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Russia’s war against Ukraine
Ukrainian emergency service workers extinguish a fire in a house after a Russian shelling with a FPV drone, in the city of Kostiantynivka, Ukraine, on 22 July 2025. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Ukraine, Russia hold third round of peace talks in Istanbul, agree to another major prisoner exchange. During the talks, Ukraine proposed holding a summit between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin before the end of August, according to National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, who led the Ukrainian delegation.
Fire engulfs iconic Odesa market amid Russian attack. A Russian drone attack on Odesa damaged residential buildings, a gas station, and the city’s Pryvoz market overnight on July 24.
Ukraine, Russia carry out another prisoner swap as third round of Istanbul peace talks concludes. Ukraine has brought home a group of soldiers released from Russian captivity, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on July 23, marking yet another in a recent series of exchanges with Moscow.
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1 killed, 1 injured as Ukrainian drones attack Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, hit Sochi, oil depot. One person was killed and one injured as an oil depot in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai was hit in a reported Ukrainian drone attack on July 24, with explosions and drones seen in the city of Sochi.
China covertly supplying drone engines to Russia despite sanctions, Reuters reports. The shipments have allowed Russian weapons-maker IEMZ Kupol to boost its Garpiya drone output, despite sanctions imposed by the U.S. and EU in October aimed at disrupting its supply chain.
Anti-corruption
EU privately warns Ukraine anti-graft agencies law is a setback for membership talks, media reports. The legislation, swiftly pushed through by President Volodymyr Zelensky’s lawmakers on July 22 and signed by the president the same day, “crossed red lines” for Brussels, European Pravda reported, citing EU sources.
‘Veto the law!’ — Protests held across Ukraine after parliament passes bill weakening anti-corruption institutions. Demonstrators gathered in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, and Odesa to oppose the legislation, which grants sweeping new powers to the prosecutor general over the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
Lawmakers seek Constitutional Court review of law curtailing independence of Ukraine’s anti-graft agencies. Lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak claimed that procedural rules were violated during the bill’s passage, making the constitutional challenge viable. The motion will require at least 45 signatures from members of parliament.
‘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.
Over half of MPs suspected by NABU backed law curbing anti-corruption agency’s independence. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) suspects 31 sitting or former members of the current parliament of corruption.
Von der Leyen raises ‘strong concerns,’ urges Zelensky to explain law weakening Ukraine’s anti-graft bodies. “The President of the European Commission (Ursula von der Leyen) was in contact with President Zelensky about these latest developments,” European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier said.
Kyiv Independent suffers DDoS attack after publishing criticism of anti-corruption rollback. The attack followed the publication of a critical editorial and in-depth coverage of the government’s push to expand the prosecutor general’s control over key anti-corruption agencies.
Read our exclusives
Ukraine war latest: Ukraine, Russia hold third round of peace talks in Istanbul
Ukraine has proposed a summit between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin before the end of August, according to Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council and head of the Ukrainian delegation.
Photo: Turkish Foreign Ministry / Handout /Anadolu via Getty Images
‘A fatal mistake’ — Ukrainian soldiers slam Zelensky’s anti-corruption crackdown
Even for Ukrainian soldiers locked in brutal warfare hundreds of kilometers from the capital, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s move to dismantle the country’s anti-corruption infrastructure built over the past decade felt like a blow.
Photo: Kostiantyn Liberov / Libkos / Getty Images
Explainer: Does Zelensky’s crackdown on anti-corruption agencies have anything to do with Russian influence?
President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that the purpose of the law dismantling Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure was to curtail Russian influence. However, the law passed and signed on July 22 does not have anything to do with Russian influence.
Photo: Kaniuka Ruslan / Ukrinform / Future Publishing via Getty Images
‘You have lost the trust of society’ — Ukrainians react to Zelensky’s latest evening address
Ukrainians have reacted with fury to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s latest evening address on July 22, during which he confirmed he had signed a controversial bill that curtails the independence of Ukraine’s key anti-corruption institutions.
Photo: Danylo Antoniuk/The Kyiv Independent
Human cost of Russia’s war
Russian attacks kill 2, injure 30 across Ukraine over past day, cause blackouts.
Russia launched 71 drones from multiple directions overnight. Air defenses shot down 27 drones, and 18 were lost or intercepted by electronic warfare, the Air Force said.
Russia suffered 80,000 casualties during Kursk incursion, Ukraine’s military chief says. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi did not reveal Ukraine’s casualties in Kursk Oblast but said Russia’s losses were significantly greater.
Commander of Ukraine’s elite police-formed brigade dies in car crash. Colonel Maksym Kazban was a veteran officer who commanded the Liut Brigade, a unique front-line formation made up of Ukraine’s elite police forces.
International response
US approves possible $172 million support package for Ukraine’s air defense system. The package will include five-ton cargo trucks, spare parts, and the refurbishment and overhaul of air defense fire units.
Ukrainian lawmaker’s warning amid Zelensky’s anti-corruption crackdown
In other news
Ukrainian fencer Vlada Kharkova wins gold in 2025 World Championship. Vlada Kharkova won the individual gold medal at the Fencing World Championship in Tbilisi, Georgia, on July 23.
Russian Gazprom wins asset release in Dutch court after claims by Ukrainian companies, Reuters reports. A Dutch court overturned seizure orders on Russian energy giant Gazprom’s local assets, which had been imposed following lawsuits filed by two Ukrainian companies, Reuters reports on July 22, citing a published ruling on the court’s website.
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