Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] 22.22 In Zaporizhia, the number of victims from the Russian strike on a residential area on Thursday, July 23, has increased. As of now, 25 people have sought medical help. According to the head of the Zaporizhia Regional Military Administration, Ivan Fedorov, six children are among the victims. The youngest wounded person is only three months old.
21.37 The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed that on the night of July 23, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine struck a number of important military and military-economic facilities of the Russian occupiers. According to the military, a Russian tanker was hit in the Black Sea, which was used to transport oil, oil products and fuel in the interests of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Ukrainian troops also struck a pontoon crossing near Novoekonomichesky in Donetsk region. According to the General Staff, Russian troops were using it for military logistics and the transfer of personnel and equipment.
In addition, the area of concentration of enemy manpower in temporarily occupied Horlivka, Donetsk region, was hit.
21.21 On the evening of Thursday, July 23, Russian troops struck a fuel infrastructure facility in Zhytomyr. The attack resulted in a fire. As reported by the head of the Zhytomyr regional military administration, Vitaliy Bunechko, there is currently no information about deaths or injuries.
21.07 Russian troops attacked the Dnipropetrovsk region almost 40 times during the day. Three people were killed and 32 others were injured as a result of the shelling. Among the injured is a two-year-old child. Pavlohrad was the worst affected, where three people were killed in a morning strike on a food enterprise. 29 people were injured.
20.56 As a result of a Russian air strike on Sloviansk, Donetsk region, 14 people were injured. This was reported by the head of the Sloviansk city military administration, Vadym Lyakh.
20.11 Ukraine, together with the American defense company Raytheon, plans to produce interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems. This was announced by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a meeting with representatives of the company led by Raytheon Vice President Joseph DeAntona. According to the head of state, Ukraine has been using Raytheon equipment for a long time to protect against Russian attacks, and the new stage of cooperation should strengthen the country's defense capabilities.
"Raytheon is a very strong defense company, and Ukraine has long used its equipment to protect our people from brutal Russian attacks. I am grateful for the company's willingness to take our partnership to an even higher level, when Ukraine will jointly produce with Raytheon some of the most important air defense assets - interceptors for Patriot," Zelenskyy said.
19.45 Russia has declared its exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea unsafe for shipping after a series of attacks on Russian-linked vessels. This is reported by Bloomberg with reference to the bulletin of the Russian Ministry of Defense dated July 22. The warning states that there is a threat of drone attacks for ships. Russia's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea covers the approaches to a number of important ports, in particular Novorossiysk, which is one of the main export centers of the Russian Federation.
19.17 The Council of the European Union approved the 21st package of sanctions against Russia in response to its full-scale aggression against Ukraine. The press service of the Council of the EU reported on the adoption of a new package of restrictions on Thursday, July 23. The new package of sanctions includes tough economic measures aimed at sectors that have the greatest impact on the Russian economy and the Kremlin's ability to finance the war. The 21st package of sanctions against the Russian Federation has become one of the largest in terms of the number of new targets in recent years - 218 individuals and organizations have been subject to restrictions.
18.56 Ukrainian cyber experts could have influenced the operation of the Russian air defense system, which caused it to hit its own Su-57 fighter jet in the Moscow region on Thursday, July 23. This version was published by the international intelligence community InformNapalm. According to OSINT researchers, the Russian fifth-generation fighter jet could have been shot down by the BARS Moscow air defense system, the operation of which was disrupted using a cyber operation and information and psychological influence.
18.35 The Ukrainian Defense Forces have pushed back Russian troops near the village of Filiya, Novopavlivska community, Sinelnyky district, Dnipropetrovsk region. A reduction in the area of territories under the control of Russian occupiers has been recorded in the Pokrovsky direction. This was reported by the OSINT project DeepState.
18.04 The Kremlin is growing concerned about the decline in support for continuing the war among Russians ahead of the Russian State Duma elections. Even official sociological research shows that only 15-24% of citizens support further fighting, while 64-67% support peace talks. This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
17.58 In the village of Lekhnivka in the Khmelnytskyi region, representatives of the CCC handcuffed a 61-year-old man to a car and used force against him. This was stated by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets. The incident was reported by the victim's son, who is currently serving in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to him, physical force and special means were used against his father during mobilization measures. The man has already sought medical attention due to his injuries. Representatives of the Ombudsman's Office are currently in contact with him. The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights has taken the case under personal control.
17.48 Russian troops struck Zaporizhia on Thursday afternoon, July 23, hitting a multi-story residential building. According to preliminary data, there are wounded people, people are under the rubble. According to the OVA, 14 people needed medical help. As reported by the head of the Zaporizhia Regional Military Administration Ivan Fedorov, residential areas and an industrial zone of the city were also hit.
