United 24 Media:
🔷 Poland does not rule out the possibility that Russia could stage provocations using drones disguised as Ukrainian ones.
Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said one possible scenario involves a group of drones bearing Ukrainian markings appearing over Poland or other NATO countries on the alliance’s eastern flank. He noted that the Baltic states, Finland, and Romania could also be targeted.
Kosiniak-Kamysz stressed that Russia has previously used drones for provocations, making continued vigilance essential.
Participants in a meeting of the National Security Committee of the Council of Ministers also discussed other hybrid threats posed by Russia, including GPS jamming, sabotage, cyberattacks, and disinformation campaigns.
🔶 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, together with Yevhenii Khmara and Pavlo Palisa, held talks with all commanders of the Ukrainian Army corps to discuss the front’s priority needs, the defense of border areas, and their vision for Ukraine’s defense strategy.
During the consultations, the participants reviewed existing challenges and identified the key solutions needed to continue the reform of the corps system.
🔷 Russia has launched a second batch of Rassvet satellites, a constellation intended to serve as a domestic alternative to Starlink. There are now up to 40 Rassvet satellites in orbit.
According to Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, a radio technology expert and adviser to the Ukrainian president on defense technology development, Russia would need to deploy at least several hundred satellites before the constellation could be used effectively for military purposes.
“It is worth noting that the satellites have not yet taken their positions within the orbital constellation, although they can do so quickly.
For comparison, SpaceX currently operates more than 15,000 satellites, OneWeb has around 600–700, and Amazon’s Project Kuiper has 400–500 in orbit, with plans to expand the constellation to 4,000,” Beskrestnov said.
🔶 Ukraine has signed an agreement to produce a howitzer developed by the British defense company BAE Systems, a deal that could serve as a model for manufacturing other Western-designed weapons, including Patriot missiles, The Wall Street Journal reports.
According to the report, while Ukraine has independently developed advanced drone and electronic warfare capabilities, it still relies on U.S. and European expertise for other critical systems, including radars, missiles, and satellite technologies.
The agreement is seen as a potential test case for expanding Ukraine’s domestic production of Western weapon systems.
🔷 Ukrainian company SkyFall has unveiled its new P1-SUN JetKiller interceptor designed to destroy Shahed drones, Reuters reports.
The P1-SUN can reach speeds of up to 370 km/h (230 mph) and has already been tested in combat, reportedly downing more than a dozen Shahed drones.
According to Reuters, serial production is set to begin in August, with a planned manufacturing capacity of up to 50,000 interceptors per month.
🔶 Russian oil companies have restored less than half of the refining capacity damaged by Ukrainian drone strikes, according to the Russian newspaper Kommersant.
The publication reports that refineries with a combined annual processing capacity of about 40 million tons have resumed fuel trading after unscheduled repairs. However, facilities with a combined capacity of 45 million tons remain offline for repairs.
Since the beginning of the summer, at least 10 Russian oil refineries have suspended operations following drone strikes, including the Omsk Oil Refinery, Russia’s largest and most modern refining facility.
According to Energy Intelligence, Russia’s oil refining output has dropped to 3.5 million barrels per day, the lowest level in 20 years.
Despite this, a Kommersant industry source said the fuel shortage in Russia is gradually easing.
The source added that more refining capacity has recently come back online than has been taken offline.
At the same time, Russian oil companies are drawing on existing fuel stockpiles, with gasoline reserves falling from 1.7 million to 1.5 million tons.
🔷 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has officially dismissed Oleksandr Syrskyi as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
🔶 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy:
“Together with Mykhailo Drapatyi, Yevhenii Khmara, and Pavlo Palisa, we determined how the structure of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine should be updated.
Oleksandr Syrskyi secured Ukraine’s key achievements in the defense of Kyiv, the Kharkiv counteroffensive, and the Kursk operation. A significant path has been covered, the defense of Ukraine continues, and every soldier deserves to be treated with dignity.
I am grateful to Oleksandr Syrskyi and to every one of our soldiers for maintaining Ukraine’s strong positions on the front line. I also thank Mykhailo Drapatyi for his vision.
Today, together with Oleksandr Syrskyi and Andrii Hnatov, we discussed future service arrangements and the proper transfer of responsibilities.
We all share one goal: victory over the enemy and creating the conditions on the battlefield, and through increased pressure on Russia, that will force it to make peace.
Tomorrow, we will formalize all of the decisions.
Ukraine must emerge from this stronger, and it will become more difficult for Russia.
Glory to Ukraine!”
🔷 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Drapatyi is a combat-tested general who has been fighting against Russia since 2014 and is widely regarded as one of Ukraine’s most respected military commanders.
He took part in the defense of Mariupol in 2014 and the battles in Donbas. During Russia’s full-scale invasion, he led troops in the Kherson counteroffensive and other key sectors of the front.
At the start of the full-scale war, Drapatyi served as Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He later commanded a grouping of forces in southern Ukraine, went on to lead the Ground Forces, and in the summer of 2025 was appointed Commander of the Joint Forces.
🔶 American political activist and blogger Laura Loomer visited Kyiv and shared a photo of herself at a McDonald’s restaurant damaged in a recent Russian attack.
She noted that Russia had launched 40 ballistic missiles at Kyiv three days earlier, striking civilian areas and damaging what she described as Ukraine’s oldest McDonald’s, calling it a symbol of “the human and symbolic cost of Moscow’s war.”
“Ukrainian resilience remains unwavering, and that’s what I noticed on my second day in Ukraine. Despite the constant attacks, the Ukrainian people are determined to continue living their lives.
