Ukraine War News Today - Top Stories and Breaking Updates from Kyiv Post

China and Serbia will launch joint military drills this month in Hebei – marking the first time Beijing has hosted exercises with an EU candidate country within its borders.

The militaries of China and Serbia will hold their first-ever joint training exercises during the second half of July in northern China, according to officials in Beijing. 

The defense collaboration will mark the first time that China has invited a European Union candidate country to march within its borders. 

Slovakia has voted for a second day to block the 18th round of economic sanctions against Russia over concerns about gas prices on their domestic economy.

Slovakia has resisted calls to vote for the European Union’s 18th round of sanctions against Russia, citing concerns over the supply of Russian gas.

“I’m really sad that we didn’t reach this agreement today,” European Commission President Kaja Kallas told the AFP. “But I’m still hopeful that we will get the decision tomorrow.”

Azov’s intel chief “Gandalf” lays out Ukraine’s evolving war doctrine – from drone strikes to long-war reforms – and warns the West: Russia’s war is global.

The trees in the eastern Ukrainian town of Slovyansk still stand, casting broken shadows across the park where 31-year-old Illia “Gandalf” Samoilenko – an intelligence commander in Ukraine’s Azov Corps – sits quietly on a weathered bench. Nearby, trenches crisscross blackened fields. Occasional blasts of artillery are heard in the distance above the shattered remnants of homes that make up the broken skyline of a town at war.

Gandalf’s words are measured, precise – shaped not just by front line experience, but by a broader war of systems, signals, and psychology. The battlefield, for him, is as much digital and mental as it is physical – a layered war where speed, clarity, and control determine survival.

Daily updates from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) regarding frontline developments and casualty figures amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

As of July 16, Russia has lost 1,037,460 troops after launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022 – including 1,170 troops over the past day, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU). 

Russian casualties in Ukraine surpassed one million on June 16.

“Creation of a [special purpose vehicle] SPV would mean an expropriation of the cash from Euroclear,” said Euroclear CEO Valérie Urbain.

Moving Euroclear’s $190 billion in frozen Russian assets to an EU-backed special purpose vehicle (SPV) would amount to “expropriation,” risking lawsuits and financial market trust, according to Euroclear CEO Valérie Urbain.

Euroclear, a Belgium-based securities house, holds the largest share of frozen Russian assets abroad following Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 

In an interview with Newsmax in Kyiv, Zelensky praised US President Donald Trump’s decision to rearm Ukraine and said Moscow only responds to strength.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that American weapons – not diplomatic pressure – are the key to forcing Russian leader Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, even if those weapons are never used.

In an interview with Newsmax in Kyiv, Zelensky praised US President Donald Trump’s decision to rearm Ukraine and said Moscow only responds to strength.

While the Kremlin calls for more peace talks, Kyiv has supported the West’s ceasefire plan for months – one Moscow keeps rejecting, much to Washington’s frustration.

Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov questioned why the US pressures Moscow but not Kyiv in the latest negotiations.

Peskov’s Wednesday statement comes as the US resumes arms deliveries to Kyiv and threatens Moscow with crushing sanctions after US President Donald Trump publicly voiced his frustration with Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s unwillingness to comply with his ceasefire.

The Ukrainian affiliate of the neo-Nazi group “the Base,” founded by an American living in exile in Russia, claimed responsibility for last week’s killing of SBU Colonel Voronych in Kyiv.

The Ukrainian affiliate group of the far-right terrorist group “The Base”, known as “White Phoenix,” claimed responsibility for the killing of SBU Colonel Ivan Voronych last week in Kyiv.

Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed whether the assassination of Voronych is tied back to the White Phoenix group.

Dragon Capital, Nedzhen, and EBRD signed a €21.1M loan mandate to fund Power One, a project for flexible, distributed energy generation in Ukraine.

Ukrainian investment company Dragon Capital, the Nedzhen company, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) signed a Mandate Letter for the Power One project, outlining plans for a potential €21.1 million ($24.5 million) loan to support the development of distributed power generation in Ukraine.

The Mandate Letter was signed on July 10 in Rome, during the Ukrainian Recovery Conference, former Ukrenergo CEO Volodymyr Kudrytskyi said Tuesday, July 15, on his Facebook. 

Now in combat testing, the projectile-shaped drone is designed to act as a high-speed interceptor against Moscow’s aerial onslaught, particularly from Shahed drones.

Drone manufacturer ODIN has unveiled “ODIN Win_Hit” – a high-speed interception drone designed to shoot down incoming Russian/Iranian Shahed drones.

The drone, whose shape resembles tiny warheads and which is powered by four propellers attached to its fins – similar to ordinary quad-drones instead of rocket engines – is designed to be launched from both ground-based and aerial platforms, according to a June Telegram update by its developer.