17.04 The occupiers attacked Kherson with 10 KABs, seven casualties are known. This was reported on July 23 by the head of the Kherson MVA Yaroslav Shanko. It is noted that the Russians hit social infrastructure in the Korabelny and Central districts. In the city center, high-rise buildings and private houses were damaged, several of them were critically damaged.
16.27 Russian troops have carried out strikes in the Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Sumy, Kharkiv and Odessa regions over the past few hours. The attacks have killed three people and injured more than 30 others, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi said.
He also reported that over the past week, the State Emergency Service units went out 1,126 times to eliminate the consequences of Russian attacks. During search and rescue operations, 24 people were rescued from under the rubble.
16.06 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a trilateral meeting with the participation of Ukraine, the United States and Russia should be held by the fall. The head of state said this during a press conference. According to Zelenskyy, the day before, he discussed with representatives of US President Donald Trump Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff a number of proposals that the American side plans to present to Russia. He noted that after consultations between the United States and Russia, if the parties see a prospect for a substantive discussion of the proposed plan, a trilateral meeting may take place.
15.22 The battalion of unmanned systems of the 7th rapid reaction corps of the Airborne Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck enemy targets in Selidove and along the Selidove - Pokrovsk highway. The corps reported this on Facebook. It is noted that the paratroopers hit two pickup trucks and a truck of Russian invaders on the highways. They also struck a precision strike on the landing pad of enemy Molniya drones. To carry out the tasks, the defenders used Chaklun type strike drones, which belong to middle strike means.
15.16 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced at a press conference that he had offered former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov several options for further work in the government. According to the head of state, the last of the proposals was the position of Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for Military Innovations.
14.55 Russia is preparing new decisions on mobilization. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"Today we talked about threats, about real cases that exist right now. When Putin, in our opinion, is preparing new decisions regarding mobilization in Russia," the head of state said.
14.19 A Su-57 fighter jet crashed during a training flight in the Moscow region. The incident occurred near Zvenigorod. The plane crashed in the Moskva River area. The pilot managed to eject and no one was injured. The reasons for the crash of the Su-57 fighter jet are currently unknown.
12.54 On July 23, Russian troops struck Pavlograd, damaging a food industry enterprise. Three people were killed and 19 were injured. This was reported by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration, Oleksandr Ganzha.
A fire broke out at a food processing plant as a result of the impact.
12.53 Counterintelligence and investigators of the Security Service have documented new facts of the Russian Federation's use of depleted uranium ammunition against Ukraine. Dangerous components were discovered in Geran-2 attack drones, which the Russians used to attack the Chernihiv region during April-June.
The investigation found that the Russian Federation uses radioactive elements in R-60M missiles, which it has adapted for use on its UAVs.
During the inspection of the "arrival" sites of Russian drones and the radiological examination of their combat units, the investigative and operational group and specialists of the State Emergency Service recorded an excess of natural radiation background by 80 times.
At the same time, the level of gamma radiation from individual fragments of enemy drones ranged from 8.3 to 24 μSv/h, with the permissible sanitary norm of 0.3 μSv/h. Such a radiation background poses a direct threat to human health and the environment.
The warheads of these missiles were found to contain nuclear material identified as Uranium-235 and Uranium-238. The presence of radioactive components was confirmed by dosimetric equipment and a mobile automated radiological complex.
After the detection and investigation of dangerous ammunition, comprehensive measures were taken to neutralize them and protect citizens.
12.37 During the week, the Ukrainian military carried out drone strikes on several warehouses of the Russian marketplace Wildberries, which may have damaged facilities with a total area of about 552 thousand square meters. This is reported by Russian media.
According to estimates, this represents approximately 10% of the company's entire logistics capacity.
12.25 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Philippines, they discussed ways to end the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine.
"Today I met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN ministerial meeting. We discussed US-Russia relations, as well as the need to end the war between Russia and Ukraine," Rubio wrote in X.
11.55 In the Chernihiv region, Russians attacked two energy facilities in two border communities over the past day. This was reported on July 23 by the head of the Chernihiv regional military administration, Vyacheslav Chaus.
11.50 The PURL program has become one of the key mechanisms for meeting Ukraine's critical needs for armaments. Over the past year, 29 countries have joined the initiative. The total amount of contributions has reached $6.7 billion. This has allowed financing more than ten armament packages for the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
One of the most important results of PURL is providing Ukraine with interceptors for Patriot systems. They are critically needed to protect cities, civilians, and critical infrastructure from Russian ballistic attacks.
Today, about 95% of interceptors for Patriot, such as PAC-3, are received by Ukraine through the PURL mechanism.
10.54 The ambassadors-permanent representatives of the European Union member states have agreed on the 21st package of sanctions against Russia. The technical work will be completed and the written adoption procedure will start this afternoon.
