baby jj's journey dog attack

Family speaks after toddler is mauled by dog in Spencer

by Wayne Stafford

SPENCER, Okla (KOKH) — A toddler is in the hospital awaiting multiple surgeries after being mauled by a dog in Spencer on Sunday.

One-year-old JJ is expected to survive but he has a long recovery ahead of him.

It could be some time before he leaves OU Children's Hospital.

And the family tells FOX25 this all could have been prevented.

• ALSO SEE: Toddler mauled by dog in Spencer, in critical condition

"He doesn't deserve this, he's a baby," said Delfina Wright, grandmother of the 1-year-old attacked by a pit bull. "He needs justice to be done."

Wright says JJ was playing in the front yard with his sisters when the attack happened.

"These dogs came and dragged him over to their owner's property where there's no fence to protect them," said Wright.

The one year old's injuries are severe. He has undergone facial reconstructive surgery and has multiple fractures across his face and head. And now, JJ is dealing with an infection and running a fever of 103.

• ALSO SEE: OHP: Sleepiness causes early Monday accident on Turner Turnpike

Briley Rankin, an 11-year-old witness of the attack, tells FOX25 that this is not the first time the neighbors dogs have attacked.

"They don't have any fence. They're chasing us when we ride our bikes," Rankin said. "They're just terrible dogs. They're big, gigantic pit bulls."

The Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office says the owners of the pit bulls have been cited several different times for their dogs running loose.

At this time for this latest incident, no one is facing charges or has been cited.

"At this point, we're still investigating we're getting a couple of different conflicting reports as to what exactly happened," said Aaron Brilbeck with the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office. "Once we hash through what exactly happened, we'll decide if charges are filed."

In the meantime, JJ's family is by his side, hoping for a fast recovery.

• ALSO SEE: Forensic testing company used by OKCPD experiences network security incident

"I'm asking everyone to please help us pray for JJ's recovery," said Wright.

The Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office says only one dog was involved in the attack and was seized.

The dog did not have a rabies vaccine and will be euthanized.

There is a GoFundMe set up to raise money for JJ.

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Spencer parents could face charges after one-year-old attacked by dog.

On Feb. 20, a 1-year-old was mauled by a pit bull in Spencer.

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The parents of a 1-year-old who was attacked by a dog in Spencer could face charges.

>> Related: Oklahoma toddler in critical condition after being attacked by dog

Now, the sheriff’s office is looking at possible charges for all parties involved. They said that it depends on what the investigation reveals.

"Going through the investigation, we have learned that the child went into the backyard of the neighbor's house. He was out front unattended," said Sheriff Tommie Johnson III, Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office.

Police said that when the neighbor opened their door, the dog ran into the unfenced yard and attacked J.J. Rodriguez.

"Four other dogs also got out and we don't know yet if the other dogs joined in on the attack," Johnson said.

>> Related: 1-year-old suffers serious injuries after dog attack in Spencer

J.J.’s father said that all five of the dogs attacked.

"There are a lot of witnesses who saw at least one part of the attack, some of the attack, so we are working through all the statements coming in from witnesses and trying to piece that together to get the full view, the full picture of what happened," Johnson said.

Neighbors told KOCO 5 on the day of the attack that the dogs have a history of aggression.

"Their dogs are always out and we've called in on them before but they don't do nothing about it you know. It had to come to something like this. This is really not right," a neighbor said at the time.

>> Related: Oklahoma County sheriff expects charges to be filed in connection with Spencer dog attack

The sheriff said that there were four prior calls made for those dogs and the owner has received several citations.

"The dogs are no longer on the property. They are at a family member's house, not in Spencer, not in that area," Johnson said.

J.J. is recovering in the hospital. His family told KOCO 5 he’s made some major progress and they’re hoping it stays that way.

Boy, 3, brutally mauled by pit bull now 'thriving' and playing with dogs again

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT. Jose Joel "JJ" Rodriguez was left in a critical condition in Oklahoma, US, after he was brutally attacked by a dog as he played in his garden

• 12:17, 27 Jun 2023

A three-year-old boy savagely mauled by a pit bull is now "thriving" and playing with dogs again - despite nearly dying from the brutal attack.

Jose Joel "JJ" Rodriguez, from Oklahoma, US, was only 22-months-old when he was attacked by the neighbour's pit bull while playing in his front garden.

JJ was left in a critical condition after the attack, with extensive injuries to his face.

The tot had to stay in hospital for three-and-a-half months and has since had 12 surgeries - including extensive facial reconstruction.

