It has been a long week, I’m fried, so I’m just going to run through the basics tonight.
I noted in yesterday’s update that President Zelenskky had gone into crisis response mode from the fallout for the law he, his party, and other parliamentary allies pushed through on Tuesday that neutered Ukraine’s independent anti-corruption agencies. Today, he reversed course.
Thousands took to the streets — during wartime — to defend Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions,thus defending the country’s aspirations to join the EU. Now, a new draft law is on the table.But the first one was signed. That choice was made.And the silence expected from a nation at war never came.
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Everything you need to know of how Ukrainians value and treat our democratic reforms. It’s the third day of protests against the law that weakened Ukraine’s anticorruption bodies. The president submitted a bill to fix the mistake. People demand to have it adopted now!
— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Ukrainian poet Franko, author of the poem “Eternal Revolutionary”, watching over this as a monument just kind of makes me extremely sentimental
— Mira of Kyiv 🇺🇦 (@reshetz.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 5:22 PM
From The Kyiv Independent:
President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted on July 24 a new draft law aimed at restoring the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions.
The move follows Zelensky’s decision on July 22 to sign a different bill that effectively destroyed the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
The controversial bill, which also undermined Ukraine’s aspirations to join the European Union, triggered large-scale protests all over Ukraine, forcing the authorities to roll back.
In a statement following its review of the new draft law, NABU said the legislation would “restore all procedural powers and guarantees of independence” for both NABU and SAPO.
Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC), a watchdog, also supported the initiative, saying it would “restore the principles previously dismantled by the Verkhovna Rada.”
“This is the result of exceptionally incredible Ukrainians who have shown the authorities in recent days that they will not allow their European future to be destroyed,” the statement reads.
“However, even one week of delay can be enough to destroy a bunch of NABU and SAPO proceedings against top corrupt officials.”
Parliamentary Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said the draft will be reviewed at the next plenary session, though the Verkhovna Rada is officially in recess until the end of August.
Stefanchuk said that the law could be considered “much earlier than in a month.”
The July 22 controversial law was passed and signed under the pretext of ridding anti-corruption agencies of Russian influence.
Zelensky claimed on July 24 that his new bill is intended to safeguard the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions and protect the legal system from Russian influence or interference. He described the draft as “balanced,” but did not provide further details.
“The most important thing is real tools, no Russian connections, and the independence of NABU and SAPO. The bill will be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine today,” Zelensky said.
In a Telegram post, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak noted that under the proposed bill, all employees of six law enforcement agencies, including NABU and SAPO, with access to state secrets would be required to undergo a polygraph test every two years.
The tests would be conducted by internal control units using a methodology approved by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
Earlier in the day, a cross-party group of 48 lawmakers submitted another bill to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, aimed at restoring the independence of the NABU and SAPO.
“Tomorrow (the bill) can be voted on,” Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, head of the parliamentary committee on freedom of speech, wrote on Facebook. “Your move, Mr. President.”
On July 22, the Ukrainian parliament approved amendments that grant the prosecutor general new powers over cases led by the NABU and SAPO.
Zelensky later that day signed the bill into law, effectively destroying the independence of Ukraine’s two key anti-corruption institutions, opposition lawmakers and watchdogs say.
The new law signed by Zelensky allows the prosecutor general to issue binding instructions to NABU, reassign cases outside the agency, and delegate SAPO’s authority to other prosecutors. Critics say the changes dismantle safeguards that protect both bodies from political interference.
Among other new powers, the prosecutor general could also close NABU’s investigations at the legal defense’s request.
On July 23-24, protestors gathered in major cities across the country, including Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, and Odesa, with growing calls urging the government to amend current laws.
Ukrainians who spoke to the Kyiv Independent sounded a code red for the country’s democracy, saying the move marked the “point of no return.”
Zelensky claimed that the purpose of the law dismantling Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure was to curtail Russian influence.
However, the law passed and signed on July 22 does not have anything to do with Russian influence. Its clauses deprive anti-corruption agencies of their independence, and there is nothing in the law that targets Russian agents in or outside the agencies.