10.53 On the night of July 23, a group of drones attacked an oil refinery in the Ulyanovsk region of the Russian Federation. This was reported by the ASTRA Telegram channel. The governor of the region, Alexei Ruskykh, said that drones attacked a fuel and energy complex in the Novospassky district and that a fire broke out. According to ASTRA's analysis of eyewitness footage, the NS-Oil oil refinery in the Novospassky village of the district was attacked. CJSC NS-Oil is a small oil refinery that receives, prepares and processes oil with the production of light and dark oil products. The total production capacity of the plant is 30 thousand tons of oil per year.
10.28 Partisans conducted reconnaissance of the Bryansk Machine-Building Plant (BMZ), one of the largest heavy engineering enterprises in Russia, which plays a critically important role in ensuring military logistics and the defense industry of the Russian Federation. This was reported by the partisan movement ATESH. It is noted that despite its civilian status, the plant is the main manufacturer of mainline diesel locomotives, without which a stable supply of equipment, ammunition, fuel and personnel to the Russian troops is impossible.
10.25 Counterintelligence of the Security Service detained an FSB agent in Khmelnytskyi region who was preparing coordinates for a new series of Russian missile and drone attacks on the western region of Ukraine. Among the main "targets" that the agent was instructed to scout by the enemy were enterprises of the defense-industrial complex and logistics centers of Ukrainian defenders.
The SBU officers uncovered the enemy's plan in advance and detained the agent "red-handed" while he was conducting reconnaissance near a strategic facility. The Russians' task was carried out by a local repeat offender recruited by the FSB, who had previously served time for drug crimes.
10.04 After Russian attacks on civilian ships, the entry of ships into Ukrainian ports was temporarily suspended. On July 21, four to five ships entered Ukrainian ports. And on July 22, the entry of ships was suspended. The government is preparing a decision to resume shipping.
09.43 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) event in the Philippines. The meeting lasted 35 minutes.
Lavrov informed Rubio about the "real" state of affairs in the Russian-Ukrainian war, and also stated the "inadmissibility of further arms supplies" to Ukraine.
"Lavrov reaffirmed the Russian side's readiness for a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict and its commitment to the proposals put forward by the American side during the meeting between Putin and Trump in Anchorage," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
9.30 Kharkiv and 15 other settlements in the Kharkiv region have been under Russian attacks over the past day. One person was killed and 11 others were injured. This was reported by the head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, Oleg Synegubov.
9.15 On the front line over the past 24 hours, 261 combat clashes between the Ukrainian Defense Forces and Russian invaders were recorded. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on July 23. The Defense Forces' aviation struck six areas of concentration of Russian manpower and two other important objects of the Russian invaders.
08.31 There are currently 867 civilian residents remaining in the Kostyantynivka community in Donetsk Oblast. On July 22, two residents of Kostyantynivka visited the transit evacuation centers.
08.15 On the night of July 23, Russia attacked Ukraine with one Iskander-M ballistic missile, five Kh-59/69 guided aircraft missiles, and 168 strike UAVs.
Air defenses shot down/suppressed two Kh-59/69 guided aircraft missiles and 154 enemy Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas UAVs and drones of other types in the north, south, and east of the country.
Hits of a ballistic missile and three guided aircraft missiles, seven attack UAVs were recorded at nine locations, as well as the fall of downed aircraft (fragments) at four locations.
07.41 On the night of July 23, Russian troops attacked Odessa almost continuously, damaging infrastructure, office space, cars, and private homes. No casualties were reported.
07.12 From February 24, 2022 to July 23, 2026, the total combat losses of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine amounted to approximately 1,434,690 people (+1,460 per day).
04.24 A series of explosions rocked Voronezh, Russia, where the target could have been another Wildberries warehouse, as well as in temporarily occupied Luhansk and Crimea. According to monitoring channels, a truckload of trucks is burning in Luhansk after the attack. And in occupied Yalta and Feodosia, electrical substations were probably hit.
00.20 Russian UAVs struck two gas stations in Sumy. Fires broke out at the sites of the strikes. No information was received about casualties.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[NewsFront] 20:57 During the day, in the period from 8:00 Moscow time to 20:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted anddestroyed172 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the fixed-wing type flew over the territories of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Vladimir, Kursk, Lipetsk, Oryol, Ryazan, Tula regions, the Moscow region, the republics of Crimea and Bashkortostan, the Krasnodar Territory, as well as over the waters of the Azov and Black Seas. 16:46 Opened and destroyed: thanks to reconnaissance, FPV drones were targeted destroyed Ukrainian Armed Forces logistics – ground robots, armored vehicles, and heavy supply hexacopters came under attack.
15:56 Russian Armed Forces advanced south of Sergeevka, MAP.