One year on from the attack, JJ has made huge progress and a video shows him leading a therapy dog around a hospital ward.

The dog attack happened in February last year when JJ was playing with his siblings outside their family home.

The neighbour's dogs were allegedly off their leads - and one attacked JJ as there was no fence in between the adjoining yards.

Parents Jose and Cassandra Rodriguez were horrified at the attack as they previously warned the neighbour this would happen if they didn't control their pets.

Dad Jose, a forklift operator, said: "Baby JJ was playing outside with his siblings on a rare warm February day when he was viciously mauled by the neighbour's pit bull.

"His recovery was a difficult one. He had his face reconstructed."

JJ was taken to the hospital and had to stay there for three-and-a-half months with medical fees going into the millions, according to Jose.

Jose, 33, said: "His initial surgery was 16 hours. They put in a tracheotomy and harvested two of his ribs to rebuild his face specifically his jaw, nose, cheekbones and to repair the orbital walls and floor of his eye.

"They did three skin grafts too to cover the wounds where he was scalped. One for what was left of his cheek.

"He is by all means a true miracle."

JJ has undergone 12 surgeries in fourteen months and the 13th is coming soon.

Jose added: "He will need surgeries well into his early adulthood.

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"There is no foreseeable end in sight and the number of surgeries cannot be predicted but will be upwards of 30 is what we know for sure."

After the horrific attack, JJ's parents didn't want him to live in fear for the rest of his life, so they made sure that part of his recovery included being around therapy dogs.

Jose said: "We worked daily with a team of therapists and psychiatrist and psychologists to ensure that JJ does not spend the rest of his life in fear.

"There is a dog on every street in America. So, we felt it was best to address this so he is not afraid.

"We let him go at his own pace and on his terms.

"Eventually, JJ started having exposure therapy with therapy dogs while hospitalized and it’s been extremely effective!"

The family knew that their dogs at home could cause a problem to JJ's recovery and decided that if the therapy dogs were an issue they would have to rehome their own.

Luckily, JJ overcame his fears and is now relatively comfortable around dogs.

However, due to the PTSD he suffers, encountering pit bull remains a huge trigger.

Jose said: "We did on two separate occasions encounter a pit bull and both times JJ started yelling and crying he was terrified.

"But there has also been an instance where he was just fine however we would rather not intentionally expose him or have him around that breed."

Since then JJ's recovery has seen him go from strength to strength against all odds.

Jose said: "JJ's doing well in fact he is thriving!

"He’s just as happy as he always was he does have some triggers and reactions so he has pretty bad PTSD and suffers from night terrors.

"But overall the kid is unstoppable.

"I called JJ the indestructible baby well before the attack now he’s just proven it and lived up to the name."

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1-Year-Old Severely Injured After Dog Attack by Neighbor's Pit Bull

One-year-old J.J. Rodriguez of Spencer, Oklahoma, was playing outside with his siblings when a brutal dog attack left him in critical condition. Police believe there was at least one dog involved in the attack on February 20, but J.J.’s family is still looking for answers.

Concerned Bystanders, Mail Carrier Rescue Naked & Bruised Child Who Wandered From Home

According to the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Department, deputies arrived around 2:30 p.m.

A Facebook post from the sheriff's department noted that when officers got there, J.J. had already been injured.

“The toddler was taken to the hospital and the dog was seized,” the post stated. Authorities also said that the dog or dogs belonged to a neighbor.

J.J.’s grandmother, Delfina Wright, told KFOR that her grandson received numerous injuries in the attack.

“His eyes are dislocated, his nose will never be the same, he has a trach in his throat right now to help him breathe, his lungs are messed up, his jaw was broken in several different places, his teeth were pulled out by the dogs,” she told the news station .

"He doesn’t deserve this. He’s a baby … He had no face,” Wright said.

J.J.’s mom, Cassandra Rodriguez, wrote on Facebook that her son is expected to survive the attack and that he was going through surgery to help treat his injuries.

“I’m just hoping once he’s awake and off a machine he stays strong,” she posted on February 20.

J.J.'s grandfather, James Wright, spoke with KFOR and noted that “doctors said it looks good for him, that he most likely will survive.”

“But, he’ll be scarred for life,” he added.

The grandfather says J.J. most likely will need to spend months in the hospital recovering.

Although news outlets have been reporting at least one dog involved in the attack, a GoFundMe page created to help cover the little boy's medical costs claims there were five pit bulls that clawed at the 1-year-old. News on 6 reported that J.J.'s dad and several others spotted the attack and ran to save him.