“The clause that the prosecutor general can take cases away from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) is unlikely to have an impact on (Russian agents),” Kateryna Butko, head of the anti-corruption watchdog AutoMaidan, told the Kyiv Independent.
More at the link.
Many of us, myself included, support the President, regardless of his name, because we’re at war, and chaos risks our independence, as in the early 20th century. But when large parts of Ukrainian society oppose certain laws, don’t lecture Ukrainians, if you care about Ukraine, not just President
— Tatarigami (@tatarigami.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 11:18 PM
As an asterisk note — if you see calls to overthrow the government or claims that people are opposing the resistance against Moscow, feel free to lecture. You’re likely looking at a Russian provocateur
— Tatarigami (@tatarigami.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today, which, of course, was about the reversal regarding the independence of the anti-corruption agencies. Video below, English transcript after the jump.
I Instructed Government Officials to Present the Bill to Our Partners and to Engage All Necessary Expert Capabilities – Address by the President
24 July 2025 – 21:24
I wish you good health, fellow Ukrainians!
I have just approved the new appointments of Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Ministers. The Ministry of Defense team has launched a phase of very active changes – in just one week, additional contracts have already been signed for drones. This is very important. An audit of existing agreements with our partners is also underway – we have hundreds of agreements, which all must be implemented and all must be fulfilled. Together with the Minister of Defense of Ukraine and the Office team, we discussed the issue of funding our defense, our warriors – we are ensuring resilience. Also today, the Minister of Defense delivered a report together with the Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine. The details are not public, but we will take some steps – strong steps. I spoke with the Commander-in-Chief this morning, and again just now. Updates on the frontline, on our positions, on our activity. Pokrovsk remains under our close daily attention. I want to thank every unit defending this direction – the most difficult one at the moment.
There was also a report from Ukraine’s negotiation team following their return from Türkiye. I am very grateful to our guys for this work. Agreements have been reached regarding future exchanges – I truly hope we will succeed in bringing more of our warriors home from captivity. The agreement is that 1,200 warriors will return. We also remember about civilians – all those who must be brought back home to Ukraine. I thank everyone who is helping us. Our representatives who were in Türkiye at a meeting with the Russians once again proposed a real ceasefire to the Russian side: immediate and complete. They proposed a meeting of leaders to truly reach decisions for peace. Ukraine is ready to work as swiftly and productively as possible. And we are seeing Russia’s responses – again, the same ones. Kharkiv: more than 40 people were injured in a strike on the city. Odesa: Russian drones damaged the Pryvoz market, residential buildings, and streets. Nikopol and other cities and villages in the Dnipro region – FPV drones strike our civilians. Kherson region – air-dropped bombs. Mykolaiv region, Zaporizhzhia – strikes throughout the day. Of course, we will respond to Russia for all of this.
We also continue working with our partners on sanctions against Russia. Today I spoke with European leaders – UK Prime Minister Starmer and German Chancellor Merz. I want to thank them for their support. I am grateful for their willingness to continue assisting with diplomatic efforts – we discussed engagements with the United States and our other partners. I also greatly value Germany’s support on the European track.
Today, my bill is already in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine – fulfilling my promise – for justice, for law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies. Full-fledged guarantees of the independence of anti-corruption agencies. Real opportunities to verify, so that any Russian interference is kept out. Everyone who has access to state secrets – and this includes not only the NABU and SAPO, but also the SBI, our National Police – must undergo lie detector tests. And these must be regular checks. The bill also contains provisions to prevent various abuses. The text of the bill was discussed with partners, law enforcement agencies, and representatives of the NABU and SAPO. There were many proposals from our partners to involve European experts – from the UK, Germany, and the EU. I instructed our Government officials to present the bill to all our partners and to engage all necessary expert capabilities. And of course, it is important that Ukrainians are responding with such dignity to everything that’s happening. Ukraine is a country of people who don’t look away. I thank everyone who is fighting for our state, who is working for Ukraine. Thank you! Thank you!