14:40 UAV crews of the Southern Group of Forces destroyed self-propelled guns 152mm 2S3 "Acacia" and self-propelled guns M-109 Paladin of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
11:33 Units of the Center group released Belitskoye settlement of the Donetsk People's Republic.
11:31 Operators of unmanned aerial systems of the Southern Group of Forces destroyed five robotic complexes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kramatorsk district.
Five FAB-500 aerial bombs landed precisely on a Ukrainian Armed Forces stronghold near the village of Chernoye in the Khar'kov region.
Three FAB-500 missiles completely destroyed the UAV control center of the 4th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine in the Dobropillya region of the DPR.
Five FAB-250-270 bombs hit the temporary deployment point of the 117th territorial defense brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Raigorodka area of the DPR.
10:05 Investigators from the Russian Investigative Committee will investigate new crimes committed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, resulting in the death and injury of civilians in Russian regions
According to reports from executive authorities, two people were killed in the DPR, and another ten civilians were injured as a result of attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In the Voronezh region, a three-year-old child was killed and there are casualties due to aggression by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
As a result of an attack by Ukrainian militants on the Republic of Crimea, a civilian was killed and four others were injured, including two children.
In the Shebekinsky District of the Belgorod Region, one civilian was killed and another was injured as a result of Ukrainian Armed Forces drone strikes.
9:41 Tonight, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued conducting group strikes using high-precision air-launched weapons and strike unmanned aerial vehicles.
As a result of the strikes at the port of Odessa (state enterprise "Sea Trade Port "Odessa"), port infrastructure facilities used for unloading and storing military cargo were damaged.
In addition, in the city of Odessa, attack UAVs hit a workshop producing components for unmanned aerial vehicles and a warehouse containing UAVs intended for delivery to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
9:08 AFU continue strikes on civilian infrastructure on the left bank of the Kherson region
Yesterday afternoon, the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired 12 shells from barrel artillery at populated areas of the Kherson region of the Russian Federation:
8:34 During the past night, in the period from 20:00 Moscow time on July 22 to 8:00 Moscow time on July 23, the air defense forces on duty intercepted and destroyed 223 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the fixed-wing type over the territories of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, Orenburg, Rostov, Ryazan, Samara, Saratov, Tver, Tula, Ulyanovsk regions, the Moscow region, the Republic of Crimea, the Republic of Tatarstan and over the waters of the Sea of Azov.
8:08 Frontline summary on the morning of July 23, 2026
Zaporizhzhya Front
Fighting continues in the Plavni area of the Kamensk sector. Russian forces are advancing eastward toward Novoandreyevka and expanding their control of territory in the Malye Shcherbaki area.
In the Hulyai-Polye sector, fighting continues near Ternovatoye.
Further up the front, Russian forces continue their offensive.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the liberation of the village of Blagovatnoye. Fighting continues near Poddubnoye.
Donetsk Front
In the Dobropillya sector, fighting continues near Belitskoye and Shevchenko.
There is progress near Gulevo.
Fighting continues in Chasov Yar in the Konstantinovsky direction. Russian forces have reportedly entered the center of Nikolaevka.
In the Krasnolimansk direction, there is progress in the Cherenshchina-Druzhelyubovka sector.
Russian forces are advancing in the southern part of Dibrovaya and west of Ozernoye, as well as in the area between Krivaya Luka and Kaleniky toward Nikolaevka.
Khar'kov Front
In the Kupyansk direction, fighting continues along the previous lines.
In the Volchansk sector, Russian troops are attacking from Volokhovskoye toward Baksheyevka.
Fighting continues near Bely Kolodez.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the liberation of the village of Artelnoye.
Sumy Front
In the Sumy district, fighting continues in the villages of Ryzhevka, Pisarevka, Mogritsa, Novaya Sich, and Khotyn, as well as in the forested areas south of Ivolzhanskoye.
In the Glukhovsky district, fighting continues near the village of Ulanovo and on the approaches to Malaya Slobodka.
7:37 As a result of the enemy's night attack on the Republic of Crimea died. A civilian was killed, and four others were injured, two of them children.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Ilya Maximov
[REGNUM] Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotskyi officially acknowledged a complete halt to shipping in Ukraine's Black Sea ports. Just the day before, four or five ships were calling—not many, but traffic continued. However, due to the increased intensity of Russian strikes, the situation has changed.
"As of today, vessel visits have been suspended. This is the shipowners' decision—the state, for its part, has not imposed any restrictions," Vysotsky stated, effectively acknowledging the Kyiv regime's impotence in this matter.
It was previously reported that Maersk, the world's largest container shipping operator, announced a temporary suspension of operations in Ukraine. The company's statement tactfully stated that due to the current situation affecting its operations, it is unable to continue providing services through the Black Sea port and is temporarily suspending services until further notice.