“This is every parent's worst nightmare. I’m falling apart as I type this and know we have a huge uphill battle ahead of us not only for J.J. but our family as a whole,” José Rodriguez wrote on the crowdfunding page. From his wording, he likely is the boy's father.

This isn’t the first time that police have been called to the neighbor’s house because of the dogs.

“Police have been called to the home several times on complaints that several pit bulls that lived in the home had been running loose,” the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page stated. “In Oklahoma, dog owners are required to have control of their pets.”

Aaron Brillbeck, who works with the sheriff's department, said authorities had been to the house “numerous times,” KFOR reported.

“He’s been cited several times for about three weeks and honestly it was just a matter of time before something like this happened,” Brillbeck said.

But Chad Minshew, the dog’s alleged owner, vehemently disagrees.

“There’s no proof,” he said.

Minshew said he does regret what his dog did to J.J. He agreed to have at least one of his dogs involved in the attack put down on February 21.

“[I’m] emotionally crumbled,” Minshew told KFOR. “I’ve had that dog for five years. He’s never been aggressive. I have kids. He’s never done anything like that. And for him to do that, yes, I do want him put down. I feel that it is right. What else can you do? How are you supposed to get over something like that?”

J.J.’s GoFundMe campaign notes that he’s due to have surgery on Thursday.

He will receive treatment for “orbital fractures as well as G-Tube insertion and harvesting of a part of his rib to reconstruct his jaw,” the page stated. Sadly, the boy is in for a long road of recovery.

“Baby J.J. is the sweetest, goofiest, happiest, most loving baby boy ever, not to mention the best big brother ever,” José Rodriguez wrote on the page. “Please keep baby JJ and our family in your prayers. I hope none of you ever have to go through what me and my wife are going through."

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"My toddler's face was ripped off by a pitbull - when you own a dangerous dog you’re putting everyone at risk"

Posted: September 27, 2023 | Last updated: April 20, 2024

The dad of a toddler whose face was "ripped off" by a pitbull says there should be tighter restrictions around "dangerous" breeds - including the XL bully. JJ Rodriguez, now three, was playing outside in his front yard with his older sisters just before he was brutally attacked by a neighbour's pitbull on February 20, 2022. The tot was left in a critical condition after the attack with his face ripped apart, his skull exposed, and his jaw torn apart. His injuries were so severe a priest was called to his bedside. JJ had to stay in the Oklahoma Children's Hospital for three-and-a-half months and has since had 12 surgeries - including extensive facial reconstruction. JJ's dad, Jose, 34, believes "when you own a pitbull, you’re putting everyone around you at risk". Jose, a forklift operator, from Spencer, Oklahoma, US, said: “JJ was a dog lover - but these pitbulls scalped him - they took his nose, jaw and cheekbones off. “People have tried to say it was our fault for allowing JJ to play around the dogs - but the reality is, when you own a pitbull, you’re putting everyone around you at risk.” The incident happened when Jose and his wife, Cassandra, 33, a stay-at-home mum, let their seven children play outside. Cassandra watched them from the front door as they played with teddy bears and sat down by some flower beds, while Jose was showering before work. After he got out of the shower, he spoke to Cassandra - who picked up their youngest child, Olivia, then five months old, and took her inside for "a minute". In the time it took for Cassandra to turn her back - the pair heard JJ begin to scream - and came out to find three pitbulls dragging him along. Jose said: “I started screaming 'no' and I just ran towards the dogs. “I was fighting with them - trying to physically put myself between them and JJ. "I got injured too - but it was like nothing compared to what happened to him. “These dogs did not want to stop - it was like a pack mentality. They wanted to kill my son.” After 30 seconds of struggle between Jose, JJ and the dogs - Jose saw his opportunity when the “leader” opened its mouth - and threw his arm in there, giving JJ time to escape. They ran off but JJ was left with life-threatening injuries. His sister, Khloe, 13, dialled 911. “I turned JJ around,” Jose said. “I thought he was dead. But then, he started crying and I was filled with hope. “I looked at his face, and there was just nothing there. I could see into his throat - and he was choking on his own blood. “I’m usually such a highly-strung, stressed-out kind of guy. But I was extremely calm. I kept rubbing his back, telling him he was going to be OK.” The family did exactly as the 911 operator instructed - wrapping JJ’s entire head up in order to keep his wounds clean. But when the firefighters - who were first on the scene - arrived, they immediately called for back up. Jose said: “I heard the firefighter say ‘oh f**k. This baby’s dying.’

