Two killed in Zaporizhzhia and nine injured in latest Russian attack on residential building
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Read more
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has sacked the head of the armed forces and named his successor, after a week of high pressure from his citizens including mass protests nationwide.
Zelensky bowed to the pressure and fired Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi after mass demonstrations across Ukraine demanded his removal and the reinstatement of former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was fired last week.
Protesters insisted that Syrskyi embodied the army's old, Soviet-style command culture, while Federov was seen as a driver of military modernisation.
The Ukrainian leader has since vowed that “deep strikes” on Russia will continue under his replacement, Mykhailo Drapatyi.
Fedorov has subsequently been offered a “respected position” in government to unify the country’s technnology sector, Zelensky said. It was not clear whether the former defence minister accepted, or if this would bring the unrest to an end.
Earlier, Moscow launched an attack on a Ukraine-bound gas tanker near Romania’s coast, as the Kremlin vowed to step up its attacks on ships supplying Kyiv’s military.
Meanwhile, Romanian president Nicusor Dan said the Liberian-flagged vessel sailing from Egypt to Ukraine was hit in an attack likely linked to Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Ukraine agrees to export drones to the US
Ukraine has agreed to export drones to the United States to participate in a drone dominance program, a source tells Reuters.
The agency is reporting that six Ukrainian firms have been given permission to export to the US.
James Reynolds22 July 2026 09:19
Ukraine widens strikes on 'logistics hubs' in push to disrupt Russia's war effort
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that Kyiv has struck what he described as logistics hubs in Russia's Krasnodar and Stavropol regions involved in supplying Russian military with drone components and other equipment.
An oil depot, a tanker and four cargo ships from Russia's "shadow fleet" were also hit in Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, Zelensky added.
Separately, the head of Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries, said another attack on its warehouses had injured serveal people.
Tatyana Kim said the warehouses in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk had been attacked. Social media footage showed a huge plume of smoke rising into the air in Krasnodar.
Krasnodar regional governor Veniamin Kondratiev also said that 10 people were wounded in an attack on a storage complex, while drone debris has damaged two high-rise apartments in Krasnodar, where no one was injured.
The attacks on a company so central to the consumer economy appear to mark a widening of Kyiv's strategy of using long-range drones to disrupt Russia's war effort and pressure the Kremlin to make peace.
James Reynolds22 July 2026 08:54
Ukraine hit 13 Russian vessels in past 48 hours, drone force commander says
Ukrainian drones struck 13 Russian vessels in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov in the past 48 hours, the commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces Robert Brovdi said on Wednesday.
James Reynolds22 July 2026 08:38
Catch up: Ukraine's Zelenskyy fires military chief after protests and names a replacement
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday fired Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, following days of mass protests in Kyiv and other cities nationwide demanding his removal.
Zelenskyy appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new army chief, according to a statement on social media.
“Our shared wish is one — victory over the enemy and conditions at the front and in pressure on Russia that would force Russia toward peace,” Zelenskyy said. He said “a significant path has been traveled, the defense of Ukraine continues, and every warrior deserves dignified treatment.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces
James Reynolds22 July 2026 08:30
Italy aims to reach 5% Nato target in the next decade
Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani has set out a timeline for Italy to reach its Nato target of spending 5 per cent of GDP on defence.
He says the country wants to reach the target within the next decade.
James Reynolds22 July 2026 08:00
How Ukraine's new commander-in-chief forged his reputation fighting Russia in 2014
The new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian military forged his reputation as a daring and determined fighter in the early days of the country's battle against Russia, then spent a decade in combat assignments while steadily rising through the ranks.
His reputation was forged in 2014, early in Russia’s war in eastern Ukraine.
That May, as a major commanding a battalion of the 72nd Brigade, he led an armored column into central Mariupol to rescue police officers and territorial defence officials besieged by pro-Russian militants who had threatened to burn them alive.
When the column’s path was blocked by a barricade more than a metre high, Drapatyi, riding in the lead vehicle, ordered the driver to accelerate, and the vehicle bounced over the barrier as if off a ramp.
The moment, which was captured on video that circulated widely, is considered one of the most remarkable episodes in the early resistance.
It was a bold move for the Ukrainian army at the time, when decisive and independent moves by field officers were rare. The army was still poorly equipped, largely untested and wary of any action that might escalate tensions with Russia.
Arpan Rai22 July 2026 07:44
Military reshuffle in Ukraine celebrated in Russia
Russian war bloggers responded to Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov’s dismissal with glee, noting his role in masterminding long-range drone strikes on oil facilities that have caused a fuel crisis and midrange attacks that disrupted military logistics.
President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the popular young upstart minister Fedorov last week, sparking protests across the country.
Bowing to the public pressure, Zelensky yesterday fired Ukraine’s commander-in-chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi and offered Fedorov a position in government that he said would unify the country’s technology sector.
It wasn’t clear if the offer was accepted and whether the latest moves would satisfy protesters.
Syrskyi, some noted with grudging respect, has built a string of defences that have stalled Russian advances.
Many Moscow commentators voiced hope that the controversy would fuel political infighting in Ukraine and weaken its military.
Arpan Rai22 July 2026 07:32
Zelensky names new military commander: Everything we know so far
Volodymyr Zelensky has named Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi to lead Ukraine’s war efforts as commander-in-chief and fired General Oleksandr Syrskyi following days of protests in Kyiv and other cities demanding his removal.
Drapatyi forged his reputation as a daring and determined fighter in the early days of the country's battle against Russia, then spent a decade in combat assignments while steadily rising through the ranks.
Aged 43, he represents a new generation of Ukrainian generals forged in the crucible of the country’s fight against Russia.
He has spent nearly his entire career in combat postings, including leading Ukraine’s Joint Forces, which direct day-to-day combat operations across branches of the army.
He is known as intensely disciplined and highly effective in combat, and has previously been sent in to stabilise the most critical sectors of the front.
He has rarely appeared in public but has nonetheless gained respect and popularity within the military and beyond for his past victories.
New commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Mykhailo Drapatyi looks on during his meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv (AP)
Arpan Rai22 July 2026 07:04
Ukraine hit 13 Russian vessels in past 48 hours, drone force commander says
Ukrainian drones struck 13 Russian vessels in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov in the past 48 hours, the commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces Robert Brovdi said this morning.
Arpan Rai22 July 2026 06:55
Russia attacks Ukrainian ports and says two vessels hit
The Russian defence ministry said this morning its forces attacked Ukrainian ports and military infrastructure in the Odesa region.
The ministry said two naval vessels had been hit as a result of the strikes, as well as port infrastructure facilities used for unloading and storing military cargo and fuel and lubricant storage tanks in the port of Odesa.
Arpan Rai22 July 2026 06:44