Exclusives

Ukraine is trying to wreck Russia’s oil fleet without spilling its oil—the Black Sea can’t take another slick. Ukraine's countershipping campaign risks polluting the fragile Black Sea. Drone operators are trying to spill less oil.

Russian troops inch toward Lyman. Drones keep delaying the plan.. Fedorov's middle-strike drones are throttling the supply lines behind the Russian push. Whether they keep doing it without him is the question hanging over Sloviansk.

International monitors confirm Russia’s blockade of occupied Oleshky, where the living starve and the dead go unburied. Four months after Euromaidan Press first reported the siege, the UN, Human Rights Watch, ISW, and the OSCE have all confirmed it. An exiled official says 100 bodies lie unburied in the town's hospital basement.

“They removed the auditor, not the thieves”: why Ukrainians are protesting Zelenskyy’s reshuffle. The entire government has been swapped, yet protests hit Kyiv and 16 more cities only in support of ex-Defense Minister Fedorov

Ukraine’s government reshuffle followed the letter of the Constitution. But did it follow its spirit?. The official paper trail shows who decided first.

Military

Fires erupt at three Russian oil depots after Ukraine targets fuel supply chain overnight in Stavropol Krai. Ukraine confirmed strikes on Russian fuel infrastructure after drone attacks caused fires at oil depots in Russia's Stavropol Krai.

Ukrainian drones slash Kerch ferry crossing capacity by 75%, as daily strikes continue on Russian vessels and occupation energy infrastructure. Ukraine's drone forces reported strikes against Russian logistics and energy infrastructure, including the Kerch ferry crossing, Black Sea vessels, and power substations in occupied Crimea and eastern and southern Ukraine.

Russia launches record ballistic missile barrage on Kyiv, firing over 40 missiles in under an hour. Russia's overnight assault on Kyiv killed at least one person and injured at least 16.

Ukraine's Skelia Regiment says it pushed Russia out of Kostiantynivka — city Moscow claimed to have taken on 3 July. Ukraine's 425th Skelia Assault Regiment says it cleared Kostiantynivka and the city is under Ukrainian control.

Ukraine has netted over 1,000 kilometers of road. That's how completely drones reshaped front. Ukraine has built 1,066 km of anti-drone defenses along front lines.

"When karma works": Ukraine torched 188,000-square-meter warehouse of Russia's biggest online retailer after years of strikes on leading logistics company. A separate strike hit an oil depot at Noginsk.

Ukraine can now service its Polish Rosomak APCs without sending them out of country. Ukrainian repair troops completed Rosomak maintenance training in Poland.

Ukraine says it struck Russia's Svetlyak-class warship in Kerch. Ukraine's General Staff says its forces hit a Svetlyak-class patrol ship at Kerch, two tankers, and the Slavneft-YANOS refinery in Yaroslavl over 16-17 July.

Intelligence and technology

Ukraine says Russia may mobilize half million people this fall. Some of the mobilized may be thrown into battle within the first weeks.

Russia may have built flying jammer to hunt Ukraine's long-range drones, OSINT analysts say. Russia has built a new complex on an Mi-8 helicopter probably meant to jam the satellite navigation of Ukraine's long-range strike drones, Militarnyi says.

Ukraine's newest drone hunter doesn't chase its prey. It climbs above it. Ukraine codified the Tsyklop interceptor drone, which can climb higher than Russia's strike and reconnaissance UAVs. One variant has downed over 100 air targets.

When you can't get swarm through, you send one drone low and hand-flown. That's Russia's newest Shahed tactic. Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov says Russia is shifting from mass Shahed attacks to single, complex, manually-controlled strikes.

Ukraine gives its heavy bombers precision without single Western guidance kit. Ukraine codified FireFly, a domestic terminal-guidance module that lets heavy bomber drones drop munitions with 0.5-to-2-meter accuracy.

Ukraine contracted $8 billion in drones this year. In-stock ones reach units in nine days. It is twice the same period last year, with FPVs the largest share.

International

After France, Ukrainian troops will join parade in Brussels, home of NATO and EU, for first time. Ukrainian soldiers will take part in Belgium's National Day military parade in Brussels on 21 July, a week after marching in France's Bastille Day parade.

Vatican's top diplomat visits Russian strike site in Kyiv. Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Holy See's foreign minister, visited the site of a Russian missile strike in Kyiv that destroyed homes and killed civilians.

Pickup that can be replaced when lost is what hunted Ukrainian border regions need. Germany just sent 12. Kharkiv Oblast received 12 pickup trucks and two road rollers from Germany's Federal Agency for Technical Relief for emergency response, evacuation, and road repair.