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Subway Strays: The Dogs of Moscow’s Metro

Despite the collapse of the Soviet Union, the stray dogs in Moscow have a surprisingly well-documented history which animal behaviorists have been paying close attention to for several decades. During the Soviet period in Russia the packs of wild (or stray) dogs in were regulated. Only the clever canines who learned to stay in isolation were able to survive. Usually, these dogs would remain on the outskirts of the city hunting in wild packs, as the living in the city was dangerous and food scarce.  After the fall of the Soviet Union quality of life in Russia began to slowly improve and with it more street vendors and food collecting in busy neighborhoods. This began to bring some the stray dogs out of the suburbs into the city.

Today, there are nearly 35,000 stray dogs that call Moscow home. Out of these 35,000 stray dogs there are about 500 that have taken to living underground. Out of these dogs, there are a few that have started thinking outside the box and inside the boxcar. They have begun the slow move underground to stay out of the cold (Russian winters reach an average of -5 degrees every day). Many of the Russian commuters embraced the dog’s underground migration by petting them or giving them food.

Though these claims may seem like the made up type of internet misinformation that we have learned to be skeptical of these days, it is actually sourced to a Russian biologist by the name of  Dr. Andrey Poyarkov , a highly regarded scientist in his field of study. As it turns out Poyarkov has been studying these dogs for the last thirty years and told news sources back in 2010 that he suspected a small fraction of these underground dogs had actually learned to use the subway in order to beg for food in bustling urban areas where food is more plentiful.

Andrei Neuronov , an animal behaviorist, says much like you train your dogs at home to respond to verbal commands like “sit” or “stay,” the Moscow metro dogs are using audio cues from the subway stops they have learned. The dogs memorize the names of the stops to navigate the subway systems in order to take them to heavily populated places during the day and get food.  Then, they return to their more secluded corners of the suburbs at night where they are less likely to be bothered by people.  Here is a story ABC did back in 2011, talking about this very thing.

Do you have any information on how to help these dogs?  Please share and comment below.

2018 Primetime Emmy & James Beard Award Winner

In Transit: Notes from the Underground

Jun 06 2018.

Spend some time in one of Moscow’s finest museums.

Subterranean commuting might not be anyone’s idea of a good time, but even in a city packing the war-games treasures and priceless bejeweled eggs of the Kremlin Armoury and the colossal Soviet pavilions of the VDNKh , the Metro holds up as one of Moscow’s finest museums. Just avoid rush hour.

The Metro is stunning and provides an unrivaled insight into the city’s psyche, past and present, but it also happens to be the best way to get around. Moscow has Uber, and the Russian version called Yandex Taxi , but also some nasty traffic. Metro trains come around every 90 seconds or so, at a more than 99 percent on-time rate. It’s also reasonably priced, with a single ride at 55 cents (and cheaper in bulk). From history to tickets to rules — official and not — here’s what you need to know to get started.

A Brief Introduction Buying Tickets Know Before You Go (Down) Rules An Easy Tour

A Brief Introduction

Moscow’s Metro was a long time coming. Plans for rapid transit to relieve the city’s beleaguered tram system date back to the Imperial era, but a couple of wars and a revolution held up its development. Stalin revived it as part of his grand plan to modernize the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 30s. The first lines and tunnels were constructed with help from engineers from the London Underground, although Stalin’s secret police decided that they had learned too much about Moscow’s layout and had them arrested on espionage charges and deported.

The beauty of its stations (if not its trains) is well-documented, and certainly no accident. In its illustrious first phases and particularly after the Second World War, the greatest architects of Soviet era were recruited to create gleaming temples celebrating the Revolution, the USSR, and the war triumph. No two stations are exactly alike, and each of the classic showpieces has a theme. There are world-famous shrines to Futurist architecture, a celebration of electricity, tributes to individuals and regions of the former Soviet Union. Each marble slab, mosaic tile, or light fixture was placed with intent, all in service to a station’s aesthetic; each element, f rom the smallest brass ear of corn to a large blood-spattered sword on a World War II mural, is an essential part of the whole.

The Metro is a monument to the Soviet propaganda project it was intended to be when it opened in 1935 with the slogan “Building a Palace for the People”. It brought the grand interiors of Imperial Russia to ordinary Muscovites, celebrated the Soviet Union’s past achievements while promising its citizens a bright Soviet future, and of course, it was a show-piece for the world to witness the might and sophistication of life in the Soviet Union.

