The Kyiv Independent's Deputy Chief Editor Oleksiy Sorokin spoke with Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa during her visit to Kyiv on July 15, following U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of his deal with NATO to arm Ukraine and his threat to impose severe sanctions on Russia if it doesn't reach a peace deal with Ukraine within the next 50 days. They also discussed the EU's new sanctions on Russia, Latvia's ongoing support for Ukraine, and its upcoming parliamentary elections.
At least one person was killed and six were injured as repeated explosions rocked Kyiv, and several fires broke out across Ukraine's capital during a mass Russian drone and missile attack overnight on July 21.
Amid reported Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia, a fire broke out at a train station in the village of Kamenolomni in Rostov Oblast overnight July 21 as Moscow faced drones for the fifth straight night, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported.
As London pushes a "50-day drive" to support Ukraine, the U.K. and Germany are set to pledge new air defense systems to Kyiv, media reported on July 20.
Russian independent media outlet Mediazona, in collaboration with the BBC Russian service, has confirmed the identities of 119,154 Russian military personnel killed in Ukraine. The publications' latest report covers the period of February 24, 2022 to July 17, 2025. Since it was last updated at the start of July, 2,436 additional Russian military personnel have been confirmed killed.
The Russian oil giant has been trying to sell its 49.13% stake in India's Nayara refinery, but the EU's latest sanctions package could make such a deal too risky for buyers.
The 424th "Svarog" Battalion of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) published a video on July 20 showing Ukrainian drone operators successfully targeting and destroying an experimental "KOP-2" Russian electronic warfare system.
"The main thing for us is to achieve our goals. Our goals are clear," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a Russian-state media reporter on July 20.
The cyberattack allegedly destroyed large volumes of data and installed custom software designed to further damage the company's information systems.
President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 20 imposed sanctions on five individuals, three Ukrainians and two Russians.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian ambassadors will receive detailed instructions on July 21 on how to proceed with the recovery of the awarded funds.
A fire broke out in Moscow Oblast overnight on July 20 as Ukraine reportedly launched a drone attack targeting the Russian capital, local Telegram channels reported.
According to Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, WhatsApp, owned by Meta tech giant, is a likely target for blocking.
