Russia is “burning the candle at both ends” economically as top bankers quietly brace for bailouts amid a growing Russian debt crisis, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote on 17 July. While the Kremlin pretends its economy is stable amid the ongoing protracted invasion of Ukraine, structural fractures continue to widen beneath that illusion.

Russian bankers brace for fallout as loans go unpaid

Bloomberg reported on 17 July that senior executives at several of Russia’s largest banks have quietly discussed the possibility of requesting government bailouts. This comes as non-performing loans — debts that are late or unpaid — continue to rise in 2025. Documents reviewed by Bloomberg show that three systemically important Russian banks may need to recover funds lost to bad credit.

Russian banks have already seen non-performing loans grow by 1.2% this year. Forecasts suggest the rate could increase from the current 4% to as high as 6–7% by 2026. While ISW cannot independently verify these figures, it notes mounting signs of concern within the financial sector. 

Central Bank Chairperson Elvira Nabiullina has dismissed fears of a banking crisis, claiming that reserves totaling eight trillion rubles (around $102.5 billion) are sufficient to cushion any shocks. However, ISW assesses that the Central Bank is likely unwilling to bail out major banks outright — a decision that could spark liquidity problems or even bank failures, directly undermining Russian President Vladimir Putin’s narrative of economic resilience.

War-driven spending pressures the economy

ISW argues that the Kremlin is worsening the growing Russian debt crisis by expanding military spending while relaxing monetary policy to support short-term growth. Since 2022, the government has boosted one-time payments and salaries to attract military recruits and reinforce its defense industrial base. These high payments are necessary due to sustained battlefield losses and the challenge of attracting volunteers.

As defense wages rise, civilian industries struggle to retain workers, pushing up prices across service sectors. Labor shortages now impact both economic growth and war production. ISW maintains that Russia cannot indefinitely sustain these payouts or replace troops lost at current rates without a general mobilization — a step Putin has avoided.

Inflation appears tamed — but only on paper

On the surface, the Russian Central Bank reports success in reducing inflation. Bloomberg noted that in June 2025, the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of inflation fell to 4%, matching the Bank’s target. The drop is attributed in part to a temporarily strong ruble, which lowered the cost of imported goods and helped suppress input costs and inflationary pressures for companies.

However, the Central Bank acknowledged that official annual inflation still stands at 9%. The SAAR is a short-term measure and does not reflect deeper economic trends. ISW argues that this data masks the real problems. Two complicating factors — the fading effect of ruble strength and rising service costs — are expected to slow progress in bringing inflation under control.

Contradictions threaten long-term stability

The think tank concludes wrote:

“Russia is effectively burning the candle at both ends by simultaneously loosening monetary policy to stimulate short-term growth, while expanding fiscal expenditure to feed the military effort.”

This path is likely to deepen the country’s macroeconomic instability, erode the value of the ruble, and diminish consumers’ ability to cope with rising costs. Behind the Central Bank’s controlled narrative, ISW sees rising stress in Russia’s economic foundation — a crisis building quietly but steadily.

Germany will deliver Patriot missiles to Ukraine “very shortly,” following US President Donald Trump’s NATO agreement to increase weapons aid. The delivery, part of a Europe-funded supply plan, could make the system operational in Ukraine within weeks, according to Germany’s leader.

Germany finalizing Patriot missile transfer with NATO

According to Politico, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed during a 17 July press conference in the UK that Ukraine will receive Patriot air-defense systems “very shortly, very soon.” He stressed that Kyiv urgently needs deep strike capability and that additional support is on the way. According to Merz, defense ministers are now finalizing logistics to fulfill the delivery.

Politico reports that the announcement followed Trump’s new NATO deal earlier this week. The plan allows European countries to send weapons to Ukraine now and buy replacements from the US.

NATO and Germany already preparing transfer

Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s Allied Air Command leader, said on 17 July that preparations for the Patriot transfer were already under way.

Trump stated on 14 July that part of the Patriot system would arrive “within days,” though others have raised questions about the exact timeline. Merz later clarified that the capability could be active in Ukraine within weeks.

Amid the Russian “human safari,” a drone attack on Kherson’s rabbi Yossef Itzhak Wolff left his family unharmed after a Russian FPV drone slammed into their vehicle near the regional capital. The strike occurred while the rabbi, his wife, and their young daughter were inside the car. Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Azman reported the incident on 17 July.

Drone strike targeted rabbi’s family in moving vehicle

On 17 July, Moshe Azman wrote on X that “two hours ago” a Russian FPV drone attacked the car of the Chief Rabbi of Kherson, Yossef Wolff. He stated that the drone hit the car at the entrance to Kherson, with the rabbi, his wife, and their daughter inside at the moment of impact.

Azman said he had just spoken with Rabbi Wolff, and emphasized the survival as a “very great miracle.” According to the post, the drone entered the car “at a very high speed.” No one was injured in the explosion.

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Video shows damage to SUV after direct strike

Azman shared a video recorded by Rabbi Wolff showing his Toyota Land Cruiser, which sustained significant damage. In the video, Rabbi Wolff says:

“A drone got into our car and exploded, but incredibly we are alive.”

Yossef Itzhak Wolff has served as Chief Rabbi of Kherson and the oblast since 1998 and is also chairman of the Board of the Kherson Jewish community.

Moscow’s “human safari” continues

Also on 17 July, Russian forces struck an ambulance in Kherson Oblast. The strike hit a medical team en route to a call in Zymivnyk. The vehicle was damaged, and two medics — a 49-year-old medical assistant and a 65-year-old paramedic — were injured.

And this morning, 18 July, Russian forces killed a man in the village of Veletenske in Kherson Oblast’s Bilozerka community. According to oblast head Oleksandr Prokudin, around 09:00, a Russian drone struck a local resident born in 1990 as he rode his bicycle. He sustained fatal injuries.

The EU has agreed on a new Russia sanctions package, with ambassadors reaching consensus on the bloc’s 18th sanctions round targeting key sectors of the Russian economy, Suspilne reports. Malta and Slovakia reportedly lifted their vetoes after receiving critical assurances, clearing the way for formal adoption at the EU Council’s meeting later today, 18 July.

Malta and Slovakia lift vetoes, clearing way for approval

According to Suspilne, Malta withdrew its objection after receiving written guarantees from the European Commission. The country wanted confirmation that the proposed oil price cap would not strengthen Russia’s shadow fleet, a concern tied to Malta’s large shipping sector.

Pro-Russian Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced earlier on Facebook that Slovakia had also dropped its veto. His government received EU guarantees related to gas prices and supply stability. Fico, however, underlined that Slovakia would never support ending Russian gas imports after 1 January 2028.

Both countries had previously blocked consensus on the package, which was introduced by the European Commission in June. 

Package includes pipeline bans and price cap changes

The new Russia sanctions package will include a formal ban on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said the bloc will also reduce the oil price cap as part of efforts to cut the Kremlin’s war revenues.

Kallas called the deal “one of the strongest” sanctions packages yet, noting it is designed to shrink Russia’s ability to finance its war in Ukraine. She also confirmed that the EU will continue to increase the costs of aggression for Moscow.

Germany and Sweden requested that the package be placed on the Council’s agenda under “Other business.” Once the General Affairs Council formally approves it, the sanctions will become legally binding.

Shadow fleet, banks, and drone tech also targeted

The package includes sanctions on 105 ships from Russia’s shadow fleet and on the entities enabling their operations. A registry of ship flags will be introduced to identify and track these vessels, which are used to obscure the origin of Russian oil.

In addition, 22 Russian banks will face new financial restrictions aimed at cutting their access to international funding. Brussels will also ban the export of European technologies used in Russian drone production.

Kallas confirmed that Chinese banks helping Russia evade restrictions are among the foreign entities targeted. The EU plans to limit their ability to support Russian financial transactions that bypass sanctions.

Rosneft refinery in India and indoctrination networks included

For the first time, the EU will sanction a foreign-based refinery—India’s largest Rosneft facility—due to its role in processing and moving Russian oil. The package also targets individuals and organizations involved in indoctrinating Ukrainian children in Russian-occupied territories.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys welcomed the agreement, stating that the combination of shipping, energy, and financial measures would ensure Russia remains on track to lose access to “blood money.” He also urged the US Senate to pass its own Russia sanctions legislation to align with EU efforts.

Last night’s Russian drone strike, including 35 one-way attack and decoy drones, killed a railway worker and injured several more civilians in three Ukrainian regions as the Shahed drones hit homes and infrastructure across three oblasts. 

Ukrainian air defenses intercept 11 drones, but 18 strike targets

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Moscow’s forces launched 35 unmanned aerial vehicles, including 29 Shaheds and multiple decoy drones, from the directions of Russia’s Millerovo and Primorsko-Akhtarsk. The attack began around 21:30 on 17 July and continued into the early hours of 18 July.

Air defense units reportedly destroyed 11 drones over Ukraine’s northern and eastern regions. Six decoy drones disappeared from radars or were suppressed by electronic warfare.

Railway worker killed in Dnipropetrovsk oblast

In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a Russian drone strike kills a railway worker and injures two others. The head of the oblast administration, Serhii Lysak, confirmed that drones hit communities in Pavlohrad and Synelnykove districts. A 52-year-old man was killed in the Verbkivska and Bohdanivska areas, and two men aged 38 and 40 were wounded. A fire broke out at a local transport facility, which was later extinguished.

Ukrzaliznytsia added that a drone also struck an electric locomotive. The train operator was killed, and his assistant was wounded but remains in stable condition.

Three Shahed drones were downed over the oblast by Ukrainian air defenses.

According to Lysak, a small FPV kamikaze drone also targeted Nikopol. The aftermath is still under investigation.

Elderly man injured in Zaporizhzhia oblast

In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian drones struck Andriivka village in the Zaporizhzhia district. According to oblast head Ivan Fedorov, nine Shahed drones hit the area, injuring a 79-year-old man. Fires erupted at non-residential buildings and several structures were destroyed.

Four civilians wounded in Kharkiv oblast

In Kharkiv Oblast, Russian drones targeted the city of Chuhuiv. Mayor Halyna Minaieva reported that four civilians were wounded. The strike damaged residential buildings, a family doctor’s office, and an educational institution.

A drone deal between Trump and Ukraine could bring Kyiv’s battlefield-proven UAVs into American hands, and more US-made weapons to Ukraine. The New York Post reports that President Trump and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are considering what’s being called a “mega deal.” 

Kyiv offers frontline drone experience for US weapons

In an exclusive interview with the New York Post, Zelenskyy revealed that his latest discussions with Trump centered around an exchange of drone technology and weaponry. Under the proposed agreement, Ukraine would sell its combat-hardened drone systems to the United States. In return, Washington would sell Ukraine a significant array of American weapons.

“This is really a mega deal, a win-win, as they say,” Zelenskyy told the NYP. “The people of America need this technology, and you need to have it in your arsenal.”

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine is ready to share its knowledge gained from over three years of fighting against Russia’s full-scale invasion. According to him, this experience could help both the US and European partners adapt to modern warfare. Zelenskyy said that parallel talks were also ongoing with Denmark, Norway, and Germany.

Ukraine’s drones reshape modern warfare

The possible drone deal between Trump and Ukraine builds on Ukraine’s rapid evolution into a drone warfare powerhouse. Ukraine was the first to start using FPV drones as precision weapons against Russian equipment and personnel. Additionally, Ukraine also developed the long-range naval kamikaze drones, which sank multiple Russian navy’s ships. Kyiv’s long-range aerial drones reach as far as 1,300 km into Russia. In May, a Ukrainian marine drone destroyed a Russian Su-30 fighter jet over the Black Sea, using onboard air-to-air missiles.

One of the most dramatic operations, dubbed “Operation Spider Web,” saw 117 Ukrainian drones launched simultaneously deep inside Russia. They took out dozens of Russian irreplaceable strategic bombers at four separate bases.

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US drone tech lags behind, experts warn

While Ukraine surges ahead, US defense officials and military experts have warned that the US is falling behind in drone warfare. The New York Post notes that American troops lack the experience to effectively operate UAVs or defend against them. Trent Emeneker, a project manager at the Defense Innovation Unit, told the New York Times, 

“We all know the same thing. We aren’t giving the American war fighter what they need to survive warfare today.”

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has recently issued a new order to “cut red tape” on domestic drone production.

Ukraine’s new Magura W6P naval drone patrols 1000 km, offering longer range and smarter sea reconnaissance, Militarnyi reports. This latest model shifts from strike operations to focus on maritime patrol and intelligence gathering. Militarnyi’s correspondent visited a closed presentation of the new maritime robotic system, recently organized by Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence agency.

Magura W6P naval drone patrols 1000 km with enhanced stability and sensors

Magura W6P replaces kamikaze capabilities with advanced reconnaissance systems and an extended operational radius from 800 km to 1000 km. Unlike its predecessor Magura v5, which reached speeds up to 50 knots, the W6P has a top speed of 36 knots and cruises at 21 knots powered by a 200-horsepower Suzuki DF200 gasoline engine. This change favors endurance over speed for longer patrols.

The drone features a unique trimaran hull with two outriggers, increasing stability at sea and reducing side rolling during waves or movement. This design also expands the deck width to 2 meters, providing space for mounting equipment such as launch containers for strike FPV drones, although the W6P itself no longer performs kamikaze attacks. The full loaded weight is 1,900 kg, including a 400 kg payload capacity.

Advanced radar, optical systems, and satellite communications enhance reconnaissance

Magura W6P is equipped with a gyro-stabilized optical station featuring day and thermal imaging channels. The drone’s onboard Furuno radar detects ships up to 30 kilometers away and large tankers up to 60 kilometers, though the low antenna height may reduce this range. Smaller boats can be detected within 7 kilometers.

Additionally, the drone uses a multichannel satellite communication system to maintain control despite enemy electronic warfare attempts.

