Ukraine increases defense spending by almost $12 billion in 2024

The Netherlands and 40 other OSCE member states have formally called for an independent investigation into the torture and mistreatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp announced July 24.

Yaroslav Rushchyshyn, a Ukrainian member of parliament, entrepreneur, and cultural figure, died following a motorcycle accident, his family confirmed to local media outlet Tvoye Misto on July 25.

The U.S. State Department has approved two proposed military sales to Ukraine, valued at a combined $330 million, to bolster the country's artillery and air defense systems, the agency announced on July 24.

Starlink experienced a global outage on July 24, with the cause still unknown. Ukraine's military confirmed the disruption affected connectivity along the front lines.

"If we try to establish a ceasefire without building up our future defenses, the war will drag on for many more years," former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said.

The systems, deployed near the Russian town of Kingisepp — roughly 20 kilometers (around 12 miles) from Estonia's eastern border — are designed to jam communications, disrupt radar systems, and assert control over the electromagnetic spectrum.

"China has an influence on Russia, like the European Union has an influence on Ukraine," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

The bill follows Zelensky's decision on July 22 to sign a bill that effectively destroyed the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO).

Lindsey urged Kyiv to reconsider the law as "one of the most widely used talking points for ending support for Ukraine is that it was awash with corruption."

Ukraine's National Bank held its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 15.5% while revising down economic projections, citing war-related damage and weaker harvests, the bank said on July 24.

Manufactured in January 1976, the An-24 had reached the end of its planned service life but continued flying after its airworthiness certificate was renewed, the Moscow Times reported.

Some people were trapped beneath the rubble of the multi-story building, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Vadym Filashkin said the situation in the region is growing more difficult by the day as Russian forces intensify their offensive.