Simply put, entering Ukrainian ports has become too dangerous. And no one knows when this will end.
The Medkon Mira, a vessel carrying imported cargo scheduled to unload in Chornomorsk (Illichivsk), was diverted to Constanta, Romania, along with all other shipments destined for that port. This is the second major operator to cease operations in Chornomorsk in a month; the first was Ukraine's Kernel Holding.
Ukraine, which before the war accounted for about 10% of the world's wheat exports, 15% of its corn, and 10–15% of all world grain exports—with about 90% of these volumes passing through three Odessa ports: Odessa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhny—has now lost about a third of its export capacity.
Even before the shipping halt, monthly grain shipments through Black Sea ports had fallen from approximately 6 million tons to 4 million. Meanwhile, grain remains Ukraine's largest source of foreign exchange earnings.
Just recently, Minister Vysotsky boasted of growing foreign exchange earnings from agricultural exports. But now, previously published data is working against him—it 's estimated that, on average, Ukraine's monthly income from agricultural exports over the past year amounted to approximately $2 billion.
Accordingly, each month of port downtime will cost the country this amount. It's important to keep in mind that these are only rough estimates. Firstly, it's difficult to trust Ukrainian data. It's possible, and given the level of corruption in Ukraine, it's even quite likely, that both revenues and losses are actually even higher. Furthermore, the above figures are averages, and export volumes increase during the harvest season.
Just a week ago, four of the thirteen major grain terminals at the ports suspended grain purchases. The number of grain railcars heading to Odesa ports fell by 11% in the week from July 2 to 8 alone.
“Essentially, our deep-sea exports have stopped today,” said Bohdan Kostetsky, former commercial director of the State Food and Grain Corporation of Ukraine.
Suppliers who chose Danube ports as an alternative route also faced serious problems. Freight rates on the Danube doubled due to increased shelling of Ukrainian ports and historically low river levels amid abnormal heat and drought in Europe. The cost of barging cargo from the Ukrainian Danube ports of Reni and Izmail to Constanta, Romania, has doubled since the beginning of July.
Critically low water levels have limited the normal loading of barges, which are losing between 30% and 60% of their carrying capacity. Meanwhile, due to the increased risk of attacks, the number of available vessels is limited.
In previous years, Ukrainian officials and their European allies have repeatedly mockingly claimed that Russia has no maritime capabilities and would be unable to stop Ukrainian shipping. The Ukrainians boasted, claiming they had secured their own freedom of navigation by pressuring the Russian fleet.
However, current events have shown that Russia's behavior was dictated not by weakness, but by deliberate restraint.
For a long time, Russia allowed Ukraine and its partners to continue trading, so as not to disrupt global supply chains, which had already been damaged in recent years, and to avoid provoking a food crisis. This was a responsible stance, based on an understanding of the needs of third countries not involved in the conflict but dependent on its food supplies.
Unfortunately, the enemy has become accustomed to perceiving any restraint as weakness, something it has paid for many times before. However, not everyone learns from their mistakes. Therefore, sea routes continued to be actively used not only for trade, but also for the supply of weapons and ammunition, for the launching of unmanned boats, and for other sabotage operations.
Russia didn't even have to declare a blockade—regular strikes on ships, warehouses, berths, power supply facilities, and other port infrastructure quickly did the trick. Moreover, the Russian side has repeatedly emphasized that the attacks are aimed at facilities storing cargo and fuel for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as the vessels transporting them.
In parallel with the seizure of ports, systematic strikes are being carried out against Ukrainian military-industrial complex enterprises responsible for the production of long-range precision weapons and their components—Neptune and Flamingo missiles, as well as various attack unmanned aerial vehicles.
At the same time, Ukraine's fuel infrastructure is being systematically destroyed. The main oil depots were destroyed long ago, and now hundreds of gas stations across the country have come under attack. As of July 10, 200 gas stations had already been hit, and the attacks have continued since then. Moreover, attacks are being launched not only on the gas stations themselves, but also on fuel tankers, whose drivers are already refusing to work, demanding extra compensation for the risk.
Russian forces are also targeting railway rolling stock. More than 200 diesel locomotives transporting weapons for the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Poland and Romania have been hit. Major transport hubs used for the transshipment of military cargo have also come under attack.
What we're witnessing today resembles a new phase of the conflict, one the adversary has long been warned about, urging them to come to their senses and negotiate before it's too late. But they have failed to gain any semblance of understanding. Russia has repeatedly proposed negotiating options—and each time has been rebuffed, with hysteria and threats in response.
Now Ukraine is gradually losing everything: its economy, weapons, fuel, logistics.
If this campaign continues with the same intensity, the Ukrainian Armed Forces risk becoming disorganized groups incapable of rapid maneuvers and redeployment.