Magura W6P part of Ukraine’s growing naval drone defense system

Ukraine’s naval forces and developers are working to integrate unmanned systems like Magura W6P into a comprehensive maritime defense network. These drones will patrol, locate, and help neutralize threats in Ukraine’s waters.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ministers to boost local arms from 40% to 50% within six months as part of a wartime strategy to strengthen Ukraine’s military self-reliance. He outlined the directive during a major speech before parliament, following the formal approval of a reshuffled Cabinet of Ministers on 17 July.

Zelenskyy tasks new cabinet with weapons overhaul

Addressing lawmakers and the new Cabinet, Zelenskyy noted:

“We are transforming the management of the defense sector and weapons production in such a way that, in six months, the share of specifically Ukrainian-made weapons available to our soldiers will significantly increase. Currently, about 40% of all weapons in the hands of our soldiers are made in Ukraine. In six months, it must be no less than 50%,” Zelenskyy said. 

He emphasized that boosting domestic arms production was essential in a global environment where attention to Russia-Ukraine’s war is being diluted by other crises.

Ministers told to audit defense deals

Zelenskyy also instructed the reshuffled cabinet to carry out a full audit of all existing defense-related agreements and commitments. These include international partnerships, production deals, memorandums, and resilience programs.

The president stressed that these agreements must be implemented “100% in the interests of Ukraine.” 

New prime minister confirmed

During the 17 July parliamentary session, lawmakers approved Zelenskyy’s nominee for prime minister, Yuliia Svyrydenko. Before the reshuffle, she served as Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Trade.

Most ministers either retained their roles or were reassigned to new posts. The president called for immediate implementation of the new government program and said results must be delivered “daily.”

Moscow’s recycled lies and nuclear bluster aim to fracture NATO and halt US aid for Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on 16 July. The Kremlin is reviving old narratives, including nuclear threats and faux diplomacy, in a coordinated information campaign targeting the United States’ renewed commitment to Ukraine and NATO.

Kremlin revives nuclear threats to pressure NATO

ISW says that the Kremlin is “recycling several longstanding informational narratives, including nuclear threats, in a renewed effort to break the United States away from Ukraine and the NATO alliance.” 

On 16 July, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that all provisions of Russia’s nuclear doctrine remain active. He emphasized that nuclear powers must not “incite” non-nuclear states and warned that nuclear countries must “answer” for such incitement.

Russia had updated its nuclear doctrine in fall 2024, introducing a clause suggesting that aggression by a non-nuclear country backed by a nuclear power may be treated as a joint attack on Russia.

Blaming the West for Moscow’s war

Responding to a question about Trump’s push for increased NATO military aid to Ukraine, Peskov claimed that “Europeans maintain a rabid militaristic attitude towards Moscow.“

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov echoed this approach, stating on 15 July that Moscow’s illegal invasion of Ukraine aims to eliminate “the threats that NATO has created” on Russia’s borders.

ISW highlights that these narratives have remained constant throughout the war and are being revived to undermine unity between the United States and Europe.

Russia casts itself as the peacemaker

Amid the Western calls to force Moscow into meaningful negotiations to end the war, Peskov  urged the international community to pressure Ukraine—not Russia, the aggressor country—into bilateral negotiations. ISW assesses this move as an effort to “falsely portray Russia as willing to negotiate while undermining Ukraine’s credibility.”

Strategy targets transatlantic unity

ISW notes that Russia is using the same “rhetorical line” that it has used throughout the war “to deter Western support for Ukraine, but has shifted its objective from preventing new support for Ukraine to reversing recent support” and to break the US from its NATO allies.

“The Kremlin is prioritizing informational campaigns aimed at undermining NATO unity and stoking discontent between the United States and its European allies in order to degrade Ukraine’s defense capabilities and achieve its longstanding war aims that amount to Ukraine’s capitulation,” ISW wrote.

Lithuania protests to Belarus over a Russian drone that entered from its territory and crashed just inside NATO airspace. The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry called the incursion a serious violation in an official statement on Facebook and demanded urgent explanations from Minsk.

Lithuania cites airspace violation in formal protest to Belarus

On 16 July, Lithuania summoned the acting chargé d’affaires of Belarus and handed over a diplomatic note of protest. The protest came after a Russian-made Gerbera drone illegally entered Lithuania and crashed roughly one kilometer from the border.

In a post published on its official Facebook page, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry wrote that the drone had crossed from Belarusian territory into Lithuanian airspace on 10 July and demanded a prompt explanation from Minsk. It described the incident as an illegal intrusion by a Russian-made, multifunctional unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

The Ministry called on Belarus to take “all necessary measures” to ensure that similar incidents do not happen again.

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Belarus held responsible for Russian drone’s NATO incursion

Lithuania’s Secretary of National Security Kęstutis Budrys, quoted by Delfi, said Belarus is fully responsible for allowing the drone to cross into Lithuania. “This is a serious violation,” Budrys stated. He noted that the object could have been part of a UAV group used in Ukraine.

“It’s likely this drone was used in the war,” he said, suggesting the Gerbera UAV might have been part of Russia’s combat operation before it reached NATO airspace.

The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry emphasized that Belarus must explain the incident immediately and prevent any future drone violations from its territory.

Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė told LRT that authorities are still investigating the intent behind the drone’s entry.

“We can confirm it was a Gerbera,” she said. “Its use could vary — we are trying to establish why it was flown here.”

Russia’s chemical attacks in Ukraine have exceeded 10,000 incidents since February 2023, according to Anton Honchar, chief specialist of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Directorate of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Support Command. Honchar told Ukrainska Pravda that Russian forces began using chemical weapons against Ukrainians as early as 2014–2015.

Ukrainian mobile teams specializing in chemical detection are now deployed across the front, collecting samples of grenades, contaminated gear, and aerosols. These groups work in close coordination with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Special Operations Forces. Honchar noted that over the past month alone, Ukrainian teams recorded about 760 instances of chemical weapons use by Russian troops.

Banned toxic grenades lead Russia’s battlefield arsenal

According to Honchar, 88% of Russia’s chemical attacks involve hand grenades such as the RG-Vo and K-51, both of which are banned for combat use under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). These grenades are intended for riot control, not military operations, yet Russia reportedly uses them to flush Ukrainian troops out of trenches and bunkers. Kyiv accuses Moscow of violating Article 1, Clause 5 of the CWC, which prohibits the use of toxic chemicals as weapons against enemy forces.

Another widely documented agent is chloropicrin, once used to test gas masks. Now, it’s being weaponized in improvised explosive devices or loaded into containers and dropped from drones.

Evidence collected for international prosecution

Honchar stressed that Ukraine now has the technical ability to gather battlefield samples according to international forensic standards. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) requires strict procedures to validate evidence in court. Ukraine’s field units adhere to these rules, enabling the country to pursue accountability at both the national and international level.

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Moscow’s chemical warfare infrastructure exposed

Ukraine accuses Russia of continuing to research, produce, and distribute chemical weapons despite claiming to have destroyed its stockpiles in 2018. The OPCW had been told by Moscow that its inventory was eliminated, yet Ukraine says banned agents are being actively used. One case cited by Honchar involved Russian General Kirillov, head of the Russian Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defense Troops. According to the SBU, he was responsible for supplying banned grenades to frontline units before being eliminated in December 2024.

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Russia’s chemical weapons use in Ukraine now “large-scale,” intelligence shows

Russian units repeatedly implicated in toxic attacks

Russia’s 155th Naval Infantry Brigade has been identified as one of the units most often using chemical weapons. Kyiv says these attacks are concentrated in combat-heavy directions such as Pokrovsk, Kupiansk, and Lyman, where Russian forces attempt to force Ukrainian troops out of fortified positions.

Honchar said Russian forces prefer to use chemical weapons during spring, summer, and autumn due to better evaporation conditions, and mainly during daylight assaults when their ground offensives are most active.

Germany’s Defense Ministry has denied knowledge of any Patriot systems for Ukraine currently leaving German territory, rejecting US President Donald Trump’s public claim. SRF reports that German officials say no such delivery is underway.

Germany contradicts Trump on Patriot system shipments

A spokesperson for Germany’s Defense Ministry said they could not confirm that any Patriot systems were presently on the way to Ukraine.

“That is not known to me,” the spokesperson stated, as cited by SRF.

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Reuters: Trump promised Patriots for Ukraine—Europe got the invoice

Trump, speaking to journalists in Washington on 15 July, claimed that the first Patriot systems were already being delivered,

“They are coming from Germany,” he added without providing any further details.

Berlin’s response directly contradicts this assertion.

NATO confirms plans for rapid Patriot delivery

Meanwhile, NATO is preparing to speed up deployment of additional Patriot systems to Ukraine, SRF says. The announcement comes as the country faces some of the heaviest Russian air attacks of the war.

NATO Air Commander Alexus Grynkewich said preparations were ongoing and involved close cooperation with Germany. Speaking at a conference in Wiesbaden, he stated,

“Preparations are underway, we are working very closely with the Germans on the Patriot relocation.” He added, “The instruction I received is to withdraw them as quickly as possible.”

Allies to discuss unresolved issues in upcoming meeting

The German Defense Ministry also noted that a virtual meeting of Ukraine’s supporting nations — the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) — would be held on 21 July. The goal of the meeting is to resolve remaining questions and implement the delivery of Patriot systems to Ukraine as swiftly as possible.

US President Donald Trump promised Patriot missile systems for Ukraine—but it is Europe that must now provide them, Reuters reports. NATO allies are scrambling to decide who will donate the weapons and how soon they can be delivered.

Allies caught off guard by Trump’s Patriot deal

Trump announced on 14 July that some Patriot missile systems for Ukraine should arrive “within days.” But while Kyiv prepares to receive them, European governments are facing unexpected pressure to give up their own systems, Reuters says. Meanwhile, Trump claimed that the first Patriots allegedly already were “on the way” to Ukraine.

During a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump claimed that Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and Canada had agreed to participate. However, high-ranking officials in at least two of those countries told Reuters they only learned of the plan when Trump made it public.

“It is my clear sense that nobody has been briefed about the exact details in advance,” one European ambassador said.

NATO to coordinate shipments under US-led framework

A NATO official said the alliance will oversee deliveries through its Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine mission in Germany. The official listed Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Finland as committed to the effort. But the exact numbers and timeline remain under discussion.

Europe pays for Trump’s pledge

While Trump takes credit for the deal, European leaders are voicing frustration.

“If we pay for these weapons, it’s our support,” said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. “If you promise to give the weapons, but say somebody else is going to pay for it, it’s not really given by you, is it?”

Germany’s defense minister said no Patriot system would arrive in Kyiv before the summer ends. Other countries—including Greece and Spain—have previously refused to part with their Patriots, calling them essential for national defense.

Logistics unclear

A US official said the Trump administration is now reviewing NATO inventories to identify potential trades. In some cases, allies might give up Patriots in exchange for earlier deliveries of other weapons or cancel pending orders under the Foreign Military Sales program.

Drone strikes hit Tula and Voronezh overnight, and reached Moscow Oblast, piercing Russian air defenses in an alleged Ukrainian UAV raids. Russia claimed to intercept 122 drones. The extent of the damage from the attack remains unclear.

Ukraine targets military infrastructure in Tula

Russian news Telegram channel Astra reports that in the early hours of 17 July, drones targeted Russian facilities in Tula Oblast. Explosions thundered in Novomoskovsk, where key military-industrial sites are located, Liga reported. In Shchyokino, Tula Oblast, local residents reported a fire breaking out after a drone attack.

According to Ukrainian Telegram channel Supernova+, the Azot chemical plant in Shchyokino was hit directly during the attack. The M-500 methanol production unit was reportedly damaged. The plant carried out emergency technical procedures in response. Azot is one of Tula Oblast’s key chemical industry sites, producing ammonia, methanol, and other nitrogen-based compounds used in explosives and defense-related manufacturing.

Tula Oblast head Dmitri Milyaev said that as of 06:00, the threat of more drone attacks remained active in the oblast. Later, he claimed that drone “debris” fell on the premises of an unnamed enterprise.

Ukraine pierces Russian air defenses: drone strikes hit Tula, Voronezh

Russia claims it downed 122 Ukrainian drones last night.https://t.co/LHXY6IM02z
#1-3 Tula, #4 Roslavl, by TG/Supernova+ pic.twitter.com/VBE27i8sPd

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) July 17, 2025

Drone strikes hit Voronezh

Drone strikes hit Tula and Voronezh nearly simultaneously. In Voronezh, drones reached deep into the city, with one, possible shot down by Russia’s air defenses, reportedly striking two floors of a high-rise residential building in the city’s left-bank area.

Governor Aleksandr Gusev claimed that air defenses had destroyed at least five UAVs over Voronezh Oblast, yet later acknowledged that fragments had struck a residential tower. The authorities claim four civilians were injured.

Moscow also under threat amid massive drone wave

Mayor Sergei Sobianin claimed that three drones were allegedly intercepted while attempting to enter Moscow’s airspace. Loud blasts were reported in Zelenograd. Residents described multiple explosion-like sounds during the night. The drone assault affected aviation. Departures and arrivals at Vnukovo Airport were delayed as a precaution during the strikes.

In Smolensk Oblast, local residents reported a strike on the town of Roslavl, home to a key aviation support plant under the Rostec conglomerate, according to Astra.

Russia claims 122 drones downed across 13 oblasts

Russia’s Ministry of Defense alleged that Ukrainian drones targeted at least 13 oblasts overnight, claiming 122 UAVs were shot down. According to the ministry, most drones were intercepted over Bryansk, Kursk, and Oryol oblasts. Additional UAVs were allegedly downed over Voronezh, Tula, Moscow Oblast, occupied Crimea, and several others.

Russia’s manpower crisis is forcing the Kremlin to rely on covert recruiting networks, where volunteer fighters in mercenary structures are seen as “expendable manpower,” according to leaked recordings cited by RFE/RL.

