This week, the Verkhovna Rada passed a bill that restored the independence of NABU and SAPO, and it was signed by the president. In addition, during the week, Volodymyr Zelensky appointed the commander of the Air Force and introduced new sanctions against the Russian shadow fleet.
During this time, Donald Trump set a new deadline for the ceasefire with Russia, while the Russian army continued to shell Ukraine. Babel has compiled the main events of the week to keep you up to date with the news.
Drones and Patriot for Ukraine
The German Defense Ministry reported this week that Germany will deliver additional Patriot launchers to Ukraine “in the coming days”. In a second phase, more system components will be delivered over the next “two to three months”.
The American-German company “Auterion” will send 33 000 of its artificial intelligence strike systems for drones to Ukraine by the end of the year under a new contract with the US Department of Defense.
In addition, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has reallocated UAH 8 billion for the urgent needs of unmanned units.
Appointment of the Chairman of BES
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and the winner of the competition for the position of head of the Bureau of Economic Security (BES) Oleksandr Tsyvinsky have agreed that he will take a polygraph. Svyrydenko stressed that she expects to make a decision on the appointment of the head of BES next week.
The day before, Tsyvinsky received a response from SBU stating that there was no reason not to appoint him as director of BES.
Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi / Facebook
New deadline for Russia from the US
The US President Donald Trump said on July 29 that Washington would impose new tariffs and secondary sanctions against Russia within ten days if Moscow did not agree with Ukraine on a ceasefire.
Before that, the American president repeatedly expressed disappointment that the Russian leader refused to agree to a ceasefire.
And the Russian Federation continued its attacks on Ukraine
On the night of July 31, the Russian Federation attacked Ukraine with 8 “Iskander-K” cruise missiles and 309 drones. The main direction of the attack was Kyiv. The air defense neutralized 3 “Iskander-K” cruise missiles and 288 drones. One of the missiles hit a five-story building in the Svyatoshynsky district of the capital.
Search and rescue operations were completed the next day, August 1. 31 people died, including five children. 159 people were injured, including 16 children.
- On July 29, the Russians attacked the Bilenkivska penal colony in Zaporizhzhia region with guides aerial bombs. 16 people were killed and 44 more were hospitalized in local hospitals.
- On July 29, Russian occupiers launched a missile strike on the territory of one of the training units of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 3 servicemen were killed and 18 others were wounded.
Restoring the independence of NABU and SAPO
On July 31, the Verkhovna Rada adopted presidential bill No. 13533 — the document repeals a number of norms that effectively destroyed the independence of NABU and SAPO. The meeting of the peopleʼs deputies, where they approved it, was broadcast online on the parliamentʼs YouTube channel — the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion.
The bill was signed by the president on the same day. You can read more about the new law here.
Procurement of drones and electronic warfare equipment
On August 2, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutorʼs Office reported the discovery of a deal to purchase drones and electronic warfare equipment.
According to law enforcement officials, a sitting MP, heads of district and city military administrations, and National Guard soldiers were caught taking bribes. The defendants concluded state contracts with suppliers at deliberately inflated prices — up to 30% of the contract amount was returned to the businessmen, say the Bureauʼs employees. The commander of the National Guard removed from their positions the defendants in the NABU and SAPO corruption case.
The next day, President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Serhii Haidai from the position of head of the Mukachevo Regional State Administration (RSA), and Andriy Yurchenko from the position of head of the Rubizhna Regional Military Administration (RMA).
As Suspilne and UP wrote, citing sources in law enforcement agencies, among the defendants in the case are the head of the Mukachevo RSA and former head of the Luhansk RMA Serhii Haidai, the head of the Rubizhna RMA of the Luhansk region Andriy Yurchenko, and the MP from the “Servant of the People” Oleksiy Kuznetsov.
Changes to the state budget, a contract on military service for people over 60. What laws did Zelensky sign?
