Civilians remaining in the city often choose to stay because they don't have relatives in other regions of Ukraine or abroad that they can stay with, Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov said on July 25. Some also have elderly or bedridden relatives that need help. 80% of the city's residents are left without work and live on savings, upon Fedorov's estimation.
There is an agreement in place with the EU to maintain Kyiv's progress despite Budapest's veto, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Taras Kachka said.
The proposal, described by one source as "legally creative," would allow Brussels to provide critical financial support to Ukraine without technically seizing the Russian capital—an act that would be fraught with legal risk.
"Russian military personnel know exactly where their drones are headed and how long they can stay in the air," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, commenting on the attacks. "The routes are always calculated. This cannot be an accident, a mistake, or the initiative of some lower-level commanders."
Zelensky remarks come days after Russian drones violated Polish airspace and were shot down in what marked the first known instance of NATO forces directly engaging Russian aerial assets during the full-scale invasion.
Preliminary assessments indicate that key infrastructure at a major oil refinery in Russia’s Bashkortostan region— including a vacuum column essential for primary oil processing—suffered significant damage.
"You need something that's going to flip a switch in the Kremlin's brain," the former U.K. Prime Minister told the Kyiv Independent.
The new guidelines, which are still being ironed out, will include general recommendations such as harsher criteria for Russians coming to the EU.
Russia launched a tirade of attacks killing three people in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, and killing one in Borova, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukrainian authorities reported on Sept. 13.
“NATO’s commitment to win has been far less than 100%, and the purchase of Russian oil, by some, has been shocking,” U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social.
In episode 3 of “Dare to Ukraine: Village,” host Masha Lavrova discovers that village life is about more than chores — it’s about earning the trust of the community.
It is the third time Russian forces have used pipelines as a tactic, which they first adopted during the Battle of Avdiivka. Back in March, around 100 troops passed through a gas pipeline to reach Ukrainian positions in Sudzha, in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
"Eastern Sentry is not just a new initiative – it is a clear signal: NATO’s borders are inviolable, and the security of our citizens remains a priority," Poland's General Staff wrote on X.
Ukrainian air defense downed 137 drones in the north, south, east, and center of Ukraine, according to the Air Force.
The top European diplomat described Russia’s three-step negotiation tactic: demanding what it never had, followed by ultimatums and threats, finished off by the West ready to concede to Moscow’s demands.
