Live:Ukraine
❗️Russia planned the assassination of Serhii Filimonov, commander of the 108th separate battalion “Da Vinci Wolves”. Ukrainian law enforcement thwarted the plot
According to the investigation, the attempted assassination was orchestrated by Russia’s FSB. Russian intelligence is now using a new tactic — false-flag agent operations. FSB officers pose as members of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), issuing tasks supposedly in Ukraine’s interest.
They deceived a former ATO participant from Kamianske. Investigators established that a female FSB operative called the man, pretending to be an SBU officer. She accused him of “treason” over a purchase from an online store allegedly funding the Russian army.
To increase pressure, the FSB sent him a fake SBU summons and offered to “cooperate” in exchange for closing the case. In Kyiv, the man was instructed to rent an apartment near the military commander and monitor Serhii Filimonov’s vehicle. He was falsely presented as a “traitor” allegedly linked to strikes on Kyiv. The recruited agent sent photos and reports on Filimonov’s movements. Eventually, he received coordinates of a weapons cache and an order to carry out the assassination.
🔹 Russia killed 22 people over the past day, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported.
At least 85 others were injured. A total of 73 Ukrainian towns and villages came under Russian attack.
One of the strikes targeted a city hospital in Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk region. Three deaths have already been confirmed, including a pregnant woman who was 23 years old.
🔸 Today marks the third anniversary of the Olenivka prison massacre. The UN has still not recognized it as a deliberate operation by Russia, and the prison remains operational.
On the night of July 29, 2022, an explosion occurred in Barracks 200 of Volnovakha Penal Colony No. 120, where Ukrainian prisoners of war were being held. The exact number of deaths remains unknown, but around a hundred were injured, 49 of them severely.
Following the attack, international media reported that Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for the incident. Moscow, which was granted immediate access to the site, claimed that Ukrainian forces had struck the facility with HIMARS rocket systems. Ukraine, however, was denied direct access to the scene.
Three years on, the United Nations has not formally acknowledged the explosion as a carefully planned Russian operation. Colony No. 120 remains in use and continues to receive Ukrainian prisoners of war.
🔹 Mobile internet has been unavailable in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk Krai for four days, with authorities citing “heightened security measures” as the reason.
Regional governor Mikhail Kotyukov stated that the restrictions are temporary and have been introduced due to “the need to strengthen security measures in specific areas, based on intelligence about the current operational situation and to prevent network-related threats.”
🔸 "Work or fight" — German politicians call to end benefits for draft-age Ukrainian men
Politicians from the Christian Social Union (CSU) are pushing to cut social benefits for over 150,000 Ukrainian men of military age currently residing in Germany. According to their estimates, this group costs the German budget about €1.3 billion annually.
"If nearly 151,000 Ukrainians of conscription age are receiving support here, something is clearly wrong. They should either be working in Germany or serving in Ukraine," said CSU foreign policy spokesman Stefan Mayer.
Since the start of the war, more than 300,000 Ukrainian draft-age men have arrived in Germany. As of 2025, half of them were registered as recipients of basic social assistance — €882 per month, including housing and essential needs.
🔹 Putin’s security now carries drone interceptors
The Russian leader’s bodyguards are now forced to haul not only dozens of kilos of body armor hidden under bulky jackets, but also FPV drone interceptors — just in case a “little bird” flies too close.
These devices jam or hijack the signal of drones, which are increasingly being used not just on the front lines, but deep inside Russia as well.
🇧🇮🇬🇳🇹🇩 Ambassadors from Burundi, Guinea, and Chad have visited Russian-occupied Crimea — Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the move as a flagrant violation of international law.
The MFA emphasized that Russia is using foreign diplomats to spread propaganda and create the illusion of “recognition” of its illegal occupation of the Ukrainian peninsula.
▪️Previously, Burundi voted against a UN General Assembly resolution on human rights in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
🔸 The EU plans to modernize infrastructure to rapidly deploy troops in case of war with Russia.
In an interview with Financial Times, EU Commissioner for Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas said that if NATO tanks are rushed to respond to Russian aggression via the bloc’s eastern border, they could get stuck in tunnels, collapse bridges, or “bog down in border bureaucracy.”
The goal is not only to reduce red tape but also to invest €17 billion into upgrading the continent’s infrastructure. Most EU roads were never built to carry military transport. While trucks in Europe typically weigh up to 40 tonnes, a tank can weigh up to 70.
Brussels is developing a strategy to move forces within “hours, or at most, days” in case of an attack. The plan involves upgrading 500 key sites along four military corridors crossing the continent. The specific projects are being kept secret for security reasons.
🇪🇺 The European Commission has reiterated that restoring the powers of NABU and SAPO is crucial to Ukraine’s anti-corruption architecture ahead of a key parliamentary vote.
In a conversation with President Zelensky on July 28, Ursula von der Leyen delivered a clear message: Ukraine must continue strengthening its solid foundations as a future EU member state and preserve the independence of its anti-corruption institutions, which are cornerstones of the rule of law.
🔹 🇷🇸 The Serbian oil company NIS (Naftna Industrija Srbije) has once again received a temporary exemption from U.S. sanctions against Gazprom, according to a statement from the company’s press service.
NIS noted that this is already the fifth special license granted by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, postponing the imposition of sanctions due to the company’s ties to the sanctioned Russian energy giant Gazprom.
The Russian state-owned company Gazprom Neft, along with its parent company Gazprom, has held a 56.15% stake in NIS since 2008. In February, Gazprom Neft reduced its share in NIS to 44.85%.
🇵🇱 Donald Tusk: 32 individuals suspected of collaborating with Russian intelligence services have been detained in Poland.
According to the Polish Prime Minister, the criminal network includes citizens of Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Colombia. Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) reports that acts of sabotage were carried out or planned under the direction of Russian intelligence operatives. One suspect has already been convicted, while the others remain in custody awaiting trial.
🔸 Russian intelligence services have launched a fake story claiming a secret meeting in the Alps between Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak, and UK ambassador Valerii Zaluzhnyi to allegedly plan Zelensky’s replacement, Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (HUR) reports.
“This lie, hastily fabricated by Sergei Naryshkin and branded by the Foreign Intelligence Service of the aggressor state, aims to stir up public tension in Ukraine, sow distrust within the country’s military-political leadership, shift attention from the war to elections, provoke internal conflict, and undermine our state’s ability to resist Russian occupation,” the statement reads.
❗️Russia has launched a missile strike on a training unit of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. As of 9:30 p.m., three servicemen have been confirmed dead and 18 wounded.
Russian sources had earlier published an image of the Iskander missile strike on the Chernihiv region.
🔹 An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 struck near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula overnight.
It is the sixth strongest quake ever recorded and the most powerful since the 2011 earthquake off the northeastern coast of Japan, which triggered a devastating tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Tsunami warnings are now in effect across several Pacific countries. Evacuations have been ordered along Japan’s Pacific coast and in coastal areas of Hawaii.
The worst-hit regions are Russia’s Kamchatka and Sakhalin. Local officials reported waves up to 3–4 meters high and flooding in coastal areas. Several buildings have been damaged.
🔸 The U.S. State Department stated that the Kremlin has misinterpreted Trump’s patience, but “the time for misinterpretations is over.”
“Clearly, President Trump has shown that he must be taken seriously because he is a serious person, and we are seeing the results of that all over the world,” said department spokesperson Bruce.