GUR: Russia is sending African and Arab mercenaries to lead the assaults

On 18 July, demonstrations in support of former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov continued in Kyiv and a number of other cities across Ukraine. Participants are calling for a review of the decision to dismiss him, whilst demands for the resignation of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi are also being voiced during the rallies.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is considering replacing the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, but does not intend to make any personnel decisions until he has identified a candidate who can lead the army without jeopardising the command of the troops

On 17 July, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of the Russian Federation. This was in response to cyber-attacks which the French authorities link to the activities of the Russian security services

An amendment to the defence bill has been tabled in the US Senate, which would impose new restrictions on Russia should the peace process with Ukraine break down. It was tabled by Republican Senator Steve Daines

The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has made further aggressive statements regarding Western countries that support Ukraine. In a post on social media, he called on Russia to take military action against those states supplying Kyiv with weapons and other military aid

A passenger train has been damaged in the Zaporizhzhia region following an attack by a Russian drone. The passengers, the locomotive crew and the train crew were evacuated before the strike. According to preliminary reports, there were no casualties

On the night of 18 July, the Ukrainian Defence Forces carried out strikes on a number of military and logistical targets on Russian territory and in the temporarily occupied Crimea. The targets included an oil depot in the Moscow region, ships and support vessels of the Russian navy, and a railway bridge in the Luhansk region.

An amendment to the defence bill has been tabled in the US Senate, which would impose new restrictions on Russia should the peace process with Ukraine break down. It was tabled by Republican Senator Steve Daines

The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has made further aggressive statements regarding Western countries that support Ukraine. In a post on social media, he called on Russia to take military action against those states supplying Kyiv with weapons and other military aid

Iran has carried out missile and drone attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait, prompting both countries to activate their air raid sirens and air defence systems. Incidents have also been reported in Qatar and Jordan amid the further escalation of the conflict.