The investigation points to Baltic Control, a Danish company founded in 1980 that specializes in cargo inspections – especially agricultural shipments.

A Russian company tied to a well-known Danish inspection firm has been helping export grain from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian port of Berdyansk, according to a new investigation by Slidstvo.Info and Ukrainian hackers from the KibOrg group.

The investigation points to Baltic Control, a Danish company founded in 1980 that specializes in cargo inspections – especially agricultural shipments.

Ukraine’s parliament has officially dismissed Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and his government, a day after he resigned amid a major cabinet shakeup, ending his five-year tenure.

Ukraine’s parliament had voted to dismiss Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal after his five-year stint at the position on Wednesday, July 16.

Shmyhal submitted his resignation a day prior amid a major government shakeup, where he is expected to take up the role of defense minister, with his first deputy, Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko, expected to head the government.

US citizen Daniel Martindale, who spied on Ukrainian forces, was granted Russian citizenship after aiding strikes and saying, “Washington is the greatest evil.”

US citizen Daniel Martindale, who, according to Russian media, spied on Ukrainian military forces and adjusted strikes on the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has been granted a Russian passport.

Reports state that he lived for two years in the village of Bohoyavlenka near Vuhledar, in a Russian-occupied part of the Donetsk region.

Ukraine’s parliament adopted a revised budget plan, reallocating $10 billion to meet defense needs.

Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has approved $10 billion in extra war spending at the defense ministry’s request.

Lawmakers voted in favor of the so-called “first reading” of the bill – the first round of voting on the document, after which lawmakers can make amendments to the bill before voting on it in a finalized version and submitting it to the president for signature.

Ukraine’s HUR said two Russian drone operators and a Skat 350M UAV were destroyed in an explosion near occupied Tokmak in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) reported the elimination of a Russian drone crew operating a “Skat 350M” unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the temporarily occupied city of Tokmak in central Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.

A green UAZ-452 minivan – nicknamed “bukhanka” (Russian for “bread loaf”) – exploded on the outskirts of the city early Wednesday, according to HUR.

: A Russian Mi-8 helicopter with five people on board crashed in the Khabarovsk region while returning from repairs.

An Mi-8 helicopter crashed in Russia’s Khabarovsk region after disappearing on Monday evening, July 14, during a flight from Okhotsk to Magadan, almost 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles) east of Moscow.

According to Russian state-run media, including TASS, the aircraft belonged to the Vzlet aviation company. At the time of the crash, five people were on board — three crew members and two technicians.

Accusations against a well-known anti-corruption activist who exposed numerous cases of high-level corruption are not the first in his career, and many see them as an attempt to pressure him.

A political storm is brewing in Ukraine over a criminal case targeting prominent anti-corruption activist Vitaliy Shabunin.

On Tuesday, July 15, a court ruled on his pre-trial restrictions. However, public outcry had already begun four days earlier when news of the charges first broke. Waves of support for Shabunin have poured in from media outlets, civil society leaders, military personnel, and ordinary citizens.

The attack struck a plant operated by Barlinek, a leading European manufacturer of wood flooring. The company has operated in Ukraine for years and is a major employer in the region.

Russian forces targeted a Polish-owned factory in the central Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia during an overnight drone strike on Wednesday, injuring several people, including two with severe burns, according to Polish officials.

The attack struck a plant operated by Barlinek, a leading European manufacturer of wood flooring. The company, headquartered in Poland, has operated in Ukraine for years and is a major employer in the region.

Citing budget pressures and a push to boost its own defense industry, France is reportedly opting out of a US-led arms funding deal for Ukraine, per reports.

France reportedly does not plan to join a NATO-backed initiative to have European countries fund US weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

President Emmanuel Macron has pushed for Europe to strengthen its own defense industry by focusing on domestic arms production, per a report citing two French officials.

The Andrii Matiukha Foundation supported the ORIGAMI for UKRAINE art installation in Kyiv, helping to raise over €55,000 for medical equipment for a rehabilitation center

For 90 days, Kyiv residents and visitors can admire the ORIGAMI for UKRAINE art installation on the facade of the Museum of Kyiv History. The piece was installed on April 9 with the support of Andrii Matiukha’s Foundation. Five thousand birds made of metallic paper shimmering in the sun have become a significant social initiative. The project’s goal is to raise funds for the rehabilitation of wounded Ukrainian soldiers and to demonstrate European support.

July 16, 1990, marked a major milestone in Ukraine’s efforts to free itself from Soviet Russian rule. But what actually happened?