Humanitarian and social impact

Russian missile kills 16-year-old boy at Odesa recreation park. Two-year-old is among wounded. Russia struck Odesa Oblast on the evening of 18 July, killing a 16-year-old boy and wounding at least seven others.

"Hardest summer yet": Russia double-tapped Zaporizhzhia passenger train. Rail workers evacuated everyone in time, and no one was hurt.

Political and legal developments

As rumors swirl over Syrskyi's future, Zelenskyy meets commanders and top general warns against political infighting. Zelenskyy held another round of talks with senior commanders as speculation over Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi continued, while Air Assault Forces Commander Oleh Apostol urged the military to stay out of politics.

ZN: Zelenskyy may bring former defense minister back as "miltech czar" amid nationwide protests. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy reportedly reconsiders replacing army chief Syrskyi.

Russia leveled 13 hectares of homes in Vyshneve. It fired missiles, but Ukraine says depot shouldn't have been there, and made its first arrest. A Kyiv court is deciding pre-trial detention for Ruslan Kuchynskyi, an enterprise head suspected over the improper ammunition storage that killed people in Vyshneve.

Read our previous daily review here.

Explosions echo across Kyiv as more than 40 missiles rain down on Ukrainian capital

Ukrainian long-range strikes targeted Russian fuel infrastructure in Stavropol Krai overnight on July 19, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) hit three oil depots and the Armed Forces struck another fuel facility in the region.

Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian oil refineries, fuel depots, logistics hubs, and other infrastructure linked to Russia’s war effort as part of its campaign to disrupt the supply chains supporting Moscow’s military operations.

Russian authorities reported multiple fires in the Stavropol area following the drone attack. The Russian regional governor said there were no casualties, but a local state of emergency was introduced.

Fires reported at Russian fuel facilities

Russian Governor Vladimir Vladimirov said two fires broke out in industrial areas of Stavropol Krai – one near the village of Vyazniki in the Shpakovsky district and another in northern Stavropol near the district border.

Videos shared online showed large fires in the area. Russian independent outlet Astra reported that three oil depots may have been affected, based on footage showing a fire near one of several nearby fuel storage facilities.

According to monitoring channel Supernova+, fires were recorded at two oil facilities in the evening of 19 July: the LUKOIL-Yugnefteprodukt oil depot and the Stavropol oil depot operated by Promkhim.

Zelenskyy confirms strikes on Russian energy targets

Later on July 19, Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukrainian forces had targeted Russian fuel infrastructure in the region.

“Ukraine’s long-range sanctions” had reached facilities that “provide and finance Russian aggression,” Zelenskyy said, adding that SBU units struck three oil depots in Stavropol Krai while Ukrainian military units hit another fuel-related facility there.

Zelenskyy also said Ukrainian forces hit three Russian “shadow fleet” tankers in the Black Sea.

He thanked the Ukrainian units carrying out the strikes, saying the operations were intended to increase pressure on Russia and demonstrate the cost of continuing the war.

Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces claimed they struck 13 power substations in occupied Crimea and other Russian-held territory overnight while further degrading Russia's Kerch ferry crossing, with drone forces commander Robert "Madyar" Brovdi saying the operation has now reduced the crossing's transport capacity by about 75%.

Brovdi said that Ukraine’s drone operations in July so far have hit 176 Russian “shadow fleet” vessels and 96 energy infrastructure sites.

Operation "Crimean Switch Off" targets occupied energy infrastructure

In a statement on 19 July, Brovdi said Ukrainian drone units carried out overnight strikes as part of Operation "Crimean Switch Off," an ongoing campaign targeting electricity infrastructure supporting Russia's occupation authorities.

According to Brovdi, Ukrainian drones struck 13 electrical substations and energy hubs overnight, including eight in occupied Crimea and five elsewhere in Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts.

He said the targets included substations in Kerch, Yalta, Sudak, Staryi Krym, Koktebel, Berdiansk, and other occupied settlements, disrupting electricity infrastructure across occupied territory.

According to Brovdi, Ukrainian drone units struck 59 targets deep behind Russian lines during the night.

Kerch ferry crossing capacity cut by 75%

In a separate statement, Brovdi said Operation "MoLoCHKa" had further degraded Russia's Kerch ferry crossing, one of the country's main logistics links between mainland Russia and occupied Crimea.

He also claimed Ukrainian drones struck four vessels supporting Russian maritime logistics in the Black Sea overnight, including two tankers, a cargo ship, and a floating crane.