All the threats Ukraine voiced against Moscow have become relevant for itself. And each subsequent offer will always be worse for the adversary than the last. Ukraine has rejected several generous offers over the years. Now it's time to admit that it has no real countermeasures to the Russian military strikes, while Russia, judging by recent events, still has aces up its sleeve.
However, so far, all that's been heard in response is the usual cries. Acting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has reacted to the events with the hypocrisy characteristic of the Kyiv regime.
Its main thesis is couched in the dramatic vein typical of Ukrainian politicians: if Russian strikes do not cease, then “millions of families in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America could face rising prices and hunger.”
It is noteworthy that in its campaign to draw attention to “starving Africa,” Kyiv forgets to mention that Ukraine, despite its loud statements about protecting global food security, has in fact repeatedly undermined the stability of global grain markets.
In 2022, at the very outset of the conflict, Kyiv unilaterally imposed a ban on the export of wheat and other key crops, which immediately collapsed supply forecasts and triggered a sharp rise in food prices in many countries, particularly in Africa and Asia. Even though their grain exports were not being impacted at the time.
Then, after the conclusion of the Black Sea grain deal that same year, which gave hope for a recovery in exports, it was Kyiv’s actions that led to the breakdown of the agreements.
Thus, when Sybiga speaks today about famine in Africa, he somehow forgets that it was Kyiv's decisions that jeopardized the very supplies that Ukraine is now so concerned about. The regime continued to use sea routes to escalate tensions, and in doing so, by attempting to harm Russia, it shot itself in the foot.
For a long time, Ukrainians treated the threat of a de facto naval blockade with outright disdain, sometimes even posing nude on the beach with burning ships in the background. Whenever talk of strikes on Russian ports and ships arose, Kyiv propaganda rejoiced and reveled in dreams of the Ukrainian Armed Forces denying Russia access to the Black Sea.
And when analysts warned that Ukraine itself risked losing access to the Black Sea due to Russian strikes, these voices were drowned out by a belief in their own impunity.
However, now that massive strikes on Black Sea ports have become a reality and shipping has come to a complete halt, self-confidence is being replaced by panic, accompanied by the bewilderment that is so common in modern Ukraine: "What are we doing here for?"
Peace remains the only sensible way out of the situation. And in this matter, the ball has long been in Ukraine's court. But the longer the conflict continues, the more difficult the conditions become, and the less room for maneuver Kyiv has.
Russia has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to negotiate. Ukraine now faces a difficult choice: continue to lose everything, or finally acknowledge reality and sit down at the negotiating table while there's still a chance to salvage anything.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Mikhail Pavliv
[REGNUM] After six days of protests sparked by the resignation of Mykhailo Fedorov as Ukraine's Minister of Defense, Volodymyr Zelenskyy fulfilled one of the protesters' demands: he dismissed the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi. In his place, he appointed the very man most supported by the protesters, General Mykhailo Drapatiy. The same man who declared that Russians are "a nation that has no right to exist."
The new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is currently feigning loyalty to the "supreme leader": joint photos, public assurances of good faith, personnel rotations in the General Staff. However, in real life, Drapaty was never so accommodating. He rose to the rank of general solely thanks to the war he unleashed against the people of Donbas, his personal cruelty, and his willingness to carry out any orders, even the most disgusting.
The main political consequence of this appointment is that Mykhailo Drapatiy is a rather unfortunate acquisition as commander-in-chief. And not for the Russian army, but for the Ukrainian one.
Currently, if you look at Ukrainian military and political social media, there's almost universal euphoria surrounding his appointment. However, emotions aside, the general's rise to command the Ukrainian army could bring very serious problems.
It's worth acknowledging, however, that Drapatiy does have a level at which he's demonstrated quite respectable effectiveness. This primarily applies to commanding a brigade-level unit. If the Ukrainian army had divisions, he might well have made a very good division commander.
But already at the next level, it seems, he begins to lack the apparatus weight, strategic scale of thinking and necessary competencies.
Returning to Drapatoy, his main asset remains far from his list of outstanding military successes. Rather, it's the highly-constructed PR campaign surrounding his rather modest military achievements, as well as his extremely close ties to the "grant" community and the political circles that rely on it. And, perhaps, this is precisely his main asset today, so to speak.
For a significant portion of the Ukrainian audience, especially those targeted by Soros's structures, Drapatiy appears to be a near-perfect public figure. He is relatively young, has a striking appearance, and speaks Ukrainian. And these three basic elements are enough to begin constructing the image of a new national hero. In fact, that's precisely what the relevant media is currently doing.
Almost immediately after Drapatoy's appointment as Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was announced, Ukrainian public groups began massively distributing two old videos from 2014.