“Second-rate infantry” in Russia’s strategy

In a conversation leaked late last year, Russian lawmaker Aleksandr Borodai described non-army recruits as “second-rate infantry.” He said their task is to exhaust Ukrainian troops before regular Russian forces attack. In the same recording, he referred to them as “expendable manpower.”

The statement highlights how Russia increasingly treats irregular fighters — often recruited through unregulated or covert systems — as disposable assets in a war now approaching 1 million Russian casualties, according to estimates.

With the memory of the September 2022 “partial mobilization” still fresh, and public opposition strong, the Kremlin is avoiding new mandatory call-ups. Instead, it relies on shadow recruitment structures to sustain frontline numbers without triggering mass unrest.

GRU-controlled Redut and Dobrokor feed the front with mercenaries

Systema, RFE/RL’s Russian investigative unit, reveals that both the Redut and Dobrokor networks are controlled by the GRU, Russia’s main military intelligence agency. The structures are designed to enlist men and women under the guise of “volunteer formations” — but operate effectively as mercenary pipelines.

Unlike Russia’s Defense Ministry contracts, which extend until Russia ends its war in Ukraine, mercenary contracts through Redut or Dobrokor have fixed terms — usually six to twelve months — and do not renew automatically.

Recruits through Dobrokor sign formal contracts and receive legal military status. Monthly pay starts at $2,600. In exchange, they cannot leave before their contract ends without risking prosecution for desertion. Mediazona reported that over 20,000 desertion cases had already reached Russian courts as of May.

Redut: cash, secrecy, and no legal existence

Redut, by contrast, operates in a legal gray zone. It does not require fitness screening, accepts people with criminal records, and allows early departure. It attracts recruits by offering cash payments, which can be hidden from creditors, courts, or ex-spouses.

However, Redut mercenaries are not legally considered military personnel. They are ineligible for state compensation, hospital treatment, or veteran status.

“From a legal point of view, you don’t exist,” a recruiter for the Nevsky unit told Systema, adding: “There’s no service, nothing: No hospitals, no rehabilitation, nothing.”

Redut also provides no gear or uniforms up front. One recruiter told RFE/RL that new fighters are given 50,000 rubles ($640) only with their third paycheck — assuming they survive that long.

Small bonuses, big risks

The Russian Defense Ministry offers up to $46,000 in signing bonuses for official contracts. Dobrokor pays far less — often $640–$1,280. Redut mercenaries get no regional bonus at all.

Despite these risks and limitations, thousands continue to join. Deputy Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev claimed over 210,000 people signed military contracts in the first half of 2025. Another 18,000 joined so-called “volunteer” formations — a term now widely used to mask informal, often unregulated mercenary service.

Janis Kluge of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs estimates the actual number of contract soldiers may be closer to 190,000.

Last night, Russia’s drones killed a civilian in Dnipro, and injured five others in another round of daily long-range drone attacks against Ukrainian residential areas, local authorities reported.

Civilian killed and five injured as Dnipro hit by Shahed drones

Russia’s Iranian-designed Shahed long-range explosive drones conducted a massive attack on Dnipro city in the middle of Ukraine after midnight on 17 July. According to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast head Serhii Lysak, the attack triggered multiple fires and caused damage to both industrial and residential infrastructure.

Public broadcaster Suspilne reported several explosions in the city throughout the night. The first were heard in Dnipro and its suburb, Samar, around 00:10, followed by repeated blasts at 00:12 and a further series at 00:23. Lysak confirmed the situation in Dnipro was “loud.” Ukrainian air defense shot down 22 drones, but some reached their targets, according to the region’s chief.

Explosions and fires were reported not only in Dnipro itself but also in the surrounding Solone and Slobozhanske communities. A private residence, greenhouse, and utility structure were damaged. Industrial enterprises also caught fire.

Nikopol and Marhanets attacked with drones and rocket artillery

Lysak says the Russian military also struck the Nikopol and Marhanets in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast communities using FPV drones, Grad multiple-launch rocket systems, and air-dropped explosives. The attacks destroyed a civilian vehicle and damaged a single-family home and a farm structure. 

Zaporizhzhia hit with bombs, drones, artillery across nine settlements

While the Dnipro strike caused civilian casualties, Zaporizhzhia Oblast endured extensive bombardment throughout the past 24 hours. According to oblast head Ivan Fedorov, Russian forces carried out six bomb attacks on Plavni, Huliaypole, Uspenivka, Novoandriivka, and Bilohiria.

In total, Russian forces launched 420 drones—mostly small FPVs—targeting nine settlements across the oblast. Five Grad rocket attacks struck Huliaypole and Novodanylivka. Russian artillery shelled seven frontline settlements 171 times. Fedorov noted that no civilians were injured in these strikes.

Ukraine is now using German-supplied Oerlikon Skynex short-range air defense (SHORAD) system against Russia’s Shahed drones, deploying the advanced cannon system to defend critical infrastructure from Russia’s escalating drone attacks. Ukraine’s Air Force released footage showing the system intercepting Russian drones with short, deadly bursts.

Ukrainian Air Force confirms Skynex performance in drone interceptions

The Ukrainian Air Force showed Rheinmetall’s Skynex air defense system is in action, sharing a video of the system engaging Russian one-way attack drones. 

“The Rheinmetall Skynex air defense gun system, now in service with the Ukrainian Air Force, is delivering flawless results in destroying enemy strike UAVs,” according to the Air Force.

The Air Force added:

“We’ll keep the time and location classified, but as you can see in the footage, the effective performance of the 35-mm automated air defense gun is clearly inspiring our defenders of the sky!”

In the shared video, Ukrainian forces used Skynex specifically to intercept Russian Shahed drones. The video shows short bursts from 35-mm cannons downing each incoming UAV with precision, Militarnyi noted.

How German-supplied Skynex works against Shaheds 

The footage shows the use of advanced hit efficiency and destruction (AHEAD) type 35-mm airburst round ammunition. These rounds are triggered in-flight after leaving the barrel, detonating near the drone and creating a cloud of preformed fragments. This burst effect is designed to maximize kill probability against fast-moving, low-flying UAVs.

Militarnyi notes that each Shahed drone shown in the video was destroyed with a single short burst.

Skynex protects strategic targets, not front lines

The cannon systems are not self-propelled, which limits their role to static object defense. As Militarnyi explains,

“Since the gun mounts are not self-propelled, their main task is site-based air defense: protecting airfields, critical infrastructure, and so on.”

Each Skynex battery includes four 35-mm cannons, a control post, and a radar station responsible for target detection and gun direction. The system is fully automated and capable of autonomous operation once targets are confirmed.

Ukraine received the first two Skynex systems in early 2024.

Ukraine is now fielding anti-drone bullets for NATO rifles, offering front-line troops a rapid-response tool against Russia’s increasing use of small UAVs, such as FPV and munition-dropping drones.

Ukraine introduces new bullets to fight drones with existing rifles

Brave1, Ukraine’s government-backed defense innovation grant program, published a video on 30 June showing the bullets at live-fire tests.

According to Forbes, the new rounds, fired from standard 5.56 mm NATO rifles such as the M4 and CZ Bren, fragment midair after discharge, scattering into five high-speed pellets. This shotgun-like spread enables troops to hit small drones at distances of up to 50-60 meters.

Militarnyi, a Ukrainian military outlet, reported that the bullets are already in limited operational use.

“Horoshok (an informal name for the new bullet meaning ‘pea’, – Ed.) is now in production and has been officially codified by the Ministry of Defense. With any luck, it will soon be standard issue for Ukraine’s Armed Forces, available alongside conventional ammunition,” Militarnyi wrote last week. 

The Defense Ministry has approved the design, and Brave1’s post suggests that large-scale production may follow.

“The manufacturer has already codified this development (i.e., it has been codified by the Defense Ministry, – Ed.). Our shared goal is for every infantryman to have a magazine of these rounds and be able to load them into their rifle in the event of an aerial threat,” Brave1 reported.

When a drone is detected, the soldier can swap magazines without switching weapons, saving critical seconds and avoiding the burden of carrying a separate anti-drone system, Forbes notes.

A kinetic solution to counter evolving drone threats

Ukrainian electronic warfare and air-defense systems remain active but cannot fully cover the extended front. Russia is also using UAVs designed to evade Ukrainian jamming capabilities, including short-lived but highly effective drones.

By using kinetic means instead of relying solely on jamming, these bullets may disrupt the ongoing arms race between drones and electronic warfare. Forbes highlights that Russian adaptations — like fiber-optic tethered drones immune to jamming — are pushing Ukraine to adopt direct-fire solutions.

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Amid the ongoing Russian invasion, the new Ursula sabotage-ready river drone can either strike with explosives or deploy an FPV drone mid-mission, giving Ukrainian forces new options for river-based operations.

Ursula sabotage-ready river drone expands battlefield versatility

According to Militarnyi, the Association of Ukrainian Engineers reports that Ukrainian firm NoviTechNet has developed a new compact unmanned surface vessel named Ursula. Measuring about one meter in length, the vessel can support different mission profiles depending on its configuration.

According to the Association, the Ursula sabotage-ready river drone can perform reconnaissance along rivers, canals, and coastal areas. It can also operate in kamikaze mode as, in the developers’ words, a “floating mine,” carrying an explosive payload to strike enemy targets. Alternatively, it can transport and launch a small FPV drone — either for surveillance or attack — directly from the water. 

Ukraine’s growing use of unmanned river vessels

This is not the first Ukrainian-made unmanned boat built for river operations. Earlier this year, Ukraine’s Defense Forces began testing the Black Widow 2 drone boat. Like Ursula, it measures one meter long. It weighs 8 kg, reaches speeds up to 40 km/h, and has an operational range of 10 km.

Black Widow 2 can remain in standby mode for several days while awaiting a target. However, unlike Ursula, it does not carry or launch FPV drones.

“Controlling a one-meter electric boat may seem like child’s play, but the vessel is more dangerous than it looks. Besides spying and recon missions, the river drone can be loaded with several kilograms of explosives. The 3 kg payload, according to the developer, is enough to destroy small boats and vessels,” Militarnyi noted.

Russia used Belarus airspace during a deadly drone assault that contributed to over 3,000 aerial weapons fired on Ukraine in the past week. The strikes killed at least seven civilians and injured 20 more over the past 24 hours. Russia targeted rear areas during the day and frontline cities overnight, Ukrainian official sources reported.

Russian bombs kill civilians in Sumy city and oblast

On 12 July around 13:00, Russian guided bombs hit the Sumy community, local authorities reported. A married couple, both 65 years old, died. The strike destroyed two homes and damaged at least 14 others.

That evening around 22:00, nine Russian Shahed drones and two guided bombs struck Shostka. The attack injured three civilians. A 53-year-old and a 57-year-old man are in serious condition. A 37-year-old woman received outpatient care.

The Sumy Oblast Military Administration confirmed damage to 12 homes and a school. A local business also sustained hits. Operational Command North reported nine Shahed drone strikes and two guided bomb impacts.

Air Force confirms 60 drones launched, 40 neutralized

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that from 14:00 on 12 July through the morning of 13 July, Russia launched 60 drones. These included Shahed explosive drones and decoy UAVs.

More than 40 Shaheds were reportedly part of the attack. Over 20 of them targeted rear oblasts during daylight hours. Overnight, Russia struck frontline cities in Donetsk, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.

Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted 20 drones. Another 20 were either suppressed or lost radar contact due to electronic warfare.

Zelenskyy: Russia launches 3,000+ aerial weapons in a week, escalating air war to prolong conflict

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 1,800 drones, 1,200 guided bombs, and 83 missiles in the past seven days. He warned that Moscow seeks to terrorize cities and delay peace.

Ukraine intercepted hundreds of Shaheds this week. Zelenskyy called for more support to expand air defense technology.

“We must neutralize this threat,” he said. “Then diplomacy can begin to work.”

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Russian strikes kill and injure Kherson civilians

After midnight on 13 July, Russian forces shelled Kherson’s Korabelnyi district. A 75-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man suffered brain and blast injuries. Medics hospitalized both.

Earlier, a 72-year-old man sustained shrapnel wounds in another drone strike. In Bilozerka, Russian artillery fire injured a 40-year-old man at home. He received outpatient treatment.

On 12 July, Russia killed one woman and injured four more locals in Kherson Oblast, local authorities reported.

More civilians killed and wounded across Ukraine, local authorities say

In Donetsk oblast, Russian attacks killed three people on 12 July. The dead were from Sloviansk, Myrnohrad, and Bilozerske. Seven more civilians suffered injuries across the oblast.

In Novodanylivka, Zaporizhzhia oblast, rescuers found a 77-year-old woman’s body in a destroyed home. Shelling likely trapped one more local resident under the rubble. A 66-year-old man also suffered injuries in Polohy district.

In Synelnykove, Dnipropetrovsk oblast, a Russian guided bomb killed an 88-year-old woman. The Russian attacks also injured a 37-year-old man on the previous day. Fires damaged five houses. Emergency crews contained the blaze.

Kharkiv oblast reported new injuries over the past 24 hours. Russian strikes hit Kupiansk and Slobozhanske. The attacks injured three men, aged 72, 69, and 67.

Belarus again enables Russian air operations

Russia routed some Shahed drones through Belarusian airspace during the 12 July drone strike on Ukraine, Militarnyi reported. The outlet cited the Nikolaevsky Vanyok Telegram channel, linked to the Ukrainian air defenses, which reported that three Shaheds were approaching Ukraine’s Zhytomyr Oblast from Belarus.

Moscow has used this tactic before. In 2024, similar drone overflights were recorded, and Belarusian jets reportedly shot some down. 

SBU Colonel Ivan Voronych’s killers — a foreign man and woman working for Russia’s FSB security service — resisted arrest and died in a firefight with law enforcers during a special operation led by the Security Service of Ukraine.