Brovdi said the ferry crossing had been served by five ferries before the campaign. According to his assessment, two have been destroyed, two others have been damaged so severely they can no longer operate under their own power, and only one remains fully operational.

Based on that assessment, he estimated the crossing now retains only 25% of its previous transport capacity, significantly reducing Russia's ability to move vehicles and cargo across the Kerch Strait.

He also claimed a replacement vessel is being prepared in Russia's Astrakhan region to reinforce the crossing.

Part of Ukraine's campaign against Russian logistics

The Kerch ferry crossing is one of Russia's major logistics links between mainland Russia and occupied Crimea, transporting vehicles, cargo, and military supplies across the Kerch Strait. Disrupting the crossing could complicate Russia's ability to move equipment and sustain forces based in occupied Crimea and southern Ukraine.

Brovdi said operations against both the ferry crossing and occupied Crimea's energy infrastructure would continue indefinitely.

Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian military logistics far behind the front lines, including ports, rail infrastructure, fuel depots, airfields, and energy facilities that support Moscow's war effort. Kyiv says the strikes are intended to reduce Russia's ability to sustain combat operations and force it to divert resources to defending critical infrastructure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held another round of meetings with senior Ukrainian military commanders on 19 July, as reports continue to swirl that he is considering replacing Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

The meetings come amid growing speculation over the future of Ukraine's military leadership after former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov publicly revealed disagreements with Syrskyi and said he had urged Zelensky to replace him. The reports have emerged alongside political tensions and protests across the country, intensifying scrutiny of the government's wartime leadership.

The discussions come after the Financial Times, citing a source in the Presidential Office, reported that Zelenskyy planned to meet military commanders over the weekend to hear battlefield assessments and interview potential successors to Syrskyi. 

Zelenskyy meets three senior commanders

In a statement, Zelenskyy said he spoke with Joint Forces Commander Mykhailo Drapatyi, Deputy Chief of the General Staff Volodymyr Horbatiuk, and Air Assault Forces Commander Oleh Apostol.

"Each of them is well known in the army," Zelenskyy said. "They reported on the situation in the relevant sectors, and we also discussed the overall course of the war."

According to the president, the commanders briefed him on the situation in Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Donetsk oblasts. They also discussed strengthening Ukraine's air defenses, fulfilling contracts for the production of all types of drones, and operations on the Oleksandrivsk direction involving the Air Assault Forces.

"It is important to assess our strategy going forward and Ukraine's proactive steps – how to force Russia to end this war with a dignified peace for Ukraine and guaranteed security," Zelenskyy said. "There are various components to this, and I want to hear how commanders at different levels across Ukraine's Defense and Security Forces see it."

He added that he would hold further "key talks" on 20 July.

Consultations follow reports of possible leadership changes

The latest meetings follow several days of consultations with commanders across Ukraine's military.

On 18 July, Zelenskyy said he spoke with the commanders of six army and Air Assault Forces corps fighting on some of the most active sectors of the front. Earlier, he also held discussions with Unmanned Systems Forces Commander Robert Brovdi, National Guard Azov Corps Commander Denys Prokopenko, National Guard Khartiia Corps Commander Ihor Obolenskyi, Air Assault Forces Deputy Commander Andrii Tkachuk, acting 19th Army Corps Commander Valerii Skred, and Third Army Corps Commander Andrii Biletskyi.

The broad consultations have attracted attention after recent reports suggested Zelenskyy was reviewing Ukraine's senior military leadership.

Former Defense Minister Minister Mykhailo Fedorov recently said he had clashed with Syrskyi over military leadership, claiming he had proposed replacing both the commander-in-chief and Chief of the General Staff Andrii Hnatov.

Ukrainska Pravda, however, cited sources who said the 18 July discussions with frontline commanders did not involve Syrskyi or his possible dismissal.

Neither Zelensky nor the Presidential Office has publicly confirmed that Syrskyi's position is under review.

Air Assault commander defends military leadership

The same day, Air Assault Forces Commander Oleh Apostol, one general with whom Zelenskyy met, published a lengthy statement defending the military chain of command and urging soldiers to stay out of political disputes.

Apostol, a career officer who has fought since 2014, said Ukraine's armed forces "were, are, and will remain outside politics" and stressed that commanders bear personal responsibility for the lives of their troops and the decisions they make on the battlefield.

"Where discipline ends, chaos begins. And chaos always works in the enemy's favor," he wrote.