McDonald’s in Kyiv is not an accidental loss. It’s a deliberate attack on a society striving to live normally and free from communism.
While I never eat fast food, I ordered a cheeseburger, fries, and a Diet Coke to show my support.
There’s nothing better than enjoying a meal amid the aftermath of a Russian missile strike and shattered windows at McDonald’s to truly appreciate what it means to be an American and to rethink my previous attitude toward U.S. support for Ukraine,” Loomer wrote.
🔶 The Armed Forces of Ukraine are deliberately refraining from striking the Crimean Bridge to allow Russian forces and collaborators to leave the peninsula, according to Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces Robert “Madyar” Brovdy.
According to Brovdy, Ukraine is instead focusing on isolating Crimea by targeting logistics, energy, and fuel infrastructure to degrade Russia’s ability to sustain combat operations there.
🔷 The European Union is struggling to reach agreement on its 21st package of economic sanctions against Russia, with divisions among member states threatening the bloc’s unity, the Financial Times reports.
According to the publication, representatives from about half a dozen EU countries have sought exemptions or blocked specific measures to protect major domestic companies or national economic interests.
The main point of contention is imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG). The ban on long-term LNG contracts is set to take effect on January 1, and some member states are reportedly trying to maximize imports before the deadline.
EU ambassadors are scheduled to meet on Wednesday in a final attempt to reach consensus on the new sanctions package before the summer recess.
🔷 Russia continues to kill children and destroy humanitarian infrastructure, Ukraine’s Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said, citing UNICEF data.
According to Lubinets, two children were killed and at least 50 were injured over the past week alone. June recorded the highest monthly child casualty toll since 2022, with seven children killed and 116 injured.
Lubinets also said that a recent Russian attack struck a UNICEF warehouse storing humanitarian aid for Ukrainian children and families affected by the war.
“The aggressor state has once again targeted not only civilian infrastructure but also an international humanitarian mission that saves lives every day.
More than 106,000 humanitarian aid items worth nearly $3.9 million were destroyed, including generators, drinking water, hygiene kits, and other essential supplies.
UNICEF is a long-standing partner of the Ombudsman’s Office, supporting Ukrainian children and families every day.
An attack on a humanitarian aid warehouse is an attack on those who save lives.
I am shocked by yet another cynical crime committed by Russia.
I want to emphasize once again: attacks on humanitarian facilities and humanitarian workers are a gross violation of international humanitarian law.
When those delivering aid to children and civilians come under attack, Russia is targeting not only infrastructure but also the very possibility of saving lives.
Children deserve to grow up without fear, and humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those who need it without obstruction.
Above all, Ukrainian children need peace,” Lubinets said.
🔶 Russian forces once again attacked the Odesa region with strike drones overnight, targeting civilian infrastructure, according to Regional Military Administration head Oleh Kiper.
“In one of the settlements, an enemy drone struck a two-story apartment building. Unfortunately, a woman was killed.
In another settlement, the roof of a private home collapsed as a result of a drone strike. No casualties were reported.
The attack also damaged a tobacco warehouse and a main gas pipeline, causing a gas leak. A fire broke out at the scene, and emergency crews are continuing to extinguish it,” Kiper said.
🔷 Oleksandr Syrskyi commented on his resignation as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, saying he is handing over “an army that is not only on the defensive, but also on the offensive.”
“This year, 700 square kilometers of our land have been liberated under my command. The army that was fighting a difficult defensive campaign two years ago is now on the offensive.
I am handing over to my successor an army that is not only on the defensive, but also on the offensive—with initiative, with structure, and with people who know how to defeat the enemy. I sincerely hope this offensive will continue. Everything is in place for that,” Syrskyi said.
He also reflected on several key operations, including the defense of Kyiv and Kharkiv in 2022, the liberation of Balakliia, Izium, and Kupiansk, the defeat of Wagner Group forces in the Donetsk region, and the Kursk operation.
“I want this to be stated clearly: our goal was never to occupy foreign territory. Our objective was to disrupt the enemy’s planned offensive against the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, draw away its most combat-capable forces, and expand the pool of prisoners for exchanges to bring our people home from captivity. We achieved all of these goals,” he said.
Syrskyi also highlighted military reforms carried out during his tenure, including the creation of the Unmanned Systems Forces and a new air defense structure.
“We established a separate command for unmanned air defense systems, formed regular drone interceptor units, and built a layered air defense system to protect the rear. What recently began as an initiative by enthusiasts is now intercepting targets every night that were once considered untouchable.
We closed the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, are systematically destroying the enemy’s shadow fleet, transitioned the army to a corps structure, brought combat officers into headquarters, and made frontline experience the key path to leadership positions,” Syrskyi said.
🔶 Ukrainian forces launched a new wave of long-range strikes against key targets in Russia's Krasnodar and Stavropol regions, destroying logistics hubs that supply the Russian military with drone components and navigation gear. The overnight operation also hit an oil depot and targeted Russia’s shadow fleet, striking a tanker and four dry cargo ships across the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.
🔷 Kazakhstan has suspended oil exports through the Black Sea following Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian tankers, Bloomberg reports.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal near Novorossiysk has stopped accepting oil, as shipowners are reluctant to send tankers to the area after the recent attacks.
If operations do not resume by the end of the week, Kazakhstan may be forced to cut oil production. The CPC handles about 80% of the country’s oil exports, including shipments from projects operated by Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell.
If the terminal remains closed, Kazakhstan will likely have to reduce output, potentially tightening global oil supplies and putting upward pressure on prices.