The first video shows Major Drapatiy in an infantry fighting vehicle breaking through a barricade in Mariupol. But if you strip away all the jingoistic patriotism associated with the Ukrainian flag and the combat vehicle's spectacular leap over an obstacle, three important facts immediately become apparent.
Firstly, the barricade itself was constructed from literally any materials available. Essentially, it would have been a serious obstacle only for a passenger car. For a fourteen-ton infantry fighting vehicle, passing through such a structure would have been no great feat.
Secondly, the footage doesn't show a single armed enemy. No one is firing at the BMP, and no Molotov cocktails are being thrown at it. The armored vehicle is confronted by men with sticks, not fully armed units.
And finally, the third and most crucial circumstance. In this video, Drapatiy isn't entering Mariupol, but fleeing it. This takes place in May 2014. Meanwhile, the city was finally captured by Ukrainian militants only in June, when Azov* units entered. Drapatiy had no connection with these events, having left Mariupol about a month earlier. This moment is captured in the widely circulated footage.
The second video: also in 2014, Drapatiy leads a group of approximately 260 Ukrainian servicemen out of the Izvarino area. This is the period of fighting in southern Donbas, when the Ukrainian command attempted to establish control over a section of the state border with Russia. The operation ultimately ended in a crushing defeat for the Ukrainian forces.
This is what a “successful” commander is like.
However, he "gained notoriety" for war crimes against the civilian population of Donbas and Novorossiya. According to eyewitnesses, in May 2014, the ramming of a barricade containing people with a multi-ton machine in Mariupol was just one of many criminal acts against peaceful protesters.
Then, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attempt to take control of the city was accompanied by the killing of civilians, and the local police headquarters, along with its officers, were simply burned down, just as the Odessans had been burned to the ground in the Trade Union House a week earlier.
Later, a native of Western Ukraine, during the infamous "Anti-Terrorist Operation" (ATO), he distinguished himself by repeatedly shelling civilians in Donbas. In 2016, the Russian Investigative Committee opened a case under Article 356 of the Criminal Code ("Use of prohibited means and methods of warfare"). From 2016 to 2019, Drapatiy commanded the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. According to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, 154 people were killed and wounded in attacks by this unit.
And then, in 2021, an episode occurred that characterizes him very well. Then, he was recognized as the best graduate of the operational-strategic level at the National Defense University of Ukraine, and the then British Ambassador to Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, presented him with the Queen's Challenge Sword, which Drapatiy accepted on his knees.
This incident of "chivalry" certainly played a significant role in his current appointment. After all, due to his connections to the British political lobby in Ukraine, Drapatoy is considered a Londoner in the army.
Drapati receives the Queen's Challenge Sword of Great Britain
What is Drapatiy's service record since 2022? At the very beginning of the conflict, he commanded the group covering Kryvyi Rih. However, if we look at the actual situation at that time, there were no battles directly for the city or even on its distant approaches.
In February and March 2022, military operations were maneuverable. Russian forces occupied the entire right-bank part of the Kherson region and part of the left bank, but then halted approximately thirty to forty kilometers south of Kryvyi Rih. Therefore, the direction Drapaty was responsible for during that period could hardly be considered the most difficult or critical.
In the fall of 2022, the force commanded by Drapaty took part in offensive operations on the right bank of the Kherson Oblast. However, there are no outstanding achievements to speak of under his command.
In August and September, fighting in the northern region was extremely severe and protracted. Ukrainian units advanced through the areas of Vysokopolye, Arkhangelskoye, Myrolyubovka, and several other settlements, suffering heavy losses. This was despite the fact that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had a vastly superior force at the time.
The final turning point here occurred in October, when the Russian command decided to abandon the right-bank part of the Kherson region in an organized manner. After this, Russian units retreated in an organized manner to the left bank of the Dnieper. Therefore, linking this episode to Drapaty's military achievements is, at the very least, extremely difficult. However, this episode has already been written in golden letters into the political myth of Drapaty.
Drapatiy then led the Tavria group of forces and remained on the left bank of the Dnieper until February 2024. This was essentially a quiet, peripheral post, as no active combat operations were taking place in that direction at the time. Consequently, all the key battles (defeats) of the Ukrainian army in 2023 took place without his participation.
After this, he unexpectedly receives a promotion (London's influence again?) and transfers to the General Staff, where he is assigned to the direction of training military personnel - a rear, lucrative, cushy job.
In May 2024, Drapatiy was urgently transferred to the northern Kharkiv region, where the Russian army was launching an offensive on Vovchansk to establish a buffer zone along the border. Taking command of the Kharkiv Task Force, he was indeed able to slow the advance of our armed forces for a time. However, two fundamental circumstances must be taken into account here.
Firstly, for the Russian army this direction was initially deeply secondary and was used primarily as a tool for distracting and dispersing Ukrainian reserves.
