’s a lonely enough thing — you don’t meet other people with CF and really chat to them about it. So you’re figuring it out all on your own.

“It’s good to show that not everything is negative and there are positives to take from it. That you can follow your dreams and get at it.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Ireland's David Howard lines on the 16th green during a practice round at the British Open Golf Championship at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England, Monday, July 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Ireland's David Howard lines on the 16th green during a practice round at the British Open Golf Championship at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England, Monday, July 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Ireland's David Howard attends a practice round at the British Open Golf Championship at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England, Monday, July 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Ireland's David Howard attends a practice round at the British Open Golf Championship at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England, Monday, July 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)