The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell sits down with Rob Lee, former U.S. marine infantry officer and senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Eurasia Program. They discuss the evolving battlefield realities as Russia’s war on Ukraine enters its 4th year and why peace negotiations are unlikely to bring results any time soon.
"It is a great honor and at the same time an extraordinary responsibility for me to lead the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a difficult time for our country," Hennadii Shapovalov said in a statement.
"In the morning, after briefings from military and interior officials, I met with the foreign minister and our (Presidential) Office team. We finalized the long process of selecting ambassadorial candidates," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram.
The body of 61-year-old Ihor Hrushevskyi, a former senior officer in Ukraine's Department for Combating Organized Crime, was discovered floating face down in the swimming pool of the Cala Alta residential complex in Villajoyosa.
"This is the largest such plant in the world and the most secret," Timur Shagivaliev, CEO of the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, said.
At least one person was killed and eight 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.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched 450 aerial threats overnight, including 426 Shahed drones and various types of missiles, including Kinzhal, Kalibr, and Kh-101.
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.
