The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
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Russia’s war against Ukraine
Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk and his team celebrate defeating Britain’s Daniel Dubois in their undisputed world heavyweight boxing title bout at Wembley Stadium in London on July 19, 2025. (Adrian Dennis / AFP via Getty Images)
Fire, flight diversions reported near Moscow as Ukraine launches drone attack on Russia’s capital. A fire broke out in Moscow Oblast overnight on July 20 as Ukraine reportedly launched a drone attack targeting the Russian capital, local Telegram channels reported.
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 proposes peace talks with Russia next week, Zelensky says. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on July 19 that Ukraine has proposed new peace talks with Russia for next week, with National Security Council Secretary Rustem Umerov extending the offer and signaling readiness for high-level discussions.
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Ukraine considers easing travel ban for men ages 18-24, parliament speaker says. Ukrainian lawmakers are considering whether to allow men ages 18 to 24 to travel abroad, a move that would ease current wartime restrictions, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk said on July 19.
Ukraine moves to reclaim Ukrainian names for foreign places in official use. A new initiative will examine how the Ukrainian language describes foreign locations while at home, with the aim of standardizing and promoting a Ukrainian spelling, said Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Russia aims to launch 2,000 drones towards Ukraine at once, German general says. The staggering figure described by German Major General Christian Freuding, who heads the Ukraine task force at the German Defense Ministry, comes as Russia continues to expand its drone production.
Human cost of Russia’s war
1 killed, 6 injured in Russian drone attack on Odesa. At least one person was killed and three were injured as a fire engulfed a residential building amid a Russian drone attack on Odesa overnight on July 19.
Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad suffers ‘hellish night and morning’ of Russian strikes. Pavlohrad, a city in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast that has become a key humanitarian aid hub for those evacuating the front lines, suffered one of its most severe attacks of the war, Governor Serhii Lysak said on July 19.
24 hours inside Pokrovsk as Russia closes in on key Ukrainian city
International response
‘Russia is weaponizing deportation’ — Ukraine evacuates 43 deportees from Russia-Georgia border. Instead of being brought to the Ukrainian border, 56 Ukrainian deportees were taken to a basement facility in Georgia where they were being held in a transit zone, aid group Volunteers Tbilisi reported.
In other news
Ukrainian boxer Usyk defeats Dubois, retains world heavyweight championship. Oleksandr Usyk retained his heavyweight title and preserved his unbeaten record with a commanding fifth-round knockout of Daniel Dubois on July 19 at Wembley Stadium.
Zelensky unveils new composition of Ukraine’s Security Council. President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 19 announced the updated composition of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, following the country’s latest government reshuffle. While most members remain the same, one notable change is the appointment of Rustem Umerov as the council’s new secretary.
Ukraine’s defense, digital ministries coordinate to scale drone solutions. Newly appointed Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal met with Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov on July 19 to discuss scaling up battlefield technologies, with a focus on interceptor drones and anti-Shahed systems.
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