It may be a museum, but it’s no relic. U p to nine million people use it daily, more than the London Underground and New York Subway combined. (Along with, at one time, about 20 stray dogs that learned to commute on the Metro.)

In its 80+ year history, the Metro has expanded in phases and fits and starts, in step with the fortunes of Moscow and Russia. Now, partly in preparation for the World Cup 2018, it’s also modernizing. New trains allow passengers to walk the entire length of the train without having to change carriages. The system is becoming more visitor-friendly. (There are helpful stickers on the floor marking out the best selfie spots .) But there’s a price to modernity: it’s phasing out one of its beloved institutions, the escalator attendants. Often they are middle-aged or elderly women—“ escalator grandmas ” in news accounts—who have held the post for decades, sitting in their tiny kiosks, scolding commuters for bad escalator etiquette or even bad posture, or telling jokes . They are slated to be replaced, when at all, by members of the escalator maintenance staff.

For all its achievements, the Metro lags behind Moscow’s above-ground growth, as Russia’s capital sprawls ever outwards, generating some of the world’s worst traffic jams . But since 2011, the Metro has been in the middle of an ambitious and long-overdue enlargement; 60 new stations are opening by 2020. If all goes to plan, the 2011-2020 period will have brought 125 miles of new tracks and over 100 new stations — a 40 percent increase — the fastest and largest expansion phase in any period in the Metro’s history.

Facts: 14 lines Opening hours: 5 a.m-1 a.m. Rush hour(s): 8-10 a.m, 4-8 p.m. Single ride: 55₽ (about 85 cents) Wi-Fi network-wide

Buying Tickets

• Ticket machines have a button to switch to English.
• You can buy specific numbers of rides: 1, 2, 5, 11, 20, or 60. Hold up fingers to show how many rides you want to buy.
• There is also a 90-minute ticket , which gets you 1 trip on the metro plus an unlimited number of transfers on other transport (bus, tram, etc) within 90 minutes.
• Or, you can buy day tickets with unlimited rides: one day (218₽/ US$4), three days (415₽/US$7) or seven days (830₽/US$15). Check the rates here to stay up-to-date.
• If you’re going to be using the Metro regularly over a few days, it’s worth getting a Troika card , a contactless, refillable card you can use on all public transport. Using the Metro is cheaper with one of these: a single ride is 36₽, not 55₽. Buy them and refill them in the Metro stations, and they’re valid for 5 years, so you can keep it for next time. Or, if you have a lot of cash left on it when you leave, you can get it refunded at the Metro Service Centers at Ulitsa 1905 Goda, 25 or at Staraya Basmannaya 20, Building 1.
• You can also buy silicone bracelets and keychains with built-in transport chips that you can use as a Troika card. (A Moscow Metro Fitbit!) So far, you can only get these at the Pushkinskaya metro station Live Helpdesk and souvenir shops in the Mayakovskaya and Trubnaya metro stations. The fare is the same as for the Troika card.
• You can also use Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Rules, spoken and unspoken

No smoking, no drinking, no filming, no littering. Photography is allowed, although it used to be banned.

Stand to the right on the escalator. Break this rule and you risk the wrath of the legendary escalator attendants. (No shenanigans on the escalators in general.)

Get out of the way. Find an empty corner to hide in when you get off a train and need to stare at your phone. Watch out getting out of the train in general; when your train doors open, people tend to appear from nowhere or from behind ornate marble columns, walking full-speed.

Always offer your seat to elderly ladies (what are you, a monster?).

An Easy Tour

This is no Metro Marathon ( 199 stations in 20 hours ). It’s an easy tour, taking in most—though not all—of the notable stations, the bulk of it going clockwise along the Circle line, with a couple of short detours. These stations are within minutes of one another, and the whole tour should take about 1-2 hours.

Start at Mayakovskaya Metro station , at the corner of Tverskaya and Garden Ring,  Triumfalnaya Square, Moskva, Russia, 125047.

1. Mayakovskaya.  Named for Russian Futurist Movement poet Vladimir Mayakovsky and an attempt to bring to life the future he imagined in his poems. (The Futurist Movement, natch, was all about a rejecting the past and celebrating all things speed, industry, modern machines, youth, modernity.) The result: an Art Deco masterpiece that won the National Grand Prix for architecture at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. It’s all smooth, rounded shine and light, and gentle arches supported by columns of dark pink marble and stainless aircraft steel. Each of its 34 ceiling niches has a mosaic. During World War II, the station was used as an air-raid shelter and, at one point, a bunker for Stalin. He gave a subdued but rousing speech here in Nov. 6, 1941 as the Nazis bombed the city above.

