Friday, July 25. Russia's War On Ukraine: News And Information From Ukraine

Forbes

3 days ago

KHARKIV, UKRAINE - JULY 24: A firefighter extinguishes wreckage of cars in a yard of residential ... More buildings where people gather after Russian shelling on July 24, 2025 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Russian army hit a residential area in the Kharkiv centre with two guided bombs. According to the city authorities, one of the hits occurred near a high-rise residential building; people are trapped under the rubble. The second hit was on a civilian enterprise, where a fire broke out. Dozens of people are known to have been injured because of Russian airstrikes on the city. At least 10 houses were damaged because of the hits, and about 15 cars were burning at the site. (Photo by Liubov Yemets/Gwara Media/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,248.
Between July 21-24, Russian strikes across Ukraine killed at least 12 civilians and injured more than 120 others. In the eastern Donetsk oblast, or province, systematic shelling and glide bombs killed six non-combatants and wounded 44 others. In northeastern Kharkiv oblast, Russian glide bomb and drone strikes killed at least three residents and injured more than 50 others. In southern Kherson oblast, drone attacks killed two civilians and injured 22 people, including two children, while in the capital, Kyiv, one individual was reported dead, with nine others injured.
Government Bid to End Anti-Corruption Agencies' Independence Sparks First Wartime Protests in Ukraine
On July 22, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed controversial legislation that would de facto place the country's independent anti-corruption bodies under government control. Passed in a rushed parliamentary vote, the law would effectively strip independence from two key institutions established after 2014 to combat corruption: the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). It brings their investigative functions under the oversight of the prosecutor general, a direct presidential appointee.
Critics of the law argue that the prosecutor general is not a politically neutral figure and could be sensitive to pressure against launching investigations into members of the political elite close to President Zelenskyy. The adoption of the legislation followed raids on NABU offices, which, according to the institution, were carried out without court warrants.
Ukrainian government officials defended the new law, citing concerns over Russian influence within NABU, which was allegedly unearthed by Ukraine's security services. 'The anti-corruption infrastructure will work, only without Russian influence – it needs to be cleared of that,' said Volodynyr Zelenskyy in his evening address on Telegram. Civil society, however, widely dismissed these claims, especially since the legislation was backed by lawmakers linked to pro-Russian factions in Ukraine's parliament.
The apparent crackdown triggered the largest domestic protests since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Three days of peaceful demonstrations erupted in at least 16 Ukrainian cities, including key regional capitals such as Kharkiv, Dnipro and Lviv. The largest protests occurred in Kyiv, with attendance estimated at 1,000 to 5,000 participants. Footage circulated on Ukrainian media showed the main square near Kyiv's government quarter filled with protesters. One sign read, 'My father didn't die for this,' a rebuke against what many see as the rollback of anti-corruption reforms.
In addition to outcry from Ukrainian society, Western allies immediately raised alarms about the law. Ambassadors of the G7 countries in Kyiv issued a joint statement expressing concern; the European Commission spokesperson, meanwhile, warned the law could jeopardize Ukraine's path toward EU accession since funding from Brussels is 'conditional on [Ukraine's] progress on transparency, judicial reform and democratic government.'
The legislation was similarly met with concern from U.S. lawmakers. In a rare bipartisan joint statement, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, and Lindsey Graham, a Republican, applauded Ukraine's efforts to tackle corruption, even while under Russian attack, and expressed 'fear this law undermines much of that [anti-corruption]In response to strong domestic and international criticism, President Zelenskyy is set to propose a bill that will decrease Russian influence while maintaining the anti-corruption agencies' independence. NABU has already stated that this bill 'restores all procedural powers and guarantees of independence' for the anti-corruption institutions.
Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks
Russia and Ukraine agreed to a prisoner exchange during the latest talks in Istanbul, Turkey, on July 23. However, the meeting, which was initiated by Kyiv and lasted less than an hour, failed to yield progress on a ceasefire or a summit between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine's negotiator, former defense minister Rustem Umerov, proposed such a summit by the end of August and suggested it may also include U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. However, Russia's lead delegate, Vladimir Medinsky, said such a meeting should only occur to sign an agreement.
The two sides remain divided on ceasefire terms. Ukraine demands an unconditional halt to fighting; Russia, on the other hand, refuses a ceasefire due its ability to press its current battlefield advantage and a benign stance from President Trump; although his position appears to have shifted somewhat against Russia recently. Despite the stalemate in negotiations, the countries agreed to swap circa 500 prisoners-of-war and plan a larger exchange of 1,200 soldiers soon.
Culture Front.
A new documentary executive produced by world-renowned ballerina Misty Copeland premiered Tuesday night at a sold-out screening at Village East by Angelika in New York City. Titled Match in a Haystack, the feature-length film follows a group of Ukrainian female dancers as they attempt to stage their first performance since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Directed by five-time Emmy Award-winner Joe Hill, Match in a Haystack offers an intimate and urgent portrayal of art as survival — capturing the intersection of war, memory, and creative resistance. The film highlights the physical and emotional journey of artists determined to preserve identity and expression amid destruction.
'This film is a love letter to courage, to movement, and to the enduring role of artistry in the face of crisis,' said Hill during a post-screening Q&A alongside Copeland. The two were joined onstage by producer Stefanie Noll, director of photography Nathaniel Brown, editor Arielle Sherman, and Ukrainian-American composer Katya Richardson, whose original score adds emotional weight to the story.
Following its New York premiere, Match in a Haystack is expected to screen at festivals and special events throughout the U.S. and internationally in the coming months.
Ukrainian artist collective Open Group brings the sounds of war to Manhattan's High Line in their haunting video installation Repeat After Me (2024), screening daily after 5 PM through September 7 at 14th Street.
Originally presented at the Polish Pavilion of the 2024 Venice Biennale, the work features Ukrainian civilians recalling the sounds of weapons they heard before fleeing their homes—then asking viewers to repeat those sounds back.
Founded in 2012, Open Group's current members — Yuriy Biley, Pavlo Kovach, and Anton Varga — use collaborative formats to confront political and social rupture.
By Danylo Nosov, Karina L. Tahiliani