This week has been eventful. Prime Minister Svyrydenko and the Cabinet of Ministers are resigning, the commander and eight soldiers of the 155th Motorized Rifle Brigade were charged with murdering two brothers in the Kyiv region, the Russians attacked a “Ukroboronprom” warehouse in Vyshneve, causing the destruction of 13 hectares of housing, and Trump will likely soon hand over licenses to Ukraine to produce missiles for the “Patriot” air defense system.
Babel has compiled the main events of the week so that you can stay up to date with the news.
Attack on Vyshneve
On the night of Monday, July 6, the Russians launched a massive attack on Kyiv and the Kyiv region. The most extensive destruction occurred in the town of Vyshneve near Kyiv: nine people were killed there, and almost 30 more were injured.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stated that Vyshneve suffered the greatest damage to residential buildings since the beginning of the full-scale invasion — 253 private and 27 apartment buildings on an area of 13 hectares suffered various types of damage. During the day after the attack, repeated detonations occurred.
President Volodymyr Zelensky instructed SBU and intelligence to find out what happened in Vyshneve. He later reported that the Russians attacked a Ukroboronprom warehouse. According to him, “the heads of the two state-owned enterprises acted contrary to the law” — on July 12, “Ukroboronprom” reported that they had been fired.
Contrary to the law and the decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Headquarters, they placed warehouses with weapons near residential buildings. Zelensky instructed to check other enterprises where weapons and ammunition are stored to prevent similar tragedies.
Babel discovered seven more deaths in the "Skelya" assault regiment
After the publication of an investigation into the 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelya", where Babel reported on 25 deaths of mobilized personnel during basic combined arms training from late fall 2025 to spring 2026, the editorial office was contacted by relatives and friends of other recruits who died during AWOL.
Six new episodes cover the same six months, one took place in the summer of last year. Most of the mobilized died after spending less than a month in the regiment. You can read the names of the mobilized, information about their deaths, and testimonies of their relatives in the news.
In total, from the end of autumn last year to the spring of 2026, the editorial office recorded 31 deaths. The editorial office passed on all newly identified episodes, as well as previous ones, as well as the contacts of the relatives of the deceased, to investigators of the State Bureau of Investigation.
The regiment, commenting on these data, reported that three of the aforementioned servicemen died in the hospital, another three died of natural causes, and the seventh soldier committed suicide. They also stated that they are making real efforts to reduce non-combat losses to zero.
Murder of a woman suspected of attempting to assassinate developer Yermolaev
On Tuesday, July 7, law enforcement officers in Ukraine found the body of Anastasia Berezovska, who was previously wanted by Interpol on suspicion of attempting to assassinate sanctioned developer Vadym Yermolayev from Dnipro in Monaco on June 29.
An employee of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Vladyslav Reut and Vitaliy Zhykovych, a former law enforcement officer, were detained on suspicion of her murder. According to the investigation, they killed Berezovska after she returned to Ukraine by bus on July 1. The men were searched, during which Reut confessed to killing Berezovska.
At the same time, he said that he did not inform his superiors about his contacts with the woman, about how he transferred money to her, and about any other actions he took, but acted at his own discretion. During the search, a basement room resembling a torture chamber was discovered in Zhykovychʼs premises.
Vladislav Reut on trial.
On Thursday, July 9, both suspects were remanded in custody for 60 days without bail.
Ban on publishing investigation into real estate of the brother of the head of the State Bureau of Investigation
On Tuesday, July 7, the Anti-Corruption Center (ACC) and journalists from the Slidstvo.Info project stated that the Pechersky Court of Kyiv banned them from publishing an investigation into 143 apartments and office premises registered to Oleksandr Sukhachev, the brother of the director of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) Oleksiy Sukhachev. According to the journalists, they belong to the head of SBI.
The decision appeared on July 6 — just when the investigation was being prepared for publication. The court responded that it had only temporarily banned publication. During martial law, the court may restrict the exercise of the right to freedom of speech. It also provides for cases when interference with private life may be deemed necessary.
The court states that information in the investigation is “protected by law and cannot be used without the consent of the person to whom it relates” (referring to the director of the State Bureau of Investigation). “Slidstvo.Info” can present its arguments and apply to the court to lift the ban. Journalists can also file an appeal.
Zelenskyʼs meetings with Trump and Nawrocki
On Wednesday, July 8, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, President Zelensky met with US President Donald Trump and Polish President Karol Nawrocki.
Getty Images / «Babel'»
Donald Trump said at a press conference that a “bird whispered” to him that the United States would grant Ukraine the right to produce “Patriot”. The next day, Zelensky told reporters that the US president had admitted that only two or three countries in the world, including Ukraine, could produce missiles for “Patriot” complexes.
The agreement with Trump on licenses to produce missiles for “Patriot” air defense systems was political in nature. Now diplomats and the Ministry of Defense must agree on all the technical details.