Take the 3/Green line one station to:

2. Belorusskaya. Opened in 1952, named after the connected Belarussky Rail Terminal, which runs trains between Moscow and Belarus. This is a light marble affair with a white, cake-like ceiling, lined with Belorussian patterns and 12 Florentine ceiling mosaics depicting life in Belarussia when it was built.

Transfer onto the 1/Brown line. Then, one stop (clockwise) t o:

3. Novoslobodskaya.  This station was designed around the stained-glass panels, which were made in Latvia, because Alexey Dushkin, the Soviet starchitect who dreamed it up (and also designed Mayakovskaya station) couldn’t find the glass and craft locally. The stained glass is the same used for Riga’s Cathedral, and the panels feature plants, flowers, members of the Soviet intelligentsia (musician, artist, architect) and geometric shapes.

Go two stops east on the 1/Circle line to:

4. Komsomolskaya. Named after the Komsomol, or the Young Communist League, this might just be peak Stalin Metro style. Underneath the hub for three regional railways, it was intended to be a grand gateway to Moscow and is today its busiest station. It has chandeliers; a yellow ceiling with Baroque embellishments; and in the main hall, a colossal red star overlaid on golden, shimmering tiles. Designer Alexey Shchusev designed it as an homage to the speech Stalin gave at Red Square on Nov. 7, 1941, in which he invoked Russia’s illustrious military leaders as a pep talk to Soviet soldiers through the first catastrophic year of the war.   The station’s eight large mosaics are of the leaders referenced in the speech, such as Alexander Nevsky, a 13th-century prince and military commander who bested German and Swedish invading armies.

One more stop clockwise to Kurskaya station,  and change onto the 3/Blue  line, and go one stop to:

5. Baumanskaya.   Opened in 1944. Named for the Bolshevik Revolutionary Nikolai Bauman , whose monument and namesake district are aboveground here. Though he seemed like a nasty piece of work (he apparently once publicly mocked a woman he had impregnated, who later hung herself), he became a Revolutionary martyr when he was killed in 1905 in a skirmish with a monarchist, who hit him on the head with part of a steel pipe. The station is in Art Deco style with atmospherically dim lighting, and a series of bronze sculptures of soldiers and homefront heroes during the War. At one end, there is a large mosaic portrait of Lenin.

Stay on that train direction one more east to:

6. Elektrozavodskaya. As you may have guessed from the name, this station is the Metro’s tribute to all thing electrical, built in 1944 and named after a nearby lightbulb factory. It has marble bas-relief sculptures of important figures in electrical engineering, and others illustrating the Soviet Union’s war-time struggles at home. The ceiling’s recurring rows of circular lamps give the station’s main tunnel a comforting glow, and a pleasing visual effect.

Double back two stops to Kurskaya station , and change back to the 1/Circle line. Sit tight for six stations to:

7. Kiyevskaya. This was the last station on the Circle line to be built, in 1954, completed under Nikita Khrushchev’ s guidance, as a tribute to his homeland, Ukraine. Its three large station halls feature images celebrating Ukraine’s contributions to the Soviet Union and Russo-Ukrainian unity, depicting musicians, textile-working, soldiers, farmers. (One hall has frescoes, one mosaics, and the third murals.) Shortly after it was completed, Khrushchev condemned the architectural excesses and unnecessary luxury of the Stalin era, which ushered in an epoch of more austere Metro stations. According to the legend at least, he timed the policy in part to ensure no Metro station built after could outshine Kiyevskaya.

Change to the 3/Blue line and go one stop west.

8. Park Pobedy. This is the deepest station on the Metro, with one of the world’s longest escalators, at 413 feet. If you stand still, the escalator ride to the surface takes about three minutes .) Opened in 2003 at Victory Park, the station celebrates two of Russia’s great military victories. Each end has a mural by Georgian artist Zurab Tsereteli, who also designed the “ Good Defeats Evil ” statue at the UN headquarters in New York. One mural depicts the Russian generals’ victory over the French in 1812 and the other, the German surrender of 1945. The latter is particularly striking; equal parts dramatic, triumphant, and gruesome. To the side, Red Army soldiers trample Nazi flags, and if you look closely there’s some blood spatter among the detail. Still, the biggest impressions here are the marble shine of the chessboard floor pattern and the pleasingly geometric effect if you view from one end to the other.