Modern Ukraine was finally able to proclaim the renewal of its independence on Aug. 24, 1991, as the Soviet Union was undergoing imperial disintegration. Ukraine had proclaimed its independence in Kyiv back in 1918, on Jan. 22, but had not managed to hold out against Russia’s overwhelming imperialist White and Bolshevik Red forces.

A turning point in Ukraine’s struggle to reappear on the map of Europe’s free nations occurred in July 1990 when the still communist-dominated parliament of the Ukrainian Soviet “Republic” defied the Russian-dominated imperial Soviet set-up and reasserted Ukraine’s sovereign rights. 

The EU is placing Georgia at a crossroads with an ultimatum. If the ruling Georgian Dream party does not return to the democratic path and respect European values, Brussels will shut its door.

The European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council, which met in Brussels Tuesday, July 15, sent one of its strongest warnings yet to the Georgian government. In unusually direct language, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, declared:

“The attacks on democracy by the ruling Georgian Dream party are becoming more severe – and if this continues, there will be consequences.”

As Russia’s invasion grinds through its fourth year, Moscow and Kyiv are both menacing each other’s armies with swarms of cheap drones, easily found on the market and rigged with deadly explosives.

A ravaged car with its engine destroyed and doors riddled with shrapnel lay on the side of the road near Dobropillia, a sleepy town not far from the front line in eastern Ukraine.

Hit by a small, remote-controlled drone, the mangled chassis was a stark reminder of why Ukraine is hurrying to mount netting over supply routes behind the sprawling front line to thwart Russian aerial attacks.

Putin believes Russia’s economy and military are strong enough to withstand any additional Western measures, the sources told the Reuters news agency.

Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, intends to keep fighting in Ukraine until the West engages on his terms for peace, and his territorial demands may widen his forces advance, three sources close to the Kremlin claim.

Putin believes Russia’s economy and military are strong enough to withstand any additional Western measures, the sources told the Reuters news agency.

The attacks came after US President Donald Trump gave Moscow 50 days to reach a peace deal with Ukraine.

A massive Russian drone and missile attack struck the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky early Wednesday, injuring a teenager, destroying an industrial facility, and cutting power to parts of the city.

The attacks came after US President Donald Trump gave Moscow 50 days to reach a peace deal with Ukraine.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Kremlin officials dismissed US President Donald Trump’s demand that Russia agree to a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine within 50 days while promoting claims that Russia can withstand economic pressure and remains committed to achieving its war aims.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin’s theory of victory continues to drive his unwillingness to compromise on his pre-war demand for Ukraine’s capitulation.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced new appointments within the Ukrainian government.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced in northern Sumy Oblast. Russian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk, Borova, and Toretsk.

US President cites soaring casualties in Ukraine while justifying his 50-day deadline for Moscow-Kyiv deal.

WASHINGTON, DC – US President Donald Trump on Tuesday reiterated a significant escalation in his administration’s approach to Russia’s war in Ukraine, defending his 50-day deadline for a peace deal.

Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews en route to the White House, Trump said he had not directly communicated with Russian President Vladimir Putin since setting his ultimatum. However, he noted that in previous conversations, Putin said “he wants peace. So far, it’s all talk and no action.”

State Department gutting raises alarm over Russian accountability, counterterrorism. Deputy Secretary Michael Rigas defends foreign affairs budget amid layoffs and USAID dismantling.

WASHINGTON DC – A top State Department official who oversaw recent widespread layoffs faced a contentious hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee Tuesday afternoon, presenting the Department’s fiscal year 2026 budget request amid a backdrop of significant internal turmoil.

The hearing was dominated by sharp criticism from lawmakers regarding recent layoffs, the controversial dismantling of the US aid agency USAID, and perceived weakening of vital diplomatic functions, particularly those related to accountability for Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

Trump’s UN ambassador nominee, Waltz, says the US needs a strong voice to counter China while brushing aside his role in jeopardizing Top Secret information in the administration’s Signalgate scandal.

US President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser Mike Waltz on Tuesday faced intense scrutiny from lawmakers during his Senate confirmation hearing to become the next US ambassador to the UN.

 Waltz, who was removed from his White House job in May following revelations he mistakenly added a journalist to a private Signal group chat discussing sensitive military plans, sought to defend his actions and reassure lawmakers of his fitness for the crucial diplomatic role.

Most US and European share indices slid on Tuesday, as US inflation data indicated President Donald Trump’s tariffs could be feeding into his country’s economy.

Most US and European share indices slid on Tuesday, as US inflation data indicated  President Donald Trump’s tariffs could be feeding into his country’s economy.

In New York, the Nasdaq edged higher to close at another record, propelled by buoyant news from tech darling Nvidia. But the blue-chip Dow and broader S&P 500 both retreated.