Glory to Ukraine!
First Lady Zelenska participated in the European Child Guarantee. Preparing for Action in Ukraine forum.
Olena Zelenska: We Must Give Children a Decent Childhood Despite Russian Aggression
24 July 2025 – 19:30
The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, took part in the forum “European Child Guarantee. Preparing for Action in Ukraine.” The event also brought together representatives of the Government, local communities, international partners, and civil society.
The European Child Guarantee (ECG) is an EU initiative aimed at combating child poverty and social exclusion. As a candidate country for EU accession, Ukraine has expressed its intention to join the initiative.
“When people in Europe say ‘a child’s life,’ they mean well-being, opportunities, growth. In Ukraine today, we mean physical survival. When they say ‘the future’ in Europe, it means a perspective for years. We sometimes narrow the meaning of this phrase to ‘surviving until tomorrow.’ This is the reality that Russia’s invasion has created. And children are its most vulnerable hostages.,” the First Lady noted.
Olena Zelenska stressed that currently 44% of Ukrainian children show signs of potential PTSD, according to the Future Index research. In addition, UNICEF reports that nearly 70% of young Ukrainians lack access to adequate nutrition and housing.
“Yet even under these conditions, all parents, all responsible adults, and entire countries have made a principled decision – to give children a proper childhood. And importantly, the state has made this decision as well. I am truly glad that all the areas of the European Child Guarantee are reflected both in my work as First Lady and in the work of my Foundation,” she added.
The First Lady spoke in particular about the School Nutrition Reform, the Olena Zelenska Foundation’s efforts to equip shelters in schools and preschools, the launch of Schools of Superheroes, the construction of housing for large families, and the planned opening this year of 12–21, youth mental health centers.
“I am grateful to the EU and our partners, and at the same time, I appeal to all Ukrainians who will be implementing these guarantees at the local level. I ask for maximum responsibility and engagement. Because success depends on each of us,” the President’s wife concluded.
Georgia:
IDPs are internally displaced people. These are Georgians who have been forced to flee from their homes to where they were living in Tbilisi. It is unclear from the reporting where in Georgia they are displaced from.
17 people arrested today. A few IDPs left without a home, and activists who went there to comfort the families. They face hefty fines or even up to 60 days in prison.
📷 Publika
— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Here, a female activist is telling an officer not to hit her. She gets arrested. Police shout ‘arrest anyone who comes near you’.
📷 Levan Zazadze— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 1:46 PM
🎥 Mariam Nikuradze
— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Earlier in the day, an IDP arrested.
🎥 Levan Janjghava (I think)
— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 1:59 PM
A four-year-old made sure to call his father: “Dad, please don’t let them take my toy.”
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 2:05 PM
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) forced out of their homes at Tvalchrelidze Street in Tbilisi.
The Special Task Department (crackdown) police are there (look at the multitude of their buses). Several have been detained, including a mother of 5. Residents claim they are hit by the police. 1/
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Various reports indicate from 120 to up to 200 families are affected.
They are offered ridiculous compensation for the period of resettling and overall claim that they do not trust the authorities to deliver on their promises. They have all been through endless rounds of broken promises. 2/— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 7:47 AM
In the video, the narrator states that the lady rushedly going home is worried for her son – he’s been through a car crash, has broken bones, is bedridden and now she’s afraid that the police will harm him. 3/
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 7:47 AM
What do you call a regime that’s completely lacking trust and is widely regarded as a force that could harm a bedridden man or a mother of five?
I also like the young boy seeing through the well-polished barbie lady representing the (illegitimate) authorities. 4/4.
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 7:47 AM
The residents lashed out at the regime propaganda media representatives.
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 7:48 AM
Many families haven’t even been offered those ridiculous pennies either, and some don’t have a place to stay.
People are once again self-organizing to accommodate them.
These are families who were first evicted by occupiers and now the Georgian Dream – upgraded occupiers.
