The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
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Russia’s war against Ukraine
A woman looks at an exhibition during a memorial event to mark the third anniversary of the Olenivka prison attack, at Independence Square in Kyiv, on July 28, 2025. On July 29, 2022, dozens of Ukrainian soldiers died in the bombardment of the Russian-controlled jail of Olenivka in the eastern Donetsk region. (Tetiana Dzhafarova/AFP via Getty Images)
‘I already know the answer’ — Trump to shorten Ukraine deadline for Putin to 10–12 days. “We thought we had that settled numerous times, and then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kyiv and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever,” U.S. President Donald Trump said.
‘Peace through strength is possible’ — Zelensky welcomes Trump’s new Ukraine peace deal deadline. “Indeed, peace is possible if we act strongly and decisively, and we have repeatedly said — and all partners know this — that sanctions are a key element. Russia factors in the sanctions, factors in such losses,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Ukraine to receive 11 more IRIS-T air defense systems from Germany, ambassador says. “Each system currently produced for Ukraine includes three medium-range SLM launchers, and two short-range SLS launchers, as part of a unified complex,” Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Oleksii Makeiev said.
Russia advances between key towns of Pokrovsk, Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian military says. The Pokrovsk direction remains the key vector of the Russian offensive, where Russia has concentrated most of its troops, said Victor Tregubov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Khortytsia group of forces.
Russia’s Aeroflot cancels dozens of flights after alleged cyberattack by pro-Ukraine hackers. A pro-Ukrainian hacker group named Silent Crow has claimed responsibility for a large-scale attack on Aeroflot’s IT infrastructure, allegedly conducted in cooperation with the Belarusian opposition hacktivist group, Cyber Partisans BY.
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Ukraine shifts defense procurement to domestic suppliers, nearly all drones now Ukrainian-made. “Ukraine’s Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) signed an additional Hr 158 billion ($3.8 billion) in contracts with domestic weapons manufacturers in the first six months of 2025, compared to the same period last year, the Defense Ministry announced on July 28.”
Ukraine liberates Kindrativka village in Sumy Oblast amid ongoing Russian offensive. Stabilization measures are currently underway in Kindrativka, a spokesperson for the Kursk military group said.
Blackout, explosions reported in occupied Donetsk amid Ukrainian drone attack. Explosions and fires were reported in Donetsk, followed by a blackout amid an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on the occupied city just before midnight on July 28.
Ukrainian drones strike train station, rail infrastructure amid large-scale attack on Russia’s Rostov Oblast. Ukraine’s military reportedly launched a large-scale drone attack on Russia’s Rostov Oblast overnight on July 29, striking a railway station in the town of Salsk, local officials reported.
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Ukraine war latest: ‘I already know the answer’ — Trump to shorten Ukraine deadline for Putin to 10–12 days
U.S. President Donald Trump said on July 28 that he aims to shorten the 50-day deadline he had set to Russian President Vladimir Putin for a peace deal in Ukraine, expressing disappointment with the Kremlin leader.
Photo: Christopher Furlong / Getty Images
Russia’s war crime in Olenivka is a test for international justice
Three years ago, on the night of July 28-29, 2022, Russians blew up a barrack in the penal colony in Olenivka, killing over 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) and injuring around 130. The victims were soldiers of the Azov Brigade who had defended Mariupol.
Photo: Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP via Getty Images
Russia may have received up to 30,000 fresh North Korean troops, boosting its negotiating position
North Korean troops had fought alongside Russia since late 2024. They saw combat in Russia’s Kursk Oblast but didn’t cross into Ukraine. That might soon change. Ukrainian officials assess that North Korea has additionally deployed 20,000 to 30,000 troops to Russia, though the number could be lower, a senior Western diplomat told the Kyiv Independent, citing Ukrainian intelligence.
