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🇺🇦Firsthand news from the epicenter of global events
Last night, the Russians launched a massive attack on Ukraine. The known consequences are:
▪️ In Kyiv, missile hits and falling debris caused numerous fires. One person was killed, two others were injured.
▪️ In Kharkiv, there were 12 strikes, including direct hits in residential courtyards. No casualties reported yet.
▪️ The Ivano-Frankivsk region experienced the most massive attack since the beginning of the full-scale war. Infrastructure was damaged in three villages. There are casualties.
Explosions were also heard in other regions.
The enemy used Kh-101, Kalibr, Kinzhal missiles, ballistic weapons, and dozens of drones.
❗️Ukraine is under massive combined attack for three hours straight now.
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Recently, in the Lyman direction, the VIDARR unit, together with the Zgraya group, destroyed two enemy armored personnel carriers using drones, artillery, and other available means. 💥
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Trump’s ultimatum to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days was a turning point in the peace process, said former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, as quoted by The Hill.
“The last week was a turning point. I think the best news we could give the Ukrainian people is that the United States and Europe have finally come to a consensus that Putin will not stop at words,” Rice said.
She emphasized that Putin can only be stopped “if he realizes that there is nowhere else to go, that he cannot win anymore.”
In the frontline town of Orikhiv in the Zaporizhzhia region, anti-drone nets are being stretched directly over the streets.
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Russia has revealed the production volumes of Shahed/Geran-2 type kamikaze drones.
These UAVs, which are regularly used in nighttime attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukrainian cities, are being mass-produced at a facility in Alabuga.
Western investments from Russia have flowed into other countries, with Mexico, Brazil, India, and Saudi Arabia emerging as the biggest beneficiaries, German economist Maximilian Dirks concluded in his study.
Due to Russia’s war against Ukraine, investors have shifted their focus to countries outside the conflict’s direct sphere, Dirks explained.
According to DW, the economist analyzed 2019–2023 data from the World Bank and U.S. agency Moody’s on foreign direct investments (FDIs) by Western companies. He specifically examined “greenfield investments”—when a company is established from scratch in a foreign country.
As a result, Brazil, India, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia each gained approximately 2% GDP growth. The top 10 also includes the UAE, Argentina, Colombia, Serbia, the Philippines, and Türkiye.
Dirks noted that 125 countries in the world are considered non-aligned, but 70% of cross-border investments are now concentrated in just 10 of them.
The title of his study captures the trend: “When Two Quarrel, the Third Rejoices: Foreign Direct Investment That Fell From the Sky or the First Winners in the Russian-Ukrainian War.” He concludes that neutrality is not only a political or diplomatic stance—it has also become a strategic tool of economic policy in times of geopolitical fragmentation.
The Central Election Commission of Moldova has rejected the Pobeda bloc’s application to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, Newsmaker reports. The bloc is linked to pro-Russian fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Moldova.
Deputy Chairman of the Commission Pavlo Postica said that Shor personally contributed to creating the bloc, and its members are associated with him. He also noted that holding the bloc’s founding congress in Moscow “raises reasonable suspicions.”
“A congress held on the territory of a foreign state without oversight from electoral authorities, and with foreign logistical support, raises legitimate concerns about illegal financing — which violates national law,” Postica said.
He also reminded that Moldovan law prohibits forming a new political force based on a party declared unconstitutional — in this case, the Shor party. Additionally, the bloc’s name and symbols mirror those of one of the parties it includes, which is also a violation.
Parliamentary elections in Moldova are scheduled for September 28.
The Pobeda bloc was established in April 2024 in Moscow and includes four parties — Vidrodzhennia, Chance, Force of Alternative and Salvation of Moldova, and Pobeda — all linked to Shor.
⚡️ Putin risks losing everything by continuing irrational war in Ukraine — WP
The Washington Post writes that Putin’s decision to continue the war, despite Trump’s calls for peace, is costing Russia heavily.
The Kremlin has accepted the loss of international influence and allies. Western energy markets, which previously bought 49% of Russia’s oil and 74% of its gas, are now closed. Meanwhile, 40% of Russia’s budget goes to military needs.
Expert Michael Kimmage notes that Putin is driven not only by fear of Ukraine joining NATO, but also by a desire to punish Ukraine for refusing to be obedient like Belarus.
Second birthday: A Russian FPV drone chased a Defense Forces pickup truck but hit it without detonating.
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🇺🇦 Usyk dedicated his victory to Ukrainians around the world and thanked the soldiers on the front line:
“I want to dedicate my victory to Ukraine. To all the guys who are defending our country. I received a huge number of messages yesterday — and today as well — from various under-greens who are defending my country on the front line. Guys! Glory to Ukraine! You are incredible! You allow me to be here now.”
