Slovakia may cut aid to Ukrainian refugees over Russian gas transit halt, PM Fico says

Russian schoolchildren are recruited into drone development and other military programs through seemingly harmless video games, state-run competitions, and promises of academic and career advancement.

An SBU officer is suspected of demanding a $300,000 bribe from a person under investigation for allegedly organizing illegal border crossings for military-age men during wartime, NABU said.

The legislation grants the prosecutor general new powers over investigations led by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and cases led by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.

Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council has imposed a moratorium on business inspections by state authorities, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on July 21, calling the move essential for the country's economic security.

The delegation will be led by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov and include representatives from Ukraine's military intelligence, the Foreign Ministry, and the Presidential Office.

The target in Samara was the Novokuybyshevsk Petrochemical Company, a major gas-processing and petrochemical facility that supplies raw materials used in the production of explosives, said Andrii Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.

Russian forces launched 42 Shahed-type attack drones and other drones overnight, primarily from Russia and occupied Crimea, Ukraine's Air Force said. At least 26 drones were shot down, and seven more were lost or suppressed by electronic warfare systems, according to the statement.

Irina Podnosova had headed Russia's chief judiciary body since April 17, 2024, when she was appointed to the post as the only candidate, being nominated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The meeting will be the pope’s first audience with the senior Russian cleric, who represented Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, at Pope Francis's funeral.

Russian forces launched a drone strike on Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast on July 21, injuring 11 people, including a 5-year-old boy, local officials said.

Speaking during the 29th Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he reached the agreement with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a recent trip to Washington.

The number includes 1,090 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

The fund forms part of a broader EU effort to mobilize 800 billion euros ($864 billion) in new defense spending by 2030, driven by the growing threat from Russia and calls from U.S. President Donald Trump for Europe to shoulder more of its own security costs.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on July 21 that French defense companies are eager to establish joint production with Ukrainian counterparts, with a particular focus on drone manufacturing.

Gennady Starunov, a physical education teacher who was named Moscow’s "Teacher of the Year" in 2022, was killed while serving in the Russian military during its invasion of Ukraine, school officials confirmed on July 21.