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Russia’s war against Ukraine
Ukrainian emergency service workers and firefighters extinguish a fire after Russian shelling of a former chemical factory in Kostiantynivka on July 20, 2025. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Russia bombards Kyiv with drone, missile strikes, killing 1, injuring 2. At least one person was killed and two were injured as repeated explosions rocked Kyiv, and several fires broke out across Ukraine’s capital during a mass Russian drone and missile attack overnight on July 21.
Ukrainian drones attack Russia as Moscow hit for 5th night in a row, train station burns in Rostov Oblast. Amid reported Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia, a fire broke out at a train station in the village of Kamenolomni in Rostov Oblast overnight July 21 as Moscow faced drones for the fifth straight night, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported.
‘Our goals are clear’ — Kremlin unwilling to compromise on demands ahead of proposed 3rd round of peace talks. “The main thing for us is to achieve our goals. Our goals are clear,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a Russian-state media reporter on July 20.
Zelensky slaps sanctions on Russian exiled journalist, ex-Ukrainian lawmakers. President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 20 imposed sanctions on five individuals, three Ukrainians and two Russians.
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Russia moves to restrict foreign messaging apps on Putin’s order. According to Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, WhatsApp, owned by Meta tech giant, is a likely target for blocking.
Ukraine to secure $6.9 billion in arbitration from Russian Gazprom, Zelensky says. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian ambassadors will receive detailed instructions on July 21 on how to proceed with the recovery of the awarded funds.
Military releases video of Ukrainian drones destroying ‘costly and rare’ Russian drone warfare system. The 424th “Svarog” Battalion of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) published a video on July 20 showing Ukrainian drone operators successfully targeting and destroying an experimental “KOP-2” Russian electronic warfare system.
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Ukraine war latest: Ukraine proposes peace talks with Russia next week; Fire reported near Moscow as Ukraine launches drone attack on Russia’s capital
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on July 19 that Ukraine has proposed a new round of peace talks with Russia for next week. In his nightly address, Zelensky said that Rustem Umerov — recently appointed National Security and Defense Council Secretary — offered the Russian side a meeting, emphasizing that Ukraine is prepared for talks at the leadership level.
Photo: Cem Ozdel/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
This is what Ukraine could do with US Tomahawk missiles
The weapons for Ukraine rumor mill went into overdrive earlier this week when it was reported that U.S. President Donald Trump was considering supplying Kyiv with Tomahawk cruise missiles. A day later, things reached fever pitch with reports Trump had asked President Volodymyr Zelensky if Ukraine could strike key Russian cities if provided with long-range U.S. weapons. The White House, while not denying the conversation took place, swiftly moved to shut down speculations.
Photo: Dutch Ministry of Defence
The Rasmus brings its music back to Kyiv, headlines Ukraine’s largest festival amid Russian bombardment
Ukraine’s largest music event, the Atlas Festival, took place in Kyiv over the weekend. This is the second time the festival has been held during Russia’s full-scale invasion. Once one of the biggest music festivals in Eastern and Central Europe, featuring many international acts, it was downscaled following the start of the all-out war.
Photo: Instagram / @therasmusofficial
Human cost of Russia’s war
Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 7, injure at least 28 over past day. Ukrainian forces downed 18 out of the 57 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones and decoys, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported.
Over 119,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine identified by media investigation. Russian independent media outlet Mediazona, in collaboration with the BBC Russian service, has confirmed the identities of 119,154 Russian military personnel killed in Ukraine.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,041,990 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. The number includes 1,040 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
Trump’s Russia ultimatum and controversial investigation
International response
London pushes ’50-day drive’ as UK, Germany to pledge new air defense systems for Ukraine. As London pushes a “50-day drive” to support Ukraine, the U.K. and Germany are set to pledge new air defense systems to Kyiv, media reported on July 20.
In other news
Azerbaijan to file international lawsuits against Russia over downed plane, Aliyev says. An Embraer 190AR plane operated by Azarbaijan Airlines crashed in Kazakhstan on Dec. 25, after coming under fire over Russia’s Chechnya. Thirty-eight people were killed.
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