6 July. The situation on the eastern front remained critical, particularly in the area of Chasiv Yar, where Russian losses were estimated at approximately 5,000 troops in fighting for a single district. In parallel, Russia conducted an attack using 27 Shahed drones, striking, inter alia, energy and water-supply infrastructure in Sumy.

In response to these threats, Estonia delivered Mistral air-defence systems to Ukraine, while General Mykola Oleshchuk disclosed the effective use of decoy equipment (including Patriot systems and MiG-29 aircraft), which successfully absorbed Russian Iskander missile strikes.

7 July. Russian offensive operations resulted in the capture of the settlement of Chyhari near Toretsk, while Ukrainian forces recorded advances north of Kharkiv. Tragic reports emerged from Kharkiv Oblast, where a civilian vehicle struck a mine, killing a family of four, including a child. In the technological domain, drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) carried out a successful strike on a large ammunition depot in Voronezh Oblast, and Ukraine’s 110th Mechanised Brigade shot down a Russian Su-25 aircraft. A key political development was the visit of the newly appointed UK Secretary of State for Defence, John Healey, to Odesa, where he announced a support package including Brimstone missiles and mine-clearance vehicles. Concurrently, analyses indicated massive Russian losses, estimated by The Economist at between 462,000 and 728,000 killed and wounded.

8 July. One of the most tragic escalations of the war occurred with a massive Russian missile strike involving 38 missiles, including hypersonic Kinzhal systems. The most devastating blow hit the country’s largest children’s hospital, Okhmatdyt, in Kyiv, triggering widespread international outrage and being classified as a war crime. Nationwide, at least 41 people were killed. On the same day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a visit to Warsaw, signed a ten-year security agreement with Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The document opened the way for the transfer of MiG-29 squadrons and for analyses of the possibility of intercepting Russian missiles using Polish air-defence systems. Germany responded to these developments by delivering a third Patriot system and tens of thousands of artillery rounds.

9 July. At the NATO summit in Washington, President Joe Biden confirmed the transfer of five strategic air-defence systems to Ukraine, emphasising Allied unity. Simultaneously, the U.S. Department of Justice dismantled a network of nearly one thousand pro-Russian bot accounts employing artificial intelligence for disinformation purposes.

10 July. Breakthrough information emerged regarding the transfer of F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands, which were expected to begin operating in Ukrainian airspace later in the summer, supported by an additional €300 million fund for aviation ammunition. Norway declared its intention to supply six such aircraft, while the United Kingdom confirmed that Ukraine could use Storm Shadow missiles to strike military targets inside Russia. In Poland, Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz tempered expectations regarding the interception of missiles over Ukraine without a joint NATO decision, while General Wiesław Kukuła announced preparations of the armed forces for a full-scale conflict. Meanwhile, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed to have thwarted an alleged Ukrainian plot against the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov.

11 July. Reports from Donetsk Oblast indicated continued Russian terror against civilians, with Myrnohrad struck by five UMPB D-30SN guided bombs, killing a child and destroying dozens of homes. On the international stage, the United States announced a USD 225 million assistance package, including a key Patriot battery, while Poland began preparations to form a Ukrainian Legion. Of symbolic significance was a United Nations resolution calling on Russia to immediately withdraw from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

14 July. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg unequivocally endorsed Ukraine’s right to strike targets inside Russia as an element of self-defence, while simultaneously excluding direct Alliance involvement in intercepting missiles over Ukrainian territory.

15 July. Ukrainian aviation and artillery conducted a series of strikes against Russian air-defence systems and radar installations, while ground forces succeeded in retaking some positions near Toretsk. A significant strategic signal was the departure of the last Russian patrol vessel of the Black Sea Fleet from Crimea, described by the Navy’s spokesperson as a historic day. In terms of technical assistance, Spain transferred ten refurbished Leopard 2A4 tanks, and Lithuania delivered critical equipment for the restoration of damaged energy infrastructure. President Zelenskyy acknowledged that although mobilisation was proceeding according to plan, a key bottleneck remained the insufficient training base for new recruits. Meanwhile, within EU structures, Hungary’s isolation deepened: the European Commission announced a boycott of informal meetings organised by the Hungarian presidency in response to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s unilateral “peace mission” to Moscow.

Illustrative photo generated by AI