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 2:56 PM
After 17 detainees and the whole day of confrontation by the crackdown police, we now see thugs armed with batons deployed at the site where they evict around 200 families of Internally Displaced Persons…
The end of this Russian regime will most likely be very ugly.
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 4:39 PM
In something approaching a normal time, the USAID Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) officer for the region would be mobilizing local NGO partners to provide essential services and coordinating with Embassy Tbilisi to help these folks. Unfortunately, we no longer have USAID, nor PRM officers.
Germany:
HENSOLDT has been contracted to deliver an undisclosed number of TRML-4D air surveillance radars and SPEXER 2000 3D MkIII short-range radars worth more than €340 million to #Ukraine. Although not officially confirmed, it’s very likely that Germany is paying the bills.
— German Aid to Ukraine (@deaidua.org) July 24, 2025 at 8:44 AM
The US:
The United States has approved the sale of equipment to Ukraine for the repair of Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, as well as HAWK Phase III air defense systems, totaling $322 million.
apnews.com/article/ukra…
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 1:01 PM
From the AP:
The State Department said Wednesday that it has approved $322 million in proposed weapons sales to Ukraine to enhance its air defense capabilities and provide armored combat vehicles, coming as the country works to fend off escalating Russian attacks.
The potential sales, which the department said were notified to Congress, include $150 million for the supply, maintenance, repair and overhaul of U.S. armored vehicles, and $172 million for surface-to-air missile systems.
The approvals come weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed a pause on other weapons shipments to Ukraine to allow the Pentagon to assess its weapons stockpiles, in a move that caught the White House by surprise. President Donald Trump then made an abrupt change in posture, pledging publicly earlier this month to continue to send weapons to Ukraine.
“We have to,” Trump said. “They have to be able to defend themselves. They’re getting hit very hard now. We’re going to send some more weapons — defensive weapons primarily.”
Trump recently endorsed a plan to have European allies buy U.S. military equipment that can then be transferred to Ukraine. It was not immediately clear how the latest proposed sales related to that arrangement.
More at the link.
Back to Ukraine.
As public outcry over of Zelenskyy’s power grab grows, @christopherjm.ft.com profiles the man behind Ukraine’s wartime president: “Yermak has come to personify ..whether centralised powers imposed by the wartime administration might cripple Ukraine’s democratic future once the war ends”
— Paola Tamma (@paolatamma.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 2:43 AM
From The Financial Times:
On the biting morning of December 1 2023, just beyond the eastern edge of Kyiv, Boryspil International Airport stirred from a long wartime slumber. Terminal D, once a hub for holidaymakers and business travellers, had been silent since the first Russian missiles attacked Ukraine in the opening hours of the full-scale invasion nearly two years earlier. But as snow blanketed the empty tarmac and frosted the rusting tank traps guarding its perimeter, a convoy of blacked-out SUVs carrying some 80 foreign ambassadors, government ministers and heads of international aid organisations slipped through the barricades.
Inside the terminal, espresso machines hissed and kiosks brimmed with fresh pastries. Departure boards blinked back to life with the names of places Ukraine aspired to connect with once again: Berlin, London, New York, Tel Aviv. Uniformed flight attendants issued guests glossy fake boarding passes for a hopeful destination: Ukraine’s Peace Formula.
The message was clear. This wasn’t merely a summit, it was a statement that the bloodiest armed conflict on European soil since the second world war would not end in the trenches of the Donbas region or at negotiating tables where foreign leaders carved up the country. Ukraine’s future would be plotted from Kyiv. Staged weeks after a much-hyped battlefield campaign failed to break through Russian defences this was a counteroffensive by other means.
The attendees settled at a giant roundtable assembled in the centre of the terminal. Among them was the Ukrainian Nobel laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk, several government ministers and deputy heads of the presidential office. There were ambassadors to the US, France and Italy. Richard Branson appeared via video link from his Australian vacation suite, his voice nearly drowned out by the sound of a waterfall.
