The grain corridor — a Black Sea shipping route that handles 90% of Ukraine’s agricultural exports — has not been officially closed, but it is under enormous strain as Russia steps up missile attacks on Odesa Oblast, Oleh Khomenko, CEO of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UCAB), told the Kyiv Independent on July 24.
In this report, the Kyiv Independent's Dominic Culverwell and Nick Allard travel to Ukraine's agricultural heartland, documenting how two brothers survived Russian occupation, rebuilt their farm from scratch, and continue to harvest under the increasing threat of Russian FPV drones.
In the city of Volgograd, the Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka refinery, one of Russia's largest oil refineries, with an annual crude oil processing capacity of 15 million metric tons, was targeted.
"It was a provocation, an intention, an alliance test. In this case, the next weeks will probably give us more answers," Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk said.
Russian forces launched another large-scale aerial attack on Ukraine, deploying 255 Shahed-type attack drones overnight on July 31, the Air Force said.
Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called for Russia's war against Ukraine to be frozen and urged a return to peace negotiations based on a revised version of the Istanbul talks.
Russia launched dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as hundreds of drones, towards Ukraine in the early hours of July 30 in yet another large-scale attack. Damage was reported in various cities, including Kyiv and Lviv, just hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing another large-scale attack.
The Kyiv Independent’s Business Desk covers the biggest news in business, economics, and tech from Ukraine, as well as global developments that shape the economy of the region.
The 225th Assault Regiment — which had fought as a battalion in Chasiv Yar before helping lead the lightning incursion into Kursk Oblast in 2024 — is one of the largest units of the Ukrainian military, having been expanded to at least 15 battalions.
