The Ukrainian government resists appointing the head of one of its anti-corruption agencies, delaying the start of its work. Meanwhile, the EU says this setback in the Economic Security Bureau (BEB) running endangers Kyiv’s credibility and $3 billion in support, European Pravda reports. 

European Commission demands: appoint Tsyvinsky according to the law

The European Commission calls on the Ukrainian government to immediately appoint the head of the agency, which has already been chosen in accordance with current legislation and transparent procedures.

Oleksandr Tsyvinsky is a National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) detective who won the BEB director position in June 2025. The competition involved international experts. The BEB reform is one condition for Ukraine to receive $3 billion in international aid.

Tsyvinsky leads one of NABU’s elite detective units and became known for his participation in the “Clean City” investigation. His appointment was to symbolize the restoration of trust in anti-corruption bodies.

However, on 7 July, the Ukrainian government refused to approve him, citing “security concerns” as assessed by the Security Service. In response, Tsyvinsky stated that the government’s decision “does not comply with the law.”

Confrontation with NABU: a new round of pressure

The government’s refusal to approve the competition winner marked another escalation in tense relations between Ukrainian authorities and NABU, which sharply intensified this summer.

On 22 July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the controversial bill, which curtails the NABU’s independence, as well as the liberty of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), by requiring their key decisions to be coordinated with the Prosecutor General’s Office. 

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The law led to mass civil society protests and criticism from international partners as it contradicts Ukraine’s commitments to the EU and the US on anti-corruption reforms. 

The EU has already warned diplomatically that undermining NABU’s independence will have serious consequences for further EU integration and aid volumes. The situation around BEB only deepens the trust crisis.

Business and partners demand appointment

The business community, over 124 associations and 27,000 companies, published an open letter urging the authorities not to delay appointing the competition winner.

“Kyiv must promptly appoint the BEB director according to the law on BEB reform and current procedures,” says a European Commission spokesperson.

Appointing Tsyvinsky is a key condition for advancing the BEB reform and preserving the institution’s independence. The EU enlargement report for 2024 emphasized that the competition must be transparent, based on personal merits and integrity.

The Selection Commission has sent Tsyvinsky’s documents to the Cabinet for the second time, and Europeans are closely watching whether the government will fulfill its commitments.

Pregnant woman among 22 killed by Russia in one day, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported. Russian guided bombs, drones, and missiles targeted 73 Ukrainian towns and villages overnight, leaving homes, hospitals, and stores destroyed. The president said 85 more people were injured during the massive air assault.

Pregnant woman among 22 killed in hospital strike

Zelenskyy said a missile hit the premises of a hospital in Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, at two o’clock in the morning. Three people died in that attack. One of them was 23‑year‑old Diana, who was pregnant. The strike heavily damaged a maternity ward and the therapy unit’s building. Windows were shattered, cars burned, and nearby schools and kindergartens lost most of their glass and doors. 49 homes also suffered damage.

The head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Serhii Lysak, said that Russia conducted a missile strike on Kamianske, while guided bombs and FPV drones struck communities in Synelnykove district.

“A three‑story building that was not in use was partially destroyed. Nearby, medical facilities were damaged: a maternity ward and a department of the city hospital,” Lysak wrote.

Lysak also reported that Russia used a KAB guided bomb against Velykomykhailivska community, killing a 75‑year‑old woman died and injuring a 68‑year‑old man. The attack damaged four houses, a gas station, stores and administrative buildings, and a truck caught fire. While firefighters were putting out the flames, Russian drones returned to strike them again, destroying a fire truck. None of the crew were injured, the Emergency Service says.

Nikopol, Marhanets and Pokrovska communities in the oblast also came under artillery and drone fire. Detached homes, farm buildings, a shop, a recreation facility, a power line and a vehicle were damaged. 

Russia bombs penal colony in Zaporizhzhia Oblast

Late in the evening and almost at midnight, Russian aircraft attacked a penal colony in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zelenskyy said the strike was deliberate and aimed at civilians inside the facility. The Russian attack killed 17 inmates, and wounded 42 more. 41 more people “sustained injuries of varying severity,” according to Ukraine’s Justice Ministry.