After opening greetings, there followed a long wait. Twenty minutes. Thirty. Almost 40 minutes had passed when all eyes turned to the main entrance. Many expected Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to strut in with the wartime swagger for which he has become famous. Instead, in came a heavier-footed figure, who had orchestrated the day’s proceedings. Andriy Yermak, a former film producer and now Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, was not merely the host of the ambitious event. Every scene, symbol and line of the peace formula bore his imprint. From this frozen outpost, Yermak was attempting to direct the country’s path forward again.
The world knows Zelenskyy as the comedian-turned-wartime-president who has become one of the most recognised political figures of the 21st century, drawing comparisons to Winston Churchill. He’s the leader who stood his ground in Kyiv as Russian troops stormed over the border and assassins hunted him down. Two words from his famous video message on the first night of the invasion, filmed defiantly in the dark outside the presidential compound, have become a national rallying cry: “My tut” (“We’re here”).
The burly man standing at Zelenskyy’s left shoulder in that video is not a household name, although he appears in countless images, almost always within arm’s length of the president. In a photo taken at a peace summit in Switzerland in June 2024, he stands front and centre, towering over the dozens of world leaders in attendance, and all but obscuring US vice-president Kamala Harris, who cranes her head to be seen. (“I don’t know how the fuck he did that and how we let that happen,” one US official said of the photo.) But among Ukrainians, foreign leaders and diplomats, he is a person of immense and polarising influence.
Andriy Yermak is not Ukraine’s president. But he often acts like one. As the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine — his official title — Yermak, 53, drafts peace plans, directs back-channel diplomacy and handpicks government officials. The prime minister and top military brass frequently defer to him. When it comes to high-stakes negotiations — prisoner swaps with Moscow; the return of abducted Ukrainian children; deals to keep grain flowing through the Black Sea — Yermak runs the show. European governments co-ordinate with him on military and financial aid. He’s on first-name terms with global power brokers and Hollywood stars.
Inside the gilded halls of Kyiv’s presidential compound, Yermak oversees a tight-knit team of around two dozen personally selected, devout advisers who enjoy access to national security briefings and meetings with visiting heads of state, an arrangement considered highly unorthodox by most western governments’ standards. Together, this group manages the country. Yermak’s own role has been described in myriad ways by those who’ve observed him — from Zelenskyy’s right-hand man to Ukraine’s de facto vice-president. But, his allies and critics agree, almost nothing happens in Ukraine without his knowledge and approval. Nobody gets to the president without going through him.
To staunch supporters such as Andriy Sybiha, Yermak’s former deputy who has served as Ukraine’s foreign minister since September, Yermak is “a great manager. Especially in crisis situations.” Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former prime minister of Denmark and Nato secretary-general, who wrote the supporting text for Yermak’s entry in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of 2024, said he had witnessed Yermak’s ability to keep “government running . . . first-hand during our work on security guarantees for Ukraine” leading to “a web of bilateral agreements with allies”.
But his judgment has been called into question by many observers, including those close to him. It was Yermak who, against the advice of US and Ukrainian officials, pushed for an Oval Office meeting with Donald Trump in February, as Kyiv sought American backing and a minerals deal. The fiasco that followed nearly upended relations between the two countries, and was seen as evidence of Yermak’s overconfidence. “His problem is micromanagement. He tries to be everywhere and to do everything,” said Alexander Rodnyansky, a Ukrainian TV executive and old friend of Yermak’s.
Yermak has come to personify a debate roiling the country, over whether centralised powers imposed by the wartime administration might cripple Ukraine’s democratic future once the war ends. For many Ukrainians, he is a symbol of an old order they are desperate to leave behind. This week, Zelenskyy faced the most serious domestic challenge of his presidency, after a sweeping move to sideline Ukraine’s independent anti-corruption bodies sparked the first major mass protests since the start of the war. There were chants of “Yermak out” and “Fuck Yermak” among the crowds of thousands gathered in Kyiv.