Foreign assassins tracked after bold murder of SBU officer

On 13 July, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and National Police reported the elimination of a foreign hit squad in Kyiv Oblast. This occured days after they murdered SBU Colonel Ivan Voronych in the capital on 10 July. The SBU reports that the man and woman — both foreign nationals — had been sent to Ukraine by Russia’s FSB with clear instructions to assassinate the SBU officer.

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According to the investigation, the FSB handler instructed the duo to surveil Voronych, identify his daily routine and routes, and later provided them with coordinates of a stash containing a pistol with a suppressor. In Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi District, one of the assailants approached Voronych on the morning of 10 July near his residence and fired several point-blank shots. The officer died on the spot. The foreign hit squad in Kyiv had tried to go into hiding following the assassination.

The case was registered under Article 348 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, military serviceman, or public order official.

Special operation ends with foreign suspects killed

The head of the SBU, Lieutenant General Vasyl Maliuk, personally oversaw the special operation to identify and locate the foreign hit squad in Kyiv, the agency said. The operation involved covert investigative and counterintelligence measures. Ukrainian forces discovered the suspects’ hideout and moved in early morning on 13 July.

“When they were being detained, they resisted. There was an exchange of fire, and the scum were eliminated,” said Maliuk. He added, “Let me remind you: the only future for the enemy on Ukrainian territory is death.”

Maliuk thanked National Police officers for their professional cooperation and emphasized that countering Russian intelligence operations remains a core priority for the SBU. He stated that the service successfully prevents 85% of crimes the enemy attempts to commit in Ukraine.

SBU colonel targeted for role in cross-border operations

The New York Times has previously reported that Colonel Ivan Voronych played a role in Ukrainian military operations in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. He served in the SBU since 1997 and was part of the elite Alpha Special Operations Center.

Ukrainian intelligence officer and former SBU operative Roman Chervinskyi described Voronych as one of the initiators of the SBU’s field of activity that has “caused many problems for the Russians.”

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Russia’s domestic Iskander-M and Pyongyang-supplied KN-23 ballistic missile stockpile has dropped from 580 to 300 since May, Ukrainian intelligence told Liga. The report does not include other widely used types of Russian ballistic missiles, such as the S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air systems repurposed for ground attacks, or the Kinzhal, which is essentially an air-launched variant of the Iskander-M.

Ukrainian intel: Russia loses nearly half its advanced ballistic arsenal

As of early July 2025, Russia possesses around 300 ballistic missiles of the Iskander-M type and their North Korean equivalents, the KN-23, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) told Liga in response to a request. The stockpile currently includes over 250 Russian-made Iskander-M missiles and about 50 KN-23s supplied by North Korea.

Ukrainian intelligence previously stated that in mid-May, Russia had approximately 580 ballistic missiles of this class. The current total confirms a nearly twofold drop in supply over the course of just six weeks.

Dozens of launchers remain deployed near Ukrainian border

According to HUR, over 60 tactical missile system launchers capable of firing these ballistic missiles are presently deployed close to Ukraine’s borders, indicating the continued threat of Iskander-M strikes.

In May, HUR had reported that Russia had stepped up its missile production. Compared to 2024, production volumes had increased from 40 to 60 missiles per month. 

Almost 90 ballistic missiles launched on Ukraine in two months

According to the Air Force of Ukraine data, during May and June, Russia used 88 ballistic missiles — a combination of Iskander-M and KN-23 — in attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities. Ukrainian air defense forces successfully intercepted and destroyed 23 of them.

In early June, Ukrainian forces eliminated three launchers in Bryansk oblast, from which Russian troops had been firing missiles at Ukraine. 

Commenting on Russia’s 12 July drone attack, ISW said it continues to assess that Russia’s ongoing large-scale air assaults are intended to degrade Ukrainian and Western morale and highlight Ukraine’s need for continued Western support for its interceptor drone program and for Western-supplied air defense systems, especially US Patriots.

ISW: Russia targets morale in Ukraine and the West

According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the Kremlin is using mass air attacks not solely to cause damage, but to psychologically exhaust Ukraine and its allies. ISW emphasized that this psychological dimension is now central to Russia’s strategy, and Ukraine’s continued ability to protect its skies depends heavily on consistent Western aid.

“ISW continues to assess that Russia’s ongoing large-scale strikes are intended to degrade Ukrainian and Western morale and underscore Ukraine’s need for continued Western support for Ukraine’s interceptor drone program and for the continued supply of Western air defense systems, especially US-provided Patriot systems,” ISW wrote.

ISW has already noted previously that “The continued increase in the size of strike packages is likely intended to support Russian efforts to degrade Ukrainian morale in the face of constant Russian aggression.”

Russia launched third massive drone-missile strike this month

As Euromaidan Press reported yesterday, Russia launched a major combined drone and missile strike overnight on 11–12 July — its third large-scale air attack this month. The Ukrainian Air Force stated that Russia launched 339 Iranian-designed Shahed-type drones and 258 decoy UAVs, totaling 597 drones, from several locations within Russia. Russia also fired 26 Kh-101 cruise missiles from airspace over Saratov Oblast.

Ukraine’s air defenders downed 319 Shaheds and 25 missiles, while another 258 drones were either suppressed or lost via electronic warfare. Despite successful interception, critical infrastructure and civilian facilities were damaged in Chernivtsi, Cherkasy, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Lviv, Sumy, and Volyn oblasts.

Mykola Kalashnyk, head of the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration, said Ukraine’s Clean Sky interceptor drone program downed over 50 drones during the overnight strike.

US President Donald Trump may arm Ukraine in response to Russia’s largest drone and missile assault since the start of the full-scale invasion, CBS reports, citing multiple diplomatic sources. According to the sources, the potential funding is aimed at sending a message to Russia following recent aerial attacks. This week saw Russia’s largest drone assaults since February 2022. Kyiv and several other cities suffered repeated strikes.

A White House official told CBS the administration had recently paused some weapons deliveries as part of a global review of arms transfers. Still, earlier this week, Trump hinted he intended to send more defensive weapons to Ukraine.

$3.85 billion in military aid could be reactivated

US officials told CBS News that $3.85 billion in unused presidential drawdown authority from the Biden era remains available. Trump may now use that fund to deliver American military equipment to Ukraine.

Former officials also noted that Trump has the power to seize around $5 billion in frozen Russian assets and redirect those funds to Ukraine. So far, neither Trump nor former President Joe Biden has exercised that authority.

From arms freeze to new shipments: policy shift follows Russian escalation

Earlier this year, Trump expressed skepticism about aid to Ukraine and urged both Ukraine and Russia to pursue a peace agreement. He has often criticized the scale of American military spending on the war.

But his tone changed sharply in recent days. Last week, Trump told reporters he was “very disappointed” after a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During a Cabinet meeting on 8 July, he confirmed a shift in stance.

“Putin is not treating human beings right. He’s killing too many people,” Trump said. “So we’re sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine, and I’ve approved that.”

Trump says NATO will buy US weapons for Ukraine

As Euromaidan Press reported earlier, Trump is also pushing for NATO allies to take on more responsibility, and purchase weapons for Ukraine from the US.

“We’re sending weapons to NATO, and NATO is paying for those weapons, 100%,” Trump told NBC.

Diplomatic sources told CBS News that Trump spoke with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte about European countries purchasing US-made equipment for Ukraine. 

When asked about the NATO initiative on 11 July in Malaysia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated the logic behind the idea:

“At the end of the day, some of the systems that Ukraine requires are systems that Europe doesn’t make. They would have to purchase them from the United States,” Rubio said.

The $500 million Ukraine aid bill advanced in the US Senate after the Armed Services Committee approved it, according to The Hill. The package cleared its first major hurdle this week with strong bipartisan support from the Senate Armed Services Committee. The legislation adds $200 million for 2026 and extends the Pentagon’s Ukraine assistance program through 2028.

Senate committee advances long-term Ukraine support plan

The Hill reported on 11 July that the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) approved the $500 million Ukraine aid bill two days earlier as part of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The vote passed 26–1. The bill includes a $200 million increase in Ukraine aid for 2026 and extends the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative through 2028.

NATO allies increase defense spending, EU unveils $162M rearmament plan

As part of broader coordination, NATO member states have earlier agreed to raise their defense spending to 5% of GDP — a long-standing demand from Trump. This shift comes as the European Union moves to implement a $162 million readiness initiative aimed at rearming European forces within five years.

Russia suffering heavy losses for minor gains in Ukraine as summer offensive grinds on, ISW reports. The Institute for the Study of War says Moscow is throwing troops into battle for minimal territorial returns, citing The Economist’s data.

Russia suffering heavy losses for minor gains

Russia is suffering heavy losses for minor gains, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). In its 10 July assessment, ISW said Russian forces continue to burn through manpower at “staggeringly high” rates for “disproportionately small gains.”

Since the launch of Russia’s Summer 2025 offensive on 1 May, The Economist estimated about 31,000 Russian troops have been killed. In that time, Russia gained only 0.038 square kilometers — about nine acres — for each killed soldier.

Ukrainian Presidential Office Deputy Head Pavlo Palisa said that as of 4 June, Russia was losing around 167 killed or wounded troops per square kilometer of advance — or just 1.45 acres per casualty.

Offensive pace unlikely to hold

ISW reported that Russian forces captured 498.53 square kilometers in May and 466.71 in June, averaging 15.8 square kilometers per day. The Economist found a similar daily rate — about the size of Los Angeles International Airport.

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At that pace, The Economist estimated it would take 89 years for Russia to seize all of Ukraine. Capturing the remainder of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts — which Russia illegally claims — would take until February 2028.

ISW noted the pace is unusually fast compared to earlier phases of the war but stressed it is unlikely to continue. Gains have fluctuated based on weather, terrain, and the scale of operations.

Autumn likely to slow Russia’s push

ISW said Russian advances will likely slow again as autumn rains return. Mud and poor conditions have repeatedly hindered maneuverability during earlier phases of the war.

Despite the recent surge, Russia suffering heavy losses for minor gains remains the core dynamic of this campaign. ISW’s analysis, supported by The Economist’s casualty estimates, shows a war strategy trading lives for inches.

BBC Russian Service identified names of 523 foreign mercenaries killed fighting for Russia against Ukraine, using only open-source confirmations. The outlet says those were from 28 countries and died in Ukraine during Russia’s full-scale invasion. Notably, the BBC Russian Service does not refer to them as mercenaries and follows Russian state language, labeling occupied parts of eastern Ukraine as the “self-proclaimed Donbas republics” or the “self-proclaimed DNR and LNR.”

BBC confirms deaths of over 500 foreign nationals in Russian ranks

According to a joint investigation by the BBC Russian Service and Mediazona, supported by a volunteer group, the names of 118,139 Russian military dead have been confirmed since the invasion began. Included in that figure are 523 foreign nationals who did not hold Russian citizenship at the time of enlistment.

The database relies strictly on publicly available information, including Russian official announcements, social media posts by family members, and grave photographs. It excludes Ukrainian sources and Western intelligence.

Central Asians recruited from prisons make up largest foreign group

The highest confirmed number of foreign mercenaries killed fighting for Russia came from Tajikistan (72 deaths) and Uzbekistan (66 deaths). In both cases, more than half had previously been incarcerated in Russian penal colonies. Many signed contracts with Wagner Group in exchange for sentence cancellation.

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Nepalese fighters among the highest casualties outside post-Soviet states

Nepal had the highest confirmed number of indentified fighters killed. The BBC Russian Service documented 70 Nepali nationals killed fighting for Russia, with around 50 more missing. Nepalese authorities sent DNA samples to Russia to help identify the bodies.

The first known Nepali fatality was Sandip Tapalia, a 30-year-old former Gurkha who died in June 2023. He was buried in Ivanovo. 

Egyptian model’s war ends in Russian grave

One of the most publicly documented cases involves Ahmed Valed Deraz, a 25-year-old Egyptian model based in Yekaterinburg. Social media shows him living and working there since at least 2021. He last applied for modeling work in June 2023. At some point after that, he signed a military contract and was eliminated on 17 March 2024 in Ukraine.

He was one of four Egyptians confirmed dead fighting for Russia.

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Sri Lankans, Americans, and Africans also among the dead

Russia also recruited from Sri Lanka, where at least 288 former soldiers joined the Russian military, according to that country’s government. Sixteen were confirmed killed. 

The list also includes individuals from Ethiopia, Zambia, the Central African Republic, Tanzania, and Togo.

Americans appear in the list as well. One of the most notable cases is Michael Gloss, son of a serving CIA deputy director, eliminated in Ukraine fighting for Russia. 

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US intelligence estimates only a handful of American nationals fought for Russia. In contrast, 2,000–3,000 US citizens reportedly joined Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainians also found among Russian ranks

The BBC Russian Service listed 54 Ukrainian citizens who died fighting for Russia. These only the Ukrainian nationals, registered in the Ukrainian-controlled territory at the time the full-scale invasion began. This figure does not include individuals from the occupied territories, counted separately.

Russia’s weaker but destructive drone attack injured at least 27 civilians overnight as strikes hit Odesa, Kharkiv, Chuhuiv, and other cities overnight and in the morning of 11 July, local authorities reported. A separate Russian artillery attack on a medical facility injured at least three more people in Kherson Oblast.

Drones launched from three directions

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 79 drones, including Shahed explosive one-way attack drones and decoys, from Kursk, Millerovo, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk.

Air defenses reportedly shot down 44 drones, and 16 more were suppressed by electronic warfare and disappeared from radars. Nineteen reached their targets across at least eight locations. Debris also fell in three other areas, the report says.

Kharkiv: maternity ward and residential areas hit

In Kharkiv, three explosions occurred around 05:25. According to the Emergency Service, at least 11 people were injured. A dental clinic was hit, and 17 buildings were damaged, with around 200 windows shattered.