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Air Force reports downed drones, but not missiles

Ukraine’s Air Force said that starting from 21:40 on 28 July and through the night of 29 July, Russia launched two Iskander‑M ballistic missiles and 37 Shahed drones, along with decoy drones, from Russia and occupied Crimea. The attack came from the directions of Oryol, Kursk and Hvardiiske.

Air defense forces, including aviation, anti‑aircraft missile units, electronic warfare teams and mobile fire groups, shot down or suppressed 32 of the drones.

Zelenskyy calls for pressure on Russia

In his morning message, Zelenskyy praised US President Donald Trump for stating that Russia wastes the world’s time talking about peace while killing civilians. He said the Kremlin must be forced to end the war through strong sanctions and that true peace will come only when Russia stops its aggression.

“Russia killed 22 people in one day,” Zelenskyy said. “We all want real peace. Peace is possible when Russia ends the war it started.”

Russia’s latest attacks left at least three civilians dead and at least 25 injured across Ukraine, with strikes reported in Donetsk, Kherson, Sumy, Odesa, and Kharkiv oblasts. Russian drones targeted Odesa and Kharkiv, their bombs struck Kramatorsk and Sumy, while artillery shelling targeted Kherson and other cities.

Kramatorsk boy killed as Russian bomb hits residential building

Civilian casualties from Russian attacks mounted overnight on 22 July as a Russian guided bomb struck a residential building in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast. According to the head of the city’s military administration, Oleksandr Honcharenko, the strike killed a 9-year-old boy born in 2015. Five more civilians were injured. The explosion caused a fire in the building, which was extinguished by emergency services.

The killed boy was among three civilians killed in Donetsk Oblast over the previous 24 hours, according to the oblast military administration. Russian forces killed one more person in Kostiantynivka with shelling and another in Zarichne. Meanwhile, they injured five civilians in Sloviansk and two more in Dobropillia. Russian attacks also wounded one person each in Rodynske, Lyman, and Shandryholove.

Multiple wounded in Kherson from early-morning shelling

Kherson city and the village of Inzhenerne came under Russian artillery fire early in the morning on 22 July. The Russian attack injured a 62-year-old man while outside in Inzhenerne. Minutes later, at 08:10, Russian shelling hit Kherson, wounding a 54-year-old man. Another victim, a 55-year-old woman, was later reported injured from the same barrage. All three suffered explosive trauma and shrapnel wounds and were hospitalized, according to the Kherson Oblast Military Administration.

Authorities confirmed that seven people had been wounded across Kherson Oblast in the previous 24 hours due to artillery and drone attacks.

Drone swarm strikes Odesa

Odesa was once again targeted by Russian drones launched from the direction of occupied Crimea and the Black Sea. 

In Odesa, a Russian drone injured one person. Debris from intercepted drones sparked a fire in a parking lot. Multiple vehicles were destroyed. The impact also shattered windows in a multi-story residential building and damaged a shop, local authorities reported. The State Emergency Service of Odesa Oblast reported that 62 rescuers and 17 vehicles were deployed to manage the aftermath. Three separate crash sites were confirmed in the city.

Suspilne reports that air raid sirens were activated at 01:48. Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov issued an early warning to residents of the Arcadia and Fontanka districts. Explosions followed shortly after.

Drone attacks wound civilians in Kharkiv Oblast

Russian forces targeted seven settlements in Kharkiv Oblast over the past 24 hours using a mix of Shahed drones, FPV drones, and another unidentified UAV. The oblast military administration confirmed three civilian injuries.

The Russian strikes injured an 84-year-old woman Kupiansk, a 67-year-old woman in Ivano-Shyichyne, Bohodukhiv community. In the village of Verbivka, Balakliia community, a 29-year-old man was hurt after stepping on an unidentified explosive object.

Guided bombs hit Sumy, injuring civilians including a child

In Sumy, Russia launched a strike on 21 July at approximately 22:30. According to the Sumy City Military Administration, three people were injured, including a child. Acting mayor Artem Kobzar said the Russians used two KAB-type guided bombs. The Sumy Oblast Military Administration added that the attack damaged five apartment buildings, a shopping center, and 18 vehicles. A 60-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man were hospitalized with confirmed injuries.

Serhii Kryvosheienko, head of the Sumy MVA, warned that more casualties were possible and that emergency teams were still working at the scene.

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.