On July 31, the President signed Bill No. 13573. The document increases defense spending by UAH 412.3 billion, of which 115 billion are for financial support for servicemen of all Defense Forces. Another UAH 216 billion are for the purchase and production of weapons, military equipment, and drones, and the remaining funds are for other needs of the army.
The document also provides for a new distribution of income tax (DIT) from August 1, 2025. It states that 60% will be directed to the Ministry of Defense for the purchase of drones, weapons, and military equipment (this is an additional UAH 22.4 billion for the Ministry of Defense, they have already been taken into account in the total increase). Another 30% will be directed to the State Special Communications Service for drones, and 10% for the needs of the brigades.
- This week, Zelensky signed bill No. 13276 on mandatory military training under the medical service reserve officer training program for students of medical and pharmaceutical specialties. Details about the provisions of the law are available here.
- The president also signed Bill No. 13229, which allows men and women over 60 to enter into a contract for military service. You can read more about this here.
- Zelensky signed Law No. 13168 on the payment of UAH 15 million to the families of soldiers who died in captivity — regardless of the cause of their death . However, the law does not apply to the families of those soldiers who surrendered voluntarily. You can read more about this here.
- In addition, the president imposed sanctions against the captains of the Russian shadow fleet. The sanctions include 94 individuals and five companies.
New appointments
On August 3, on the Day of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Lieutenant General Anatoliy Kryvonozhko as the Commander of the Air Force. Since August 30 last year, Kryvonozhko has been acting in this position. Since 2015, he has commanded the Air Command "Center" of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
And a few days before that, on August 28, Zelensky appointed activist and former MP Svitlana Zalishchuk as Ukraineʼs ambassador to Sweden.
On the same day, the Government appointed Tetyana Berezhna as the acting Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications. Previously, Berezhna was Svyrydenkoʼs deputy when she was Minister of Economy. In the ministry, she was responsible for the development and implementation of labour and employment policy.
Facebook/Tetyana Berezhna
Attacks on Russian military enterprises
On July 31, drones of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) attacked the Radio Plant in Pema, part of the “Rostec” Corporation. The plant produces automatic combat control systems for various branches of the Russian armed forces, including air defense, artillery, as well as mobile command posts based on armored vehicles and modern communications equipment.
And on August 3, the SBU drones targeted an airfield and a military plant on Russian territory. The Defense Forces also targeted several oil refineries. The first target of the UAVs was the Primorsko-Akhtarsk military airfield (Krasnodar Territory). There, storage and launch sites for “Shahed” drones were under attack. After the SBU drones flew, a fire broke out near the airfield.
The second target is the “Elektroprylad” plant (Penza) — it manufactures equipment for digital networks in military control systems, devices for aviation, armored vehicles, ships, and spacecraft.
In addition, the General Staff reported strikes on the Ryazan and Novokuybyshevsk oil refineries. Ukrainian drones also successfully attacked the “Anna Nefteprodukt” fuel and lubricants base in the Voronezh region of the Russian Federation.
Nicaraguan President says he recognizes Russiaʼs annexation of Ukrainian regions
The Nicaraguan government is ready to recognize the Russian-occupied territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions as part of the Russian Federation, President Daniel Ortega wrote in a letter to Putin on July 30.
If the statement becomes official, Nicaragua could become the first country to officially recognize Russiaʼs annexation of four Ukrainian regions in 2022.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that if the information is confirmed, Kyiv will regard such actions as a gross violation of international law.
“PrivatBank” won the case against Kolomoiskyi and Boholyubov
“PrivatBank” won a case in the High Court of London on July 30 against its former shareholders Ihor Kolomoiskyi, Hennadii Boholyubov, and six of their offshore companies. The bank demanded compensation for losses for withdrawn assets, which it estimates at more than $1.9 billion. With accrued interest, this amount has more than doubled.
The bank announced fictitious loans of $1.9 billion that were not repaid. The court found Kolomoiskyi and Boholyubov guilty of fraud and rejected their objections. Now the bank is starting to recover damages in favour of the state. Details about the case here.
Businessman Hennadii Boholyubov is going to appeal the decision of the High Court of London.
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