One Russian drone strike hit a maternity hospital, forcing staff to evacuate seven patients, three children, and 13 personnel. Medical director Oleksandr Kondratskyi told Suspilne everyone inside experienced severe stress. The blast shattered windows and doors, dislodged ceiling lights, and damaged medical equipment. Staff canceled a scheduled operation due to the destruction.

Chuhuiv: hospital, homes, and factory struck

In Chuhuiv, Kharkiv Oblast, explosions shook the city around 01:20. The blasts injured four people, including a 65-year-old woman. Drones destroyed two detached houses, damaged several others nearby, and heavily damaged the city hospital.

Mayor Halyna Minayeva confirmed further drone impacts on private households in another district. Six drones also struck an industrial site, causing a fire, according to Oblast head Oleh Syniehubov.

Odesa: injured civilians and dead horse after drone hits stable

In Odesa, authorities issued an air alert at 09:19. Five explosions rocked the city as drones struck residential buildings, administrative facilities, and a stable. Local officials reported that 11 civilians were injured.

A drone strike on the stable killed a mare named Kameliia and wounded another horse. At the time of the attack, five horses and four ponies were inside the building.

Sumy: woman wounded, land contaminated

Russian drones struck Sumy early in the morning, the regional authorities reported. One drone injured a 62-year-old woman while she stood in her yard; medics are currently treating her. The blasts damaged non-residential buildings on the outskirts of the city. Environmental officials reported that debris from the attack contaminated 1,190 square meters of land.

Kherson Oblast: artillery hits medical site

In Bilozerka, Russian artillery struck a medical facility, wounding three people: a 40-year-old male patient with leg injuries, a nurse born in 1978 with wounds to her legs, head, and arms, and a driver born in 1976 with hand injuries. All are receiving medical care.

Mykolaiv: explosions and fire, no casualties

Explosions were heard in Mykolaiv after 01:30 during an air raid alert. Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych and regional head Vitalii Kim confirmed multiple blasts and a fire on the city’s outskirts. No injuries were reported.

Ukraine hits four weapons factories in Tula, a regional capital next to Moscow, in a continuing effort to degrade Russia’s defense production capabilities. The drone offensive also struck other military-linked sites across Moscow Oblast, Kursk, Taganrog, Lipetsk, Orsk, and beyond, according to multiple reports. The full extent of damage is currently unknown.

Kamikaze drones strike deep into Tula’s defense industry

Four military-industrial facilities were struck in Tula and Tula Oblast overnight on 11 July, according to reporting by Russian news Telegram channel Astra. 

• Astra confirms that in Tula, drones hit the JSC Design Bureau of Instrument-Making, causing a fire in the administrative building. The same facility was previously attacked in June, when strikes damaged warehouses, a loading hangar, and a power substation — halting operations entirely at the time.
• Also in Tula, drones were shot down directly over the NPO SPLAV plant, which produces multiple launch rocket systems. 
• The fourth site struck was the Aleksinsky Experimental Mechanical Plant in Aleksin, Tula Oblast. Drone debris reportedly fell on the grounds of Workshop No. 4. The plant is involved in producing non-standard equipment for manufacturing explosives and solid propellants, and operates under the state defense-linked Techmash group.
• In addition, Astra reported that a drone hit the Azot chemical plant in Novomoskovsk, also in Tula Oblast. The facility supplies nitric acid used in producing octogen and hexogen — key components of artillery munitions. It had previously been struck in both May and June.

Ukraine struck four weapons factories in Tula overnight, targeting Russia’s defense industry deep inside its territory. Drone attacks also hit sites in Moscow Oblast, Kursk, Taganrog, Lipetsk, Orsk, and more.



TG/Exilenova+, Supernova+ – the clips show the Tula attack. pic.twitter.com/R9CKsNg6YS

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) July 11, 2025

Drone offensive spreads beyond Tula to Moscow Oblast and other regions

According to Astra and Ukrainian Telegram channels, Exilenova+ and Supernova+, drones also targeted several high-value military and industrial targets in other parts of Russia overnight on 11 July.

• In Dubna, Moscow Oblast, explosions were reported near the Kronstadt Group facility — a drone development site previously attacked in May. Exilenova+ claimed the site was hit again and shared video evidence from the location.
• In Lukhovitsy, also Moscow Oblast, Ukrainian Liutyi long-range drones targeted and reportedly hit the Lukhovitsky Aviation Plant, a facility belonging to the MiG aircraft corporation under Rostec. Astra reports that at least two drones impacted the compressor station on the plant’s grounds, partially collapsing one wall. The nearby Lukhovitsy fuel depot was also in the vicinity of the strike zone. 

Lukhovitsy (Moscow Oblast): Ukrainian Liutyi drones reportedly struck the Lukhovitsky Aviation Plant, part of the MiG aircraft corporation. Astra said two drones hit a compressor station, causing partial collapse of one wall.

TG/Exilenova+, Supernova+ pic.twitter.com/Fa2E386F3T

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) July 11, 2025

More facilities targeted across Russian territory

Further strikes were reported in multiple other oblasts:

• Kursk Oblast — Drones hit industrial sites in Belyovsky and Kurchatovsky districts. The local governor stated that fires broke out in production areas. In one case, a warehouse reportedly burned after a UAV strike. 
• Taganrog, Rostov Oblast — A UAV was allegedly neutralized near the Beriev aircraft plant. The city’s mayor claimed that debris ostensibly fell onto the factory grounds. Such wording from local officials is often a euphemistic way to report a direct hit. Supernova+ shared footage, showing Ukrainian drones flying over the area.

Taganrog, Rostov Oblast — A UAV was allegedly neutralized near the Beriev aircraft plant.

The city’s mayor claimed that debris ostensibly fell onto the factory grounds. Such wording from local officials is often a euphemistic way to report a direct hit.

Supernova+ shared… pic.twitter.com/LzwhxNcQBP

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) July 11, 2025

• Lipetsk Oblast — The regional head claimed a drone fell on an agricultural enterprise in Khlevensky district, causing a fire and ostensibly resulting in casualties. 
• Orsk, Orenburg Oblast — Astra and Exilenova+ report that the Orsk Mechanical Plant, a key producer of artillery shell casings and rocket system components, experienced a fire inside its paint shop. Exilenova+ says the sabotage is suspected.
• Saint Petersburg — Rosaviatsia claimed that Pulkovo airport suspended flights temporarily due to security concerns overnight on 11 July.
• In Zhukovsky, Moscow Oblast, the Russian aviation agency Rosaviatsia announced temporary flight restrictions during the night. The same agency later claimed the restrictions had been lifted as of the morning of 11 July.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed that a total of 155 drones were downed over Russian territory and occupied Crimea during the night. According to their statement, this included 13 over Tula Oblast, 11 over Moscow Oblast, and dozens across Kursk, Bryansk, Belgorod, Smolensk, and other areas. 

Update: Ukrainian military confirms some strikes

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that overnight on 11 July, Ukrainian drone units, together with other defense elements, struck two Russian military-industrial sites.

One target was the Lukhovitsky Aviation Plant in Moscow Oblast, which handles full-cycle MiG fighter jet production. Explosions were recorded at the site.

The second strike, carried out with support from Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces and the SBU, hit the Shipunov Design Bureau in Tula Oblast. The facility produces missiles for Russian air defense systems.

The General Staff said explosions, smoke, and emergency vehicle activity were observed near both targets. Damage is being assessed.

European firms stole drone secrets from a top Ukrainian manufacturer while falsely claiming their own UAVs were tested in combat, according to Skyeton CEO Roman Knyazhenko. He did not name the specific European companies allegedly involved. Skyeton’s flagship Raybird drone has flown over 350,000 combat hours, The Telegraph says. 

European drone makers accused of copying, then vanishing

In an interview with The Telegraph, Knyazhenko said some European manufacturers approached Skyeton under the pretense of cooperation. However, then they used the meetings to extract technical details and even plagiarized phrases from company materials.

“Sometimes I open presentations of other aircraft from Europe, and I see literally my own words, without any change,” he told the outlet.

He said firms conducted only a few drone flights far from the front line — such as in Lviv in western Ukraine — and still claimed their systems were “combat tested.” These misleading claims allowed them to secure government contracts worth billions, diverting funds from proven Ukrainian systems.

“They’re investing in technology that’s actually fake. In the end, you will have nothing,” Knyazhenko said, warning that the deception not only wastes money but also harms Ukraine’s war effort.

Skyeton says Raybird drones built under battlefield pressure

Skyeton, formerly focused on ultralight aircraft, now works directly with the Ukrainian army. CEO Roman Knyazhenko said roughly half the drone’s components have been replaced in recent years to enhance radar evasion and endurance. The system can reportedly fly 2,500 kilometers and stay airborne for up to 28 hours with various payloads. He added that pressure on engineers is extreme, with repairs often needed overnight to avoid leaving brigades without support.

“In peacetime, you would say a couple of weeks or a month. But right now, you have one night,” Knyazhenko said. “Because if you do not do it in one night, tomorrow the enemy will try and approach us and we will not have aircraft in the air, so we will have casualties.”

Poor foreign parts and legal limbo slow Ukrainian production

Skyeton says it had to start building more parts itself after receiving faulty imports. Knyazhenko cited one shipment of gimbal cameras where half didn’t work. Test logs showed they failed before leaving the factory, he said. The supplier denied responsibility. Legal action, Knyazhenko added, would take years — while frontline units went without equipment.

“Every day of delay will cost us millions,” Knyazhenko said, noting Skyeton’s strict government contracts and the constant demand from Ukrainian brigades.

Rapid evolution defines Ukraine’s drone edge

Skyeton says it constantly refines its drones for real combat conditions. Engineers, it claims, adjusted launch systems and designed UAVs that can take off from puddles within minutes. Knyazhenko said key technologies may become obsolete in two weeks.

“Three years here feels like 20 years in peace time,” he said.

He warned that visiting a Ukrainian factory doesn’t mean firms can replicate the work. “It’s the same story as building a BMW from scratch. It takes years,” he said.

In Foreign Affairs, former Biden officials Jon Finer and David Shimer said most countries — including the US — now lag behind Ukraine in drone warfare. Knyazhenko added that instead of rebuilding systems like the Raybird, Western countries should simply fund Ukrainian production abroad.

Ukraine is preparing to defend against Russia’s 1000 daily drones by mass-producing interceptor drones. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the technology is already proven—and now Kyiv is calling on international partners to help scale it up.

Russia plans mass drone attacks to destabilize Ukraine

During a press conference in Rome on 10 July, President Zelenskyy confirmed that Russia plans to launch 700 to 1,000 drones per day in an effort to pressure Ukrainian cities and exhaust the country’s defenses.

“They want to destabilize our society through long-lasting air raids,” Zelenskyy warned.

The President added that Ukraine “will respond,” stating:

“We will shoot down everything.”

Ukraine already has the tech—but needs the money

Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine’s scientists and engineers have developed effective interceptor drones capable of countering the Iranian-designed Shahed drones commonly used by Russia.

“We have found a solution as a country,” Zelenskyy said. “Scientists and engineers have found a solution. This is the key. We need finances. And we will raise it.”

The President emphasized that with adequate funding, Ukraine could mass-produce these drones and deploy them across the front.

Interceptors show better results than “Shahed cowboys”

Recently, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, reported that the new interceptor drones already demonstrate a 70% success rate—nearly double the effectiveness of mobile fire teams.

However, Syrskyi noted that the interceptors still lack radar systems, and consistency is not yet guaranteed. Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces stated the drones show good results, but “it is too early to talk about consistency.”

Unmanned Systems Commander Robert “Magyar” Brovdi recently cautioned about Russia’s 1000 daily drones in the near future: he said, Moscow may soon be capable of deploying more than 1,000 Shaheds per day. 

Trump plans to send Ukraine weapons through NATO, according to three sources familiar with internal discussions who spoke to Axios. The proposed route would involve selling arms to NATO allies, who would then pass them on to Ukraine.

NATO route to Ukraine weapons discussed, Trump confirms intent

Axios reports that President Trump is actively planning to sell weapons to NATO countries with the understanding that those allies will transfer the arms to Ukraine. The proposal has already been discussed with European partners and Ukraine, according to two sources familiar with those discussions.

In an interview with NBC News, Trump “seemed to confirm” the plan, Axios says:

“So what we’re doing is the weapons that are going out are going to NATO, and then NATO is going to be giving those weapons [to Ukraine], and NATO is paying for those weapons,” he said.

Despite this, two administration officials told Axios that the United States is not directly arming Ukraine. One official stated,

“POTUS is sending defensive weapons to NATO. NATO can decide what to do with it. We’re not sending weapons to Ukraine.”

Allies consulted, offensive weapons not ruled out

Axios reports that the scheme was discussed at the recent NATO summit. The discussions included both Ukrainian and European officials. One source told Axios that the sales could go beyond air defense systems and include offensive weapons as well.

A senior European official confirmed to Axios that their government had been involved in conversations about the plan. However, that official noted that no final decision or implementation timeline had been agreed upon.

Trump emphasizes NATO responsibility and payment

Trump presented the arrangement as one in which NATO assumes both operational and financial responsibility. “NATO is paying for those weapons,” Trump told NBC, underlining that the United States is not directly providing aid.

An official told Axios that while Trump continues to oppose direct arms packages to Ukraine, he is pursuing this route through NATO. The goal appears to be enabling Ukraine to receive weapons without direct US involvement.

Trump’s earlier Ukraine policy and shifting stance

Earlier, the Trump administration halted deliveries of certain weapons that had been approved under former President Joe Biden. Some of those shipments later resumed.

Trump previously allowed some existing Biden-era arms shipments to proceed, but had not approved any new aid packages since taking office. Reuters says he plans to approve his own first shipments using his presidential drawdown powers.

Trump activates drawdown powers for the first time in his current term to approve Ukraine military aid, according to Reuters. The $300 million package may reportedly include Patriot missile systems and guided rockets—probably, GMLRS for HIMARS systems.