🔥🥊 Oleksandr Usyk defeated British boxer Daniel Dubois for the second time, regaining the title of absolute world heavyweight boxing champion.
The fight ended early — in the 5th round.
🦾 Ukrainian soldiers cheer for Usyk straight from the front lines.
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🥊 Usyk’s final preparations in the locker room ahead of the main fight.
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A book about foreign volunteers in Ukraine has been published in Britain, The Telegraph reports.
British journalist Colin Freeman wrote The Mad and the Brave, which tells the story of foreign volunteers who came to defend Ukraine. The book focuses on the early months of the war, when thousands of people from around the world responded to President Zelenskyy’s call — a call that, according to rumors, was not officially approved by the authorities.
The MiG-29 crew destroyed an enemy concentration area and ammunition depot by dropping a GBU-62 bomb 🔥
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The enemy equipment attempted a breakthrough but failed.
Aerial reconnaissance and FPV drone operators acted with precision and ruthlessness.
A dramatic moment was captured from the cockpit of a Ukrainian Yak-52 “anti-drone” aircraft — the extremely close interception and detonation of a Russian Shahed-136 drone.
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Valery Gergiev, a longtime friend of Vladimir Putin and vocal supporter of Russia’s wars, is set to perform at a major classical music festival in Italy on July 27.
As long as Russia wages its genocidal war against Ukraine—a war Gergiev refuses to condemn—no Russian artist should be welcomed on a international cultural stage.
#NoStageForRussia
Apples, sausages and workers: North Korea and Russia deepen economic ties — FT
North Korean apples have started appearing on supermarket shelves in Russia. Exporters from the dictatorship plan to enter the Russian market, as cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang is expanding beyond military support for the war against Ukraine.
“In recent months, North Korean fishing vessels have been entering waters off Russia’s Far East coast, and North Korean producers — from jam and sausages to beer and accordions — have registered trademarks with Russia’s Federal Service for Intellectual Property,” the article says.
Andrei Lankov, a North Korea expert at Kookmin University in Seoul, noted: “Having previously downplayed the scale of their military cooperation, the two countries now want the world to know that their relationship is built for the long term.”
Another 841 Russian citizens have received deportation warnings from Latvia, the Department of Citizenship and Migration Affairs reported.
The warnings were issued due to non-compliance with regulations introduced a year ago. Under these rules, Russian citizens with residence permits in Latvia had to apply for permanent EU resident status by June 30, 2025. A key requirement is passing a Latvian language exam.
Since these 841 individuals did not apply for EU resident status, they must leave Latvia by November 30, 2025. However, those who meet the requirements are still allowed to submit a new residence permit application.
Earlier, in early 2024, 1,167 Russian citizens received similar warnings. Nearly 70% of them were over 60 years old.
In February 2024, Latvia’s Constitutional Court rejected a collective lawsuit from Russian residents, ruling that deportation over lack of Latvian language knowledge was justified.
🇦🇿 Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced that the country is preparing documents to file a case against Russia in international courts over the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane near Aktau.
Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan demands Russia admit responsibility, hold those involved accountable, compensate the families of the victims, and cover the losses sustained by AZAL.
Usyk knocked out Dubois with a secret punch called “Ivan”
At the press conference after the fight, Oleksandr Usyk said that he used a punch called “Ivan” to defeat the Briton.
“We prepared for this fight with my team. We studied the first fight, we prepared combinations. This punch is called ‘Ivan’. Ivan is a strong Ukrainian man who lives in a village and works on a farm. A kind of Cossack,” Usyk said.
🇦🇿 Aliyev advised Ukrainians to never agree to occupation
“Never agree to occupation. This is the main advice. This is what we did,” the President of Azerbaijan said at the Shusha Media Forum.
Operators of the heavy bomber drone from the 412th Separate Special Battalion “Nemesis” dropped an explosive charge on an abandoned T-72 tank.
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😅 The first reaction of the Ukrainian champion after the victory.
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❗️Oleksandr Usyk defeated Daniel Dubois by knockout in the fifth round and became the absolute world heavyweight champion.
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🥊 Usyk is getting ready for his fight with Dubois — a photo from the Ukrainian boxer’s locker room has appeared online.
The undercard fights are still underway ahead of the main event.
🥊 Usyk has arrived at Wembley Stadium in London, where his rematch with Briton Daniel Dubois will take place today.
At stake are the WBA, WBC, WBO, IBO (held by Usyk) and IBF (held by Dubois) championship titles, as well as the title of absolute world heavyweight champion.
The total prize fund is $204 million. Usyk will receive 65% ($133 million), while Dubois will earn 35% ($71 million).
If Usyk wins, his next opponent could be New Zealander Joseph Parker.