Without naming anyone directly, Apostol criticized sweeping public attacks on Ukraine's senior military leadership by people who have never commanded troops in combat.

"Criticism can be substantive, professional, and well-founded. But humiliation, baseless accusations, and public insults against the honor and dignity of the highest military command are unacceptable," he wrote, warning that such attacks undermine trust in the armed forces and benefit Russia.

While Apostol did not mention Syrskyi by name, his statement appeared to respond to the growing public debate over the commander-in-chief's future.

Zelensky has publicly framed the meetings as part of broader consultations on battlefield conditions, military strategy, force requirements, and strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities, rather than discussions about changes in military leadership.

Russia launched the largest ballistic missile attack on Kyiv since the start of its full-scale invasion overnight on 19 July, firing more than 40 missiles at the capital in less than an hour. 

At least one person was killed and 16 others were injured as explosions and falling debris damaged residential neighborhoods and civilian infrastructure across the city.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 40 missiles of various types overnight, most of them targeting Kyiv, alongside 120 attack drones across Ukraine. He described the assault as "one of the most massive ballistic attacks" on the capital.

Nearly 600 emergency workers were deployed across multiple impact sites as rescuers spent the morning extinguishing fires, searching damaged buildings, and clearing debris.

The attack featured some of Russia's most difficult weapons for Ukraine to intercept. Unlike drones or cruise missiles, ballistic missiles travel at extremely high speeds and require specialized anti-ballistic systems such as the US-made Patriot, which Ukraine has repeatedly said remain in limited supply.

The missiles' extreme speed also sharply reduces warning time for civilians. While drone attacks can often be tracked for hours, ballistic missiles can reach Kyiv within minutes of launch, leaving residents with only a short time to seek shelter after air raid sirens sound.

Kyiv was the main target

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched a total of 166 aerial weapons overnight, including 41 missiles and 125 drones, with Kyiv identified as the primary target.

The missile barrage included 25 Iskander-M and S-400 ballistic missiles, 10 Zircon hypersonic missiles, three Oniks anti-ship missiles, and three Kh-59/69 guided air-launched missiles. Russia also launched 125 Shahed attack drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles, including decoys and loitering munitions.

Ukraine's air defenses intercepted or suppressed 126 incoming targets, including 18 missiles and 108 drones. According to the Air Force, 23 missiles and 10 attack drones nevertheless struck targets at 20 locations, while debris from intercepted drones fell at another 18 sites.

Civilian neighborhoods damaged across Kyiv

The main part of the ballistic assault unfolded in less than an hour, with successive missile launches striking the capital before emergency responders could fully assess the initial impacts.

The attack damaged residential buildings, offices, warehouses, vehicles, and other civilian infrastructure across at least five districts of Kyiv, including Solomianskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, Dniprovskyi, Desnianskyi, and Sviatoshynskyi, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Service (DSNS).

One of the hardest-hit locations was the area around Lukianivska metro station in Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district, where explosions damaged civilian buildings and sparked multiple fires. The neighborhood was also heavily struck during a Russian missile attack in May, when widespread destruction was recorded around the station.

In Solomianskyi district, firefighters battled blazes in an office building, residential buildings, and other structures. A five-story apartment building sustained significant damage, and later in the day rescuers removed unstable facade sections and balconies to protect residents.

In Shevchenkivskyi district, emergency crews extinguished fires in a three-story building, non-residential facilities, and more than 10 parked vehicles. The attack's only confirmed fatality was recovered there during rescue operations.

Elsewhere, fires broke out in a dormitory, private homes, industrial buildings, and vehicles across the city. By late morning, the DSNS said all fires caused by the attack in Kyiv had been extinguished, although recovery operations continued.

The assault also caused major destruction in Kyiv Oblast. In Bucha district, Russian strikes ignited a massive fire covering about 100,000 square meters across two warehouse buildings. More than 200 firefighters, 73 vehicles, and three helicopters were deployed to contain the blaze.

Zelenskyy urges more air defense support

Zelenskyy said Russia launched around 1,450 attack drones, more than 1,640 guided aerial bombs, and 99 missiles against Ukraine over the past week alone, causing casualties and destruction across numerous regions.

Calling protection against ballistic missiles Ukraine's "constant and highest priority," the president urged partners to accelerate deliveries of Patriot interceptors and other anti-ballistic capabilities, saying each new air defense package "literally saves lives" during Russia's increasingly frequent mass missile attacks.

He also called for continued sanctions pressure on Moscow, warning that delays in new measures give Russia time to prepare further strikes and adapt to existing restrictions.