Secondly, Drapatom failed to push the Russian forces back to the state border. The Russian army consolidated its position in the Kharkiv region and continued to steadily strengthen its positions.
After this, his connections in political circles began to play a role again. It was after the Kharkiv campaign that Drapatiy rapidly rose through the ranks. First, for about two months, he commanded the Luhansk operational-tactical group, then was promoted to commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces.
And from January 2025, he simultaneously began to lead the operational-strategic group "Khortytsia", which was later renamed the "Dnepr" group.
His area of responsibility included central and northern Donbas, as well as the southern Kharkiv region. However, it was in these areas that the Ukrainian army suffered its most serious territorial losses, accompanied by constant withdrawals and, in some places, outright flight of units.
Drapatiy's last posting before his appointment as Commander-in-Chief was the entire Kharkiv Oblast, for which he was responsible from the end of 2025. And again, as before in Donbas, it was here that the most catastrophic situation for the Ukrainian Armed Forces was unfolding as of late July 2026.
Almost all positions on the left bank of the Oskol River were lost. Russian troops had driven almost all Ukrainian units from the right-bank part of Kupyansk and continued to push them out of the left bank.
Volchansk had long since ceased to be a front line and had become a deep rear area, while the fighting was already taking place beyond the White Well, located approximately twenty kilometers from the border.
Moreover, it was in the Kharkiv region that the Russian Armed Forces achieved their most significant territorial advance this year. And it was precisely this section of the front that Drapaty was responsible for.
Looking solely at his results at the front, it's difficult to point to a single instance where Drapaty distinguished himself as an outstanding military leader. He simply lacks military successes that would objectively distinguish him from other Ukrainian generals. Or any successes at all.
And all this despite the fact that throughout virtually the entire war, he enjoyed a privileged position compared to many of his colleagues. For nearly a year, he simultaneously commanded the Ground Forces—the main branch of the Ukrainian Armed Forces—and personally led one of the largest army groups.
And if we judge solely by the results, they are clearly visible on the battle maps. And these maps, to put it mildly, don't favor Drapatoy.
Despite the NATO headquarters' involvement in the strategic and tactical command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the role of the commander-in-chief is obvious, and the purely political decision regarding Drapatoye is a blow to the controllability of the Ukrainian army. Which is remarkable in itself.
Drapaty is an overtly media-oriented person, prone to public conflicts and demonstrative gestures, as well as posturing and pathos.
For a personal political career, this quality is rather an advantage. Such a person is quite capable of entering parliament in the future or at least remaining in the public eye. As Ukrainian experience shows, such recognition and constant presence in newspapers can today facilitate career advancement even within the active military.
But the army is, by its very nature, a closed system with an extremely rigid chain of command, where media exposure in the classic sense is not only unwelcome but also contradicts the very logic of military organization. Public speeches, debates, social media showdowns, and the display of one's own dissenting opinions—all of this inevitably begins to erode discipline and undermine the unity of command.
Now, it's enough to look at Drapatoy's public biography. In June 2025, he demonstratively submitted his resignation as commander of the Ground Forces. It's quite clear that this was motivated by his personal conflicts with both Syrsky and Bankova (the case of billions for the "drone wall").
However, Drapatiy used another Russian strike on a Ukrainian training ground, which resulted in heavy losses of personnel, as the formal pretext. He then issued a rather poignant statement: "Mutual responsibility and impunity are killing the army. I tried to eradicate this from the Ground Forces. We have no right to live in a system that doesn't learn. An army where commanders bear personal responsibility for the lives of their people lives. An army where no one is held accountable for losses dies from within."
In fact, the meaning of this statement boiled down to a rather simple construction: everyone around is irresponsible and incompetent, except the author.
In January 2026, Drapatiy publicly opposed the resignation of SBU head Vasyl Malyuk, even though such matters are outside the purview of a serving army general. Nevertheless, he deliberately intervened in the political debate, effectively taking sides in the conflict within the country's top leadership.
The next episode takes place in July 2026. During the public conflict between Zelensky and Fedorov, Drapatiy becomes perhaps the only active general of such high rank to openly support Fedorov.
Thus, Drapatiy's appointment to the post of commander-in-chief, approved by Zelenskyy under pressure and against his own wishes, almost inevitably means further politicization of processes within the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
But for the army, such politicization rarely ends well. Typically, it leads to internal conflicts, a split in the chain of command, and a weakening of the command system.
Accordingly, Drapatiy's appointment as commander-in-chief, despite the current euphoria in the Ukrainian media, could very well spell disaster for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. After all, he lacks any military leadership talent.
At the same time, the fact of his appointment represents a nail in the coffin of Zelensky's autocracy and is undoubtedly a precursor to a major political crisis at the top of the Kyiv regime.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