Trump may be activating drawdown powers to send $300 million in arms from existing US stockpiles

Two sources familiar with the decision told Reuters the aid would come from US weapons already in storage. The package is expected to be pulled from Pentagon stockpiles using Presidential Drawdown Authority. One of the sources said a final decision on the equipment could be made at a meeting on “Thursday.”

The reported $300 million in aid may include defensive Patriot missile interceptors and offensive medium-range rockets. However, “a decision on the exact equipment has not been made,” according to a source. According to Reuters, the equipment is likely to be delivered quickly because the systems are already staged in Europe.

Reuters said the Pentagon and the White House declined to comment when asked about the plans.

First planned direct aid under Trump since return to office

By now, the Trump administration has only “approved”—or, more accurately, did not block—deliveries authorized under Biden.

If finalized, it would be the first time Trump activates drawdown powers to directly send weapons to Ukraine, Reuters notes. The use of authority may show a shift in Trump’s Ukraine policy.

Presidential Drawdown Authority allows the president to transfer weapons quickly from US stocks, bypassing the need for new legislation.

Britain is ready to send troops to Ukraine, UK Defense Secretary John Healey confirmed, as part of a “Coalition of the Willing” proposed international effort to keep the peace in Ukraine. While no peace agreement exists and does not seem reachable in the near future, the UK government says it stands prepared to help reenforce a ceasefire.

Healey confirms UK would send troops

Speaking to Times Radio, John Healey was asked whether sending troops to Ukraine was still on the table.

“Yes,” he replied. “The prime minister has always been clear that he’s ready to put troops into Ukraine to help reinforce a ceasefire.”

As Express reports, this would place British soldiers in Ukraine as part of a coalition peacekeeping mission. France and the UK are expected to provide the core of the force, but support from the United States would also be required. 

“There had been reports that the UK had abandoned plans to send a peace-keeping force… but the Defence Secretary’s comments show the idea has not been abandoned,” Express wrote.

The development comes amid broader defense coordination between London and Paris, focused on strengthening European responses to future threats.

UK and France deepen defense ties with new military commitments

French President Emmanuel Macron is in the UK on a state visit, meeting Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as part of the 37th Franco-British summit held at Downing Street. According to Defense Secretary John Healey, the summit is the first with a European ally since Brexit and reflects efforts to rebuild strategic defense ties.

The UK and France will create a joint rapid deployment force of 50,000 troops to defend Europe and respond to “extreme threats.” Plans include closer coordination on nuclear deterrence, military exercises, and operational readiness. 

The two countries will also order more Storm Shadow missiles and begin developing a successor to the long-range weapon, which has been supplied to Ukraine, Express says.

Russia’s Gerbera drone crash in Lithuania occurred after the object entered from Belarus and fell near the Šumskas checkpoint. According to Delfi, it resembled the type of UAV Russia uses in its war against Ukraine.

Lithuanian military tracked object from Belarus before crash

On 10 July, around 11:30, Lithuanian Armed Forces detected an object approaching from the direction of Belarus. In a Facebook post, the Armed Forces said the Air Force activated NATO fighter jets already in the air by switching them from training to mission mode.

Shortly after detection, the object fell to the ground. The mission was canceled. Military units notified the State Border Guard Service (VSAT), and troops were sent to the crash site.

The Lithuanian military said the object appeared homemade and posed no danger.

Drone crashed near closed Šumskas checkpoint

Delfi, citing border guards, reported the drone crashed approximately one kilometer from the Belarusian border, close to the closed Šumskas checkpoint in Vilnius District Municipality.

BNS initially reported the object as a Shahed 136 drone — an Iranian-designed craft carrying 50 kg of TNT, which Russia widely uses to target Ukrainian cities. However, that was later corrected. A VSAT representative confirmed it resembled a homemade UAV.

Giedrius Mišutis, spokesperson for VSAT, stated the drone was first detected by the Kenna outpost.

“It appears to be a homemade UAV,” Mišutis said. “There is no indication the object carried any cargo.”

The object was reportedly made of plywood and foam. Officials said it posed no threat.

Mišutis also noted that VSAT had not recently observed smuggling activity involving drones, balloons, or improvised aircraft.

Defense Express: Lithuania failed to identify or down the drone

The Ukrainian outlet Defense Express criticized Lithuania not only for failing to intercept the drone, but for failing to identify it altogether. The publication emphasized that the deeper issue lies in the lack of basic knowledge about Russian drone types.

“The real problem,” the outlet noted, “is that they don’t know what even Ukrainian children consider common knowledge.”

Germany is ready to buy US Patriots for Ukraine if Washington gives the green light, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on 10 July. The statement comes as Ukraine’s air defense capacity weakens under escalating Russian air strikes and limited US support.

Merz says Berlin will fund more Patriots for Ukraine

Germany is ready to buy US Patriots and deliver them to Ukraine, Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed during a press briefing in Rome, Reuters reported.

“We are also prepared to purchase additional Patriot systems from the US to make them available to Ukraine,” Merz stated.

He said he raised the matter directly with US President Donald Trump last week. According to Merz, the United States holds sufficient reserves of the systems.

“The Americans need some of them themselves, but they also have a lot of them,” he said, noting that a delivery decision had not yet been finalized.

The Patriot system—short for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target—is among the most advanced US air defense platforms. Built by Raytheon Technologies, the theater-wide surface-to-air missile system is designed to counter aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones.

Ukraine uses its Patriot systems to intercept Russia’s ballistic missiles, the fastest munitions in the Russian arsenal.

Trump earlier offered 10 Patriot missiles. Those are enough for one battle at most 

On 8 July, Axios reported that Trump promised to immediately send 10 Patriot missiles to Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal added that Trump is considering delivering an entire Patriot system. 

Ukraine’s military, however, voiced skepticism. Speaking to The Times on 9 July, an unnamed senior Ukrainian Air Force officer—Ukraine’s air defenses report to AF—noted:

“If they actually send us ten [missiles], it will be nothing more than a bad joke,” he said, according to NV. “That’s not enough for even one battle.”

Axios also reported that Trump is pressuring Germany to transfer one of its Patriot batteries to Ukraine, adding further political complexity to Merz’s initiative.

Earlier statements from German officials noted “intensive talks” with the United States regarding Patriot system transfers.

Trump’s erratic weapons policy leaves Ukraine fighting both Russia and mounting uncertainty from Washington, The Atlantic reports. Ukrainian officials told the Atlantic that they are constantly reworking their battlefield strategies due to unpredictable US aid. One senior official compared the process to roulette and said he would bet on zero.

Sudden shifts in US support disrupt Ukraine’s defenses

Military planners said that each pause or reversal forces Ukraine to move units, adjust targets, or cancel operations altogether. When Patriot missile deliveries stalled, Ukraine had to shift air defense systems from other zones.

Josh Paul, a former State Department official, told the Atlantic that such changes pull resources from critical missions. 

Trump’s erratic weapons policy also affects repairs and logistics

According to the Atlantic, delays don’t only affect new weapons. They also impact spare parts, replacements, and technical support. Even one short-term halt can stop Ukraine from fixing damaged systems in time.

Transporting US weapons to the front line requires weeks of planning. Without predictability, Kyiv cannot coordinate operations or logistics.

Ukraine no longer trusts political promises alone

The Atlantic reports that Trump’s approach echoes his first term, when he froze military aid while pressing Zelenskyy for political help. That episode led to his impeachment.

This time, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth paused deliveries without White House coordination. When asked who made the decision, Trump replied, “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”

After a call with Zelenskyy, Trump said the weapons would resume. But there were no guarantees of future support. Ukrainian officials are now preparing for more delays, no matter what Washington says.

No new aid authorized under Trump administration

Future supplies will depend on defense contracts with US companies. These systems may take years to arrive. For now, Ukraine is ramping up production with European partners and expanding its own capabilities.

Zelenskyy said political decisions are in place. But he added that they must now be implemented fast—to protect lives and positions.

France says Storm Shadow missile production at MBDA’s UK site restarts this year. The long-range air-launched missile has been actively used by Ukraine in strikes against Russian targets. 

SCALP/Storm Shadow production to resume in 2025 after long pause

France is restarting production of the Storm Shadow missile—known in France as SCALP EG—in partnership with the United Kingdom. French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that manufacturing will resume in 2025, 15 years after the last order. The missiles will be produced at MBDA’s facility in Stevenage, England.

Lecornu made the statement during a visit to the UK site alongside his British counterpart, John Healey on 9 July.

“Supplied to Ukraine, the Franco-British SCALP/Storm Shadow missile has demonstrated its effectiveness in modern high-intensity combat, in decisive situations,” he said.

The SCALP/Storm Shadow has played a prominent role in Ukraine’s defense against Russia, striking hardened targets far behind the front line.

MBDA reactivates line for joint missile project

The missile is manufactured by MBDA, a joint venture of France, the UK, Italy, and Germany. 

France’s Senate had outlined plans to order new munitions, including SCALP missiles, in December 2024.

Air-launched weapon designed to hit fortified targets

SCALP/Storm Shadow is a long-range air-launched cruise missile designed for deep strikes against heavily defended and fixed targets such as command bunkers. The missile weighs up to 1,300 kg, including a 450 kg warhead, and measures 5.1 meters in length.

The export version has a declared range of over 250 km, while domestic variants used by France and the UK can reach up to 560 km. The French and British models differ slightly in software and aircraft compatibility, but are otherwise identical.

US weapons shipments to Ukraine have resumed, with deliveries now confirmed by the Associated Press and the New York Post sources to include precision-guided GMLRS rockets and 155 mm artillery shells. This marks the first clear confirmation of resumed aid content since the Pentagon quietly paused certain deliveries weeks ago.

Guided rockets and artillery shells confirmed in resumed deliveries

The Associated Press and the New York Post report that the United States is once again sending GMLRS munitions for HIMARS launchers and 155 mm howitzer rounds to Ukraine. According to two American officials who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity, the deliveries are already underway. Some shipments had reportedly reached Poland before the initial halt took effect.

These specific munitions were not publicly confirmed until now. Though the Trump administration announced on 7 July that deliveries would resume, neither the Pentagon nor the White House initially revealed what would be included in the new packages.

Pentagon’s pause drew internal backlash

The pause was first implemented last week by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, reportedly to reassess US military stockpiles. The move caught other branches of the administration off guard, including the State Department and White House, according to AP.

President Donald Trump later addressed the issue directly, expressing frustration.

“I will be the first to know. In fact, most likely I’d give the order, but I haven’t done that yet,” he said. Asked who ordered the pause, Trump replied: “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”

A White House official, also speaking anonymously, claimed there was never an official “pause,” only a review to ensure alignment with US defense strategy.

• The Pentagon halted the weapon supplies to Ukraine earlier due to concerns over the depletion of American munitions stockpiles. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly ordered the halt.
• In response, 17 members of Congress and the Senate called on Defense Secretary Hegseth to fully resume all weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
• On 7 July, the Pentagon announced that President Trump had directed a resumption of deliveries, though specifics were not provided until this week.

Russia’s drone strikes target Ukrainian morale more than military assets, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports. Moscow now prioritizes psychological pressure over battlefield gain, using massive drone swarms and targeted civilian damage.

Russia turns drone swarms into tools of psychological warfare to degrade morale

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its 9 July report:

“The continued increase in the size of strike packages is likely intended to support Russian efforts to degrade Ukrainian morale in the face of constant Russian aggression.”

Colonel Yurii Ihnat of the Ukrainian Air Force said Moscow launched over 400 decoy drones in one attack on 9 July, which included 728 UAVs and 13 missiles. The decoy drones also carried warheads, creating not just confusion but real explosions on Ukrainian soil.

ISW notes that this tactic intends to overwhelm air defenses and emotionally exhaust Ukraine’s population. Modified drones now cause wider damage across larger areas, increasing the psychological burden on civilians.

Explore further

NYT: Putin believes Ukraine’s collapse is near — and he’s acting like it

Ukrainian forces face constant drone waves, many with no clear military objective.

“ISW assessed in previous years that Russia has used strike packages targeting civilian areas to generate a morale effect in Ukraine, as seems to be the case with the most recent strikes,” the think tank wrote.

Ukraine says enlistment offices are under attack to block mobilization

Colonel Vitaly Sarantsev of the Ukrainian Ground Forces told the Washington Post that Russia now targets enlistment offices. These strikes aim to scare people away from joining the military. Sarantsev added that Moscow wants to make Ukrainians believe recruitment is dangerous.

Russia may escalate drone strategy further

The New York Times reported on 9 July that Russia may soon launch over 1,000 drones in a single strike. Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces Commander Major Robert Brovdi warned about the same possibility.

Electronic warfare expert Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov said Russia already increased Shahed production sevenfold. He expects up to 800 drones per strike soon.

ISW previously reported that Russia has expanded long-range drone production. Some production lines reportedly involve Chinese companies manufacturing “Geran-2 drones (the Russian-made analogue of the Iranian-origin Shahed-136 drones)” drones.

Russian President Vladimir Putin believes Ukraine’s collapse is near, according to The New York Times. The paper reports that this belief is driving a sharp escalation in Russia’s war. Despite multiple calls with US President Donald Trump, the Kremlin continues to press forward. Russian insiders told NYT that Moscow expects Ukraine’s defenses to fall and sees no reason to compromise.

Putin rejects any pause, believing Ukraine’s collapse is near

Two people close to the Kremlin told NYT that Putin expects Ukraine’s front lines to fail within months. They said the Russian president views any halt in fighting as unacceptable unless Ukraine agrees to sweeping concessions.

“He will not sacrifice his goals in Ukraine for the sake of improving relations with Trump,” said Tatiana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.

Putin believes he sees momentum on the battlefield and believes time favors Moscow. He continues to press for Ukrainian capitulation rather than any negotiated freeze of his was in Ukraine.