In interviews with more than 40 people, including current and former Ukrainian officials, western diplomats in Kyiv and officials from European governments and Washington who have dealt directly with Yermak, I was frequently told that he wields as much influence as Zelenskyy, perhaps more. To detractors, Yermak is an unelected tsar amassing boundless power — eroding the democratic checks and balances that Kyiv has implemented since its Euromaidan revolution in 2014. He draws up lists of domestic political enemies for Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council to sanction. He has been accused of manipulating judicial investigations to discredit his rivals and stalling anti-corruption inquiries. He is said to orchestrate black ops, spreading leaks and rumours via anonymous channels on Telegram. “His aim is to centralise everything in a post-Soviet style of rule that resembles something not so different from autocracy,” said one person who worked closely with Yermak in the president’s office.
Last week, one of Yermak’s close allies, Yulia Svyrydenko, was appointed Ukraine’s new prime minister — a move widely reported as evidence of his growing hold over Zelenskyy. A western ambassador described Yermak’s role bluntly: “He’s the president, the prime minister, the foreign minister . . . all the ministers put together.” One Ukrainian minister warned me that few inside the government would dare talk about Yermak on the record — a prediction that turned out to be true.
“Everyone’s future and fortunes,” he said, “are determined by Andriy Yermak.”
Much more at the link.
Starlink is reportedly down globally. That means on Ukrainian frontline too…
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 3:41 PM
This past night, Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine, deploying 103 drones and 4 missiles. 3 people were killed in the Kharkiv region, according to President Zelenskyy.
The attacks hit several regions, with Odesa suffering significant damage to a market and residential buildings.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 7:00 AM
The Kharkiv region experienced fatalities,
while a child was injured in Cherkasy.Other areas were also affected.Zelenskyy emphasized that Russia has no interest in peace and is actively blocking diplomatic efforts.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Russia attacked multiple Ukrainian cities in response to the Istanbul ceasefire proposal, using over 100 drones and 4 missiles. Strikes hit homes and the Pryvoz market in Odesa, apartment blocks in Cherkasy, energy sites in Kharkiv region, a university gym in Zaporizhzhia, and other regions.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Kharkiv:
❗️The number of injured in russian aerial attack on Kharkiv has risen to 42, among them six children and two pregnant women.
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Kharkiv, after today’s russian attack by Reuters
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Watch this. Talk about it. Don’t let it vanish into the scroll. A russian bomb struck near homes in Kharkiv this morning. 22 injured. This is happening in Europe. Right now.
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 5:35 AM
Drone footage of the aftermath of Russian glide bomb attack on Kharkiv. The number of injured has risen to 41 including 6 children. Medical workers asked citizens to donate blood.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Kharkiv protests the law 12414 again. Our city was bombed earlier today, and russian drones are in our airspace right now too! I’m proud of me fearless people.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 11:40 AM
The Pokrovsk front, Donetsk Oblast:
Just now in Donetsk Oblast: Authorities have announced the mandatory evacuation of families with children from Dobropillia and 9 other settlements near Pokrovsk, according to the regional military administration.
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Kostiantynivka, Kharkiv Oblast:
Two people died and 14 were injured in a russian shelling of Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast.
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 10:09 AM
WARNING!! WARNING!! GRAPHIC IMAGERY!! WARNING!! WARNING!!
Kostiantynivka today. Two women, aged 48 and 59, lie dead on the street. Russuan guided aerial bomb killed them.
No military reason, just pure, simple terrorism.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 9:12 AM
ALL CLEAR!!!!
Izium, Kharkiv Oblast:
Russian airstrike on a village in the Izium district of Kharkiv Oblast killed an entire family — a couple and their 36-year-old son. They were displaced from another village. This is all that remains of the house they tried to call home.
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Odesa:
At least one person died in russian attack on Odesa last night. At least 5 others were injured. Resquers continue their work.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Russia attacked Odesa last night, damaging not just buildings, but the city’s memory and heritage. The UNESCO-protected historic center was hit. Pryvoz Market, a symbol of Odesa’s soul, was set ablaze.