Zelenskyʼs meeting with Nawrocki was the first known communication between the presidents since Nawrocki stripped Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle. Zelensky says the talks were fruitful and they agreed to continue the dialogue.
Офіс президента
At a press conference, Navrosky called the meeting constructive. He said that there had been a lot of tension between the countries recently, but it was important for neighbors to have channels for dialogue. He also noted that Russia definitely remains the main threat to both Ukraine and Poland.
The Polish leader said that he had told Zelensky that UPA issue was “not a subject of negotiations” for the Poles. Poland is counting on Ukraine’s understanding that “the Bandera flag limits Ukraine’s future in the EU format”.
However, unresolved issues should not close the path to dialogue on issues that bring the two countries closer together.
Sergeant "Skelya" sent to custody on suspicion of beating soldiers
On Friday, July 10, the State Bureau of Investigation reported suspicion and detained a soldier named “Skelya”, who is suspected of beating two other servicemen in the Kharkiv region. The next day, the court remanded him in custody until September 7 without bail. According to Babel, the suspect is Junior Sergeant Yevhen Harkusha. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
In the first case, the suspect attacked a chaplain who intervened in an argument between him and another soldier — the chaplain was hospitalized with a concussion and a fractured jaw. The suspect then attacked a lieutenant colonel — punching and kicking him in the head and torso, breaking a rib.
New formations in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On Friday, July 10, President Zelensky signed decrees on the creation of the Long-Range Influence Command on Russia and the Joint Rapid Reaction Forces in the Armed Forces.
According to Zelensky, the Long-Range Impact Command should concentrate all available resources in order to further reduce Russiaʼs war potential. And the Joint Rapid Reaction Forces should combine the combat capabilities of attack aircraft, UAV systems, artillery and other means. The goal is a prompt response at the front. The commander of the 8th Airborne Assault Corps, Brigadier General Dmytro Voloshin, will be appointed as their commander.
Zelensky also reported the transformation of the assault troops due to existing problems, in particular in the attitude towards the military. Law enforcement officers are working on this issue, and the president announced changes at the level of command of the assault troops.
New banknote with Stus
On Friday, July 10, the National Bank of Ukraine reported that a new 2000-hryvnia banknote will be put into circulation in Ukraine. It will feature the 1960s poet and dissident Vasyl Stus.
The back of the banknote will depict the building of the Philological Faculty of Donetsk National University, where the poet studied. The banknote will be put into circulation on September 4, 2026, the day of Vasyl Stusʼs death.
Suspicions of murder against the commander and soldiers of the 155th brigade
On Saturday, July 12, hromadske, citing its own sources, wrote that on the night of June 27-28, in the village of Kalynivka in the Kyiv region, fighters of the 155th separate mechanized brigade took two brothers — Maksym and Roman Moseychuk — to an unknown destination.
According to Babel sources, they were taken to the Dnipropetrovsk region, where they were killed. Law enforcement officers exhumed two bodies, which are previously believed to belong to the deceased. The case is being investigated under articles of intentional murder and kidnapping. Among those detained is the commander of the 155th brigade battalion Oleksiy Dolholenko.
Eight detainees have already been taken into custody, and the brigade commander Stanislav Luchanov has voluntarily left his place of duty. He is being sought.
Stanislav Luchanov.
155 ОМБр
Babel sources said that the crime could have been related to the fact that Luchanovʼs wife was allegedly insulted. After that, Luchanov ordered eight of his subordinates to punish the culprits — then they kidnapped the men and killed them.
Luchanov led the 155th separate mechanized brigade in February 2026. Before that, he was the chief of staff of the 425th assault regiment "Skelya", about the torture and murders in which Babel recently conducted a major investigation.
Svyrydenkoʼs resignation
On Sunday, July 12, President Zelensky announced that Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko will step down as Prime Minister — she confirmed this. The composition of the Cabinet of Ministers and the leadership of law enforcement agencies will be replaced.
According to Zelensky, Svyrydenko “will lead a new direction in relations with a key partner” — he did not specify which country he was referring to. Zelensky said that from now on, a specific person with significant experience will be responsible for each priority foreign policy direction.
Among the directions: cooperation with the US, in particular in the field of licenses for the production of Patriot missiles and security projects, the European anti-ballistic project, membership in the EU, relations with Poland and Hungary, cooperation with the countries of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, China, etc.
Attacks on Russian tankers
Ukraine has stepped up attacks on the Russian fleet. The commander of the UAV Forces Robert “Madyar” Brovdi reported that during the week of July 6-12, the UAV Forces attacked 90 Russian vessels. This is the highest number since the beginning of the war.
Most of them are tankers in the Azov Sea, which, among other things, delivered gasoline to occupied Crimea. The peninsula is experiencing an ongoing energy crisis.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.