Trump’s personal diplomacy fails to slow Moscow’s offensive

Since February, Trump has spoken with Putin by phone six times. Russia and Ukraine also held two rounds of direct talks in Istanbul.

On 9 July 2025, Trump voiced his anger:

“We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin,” he told reporters. “He’s very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”

Despite the breakdown, Putin continued to praise Trump. At a 27 June press conference in Belarus, he called him “a courageous man.” Referring to Trump’s frustration, Putin added:

“That’s how it is. Real life is always more complicated than the idea of it.”

Putin reiterates goals: NATO rollback, Ukraine neutrality, legal changes

The Kremlin’s war aims now go far beyond territorial control. Putin demands that NATO halt eastward expansion and remove infrastructure from Eastern Europe. He also wants Ukraine to adopt a neutral status and reduce the size of its military. Another key demand: alleged protection for the Russian language in Ukrainian law.

Most significantly, Putin insists Ukraine withdraw all forces from its territory claimed by Russia. That condition continues to block any potential cease-fire.

Kremlin sees no value in compromise — yet

For Putin, the re-opening of direct contact with Trump marked a diplomatic breakthrough after years of Biden-era isolation.

Still, the Kremlin is frustrated that Trump refuses to separate peace in Ukraine from broader US-Russia ties. That approach has stalled Moscow’s hopes of striking a deal quickly, NYT says.

Last night’s Russian missile and drone strike on Kyiv killed two women — a 22-year-old female police officer and a 68-year-old resident — and left more than a dozen others injured. Explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital for nearly 10 hours overnight on 10 July, damaging homes, schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure across at least eight city districts.

Two women killed as Kyiv comes under one of its longest assaults this month

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed that both fatalities occurred in Kyiv’s Podilskyi district. The victims were a 22-year-old corporal with the metro police and a 68-year-old civilian woman. Klymenko said more than a dozen people were injured and warned the number would grow, while Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko reported by 7:50 a.m. that the total had reached 16. Emergency crews continued door-to-door checks in affected neighborhoods to locate anyone needing help.

The Kyiv City Military Administration and Klymenko (KMVA) reported that the strike damaged residential, medical, educational, transport, and commercial facilities. Fires broke out in several locations, prompting a large-scale emergency response. Around 400 rescue personnel and 90 units of firefighting, engineering, and robotic equipment were deployed, including climbing and bomb disposal teams.

People watch a residential building burn after a Russian attack in Kyiv on 10 July 2025. Photo: Suspilne News / Ivan Antypenko

Civilian injuries and widespread damage reported across city districts

Air raid sirens began in Kyiv shortly after midnight as Ukrainian airspace monitoring channels tracked incoming drones from multiple directions. Soon after, Kyiv authorities issued alerts about ballistic missile threats from Russian territory. Explosions followed within minutes. KMVA confirmed active air defense operations, but several drones and missiles made it through.

The KMVA and Klitschko reported damage in Shevchenkivskyi, Darnytskyi, Solomianskyi, Podilskyi, Obolonskyi, Holosiivskyi, and other districts.

In Shevchenkivskyi, drone debris ignited a fire on the upper floor of a residential building and damaged rooftops, facades, and interiors. A drone also hit a roof near a gas station and another home nearby. Three residents were injured there: an 86-year-old woman with acute stress reaction, a 45-year-old man with multiple injuries, and a 59-year-old man with a cut foot and closed chest trauma.

Rescuers and emergency crews respond after Russian strikes in Kyiv on 10 July 2025.
Photo: Suspilne

In Darnytskyi, falling debris caused fires in garages and a gas station. Drone fragments also landed in the courtyard of a residential building.

Solomianskyi district saw strikes on non-residential buildings and rooftops catching fire at two separate addresses. In Obolonskyi, suspected drone debris also fell. In Holosiivskyi, a drone strike set a cargo truck on fire.

Kyiv Oblast also hit in overnight attack

Kyiv Oblast also came under fire during the same Russian missile and drone strike. Head of the Oblast Military Administration Mykola Kalashnyk reported nearly 10 hours of continuous air assault on 10 July. Four districts — Boryspilskyi, Brovarskyi, Obukhivskyi, and Vyshhorodskyi — sustained damage.

In Brovarskyi, private homes and outbuildings had windows shattered, doors broken, and facades torn by shrapnel. One private home caught fire but was extinguished. Two vehicles were also damaged.

Vyshhorodskyi saw a garage fire, while in Obukhivskyi and Boryspilskyi several private homes were damaged. A 51-year-old man was injured in Obukhivskyi and hospitalized.

Kalashnyk warned that the total number of damaged structures could still rise as assessments continue.

The flight paths of the Russian air assets plotten by the Ukrainian airspace monitoring channels show that the

Flight paths of Russian Shahed drones and missiles targeting Ukraine on 10 July 2025. Source: Telegram/mon1tor_ua, monitorwarr

Russian missiles and most drones targeted Kyiv, with some hitting Poltava, and several more cruising across western Ukraine to trigger air raid alerts there too.

Poltava Oblast: drones downed, buildings damaged

The Poltava Oblast Military Administration reported drone attacks on the night of 10 July. Most were intercepted by air defenses, but some reached the Hlobyne community, where a residential building and an outbuilding were damaged. No injuries were reported.

Separately, a forest fire broke out in Velykobudyshchanska community. The cause is under investigation. Over 150 households temporarily lost electricity. Emergency crews began restoring the grid early Wednesday.

Update: Ukraine downs 178 out of 415 Russian aerial weapons in overnight Kyiv-focused attack

Overnight on 10 July, Russian forces launched 415 aerial attack assets toward Ukraine, primarily targeting Kyiv, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.

The strike package included 397 drones, approximately 200 of them Shahed-type, launched from Bryansk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Kursk, Oryol, and Millerovo. Of those, 164 Shahed drones were shot down, while 204 more were suppressed or lost from radar by electronic warfare.

Alongside the drone swarm, Russia launched:

• 8 Iskander-M ballistic missiles from Bryansk Oblast — all 8 were intercepted,
• 6 Kh-101 cruise missiles from Saratov Oblast airspace — all 6 shot down,
• 4 S-300 missiles from Kursk Oblast — no interception data provided.

“Impacts from enemy aerial attack assets were recorded at 8 locations (33 strike UAVs), and debris from downed drones fell in 23 locations,” the Air Force wrote.

Ukrainian drones seized a Russian fortified position and captured prisoners-of-war in Kharkiv Oblast. The 3rd Assault Brigade calls it the first battlefield capitulation to robotic platforms. Ukrainian infantry didn’t engage in combat. They entered only after Russian forces surrendered, and the treeline was clear.

Ukrainian drones seize fortified position, force surrender

On 9 July, Ukraine’s 3rd Separate Assault Brigade announced that its drone and ground robot operators forced Russian troops to surrender in Kharkiv Oblast — without any infantry engagement or Ukrainian losses.

According to the Brigade, the robotic strike involved both an FPV drone and a kamikaze ground drone carrying three antitank mines — a total of 21-22.5 kg of TNT. The FPV and the first ground drone’s blast hit a dugout entrance in the Russian position. As another land robot moved in for a second strike, two surviving Russian soldiers waved a cardboard sign reading “We want to surrender” in Russian.

“The explosion with the three antitank mines — that was a very powerful blast. The dugout wasn’t fully destroyed, so we got the order to hit it again. We moved in, and they realized we were going to blow it up again. […] ..and they very quickly put the sign out,” one of the Ukrainian soldiers said.

Drone footage shows moment of surrender and remote-led capture

The 3rd Assault Brigade’s Telegram post includes a video file timestamped 8 July, featuring aerial footage of the engagement and the enemy’s surrender. Additionally, Ukrainian drone operators narrate the footage and recount the operation. However, the exact date of the robotic engagement itself is not explicitly stated.

The video shows an aerial FPV drone strike, a powerful explosion of an “NRK”—a remotely controlled “ground robotic complex”—at the entrance to the dugout, and the Russian soldiers displaying the sign.

As recounted by the NC13 unit of the DEUS EX MACHINA drone company, a small reconnaissance UAV was used to guide the surrendering soldiers safely to Ukrainian lines.

“Then the major flew down the Mavic (a Chinese drone, widely used for reconnaissance by both sides, – Ed.), we showed them with the drone — like, come here. [..] They followed the Mavic precisely and lay down in the ‘dolphin pose’ on the ground,” the military said.

After the Russian surrender, Ukrainian infantry moved in quickly and secured the position. The brigade noted that previous Ukrainian attempts to storm the area had failed. This time, however, the assault team held back while drones led the operation.

Ukrainian drones seize fortified position in 15 minutes without a shot

Once the Russian troops were taken prisoner, the planned infantry clearing operation began — but was largely symbolic. The drone operator noted in the interview:

“A clearing operation was planned there — we were supposed to carry out the strike, and they were supposed to clear the area. But it turned out that… that unit took over the dugout’s treeline in just 15 minutes. The entire strip was already ours — literally, and without any losses. You could say, not a single shot was fired.”

He said the drone-led engagement proved that robotic platforms “make operations significantly easier.” In some cases, they “even free the infantry from the task entirely.”

“Our example proved that with robotic platforms, it’s possible not only to storm positions but also to take prisoners,” another drone operator emphasized.

Pentagon paused Ukraine aid without White House or key officials informed

According to five sources cited by CNN, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth halted critical military aid shipments to Ukraine last week without notifying President Trump or key national security officials. The decision was made without briefing the White House, the State Department, or even Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, Ret. Gen. Keith Kellogg.

The freeze was the second time Hegseth had paused Ukraine-bound weapons this year without proper coordination. The first instance occurred in February and was quickly reversed. This time, the White House had to scramble to cover for a decision it had not authorized.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as Trump’s national security adviser, learned about the halt only after press reports broke the story, CNN reports.

Trump distances himself from the pause and orders aid to resume

During a Cabinet meeting, President Trump denied any involvement in the sudden stop to US military assistance. When asked if he had authorized the move, he responded,

“I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?”

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WSJ: Trump blames Pentagon, not himself, for Ukraine weapons pause

The US president later announced that Ukraine would continue to receive defensive weapons. Trump’s decision to restart the aid included directing the Pentagon to resume shipments of Patriot interceptor missiles, which had already been staged in Poland and were ready for rapid transfer to Kyiv.

A senior administration official told CNN that the weapons had been allocated by the previous administration and were already en route before the pause.

Pentagon’s chain of approval

The uncoordinated pause reportedly stemmed from a chain of internal decisions within the Department of Defense. Hegseth acted after receiving recommendations from Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, a long-standing critic of large-scale US military aid to Ukraine.

“All five sources” CNN spoke with confirmed that Colby, citing concerns over US stockpile levels, advised halting the aid to prioritize other global defense needs. Colby had previously posted on X that “a Europe first policy is not what America needs in this exceptionally dangerous time.”

Colby passed his recommendation to Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg, who approved the move based on his own doubts about the defense industry’s ability to replenish US munitions fast enough. Hegseth then signed off, believing it aligned with Trump’s “America First” stance.

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Trump sends just ten Patriot missiles to Kyiv, while Ukraine needs hundreds, and other weapons remain in limbo

Congress not briefed—no evidence of urgent stockpile shortages

Lawmakers received no warning about the shipment freeze. According to CNN, Pentagon officials told congressional staff that the pause was due to concerns over US munitions levels. Yet, two sources familiar with those briefings said Congress had not been presented with any credible data showing a critical shortage that would justify the sudden halt.

The currently Baptist-led church council in Kyiv says real peace is impossible without denouncing Russia’s crimes. In a joint appeal, Ukraine’s top religious leaders warn that silence enables atrocities and emboldens aggression far beyond the battlefield.

Churches denounce Russia’s war as evil and imperialist

Ukraine’s Church Council — officially the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO) — issued a public appeal on 8 July 2025, calling on believers around the world to respond to the deepening spiritual and humanitarian catastrophe caused by Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

AUCCRO described the invasion as “imperialist in nature,” citing widespread suffering: devastated cities and homes, mass displacement, family separations, abductions of Ukrainian children, and systemic violations of rights.

The statement stressed that the situation has become even more intolerable in recent months, as Russia’s military increasingly targets peaceful towns and villages far from the front.

“The powerful of this world avert their eyes,” the Council said, while the ideology behind these crimes — the so-called “Russian world” — continues unchecked.

Statement answers Russian propaganda amplified in the US

This statement also responds directly to Russian propaganda narratives, falsely claiming Ukraine has banned Christianity or Orthodoxy. These narratives have been amplified by some US Republicans and far right public figures, who portray Russia as a Christian power and Ukraine as hostile to religion.

As detailed by Euromaidan Press earlier, the law does not automatically ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC MP). Instead, it prohibits religious organizations found to be subordinated to Russian structures, specifically the Russian Orthodox Church. The State Service for Ethnopolitics (DESS) will review UOC MP parish statutes and give those linked to Moscow nine months to cut ties.

Importantly, the UOC MP is not even the largest Orthodox denomination in Ukraine. That role belongs to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), an autocephalous church recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Ukraine is also home to Greek and Roman Catholic churches, as well as a wide variety of Protestant communities.

AUCCRO itself includes members from all of these denominations, including the UOC MP — clearly refuting the Russian narrative — and from major non-Christian religious organizations.

Spiritual battle for dignity and justice

AUCCRO warned that Russia’s war is not only military, but moral and spiritual.

“Peace is not the absence of war,” the statement reads, “but the restoration of justice, dignity, and the right to self-determination.”

The clergy insist that only by naming and resisting evil can real peace be achieved. Any silence, they warned, only rewards atrocity and encourages further aggression.

The Council appealed to believers in democratic countries and all people of goodwill to “raise a united voice for truth and justice,” using every available means to help end the war and ensure accountability for Russia’s crimes.

