Russian media and officials reported approaching Ukrainian drones across multiple regions overnight on July 17, as Ukraine’s military launched a wider drone attack on the western regions of Russia, including Moscow.

Amy B. Zegart
Russian media and officials reported approaching Ukrainian drones across multiple regions overnight on July 17, as Ukraine’s military launched a wider drone attack on the western regions of Russia, including Moscow.

In an intensified offensive, Ukrainian pilots have dropped multiple 500-pound bombs on a Russian command center located in the town of Tetkino, Kursk region, significantly damaging a sugar factory used by Russian forces. The Ukrainian Air Force's …
Russian first-person-view (FPV) drones initially struck a cargo truck, causing a fire and injuring two civilians. Soon after, as emergency workers were working on site, another Russian drone targeted the scene, injuring three emergency workers, the …
U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed weapons deal for Ukraine caught NATO allies off guard, with European diplomats saying they weren’t consulted ahead of the announcement, Reuters reported on July 16.

Russian forces dropped a 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) aerial bomb on a shopping center in Donetsk Oblast, killing at least two people and injuring 27 others, regional officials reported July 16.

Russia is reportedly canceling planned public events en masse due to fears over Ukrainian drones. Ukrainian attacks have effectively paralyzed Russian plans, with authorities across the country calling off gatherings. While the Kremlin projects …
Moscow needs to urgently raise more money as shrinking oil and gas revenues and a worsening economic outlook continue to strain the federal budget, a senior Russian lawmaker warned on July 16.

The European Union has been unable to green-light its much-anticipated 18th sanctions package against Russia, which promised to deliver a significant blow to the Russian economy. As reported by Radio Svoboda, a meeting of EU foreign ministers in …
Key developments on July 16:
Ukraine and the United States are joining forces to establish a joint facility for the production of specialized chemicals essential for manufacturing ammunition for the Ukrainian military. This facility will operate in the U.S.
According to the …
The Ukrainian 12th Army Corps (12-й армійський корпус) of the Ground Forces is one of the more active army corps formations on the social media, and continues to reveal units…
Russian forces are intensifying their efforts in the Pokrovsk direction, with the cities of Myrnohrad and Pokrovsk now almost encircled by Russian troops. The defense of this critical area hinges on the resources Ukraine can deploy.
"There won't be a …
“Today, I have already signed documents to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine regarding Denys Shmyhal as the new defense minister,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

German-Ukrainian defense technology company Quantum Systems has acquired a 10% stake in Frontline, a Ukrainian defense robotics firm, Quantum Systems announced in a press release on July 16.

The proposed package doubles the current Ukraine Facility budget of 50 billion euros, which was approved in February 2024 and runs through 2027.

In a statement, the local affiliate — known as White Phoenix — praised its “comrades” for the July 10 killing of the colonel. Sources in the counter-terrorism field consider the group’s claim credible, the Guardian reported.

Ukraine’s parliament approved a Hr 412.4 billion ($9.8 billion) increase in defense spending in the first reading, Ukraine’s Finance Ministry announced in a press release on July 16.

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 …