Trump named the condition for meeting with Putin

Mykhailo Drapatiy, whom President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is on the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs’ wanted list. However, Russia added the Ukrainian general to the list back in September 2023, rather than following the announcement of personnel changes within the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Volodymyr Horbatyuk, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is being touted as a possible successor to Andriy Gnativ. However, as of the time of publication, no official appointment has been made.

A Ukrainian F-16 has shot down a Russian fighter jet in an air-to-air engagement for the first time. General Dan Kane, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced this aerial victory for Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered Mykhailo Fedorov a position in the government in the field of technology. The former defence minister reportedly turned down the offer, as he believes it is impossible to implement his defence strategy without the powers of the Ministry of Defence.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Mykhailo Drapaty as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He will replace Oleksandr Syrskyi once the personnel decisions have been formally finalised.

Russian oil companies have managed to bring back into operation less than half of the capacity of the oil refineries that were damaged as a result of drone attacks. Some of the larger facilities remain shut down.

During hearings in the US Senate, Defence Minister Pete Hagseth failed to provide clear answers regarding the duration of the war with Iran, its ultimate objective and its cost. At the same time, Donald Trump’s administration is asking Congress to approve tens of billions of dollars in additional funding.

The Central Bank of Russia has been reducing its gold reserves for the sixth month running. In the first half of 2026, the reserves fell by 43.5 tonnes, marking the largest decline in at least the last 25 years.

The US Armed Forces have continued a series of air strikes on Iranian territory, which have now been ongoing for the eleventh consecutive night. US Central Command has stated that military targets have been struck, whilst Iran has reported new attacks on US bases in the region.

On the night of 22 July, Ukrainian drones attacked Wildberries’ logistics centres in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk in the Stavropol Krai.