Keep going one more stop west to:

9. Slavyansky Bulvar.  One of the Metro’s youngest stations, it opened in 2008. With far higher ceilings than many other stations—which tend to have covered central tunnels on the platforms—it has an “open-air” feel (or as close to it as you can get, one hundred feet under). It’s an homage to French architect Hector Guimard, he of the Art Nouveau entrances for the Paris M é tro, and that’s precisely what this looks like: A Moscow homage to the Paris M é tro, with an additional forest theme. A Cyrillic twist on Guimard’s Metro-style lettering over the benches, furnished with t rees and branch motifs, including creeping vines as towering lamp-posts.

Stay on the 3/Blue line and double back four stations to:

10. Arbatskaya. Its first iteration, Arbatskaya-Smolenskaya station, was damaged by German bombs in 1941. It was rebuilt in 1953, and designed to double as a bomb shelter in the event of nuclear war, although unusually for stations built in the post-war phase, this one doesn’t have a war theme. It may also be one of the system’s most elegant: Baroque, but toned down a little, with red marble floors and white ceilings with gilded bronze c handeliers.

Jump back on the 3/Blue line  in the same direction and take it one more stop:

11. Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Revolution Square). Opened in 1938, and serving Red Square and the Kremlin . Its renowned central hall has marble columns flanked by 76 bronze statues of Soviet heroes: soldiers, students, farmers, athletes, writers, parents. Some of these statues’ appendages have a yellow sheen from decades of Moscow’s commuters rubbing them for good luck. Among the most popular for a superstitious walk-by rub: the snout of a frontier guard’s dog, a soldier’s gun (where the touch of millions of human hands have tapered the gun barrel into a fine, pointy blade), a baby’s foot, and a woman’s knee. (A brass rooster also sports the telltale gold sheen, though I am told that rubbing the rooster is thought to bring bad luck. )

Now take the escalator up, and get some fresh air.

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Russia-Ukraine war live: ‘War is returning to Russia,’ says Zelenskiy, after drones damage Moscow buildings – as it happened

Night-time drone attack damages two office blocks, as Ukrainian president says ‘this is an inevitable … and absolutely fair process’

• What we know on day 522 of the invasion
• 30 Jul 2023 Closing summary
• 30 Jul 2023 'War is returning to Russia', says Zelenskiy
• 30 Jul 2023 Russia would fire nuclear weapon if Ukraine succeeds in counteroffensive, says Medvedev
• 30 Jul 2023 Summary
• 30 Jul 2023 Putin: Russia is 'building up the power of its navy'
• 30 Jul 2023 Pope Francis calls on Russia to restore Black Sea grain deal
• 30 Jul 2023 Putin says Russian navy will get 30 new ships this year
• 30 Jul 2023 'We did not reject them': Putin says African plan could be basis for peace, but elements 'difficult or impossible'
• 30 Jul 2023 Moscow buildings damaged by drone attacks, one injured – Russian officials
• 30 Jul 2023 Opening summary

'War is returning to Russia', says Zelenskiy

Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned on Sunday that “war” was coming to Russia after three Ukrainian drones were downed over Moscow .

On a visit to the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, the Ukrainian president said:

Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia – to its symbolic centres and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process.

“Ukraine is getting stronger,” he added, but warned that the country should prepare for new attacks on energy infrastructure in winter, Agence France-Presse reported.

“But we must be aware that, just as last year, Russian terrorists can still attack our energy sector and critical facilities this winter,” he said, adding that preparations for “all possible scenarios” were discussed in Ivano-Frankivsk.

Russia would fire nuclear weapon if Ukraine succeeds in counteroffensive, says Medvedev

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev , who has sometimes raised the spectre of a nuclear conflict over Ukraine , has said Moscow would have to use a nuclear weapon if Kyiv’s continuing counteroffensive is a success.

Medvedev, who is deputy chair of Russia‘s security council, a body chaired by the president, Vladimir Putin , said in a message on his official social media accounts that Russia would be forced to fall back on its own nuclear doctrine in such a scenario, Reuters reported.

Imagine if the … offensive, which is backed by Nato, was a success and they tore off a part of our land then we would be forced to use a nuclear weapon according to the rules of a decree from the president of Russia. There would simply be no other option. So our enemies should pray for our warriors’ [success]. They are making sure that a global nuclear fire is not ignited.

Medvedev, who has cast himself as one of Moscow’s most hawkish voices, appeared to be referring to part of Russia’s nuclear doctrine, which sets out that nuclear weapons can be used in response to aggression against Russia carried out using conventional weapons that threatens the existence of the Russian state.