Photo: Gavriil Grigorov / Pool / AFP
True brotherhood’ — Ukrainians welcome back Georgian music festival amid shared struggle against Russian aggression
A festival organized by Georgians and Ukrainians brought much-needed respite and solidarity to Kyiv. Over the weekend of July 25-27, thousands of people danced their way through the ICKPA (meaning “Spark” in Ukrainian) electronic music festival, which returned to Kyiv after a four-year hiatus due to Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Photo: Mykhaylo Palinchak / The Kyiv Independent
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Opinions and insights
Investigation: Despite sanctions, American trucks are being used by Russia to launch kamikaze drones
A U.S. company is among several worldwide that have sold U.S.-made pickup trucks to Russia, despite U.S. sanction restrictions prohibiting the sale of such vehicles to the country. An investigation by the Kyiv Independent reveals several companies located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and one based in the U.S. state of Virginia, have helped enable Russia to import at least 130 since the beginning of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Photo: Artem Priakhin / LightRocket via Getty Images
‘It hits their psyche hard’ — Ukraine’s drones throw Russia’s airports further into ‘chaos’
As Ukraine continues its long-range drone campaign, major airports across Russia have been repeatedly forced to suspend operations, reroute flights, and ground aircraft. In July alone, nearly every day of the month, at least one formally operating Russian airport shut down temporarily. Hundreds of domestic and international flights were canceled or diverted, stranding thousands of passengers and exposing a vulnerability the Kremlin can no longer conceal.
Photo: Artem Priakhin / LightRocket via Getty Images
Human cost of Russia’s war
Ukraine has exchanged over 5,850 captives held by Russia since 2022, Zelensky says. Another 555 people were freed separately from prisoner exchanges with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky added.
Russian soldiers missing in action labeled deserters to mask casualty figures, media reports. By labeling missing soldiers as deserters, Russia not only conceals its true war losses but also avoids paying social benefits to the families of the deceased, IStories reported.
International response
US likely moved nuclear weapons to UK for first time since 2008 amid Russian threats, Bloomberg reports. The United States likely stationed a portion of its nuclear weapons arsenal in the United Kingdom for the first time since 2008, Bloomberg reported on July 28, as the U.S. seeks to reaffirm solidarity with European allies amid increased Russian threats.
Ukraine imports Azerbaijani gas for first time as storage runs low. Ukraine’s state energy giant Naftogaz has signed its first agreement to import natural gas from Azerbaijan, the company said in a press release on July 28. The deal comes as gas storage reserves have fallen to their lowest level in at least 11 years, driven by Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid.
Non-EU countries, including Ukraine, can join Europe’s new satellite network rivaling Starlink, commissioner says. Ukraine and other non-EU countries in Europe are welcome to begin negotiations to join the bloc’s new IRIS-2 secure satellite communication program, European Defense and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said in an interview published July 28.
Unidentified drone enters Lithuania from Belarus amid rising tensions. “According to received reports, a drone was spotted at an altitude of about 200 meters, last seen near Vilnius,” said Darius Buta, a representative of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Center, according to LRT.
Estonia summons Russian envoy after border patrol ship violates territorial waters. “This is a serious and unacceptable incident,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said. “That message has been clearly communicated to the Russian charge d’affaires.”
China threatens retaliation over Ukrainian sanctions imposed for backing Russia’s invasion. The statement follows President Volodymyr Zelensky’s July 27 decree imposing sanctions on individuals and entities from Russia and its allies.
Sanctioned Russian officials attend Global Parliamentary Summit in Geneva. Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) explained that under its host-state agreement, it is obliged to facilitate the participation of official delegates in international events held on Swiss territory.
In other news
Belarusian KGB agent caught spying on Ukrainian defenses near Belarus’s border, Ukraine’s SBU says. The suspected agent was identified as a 24-year-old unemployed local resident who had sought quick money via Telegram.
Ukraine wins 2 medals at Fencing World Championships in Tbilisi as protests erupt over Russian, Belarusian participation. Protests were held near the hotel housing the Russian fencers and outside the Sports Palace, the venue for the competition.
Propaganda campaign mimics Kyiv Independent to spread fake news, targets US. Videos and social media posts circulating online impersonate the Kyiv Independent’s branding, falsely claiming that President Volodymyr Zelensky has imposed sanctions on a list of American citizens, such as Steve Bannon, Donald Trump Jr., Elbridge Colby, Mike Flynn, and Senator Mike Lee.
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