The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
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Russia’s war against Ukraine
This photograph, taken on July 24, 2025, shows a damaged residential building following a drone attack in Odesa, amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine. (Oleksandr Gimanov / AFP via Getty Images)
War with Russia could last until 2034, Ukraine’s ex-top general Zaluzhnyi warns. “If we try to establish a ceasefire without building up our future defenses, the war will drag on for many more years,” former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said.
Global Starlink outage disrupts Ukrainian front lines. Starlink experienced a global outage on July 24, with the cause still unknown. Ukraine’s military confirmed the disruption affected connectivity along the front lines.
Over 23,000 civilians, 113 children trapped in active combat zones in Donetsk Oblast, official says. Ukrainian and Western military experts assess that Russia may escalate its offensive operations during the 50-day period U.S. President Donald Trump allocated for Moscow to reach a ceasefire settlement.
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Over 1,300 residents remain in embattled Pokrovsk, governor says. Vadym Filashkin said the situation in the region is growing more difficult by the day as Russian forces intensify their offensive.
Russia plans sweeping gasoline export ban to stabilize domestic market, sources tell Reuters. The Russian government has resorted to temporary gasoline export bans multiple times over the past two years, typically to address domestic fuel shortages and alleviate high prices.
Anti-corruption
‘We all hear what society is saying’ — Zelensky vows anti-corruption plan within 2 weeks amid backlash over controversial bill. “We see what people expect from state institutions — ensured justice and the effective functioning of each institution,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Zelensky submits new bill restoring anti-graft agencies’ independence after protests. The bill follows Zelensky’s decision on July 22 to sign a bill that effectively destroyed the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
US Senator Lindsey Graham criticises Zelensky’s signing of controversial anti-corruption law. Lindsey urged Kyiv to reconsider the law as “one of the most widely used talking points for ending support for Ukraine is that it was awash with corruption.”
Read our exclusives
Ukraine war latest: China covertly supplying drone engines to Russia despite sanctions, Reuters reports
Beijing is reportedly circumventing Western sanctions by discreetly shipping Chinese-made drone engines to a state-owned Russian manufacturer, labeling them as “industrial refrigeration units” to avoid detection.
Photo: Zvezda / Rutube
Invisible prisoners — the struggle to free thousands of Ukrainians in Russian captivity
Since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine in 2014, Ukrainians in the occupied territories have been subject to illegal detentions, brutal interrogations, convictions in an unrecognized legal system, and torture.
Photo: Dominique Faget / AFP via Getty Images
Marjorie Taylor Greene is spreading lies about Ukraine’s protests. Russia is taking note
Thousands of citizens rallied in cities across the country on the first night with a clear goal: to urge Volodymyr Zelensky to veto a bill passed in parliament that guts anti-corruption reforms, and to express anger with recent government attacks on anti-corruption figures.
Photo: Danylo Antoniuk / The Kyiv Independent
Georgian-Ukrainian music festival ICKPA returns to Kyiv amid shared resistance to Russian imperialism
Founded in 2021 by a local Ukrainian team and the Georgian club Bassiani, ICKPA (pronounced “Iskra” which means “Spark” in Ukrainian) was envisioned as an annual event, aimed at amplifying the voices of creative communities from Eastern European countries.
Photo: ICKPA
Human cost of Russia’s war
Russian glide bombs strike Kharkiv residential high-rise building, injuring at least 41. Some people were trapped beneath the rubble of the multi-story building, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Russian attacks kill 4, injure 33 over past day, damaging UNESCO-protected landmarks in Odesa. Kharkiv Oblast saw the highest number of civilians affected by Russian attacks, which killed three people and injured five others.
International response
Von der Leyen urges China to press Putin to engage seriously in Ukraine-Russia peace talks. “China has an influence on Russia, like the European Union has an influence on Ukraine,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
US approves $330 million in military sales to Ukraine for artillery, air defense support. The U.S. State Department has approved two proposed military sales to Ukraine, valued at a combined $330 million, to bolster the country’s artillery and air defense systems, the agency announced on July 24.
Netherlands, OSCE seek investigation into Russian torture of Ukrainian POWs. The Netherlands and 40 other OSCE member states have formally called for an independent investigation into the torture and mistreatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp announced July 24.
Indian company sent explosives to Russia despite US warnings, Reuters reports. Among the Russian companies listed as recipients of the explosive substance octogen, also known as HMX, is Promsintez, an explosives producer that has ties to the Russian military, a Ukrainian Security Service official told Reuters.
Opinions and insights
I was 18 when I protested at EuroMaidan. I’m proud of new generation protesting now
“Seeing this evolution of Ukrainian society made me emotional and very proud. All these years of standing up on squares and then on the battlefield weren’t for nothing if this is what Ukraine is now,” writes Toma Istomina,
deputy chief editor at The Kyiv Independent.
Photo: Arsen Dzodzaiev / Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
In other news
Ukrainian MP, businessman Yaroslav Rushchyshyn dies in motorcycle accident. Yaroslav Rushchyshyn, a Ukrainian member of parliament, entrepreneur, and cultural figure, died following a motorcycle accident, his family confirmed to local media outlet Tvoye Misto on July 25.
Kolomoisky embezzlement case to be sent to court. Kolomoisky, the former owner of Ukraine’s largest bank PrivatBank, and five of his associates were charged in 2023 with money laundering and fraud. They are accused of embezzling Hr 9.2 billion ($250 million) from PrivatBank.
Russia deploys additional electronic warfare systems near Estonian border. The systems, deployed near the Russian town of Kingisepp — roughly 20 kilometers (around 12 miles) from Estonia’s eastern border — are designed to jam communications, disrupt radar systems, and assert control over the electromagnetic spectrum.
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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Lili Bivings, Kateryna Hodunova, Kateryna Denisova, Toma Istomina, Tymur Zadorozhnyy, Lucy Pakhnyuk, and Olena Goncharova.
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