Germany has called on Hungary to reconsider blocking EU sanctions against Russia

The new British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has backed the decision to allow the United States to use British military bases for targeted strikes against Iran, which London describes as defensive. This approach continues the policy of the previous government.

Ukraine is considering the possibility of recruiting foreign workers due to an acute labour shortage, but they must not compete with Ukrainians for jobs. A proposal has been put forward in the Verkhovna Rada to allow the employment of foreign nationals only in those sectors where vacancies cannot be filled by domestic workers.

The Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, is prepared to continue peace talks only once the Russian Federation has seized the whole of Donbas. The Russian Ministry of Defence is assuring him that this can be achieved by 2026, but rank-and-file soldiers disagree.

Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas has stated that, as the war against Ukraine has not yielded the expected results, the Kremlin may seek a further escalation. According to him, Russia may regard the Baltic states and Poland as its next potential targets.

Major General Ihor Skybyuk is to become the new Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The personnel decisions regarding the reshuffle of the military leadership are due to be formalised on 22 July.

Ukrainian radio stations and television channels, whose frequencies have been temporarily reallocated for defence and security purposes, will be able to switch to new broadcast channels. For some listeners and viewers, this may mean having to retune their radio or T2 television set.

Ukraine may begin a gradual increase in gas and electricity tariffs for households as early as 2027. This scenario is set out in the updated Memorandum on Economic and Financial Policies, which the Ukrainian authorities have agreed with the IMF. However, no final decision has yet been made – the document itself does not imply an automatic increase in tariffs.

In the first six months of 2026, 73,292 children were born in Ukraine, whilst 259,853 people died. The death rate is therefore almost four times higher than the birth rate.

Large-scale testing of fifth-generation mobile networks has begun in Kyiv. Owners of compatible smartphones can use 5G, although coverage depends on the network operator and the specific area of the city.

The Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) has announced that it is seeking a communications expert. The vacancy has been advertised as part of an international technical assistance project aimed at strengthening the capacity of anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian company DEVIRO has unveiled a new ‘Palytsia’ aircraft-type strike drone, which is set to become a more affordable and mass-produced addition to the already well-known ‘Bulava’ strike system.

The Pentagon has announced that the third service member believed to have been killed in the Iranian attack on a US base in Jordan is Sergeant Angel S. Rampersad. The total number of US military personnel killed since the start of the war has risen to 18.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has set a number of tasks for the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykhailo Drapaty.

On 21 and 22 July, the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ unmanned systems unit struck a further 13 vessels belonging to the Russian shadow fleet in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. There are also reports of further strikes on energy infrastructure in the temporarily occupied territories

The Ukrainian Magura unmanned surface vessels, which have become a symbol of the defeat of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, are to be manufactured in the US for the first time. The American company ReconCraft has signed an agreement with the Ukrainian firm Uforce to jointly manufacture unmanned boats that have already proven their effectiveness in real combat conditions.