Ukraine is trying to retake territory that Russia has unilaterally annexed and declared to be part of its own territory, a move condemned by Kyiv and much of the west.

A night-time drone attack on Moscow damaged two office blocks, the mayor of the Russian capital said early on Sunday, Russia’s state news agency Tass reported. The capital’s Vnukovo airport was temporarily shut. City mayor Sergei Sobyanin posted on Telegram that there were “no victims or injured”. However, Tass reported a security guard had been injured in the attacks.

Ukraine’s ministry of defence has said Saturday’s Russian missile attacks killed one person in Sumy and 10 were injured. In Zaporizhzhia two people died and two were injured.

The latest UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) update says satellite imagery captured on 19 July has identified approximately 300 tents and 200 vehicles in Tsel, Belarus, where Wagner troops have probably established a military camp there. The MoD said it was unclear what happened to the heavy equipment Wagner used in Ukraine , suggesting it was possible it was forced to return these to the Russian military.

Pope Francis has called on Russia to revive the Black Sea grain deal , through which Moscow had allowed Ukraine to export grain from its seaports despite the war.

The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said Russia has lost 245,700 troops in Ukraine since the start of the war. According to the report, as of 9am (EET) on 30 July, Russia has also lost 4,205 tanks and 8,178 armoured fighting vehicles.

The Associated Press has reported that Saudi Arabia will host a Ukrainian-organised peace summit in early August.

Putin: Russia is 'building up the power of its navy'

Here is more from the Navy Day parade that took place on Sunday in St Petersburg .

President Vladimir Putin praised Russia’s navy in an address at the annual warship parade, which he attended accompanied by several African leaders, Agence France-Presse reported.

Without mentioning Ukraine in his speech, Putin hailed “the brave crews of ships and submarines”.

In the name of Russia, our sailors give all their strength, show true heroism and fight valiantly, like our great ancestors. Today, Russia is confidently implementing major elements of its national maritime policy and is consistently building up the power of its navy.

Forty-five ships, boats and submarines took part in the parade along with about 3,000 servicemen, the Kremlin said.

St Petersburg hosted a Russia-Africa summit earlier this week.

Several leaders and representatives of African countries including Mali and Burkina Faso attended the parade on Sunday.

Pope Francis calls on Russia to restore Black Sea grain deal

During his Angelus message on Sunday, he said:

I appeal to my brothers, the authorities of the Russian Federation, so that the Black Sea initiative may be resumed and grain may be transported safely.

Ukraine’s ministry of defence has posted footage following Russian missile attacks on Sumy and Zaporizhzhia on Saturday.

It wrote on social media:

Yesterday, Russia attacked Ukrainian cities with ballistic missiles. One person was killed, ten were injured in Sumy. Two people died and two were injured in Zaporizhzhia.

Yesterday, russia attacked Ukrainian cities with ballistic missiles. One person was killed, ten were injured in Sumy. Two people died and two were injured in Zaporizhzhia. pic.twitter.com/D9ZPCOtDte — Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) July 30, 2023

Ukraine’s ministry of foreign affairs has posted on social media about the U nesco representatives who arrived in Odesa on Saturday.

They are there to assess the damage caused by Russian missile attacks on the city on the night of July 22-23, during which one civilian was killed and 22 were injured, including four children.

There was also significant damage to the area, which includes the city’s historic Transfiguration Cathedral.

In January 2023 Odesa’s historic centre was named a Unesco world heritage site.

#SaveOdesaHeritage 📷 Vienna State Opera,🇦🇹Austria and the House of Scientists,🇺🇦 #Ukraine destroyed by #Russia . @UNESCO ’s mission arrived to #Odesa to examine damages caused by #Russian invaders to World Heritage. pic.twitter.com/znsd40kLkz — MFA of Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@MFA_Ukraine) July 30, 2023

The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces has reported that Russia has lost 245,700 troops in Ukraine since the start of the war.

According to the report, as of 9am (EET) on 30 July, Russia has also lost 4,205 tanks, 8,178 armoured fighting vehicles, 7,275 vehicles and fuel tanks, 4,795 artillery systems, 698 multiple-launch rocket systems, 459 air defence systems, 315 planes, 311 helicopters, 4,011 drones and 18 boats.

These are indicative estimates of Russia’s combat losses since 24 February 2022.

The Kyiv Independent has pulled together the figures here:

These are the indicative estimates of Russia’s combat losses as of July 30, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/FPOMQmQiqZ — The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) July 30, 2023

Here are some images coming to us over the wires.

• Ukraine war live
• Vladimir Putin

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