Council now led by Evangelical Baptist head

The Baptist-led council in Kyiv is currently chaired by Valerii Antoniiuk, head of the All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists.

The statement ends with a call for solidarity and faith in action:

“Let our joint prayers and actions become a powerful sign of solidarity of humanity against the evil that threatens the spiritual and moral foundations of civilization.”

Russian crude continues flowing into the EU through Hungary, despite sanctions, via a covert trade network. An investigation by the Russian investigative outlet Important Stories (IStories) into Kremlin oil deals with Orbán allies uncovers how a shadowy firm helped channel over $10 billion in oil from Putin-linked circles to Hungary’s ruling elite.

Russian oil deals with Orbán allies exposed

IStories traced the vast post-2014 oil trade into the EU to Normeston Trading, a mysterious company registered in Belize and operated through Cyprus. The firm sold over 20 million tons of Russian oil to Eastern Europe between 2011 and 2023 — with about 2 million tons in 2023 alone, including over 1 million tons delivered to Hungary.

At the core of the operation is a network of business and political links stretching from the Kremlin to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s closest allies. The firm’s Russian side was connected to former top executives of sanctioned billionaire Gennady Timchenko, while its Hungarian ownership includes friends and business partners of Orbán.

A race car driver becomes a $10 billion oil trader

In 2014, the Slovak antimonopoly authority publicly named Normeston’s owners: Russian national Lev Tolkachev and Hungarian consultant Imre Fazakas. Tolkachev, a former Lukoil employee and amateur race car driver, officially held the stake at the time. He also managed a mid-sized auto business in Tver and founded the Rumos Racing team in Russia.

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Tolkachev’s profile stood in sharp contrast to the scale of Normeston’s operations. A former Russian official told IStories:

“In Russia under no circumstances could a race car driver, even if he’s a former oil company employee, be the real owner of an oil trading business with contracts worth billions of dollars.”

Tolkachev’s companies were also connected through shared control in 2017–2018 to those owned by Sergey Gzhelyak, a top executive for Timchenko. Another Timchenko associate, Aleksandr Zhuravlev, still sits on boards with Tolkachev in Normeston-linked firms.

Subbotin re-emerges in the oil trade from Monaco

After Tolkachev, another figure took control: Valery Subbotin, former Lukoil vice president and head of Litasco, its trading arm. Subbotin fled Russia in 2016, settling in Europe and acquiring Cypriot citizenship. In 2023, his Valna Holding Cyprus obtained a 49.9% stake in Normeston.

Subbotin had fallen out with Igor Sechin’s Rosneft during its 2016 takeover of Bashneft. According to Forbes Russia, Subbotin’s contracts were canceled, and he left under pressure. However, IStories found that even in exile, Subbotin maintained ties with Putin’s business circle and associates of former pro-Kremlin fugitive Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych.

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In 2023, Normeston won a Czech tender worth over $45 million — a deal Czech media linked to Subbotin. His family owns a heavily fortified villa on the French Riviera, where security measures led one witness to mistake it for Sechin’s residence.

Normeston’s deliveries grew with each wave of sanctions

Ironically, EU sanctions boosted Normeston’s activity. In 2014, after Crimea’s invasion and annexation by Russia, the company’s oil exports via Druzhba increased fivefold. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, shipments jumped tenfold. The trader avoided sanctions, largely because it did not buy oil directly from blacklisted firms like Lukoil.

In 2024, Ukraine sanctioned Lukoil, halting its pipeline shipments. But Hungary’s MOL stepped in to purchase the same Russian oil at the Belarus–Ukraine border and continued the deliveries under its own name. According to IStories, Lukoil previously accounted for over 40% of Druzhba’s flow.

Throughout, Normeston remained active. Its Moscow office operates from a building housing firms linked to OTP Bank, headed by Orbán ally Sándor Csányi, and associated with György Nagy — another key Hungarian figure tied to the oil trade.

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Orbán’s allies profit from gas trade too

In 2009, Hungarian oil and gas company MOL sold 50% of its gas trader MET to Normeston. Just two years later, that stake was transferred to Orbán’s associates — István Garancsi and György Nagy. MET quickly grew into a giant, operating in 17 countries with nearly €18 billion in annual turnover.

Anti-corruption researchers in Hungary described the deal as one of the most “critical episodes in the country’s economic history.” According to reports cited by IStories, the MET owners earned over $200 million in a single year by purchasing cheap spot gas and selling it domestically — all with Kremlin knowledge and apparent approval.

A source from within the Hungarian government told Direkt36, iStory’s partner in the investigation, that Russian authorities could have blocked MET’s deals but didn’t.

Old Soviet ties in modern energy networks

Hungarian co-owner Imre Fazakas, who held a 16.7% stake in Normeston, studied in Lviv and worked in Moscow in the 1980s as deputy director of Videoton’s local office. He became familiar with Soviet oil operations while coordinating computer systems for drilling rigs and transportation systems.

Fazakas later consulted for MOL and served on the board of MET — alongside Tolkachev. A former Hungarian official told Direkt36 that Videoton had strong ties to the Soviet military sector and state security.

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Hungary and Slovakia expand Russian fuel use while EU cuts imports

Another Hungarian shareholder, the Madera Investment Fund, which owns 33.4% of Normeston, is linked to György Nagy, a powerful businessman and partner of Garancsi and Csányi. Nagy graduated from Russia’s MGIMO international relations university and secured major government contracts during Orbán’s premiership — including a $5 million IT deal with the Hungarian post office.

His companies also serve OTP Bank—still doing business in Russia—and telecom clients, including MOL. 

Hungary blocks sanctions — Russian oil keeps flowing

In June 2025, Hungary and Slovakia again blocked a proposed package that would have banned Russian oil and gas imports altogether.

In a June 2025 interview, Orbán went further, saying: if Vladimir Putin visits Hungary, he would be received “with all due honors.”

In 2024, Orbán echoed Russia’s narratives, claiming Europe acts “at the behest of the US” and allegedly sacrifices its own interests to support Ukraine. He insisted that Hungary would not abandon Russian oil.

Ukraine’s military carried out 115 “Deep Strike” long-range drone missions against Russian forces last month, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported. The campaign is a core part of Ukraine’s strategy to disrupt enemy logistics and production far from the frontlines.

115 Deep Strike drone missions targeted Russian forces and supply chains

Syrskyi said in the update after a meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief: 

“[D]uring June, Ukraine’s defenders carried out 115 fire tasks in the Deep Strike direction. Our artillery struck 2,864 enemy targets,” Syrskyi posted on his official channels.

Militarnyi notes he did not specify whether this included only targets inside Russia or also in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

The Commander-in-Chief stated that Ukrainian troops are using both symmetric and asymmetric tactics to resist Russia, while striking military and logistical targets. He said Ukrainian forces are striking Russian military and logistics targets deep inside Russia, weakening its production potential.

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Drone attacks hit Russian airfields, factories, and supply hubs in June

Last month, Ukraine’s Deep Strike campaign included several major incidents.

Ukrainian drones targeted the Marinovka airfield in Russia’s Volgograd Oblast, reportedly destroying three Su-34 fighter-bombers and two more partially damaged.

Ukrainian drones hit two chemical plants named Azot, both producing materials used in explosives and rocket fuel—one in Tula Oblast, another in Stavropol.

Russian sources also published evidence of Ukraine’s use of the jet-powered Peklo drones, which destroyed a vehicle bridge across the Aidar River in occupied Luhansk Oblast.

Other targets in June included the Alabuga drone factory in Tatarstan, the Buturlinivka airbase in Voronezh Oblast, an airbase’s fuel depot in Engels.

Chinese drone parts in Russian weapons are helping Russia expand its drone war in Ukraine, Bloomberg reports. Documents reviewed by Bloomberg show Russian firm Aero-HIT partnered with Chinese suppliers and engineers to mass-produce combat drones now used across the frontline.

Chinese engineering behind Russia’s drone buildup

In early 2023, Aero-HIT began working with engineers from Autel Robotics, China’s major manufacturers of drones and drone parts, to adapt the civilian Autel EVO Max 4T for military use, according to Bloomberg. The model proved effective in combat and resistant to jamming.

Aero-HIT claims it can produce up to 10,000 drones per month at its Khabarovsk facility. Its Veles FPV drone has been deployed in Kherson and elsewhere. A March 2024 order priced the units at $1,000 each.

Chinese drone parts in Russian weapons still flowing

Despite sanctions, Chinese drone parts in Russian weapons continue reaching Russia through intermediaries. Bloomberg identified firms like Renovatsio-Invest and Shenzhen Huasheng Industry—both under US sanctions—as key suppliers. Civilian companies in sectors like seafood and catering were used to obscure transactions.

Autel says it cut ties with Russia in February 2022. Yet, documents show resumed contact with its engineers by late 2024 and production plans ongoing into 2025.

The drone project born in Harbin and built in Khabarovsk

The partnership began in late 2022, Bloomberg says. Russian company Komax, linked to sanctioned senator and ex-KGB officer Konstantin Basyuk, led talks with China’s Harbin Comprehensive Bonded Zone. In May 2023, a Russian delegation visited Autel and the Harbin Institute of Technology.

After the visit, Aero-HIT was registered, production began soon after. In August 2024, the Defense Ministry requested 5,000 Veles drones.

Forbes says North Korea’s growing role in Russia’s war exposes Moscow’s military weakness. Pyongyang is preparing to send 25,000–30,000 more troops to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This would triple its original deployment of 11,000 soldiers, first sent last November to fight against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. The expansion signals Russia’s increasing reliance on foreign forces to sustain its war.

North Korea troops for Russia fill growing gaps on the front

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned in June that Russia is amassing 50,000 troops near Ukraine’s northeast. He suggested North Korean units might be used in occupied territories for a new offensive. North Korea could send up to 150,000 troops, Forbes says. Russia reportedly modifies aircraft to move large numbers across Siberia.

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North Korean forces may soon fight inside Ukraine, says Seoul

North Korean state media showed footage of its troops fighting for Russia and confirmed thousands had died. Within months, nearly 4,000 North Korean troops were lost. Pyongyang pulled forces from the front in January 2025. Despite that, 3,000 more troops were deployed in March.

Forbes says this shift marks a deeper military alliance. The relationship now appears strategic, not just transactional.

Putin avoids mobilization with foreign soldiers

In 2024, Russia lost more than 790,000 troops—nearly double Ukraine’s casualties. That year, daily losses exceeded 1,000 soldiers. Russia also lost 15 battalions defending Kursk Oblast. For every square kilometer gained, about 100 Russian troops died, Forbes says.

According to Forbes, Putin has avoided launching another draft due to political risk, and this forced him to rely on non-Russian fighters. Earlier efforts to recruit from Cuba, Nepal, and Africa were small. North Korea became Moscow’s main external source of troops.

Weapons shipments patch Russia’s failing firepower

North Korea also provides Russia critical artillery pieces and shells, and missile systems. Forbes notes Pyongyang sent over 15,000 containers since September 2023. Ukraine believes this supply accounts for 70% of Russian artillery use. Shipments include 9 million shells, hundreds of launchers, and KN-23 ballistic missiles.

Early missile batches were inaccurate. They only improved after joint work between Russian and North Korean experts. Still, North Korea cannot match Western production scale or speed. 

“Thus, North Korea’s weapons support may not be sustainable in the long term; it is mostly a stopgap measure to help Russia regroup,” Forbes says.

Russia halts Kostiantynivka push and is now intensifying its offensive near Pokrovsk, raising the threat of Ukrainian positions being encircled in Donetsk Oblast. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on 7 July that Russian forces recently entered the strategic village of Novoekonomichne and appear to be shifting operations away from the stalled front west of Toretsk.

Russia changes direction after stalled advances: it halts Kostiantynivka push, shifts focus to Pokrovsk

After failing to make significant gains toward Kostiantynivka since early June 2025, Russian forces are now making platoon-sized mechanized assaults in the Pokrovsk direction. Geolocated footage published on 6 and 7 July confirms Russian troops recently advanced into southern and northeastern parts of Novoekonomichne, east of Pokrovsk.

Map: ISW

Russian milbloggers claimed further movements northwest of Koptieve and west of Myrne — both northeast of Pokrovsk — and southwest of Myrolyubivka to the east. ISW assessed that these moves aim to “support both the envelopment of Pokrovsk and the establishment of a salient” that could allow Russian forces “to try to envelop Kostiantynivka and Ukraine’s wider fortress belt.”

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ISW: Russia may trade deep breakthrough attempts for slow envelopment around fortress belt in Donetsk Oblast

One Russian milblogger noted that earlier attempts to storm Novoekonomichne from the east near Malynivka failed, but that Russian troops successfully entered the settlement from the south. Russian forces had been trying to advance into Novoekonomichne for two months, facing sustained Ukrainian defenses and counterattacks.

Threat grows for Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad

With Russian troops now positioned inside Novoekonomichne, ISW suggests that their next targets could include Rodynske, north of Pokrovsk. The goal may be to pressure Ukrainian forces into withdrawing from Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad under threat of encirclement.

ISW concluded that Russia’s actions northeast of Pokrovsk indicate a broader shift:

“Russian forces appear to be refocusing their attention on the area northeast of Pokrovsk in the direction of Dobropillia.”

ISW also noted that Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Novopavlivka in Donetsk Oblast. Meanwhile, Russian troops made gains in northern Sumy Oblast and near Toretsk, Pokrovsk, and Novopavlivka.

Rubikon in Donetsk Oblast

ISW has also reported the presence of Russia’s Rubikon units throughout eastern Ukraine, including Donetsk Oblast, from the Borova direction in eastern Kharkiv Oblast to the Velyka Novosilka direction in the west. 

Rubikon is a recently formed drone training and innovation center overseen by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Ukrainian servicemembers operating in the Kostiantynivka direction told the NYT in an interview published on 7 July that the arrival of Rubikon drone operators marked a “turning point” in Russia’s tactical drone capacity.