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 2:32 AM
Odesa after russian drone attack ‼️
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 10:52 PM
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Cherkasy Oblast:
Russians struck a cemetery in Cherkasy region last night. 🤬
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 7:34 AM
Pidlyman, Kharkiv Oblast:
Last night, a Russian airstrike on Pidlyman village in Kharkiv region tragically killed an entire family.
The bodies of a 57-year-old woman, her 58-year-old husband, and their 36-year-old son were found under the rubble of their destroyed home.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 7:27 AM
They had been internally displaced persons from Bohuslavka village, also located in Kharkiv region.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Kyiv:
For the second night in a row, Ukrainian drones heading to SW Russia. Last night, drones hit the oil depot at Adler airport near Sochi, among other targets.
Right now: Air raid sirens sounding in Kyiv – threat of ballistic missile launches from fascist Russia’s Voronezh Oblast.
— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 4:09 PM
The Zaporizhzhia front:
💥118th Brigade destroys Russian AFV column on the Zaporizhzhia front. 23.07.2025
— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Sochi, Russia:
As a result, after drones paid a visit to Sochi, all flights were either delayed or canceled.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 8:21 AM
“Why are they bombing Sochi? I don’t get it. They should be bombing Russia.” — a Russian, seemingly a bit confused during the attack on Sochi.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Bryansk Oblast, Russia:
AASM Hammer air strike on the Russian FSB base in the Bryansk region.
— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 10:32 AM
That’s enough for tonight.
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Open thread!
Adam L Silverman
I’m fried. I’m going to rack out.
Ohio Mom
@Adam L Silverman: Sweet dreams!
ETA: if it’s possible to have sweet dreams after documenting yet another day of war.
Jay
Thank you, Adam.
catfishncod
Kudos as always.
Westyny
Thank you, Adam.
wombat probability cloud
Thank you. Persist.
chemiclord
I guess I’m not sure why they thought that law was necessary. Did they think Russian saboteurs had infiltrated those organizations? If so… then why not just… ya know… arrest the saboteurs?
Gloria DryGarden
Today I wrote this, and it applies here, in many ways, thoug( I’m not sure on which day
A rough poem
Rivers and fields
memories of wars
people lost
In Ukraine,
when they rebuild
There will be patches of sunflowers
And small monuments
Everywhere
The way the Germans did to remember
What they let happen
The way silk flowers drape
From a tree on my route home
Imagine.
What happened here?
AlaskaReader
Thanks Adam
The Lodger
Removing accountability and independence from key parts of Ukrainian law enforcement was going to make it easier to run the country as a dictatorship. Kudos to Zelenskyy for his efforts to reverse a spectacularly bad plan in a few days. When an idea sucks, change it now.
Traveller
It is obvious that Adam and Gin & Tonic had this correct, and I did not, this was/is a big deal.
However, it is notable that unlike many politicians, Mr Zelenskyy quickly saw the error of his decision not to veto Parliament’s Bill, which passed with a substantial majority, and reversed course. He also deserves credit for this…it takes more courage to change positions than pigheadedly refuse to see the light…
(regarding corruption, I hope they get this correct, with a touch of soldier’s realism…everyone has their thing, for me it was red tracer rounds, {I knew dearly the terror of blue and green tracer rounds being fired at me}, so I loved them, to the consternation of many others, every third or fourth round if I could crack a new box or two of them I would load them up in magazines, rather than spray and pray, I preferred walking my rounds into specific tree clumps or targets…likewise, M34 Willie Peter, white phosphorus grenades, now largely outlawed, (at least as I used them), while heavy…were useful in breaking up any ambush….nobody wants to be burned by WP or trying to find their way though the smoke, (a confession, on rare occasions I’d use them in spider holes & tunnels). An audit of these supplies could indicated they being sold on the black market, misused or wherever…truth is, they very rightfully disappeared in the Exigencies of War. I am sure other units had their own particular uses for this or that beyond what might be considered normal). Traveller