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Russia’s war against Ukraine
A soldier holds a gun as the air defense unit of the 28th Mechanised Brigade, named after Knights of the Winter Campaign, searches for Russian reconnaissance drones using anti-aircraft first-person-view (FPV) drones on July 18, 2025 in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images)
EU agrees on ‘one of its strongest’ Russia sanctions packages after Slovakia lifts veto. The package targets 105 vessels of Russia’s shadow fleet, the Russian banking system, Nord Stream pipelines, and lowers the price cap on Russian crude oil.
Ukrainian hackers wipe databases at Russia’s Gazprom in major cyberattack, intelligence source says. The cyberattack allegedly destroyed large volumes of data and installed custom software designed to further damage the company’s information systems.
Ukraine raises flags in villages near Dnipropetrovsk Oblast’s borders, refuting Russia’s claims of capture. “Fighters from the 31st Separate Mechanized Brigade and the 505th Separate Marine Battalion have raised their battle flags in the settlements of Voskresenka and Yalta in Donetsk Oblast,” the 20th Corps said in a statement on social media.
Zelensky, Macron discuss SAMP/T air defenses, Mirage jet training in hour-long call. France has agreed to expand pilot training for Mirage fighter jets, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Ukraine attacks Moscow with drones for 3rd straight night, Russian official says. Russian air defense units intercepted 13 drones flying towards Moscow in under two hours, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported at around 1:46 a.m. local time on July 19.
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Ukrainian forces ‘steadfastly’ holding defenses near Pokrovsk, commander-in-chief says. “The enemy continues to use small infantry groups, but they are powerless in their attempts to capture Pokrovsk,” Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, reported July 18.
Ex-defense minister appointed secretary of Ukraine’s Security Council. Rustem Umerov previously served as Ukraine’s defense minister, a post he had held since September 2023.
Erdogan, Putin discuss resuming Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Russian President Vladimir Putin that launching a third round of negotiations is important and that Turkey is prepared to host discussions in Istanbul once both sides agree on a date.
Ukraine probes death of drafted man allegedly killed by enlistment officer. According to the case file, he was struck in the face and torso by an enlistment officer. After he collapsed, the officer hit the man with a stun gun at least three to four times and struck his head against the floor multiple times, the records show.
Minister proposes Ukrainian version of Trump’s DOGE to ‘reduce costs and evaluate efficiency.’ “I will be looking for a person to lead this area,” First Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote.
Read our exclusives
With new ‘mega-deal,’ Ukraine’s drone makers hope to flood the US
Those involved in Ukraine’s drone industry are cautiously cheering the possible Trump-Zelensky deal as the start of a teardown of the two biggest geopolitical walls blocking their businesses globally: Ukraine’s export controls and the American defense’s reluctance to buy from abroad.
Photo: Dmytro Smolienko / Ukrinform / Future Publishing via Getty Images
Russia steps up attacks on Ukrainian draft offices to disrupt mobilization
From June 30 to July 7, Russian forces launched five strikes on enlistment offices. While Russia has targeted Ukraine’s enlistment centers throughout the war, the recent attacks represent a more brazen shift in tactics aimed at disrupting Ukraine’s mobilization efforts and sowing discord in society.
Photo: Dmytro Smolienko / Ukrinform / NurPhoto via Getty Images
A US general just threatened Russia’s Kaliningrad — this is why that’s so significant
The remarks from U.S. Army Europe and Africa commander General Chris Donahue are some of the strongest yet from a Western military official — a direct threat to the Kremlin about the consequences of further Russian aggression beyond Ukraine.
Photo: Omar Marques / Anadolu / Getty Images
Ukrainian artist’s ‘Sculpture’ series normalizes injured bodies of Ukraine’s soldiers
Marta Syrko’s “Sculpture” celebrates the resilience of Ukrainian soldiers after sustaining severe injuries in war. Syrko’s work draws upon classical traditions of the human form while simultaneously challenging us to reconsider our perceptions of loss.
Photo: Marta Syrko / The Kyiv Independent
Human cost of Russia’s war
Russian attacks kill 7, injure 25 in Ukraine over past 24 hours; trains hit twice in one day. Ukraine’s Air Force said it shot down 11 Shahed-type drones overnight as Russia launched a wave of 35 attack drones, including decoy drones, primarily targeting eastern frontline regions. Six additional decoys were jammed or lost.
2 killed, 11 injured in Russian attack on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The fatalities included a man and a woman. All of the 11 injured victims have been hospitalized, one of whom — a 29-year-old woman — is in serious condition, Governor Serhii Lysak reported.
Zelensky doesn’t see corruption as a problem, prosecuted activist says
International response
UK lowers Russian oil price cap to $47.6 per barrel. “We’re striking at the heart of the Russian energy sector alongside the EU,” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.
UK sanctions Russian intelligence units involved in cyberattacks. The sanctions target operatives of Russia’s military intelligence (GRU), responsible for widespread malicious cyber activity in the U.K. and Europe, the Foreign Office said.
Germany’s Merz says Ukraine unlikely to join EU before 2034. “For us, the absolute top priority is, first and foremost, to do everything possible to end this war,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.
New EU sanctions could block Rosneft’s Indian refinery sale plans, Bloomberg reports. The Russian oil giant has been trying to sell its 49.13% stake in India’s Nayara refinery, but the EU’s latest sanctions package could make such a deal too risky for buyers.
US re-routing Patriots to fast-track air defenses to Ukraine, WSJ reports. The U.S. will send its next Patriot system to Germany rather than Switzerland, in order to speed up Berlin’s shipment of two Patriot batteries to Ukraine, officials said.
Trump admin cuts undermine efforts to track abducted Ukrainian children, Council of Europe envoy says. “European countries will have to fund it,” Thordis Gylfadottir, an envoy of the Council of Europe, told Politico. “We cannot stop tracking them and then just re-track them (abducted children) in the months ahead.”
Romania plans to build drones with Ukraine. The project would involve Romanian investment in a local factory, likely in Brasov, where Ukrainian and Romanian teams would collaborate on manufacturing drones based on Ukrainian designs developed through wartime experience.
First Australian Abrams tanks reach Ukraine after 9-month wait. The tanks were promised to Kyiv in October 2024, but delivery was reportedly delayed due to resistance from the U.S. The remaining tanks will arrive “in the coming months.”
In other news
Watchdogs urge new prime minister to appoint economic bureau chief as reform is blocked. Civic watchdogs argue that Tsyvinsky’s candidacy was rejected because the President’s Office sees him as too independent.
Ferrexpo’s Ukrainian mining subsidiary executive charged with $41 million tax evasion scheme. The head of Ukraine’s Poltava Mining faces criminal charges for allegedly evading over Hr 1.7 billion ($41 million) in corporate taxes through fraudulent export pricing, the Ukraine Economic Security Bureau announced in a press release on July 18.
Wagner mercenary who trained Russian boxing champion, fought in Ukraine, was killed in Mali, intelligence source says. The source called Igor Nesterov a war criminal and a member of Russia’s infamous Wagner company, a mercenary group that was deployed in some of the most brutal battles in Ukraine.
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