Exclusives
 |
Crimea’s political prisoners lost their lifeline—because keeping it open would have put more people in prison. The Crimean Solidarity movement backed families of the detained in the occupied peninsula, arranged legal defense, and circulated information that fell outside the official Russian narrative. |
 |
Some Ukrainian bomber drones aren’t carrying bombs anymore. They’re carrying robots.. Roads can be treacherous for Ukraine’s explosive unmanned ground vehicles. So heavy bomber drones are now airlifting them into action. |
 |
Ukraine shut a quarter of Russia’s grain exports—the world’s wheat money now flows to Russia’s competitors. Ukraine’s Azov campaign built a paradox: the world pays more for wheat because Russia cannot ship it—and the windfall flows to Russia’s competitors. |
 |
Russia offers farmers boiler fuel for tractors—Ukraine’s strikes wiped out clean diesel. Russia’s Agriculture Ministry is offering farms fuel 90 times dirtier than the diesel they bought last year—fuel that halves an engine’s life. |
 |
Ukraine’s army chief broke his silence—an apology, a warning on soldiers’ pay, and one small number. The army chief apologized to Fedorov—and revealed only 2,000 soldiers signed the new contracts. |
Military
Machines over men: Ukraine’s new military leadership adopted fired minister’s program. Acting Defense Minister Khmara, after meeting new army chief Drapatyi, says Ukraine will scale deep strikes and middle strikes to press Russia and save soldiers.
Ukraine’s dismissed army chief departs with claim: he’s handing his successor army on offensive, with 700 km² liberated this year. “I said it before, and I repeat it today: my work is war. Posts change, but this principle does not. In whatever status I am, I will serve Ukraine until Victory,” he said.
Intelligence and technology
Deputy commander-in-chief says Ukraine’s new laser can already kill FPVs. Ukraine could field laser air defense in two to three months, says Deputy Commander-in-Chief Andrii Lebedenko.
“We will answer their answer”: Ukraine tests EW against jet Shaheds’ MESH control. Ukraine is testing new electronic warfare against jet-powered Shaheds’ MESH-network control channels, presidential adviser Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov said after a day at a test range.
International
Zelenskyy meets with NATO’s US ambassador and general running Ukraine aid amid Patriot production plans. Zelenskyy met US NATO envoy Whitaker and NSATU commander Buzzard to push for more Patriot interceptors through PURL and to advance the Patriot license and a US-Ukraine Drone Deal.
“First time”: Ukrainian troops joined Belgium’s National Day parade in Brussels. Ukrainian soldiers marched at the head of the foreign units in Brussels on 21 July.
Political and legal developments
Zelenskyy fires both army chief and defense minister. Poll taken mid-protest shows Ukrainians only wanted one of them gone. A Rating Group poll taken during the protests found Ukrainians opposed the defense minister’s firing 14 to 1, while backing the army chief’s removal by a narrower margin.
From “flying BMP” to commander-in-chief: Ukraine’s new army leader stopped Russia at Kryvyi Rih and held Vovchansk. Mykhailo Drapatyi, who once rammed a BMP through a militant barricade in Mariupol and later resigned over strikes on training centers, accepted command of Ukraine’s army.
Bomb-maker working for Russia’s military intelligence in Zaporizhzhia loses his freedom for 15 years. The court convicted him of high treason committed under martial law, the article of Ukraine’s Criminal Code reserved for wartime collaboration with the enemy.
Former Ukraine’s commander has words for Ukraine’s new army chief: It will be “much harder than he imagines”. But, he continued, “Mykhailo will certainly never be ashamed.”
New developments
Russia’s answer to Amazon has a new problem, and it is not delivery times—two more warehouses ablaze. Fires broke out at the company’s Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk hubs overnight, days after two more of its warehouses burned near Moscow.
Read our earlier daily review here.
About the Author
