German media outlet Bild reported that Ukraine has provided Germany with a list of arms and equipment that Ukraine would like from Germany. Various sources confirm the existence of the list, but the German government will not officially answer questions about it, opting to keep its aid shipments to Ukraine secret. 

The list includes:
4 IRIS-T firing systems
1,500 guided missiles for the IRIS-T SLM (medium-range)
500 guided missiles for the IRIS-T SLS (short-range)
200,000 rounds of 40mm anti-aircraft ammunition
1,000 MRAPS
200 tracked vehicles (various modifications)
30 armored demining vehicles
20–30 WiSENT armored engineering vehicles
200 all-terrain vehicles for special forces
1,000 GPS jammers
200 mobile ground radars

On July 7, Russia launched drone attacks on the Center of Recruitment and Social Support centers in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia. These are military recruitment centers. One soldier was wounded in Zaporizhzhia, and 3 people were wounded in Kharkiv.

 

President Zelenskyy signed a new package of sanctions targeting the Russians on July 6. This new sanctions package heavily focuses on cryptocurrency institutions that benefit the Russian war machine. One company alone has funneled several billion dollars used “primarily for the needs of their military-industrial complex.” 60 “legal entities” and 73 individuals, all citizens of Russia, were targeted in this sanctions package. 

Zelenskyy reported that the POWs who have been exchanged since the beginning of June through a series of 8 exchanges. This list included military personnel who were not only wounded and ill, but also those who were considered officially missing. These exchanges also include civilians. 


Ukrainian OSINT group DniproOfficial published satellite imagery showing the expansion of the Alabuga drone factory, where many shaheds and other Russian drones are produced. 


DniproOfficial:

Satellite images of the growing Alabuga SEZ. The dormitories that we have shown in previous images are marked in yellow and will be used by employees and students. According to our information, a total of 72 such dormitories are planned to be built The area where the new production workshops of the plant will be located is circled in red, there are already 2 such workshops, one of which is called Synergy-13, where parts for drones are assembled, the workshops in the picture will be the third such facility in the Alabuga SEZ. 

 Coordinates: 55.82161341466511, 52.024319534771045

On the night of July 6, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet was attacked while at port in Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai. Alarms lasted for several hours. This attack included both naval drones and FPV drones, and, so far, seems not to have caused any known damage.  Several videos and photos of a burning naval drone were published.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that it shot down 120 drones overnight on July 6. According to the ministry, 30 were intercepted over Bryansk Oblast, 29 over Kursk, and 18 over Oryol. An additional 17 and 13 drones were reportedly downed over Belgorod and Tula oblasts, respectively. 


A Russian tanker ship, named Eco Wizard, suffered an explosion, leading to a liquid ammonia leak in Russia's Ust-Luga port on July 6. The explosions were described as “an explosion of an unknown nature” by the Russian media outlet Baza. Supposedly, the explosion occurred during the loading/unloading of cargo. All 23 members of the crew were evacuated. No casualties were reported. The Eco Wizard arrived in Ust-Luga on July 3, having finished a trip from the port in Antwerp, Belgium. The ship was built in 2024 and flies under the flag of the Marshall Islands. It was built to transport liquid petroleum products and is believed to be part of Russia’s shadow fleet. Last week, a shadow fleet tanker named Vilamoura also suffered an explosion, but this ship was carrying 1 million barrels worth of oil at the time. The Eco Wizard is the 6th Russian tanker that has experienced an explosion this year. 


Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, has been pushing for the replacement of 3 high-ranking Ukrainian officials. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshov is facing a corruption investigation being manipulated by Yermak. Chernyshov is the highest-ranking Ukrainian official to ever face corruption charges while still in office. Supposedly, he did not start the investigation, but has allowed this one to progress while stalling out others that had been opened. Yermak is also pushing to replace Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, the GUR.

Yermak is Zelenskyy’s closest advisor and wields an unusual amount of power and influence in the government. He is also known to be difficult for others, including representatives of foreign governments, to get along with. It was previously reported that foreign government officials would find themselves in unnecessarily confrontational meetings with Yermak and leave without a clear understanding of what the goals of the meeting were. Chernyshov apparently became the target of Yermak’s ire after offering to replace Yermak during meetings in the US. If Chernyshov and Shmyhal are replaced, the new Prime Minister is expected to be Deputy Prime Minister Yullia Svyrydenko, a hand-picked “protege” of Yermak, further consolidating his power in the Ukrainian government. Budanov and Shmyhal have faced repeated rumors of being replaced. In June 2024, the Biden administration urged Zelenskyy to reconsider replacing Budanov, which may have played a role in keeping him in place. 


Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi during the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6. He reiterated Russia’s offer to function as a mediator in the conflict between Iran, Israel, and the US. He also offered to store Iranian Uranium inside Russia for safekeeping. 

 

Moldova's Victory bloc, a pro-Russian alliance of political parties founded by an exiled Russian oligarch, will be participating in the upcoming elections in September. The founder, Ilan Shor, announced this on July 6. He said his main goal is to overthrow the "fascist" Sandu government. The list of candidates will include Evghenia Gutul, the head of the Gagauzia region of Moldova, who is on trial for illegally giving money to the illegal Shor political party. Moldova’s acceptance into the EU in the near future likely depends on the outcome of this election. If pro-Russian forces emerge victorious, EU accession will likely be delayed for an indeterminate period, 



All external power to the Zaporizhzia nuclear power plant was cut off for several hours on July 4. It took 3.5 hours to restore the power connection. The power was cut by Russian shelling that damaged the final power line connecting the plant to Ukraine’s power grid. The repairs were done by Ukrainian power technicians. This connection is crucial because the plant has necessary functions that need to be performed to keep the reactor safe, and the reactors are all essentially shut down due to safety concerns, many of which were caused by poor maintenance on the part of the Russians. 


Germany signed a €240 million deal with Planet Labs to purchase satellite imagery of Europe. It is believed this imagery will be provided to Ukraine. Planet Labs has over 600 Earth observation satellites. The press release produced by the German government does not mention Ukraine specifically, but it says the goal is to support peace and security in Europe. This is in addition to an earlier contract that NATO signed with Planet Labs for images of areas considered strategically important to the alliance. 

 

The US military announced plans to purchase 1500 “Top Attack Protection” systems (Anti-drone cages) for its tracked combat vehicles. They will function as passive protection over the brew compartments and hatches. The systems will be modular, so they can be adapted to different vehicles.

The 1st Warsaw Armoured Brigade will begin a training course on the building, customizing, and repairing of FPV drones. They will be operating them in addition to these other skills. 

 

Ukrainian drones hit the electronics production workshop of VNIIR-Progress in the city of Cheboksary, in Russia’s Chuvash Republic. The building caught fire. The factory is a major producer of Kometa CRPA antennae, which are mounted on a wide variety of Russian guided munitions, including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones, and guided aerial bombs. The factory also produces a broad range of electronic components, including relays and circuit breakers for the Russian Navy. This facility was previously attacked by Lyutyi drones on June 9, causing a shutdown of production. 


Damage visible at the Progress Plant. 


On July 5th, drones of an unknown model attacked Russian aircraft at Engels air base. NASA’s FIRMS fire-detecting satellites did not detect any fires caused by this attack. 



Ukrainian drones attacked the Ilinskyi oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai on July 7. So far, no damage has been reported, but debris is reported to have fallen onto the grounds of the facility. 


On the night of July 6–7, Russia attacked Ukraine using 4 S-300/400 missiles, 101 Shaheds, and decoy drones. By 09:30, Ukrainian air defenses had downed 75 drones. 58 were shot down, 17 were brought down via electronic warfare. 


Russia was ordered to pay $2.02 million to JSC URD Ukrainian Roads by the Commercial Court of Kyiv. This is a company owned by a Ukrainian member of parliament. Russia was found responsible for the loss of road construction/repair machines and a mineral powder plant in Kherson Oblast. 

On the night of July 2-3, Ukraine successfully struck a Russian ammo depot in Khartsyzsk, Donetsk. The depot has been used as storage since 2014. At the time of the strike, it reportedly held MLRS rockets, artillery, and air defense missiles. The depot was protected by a Tor air defense system, which failed in its duty. The depot was utterly and completely destroyed in the ensuing explosion.
There is now satellite imagery available of the destroyed structures. 

Coordinates of the strike:
48.0748,38.1255




Around 1-2 AM on the night of July 5, a gas pipeline exploded in Vladivostok, damaging a water pipeline nearby. These pipelines supplied the base of the 155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade of the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy and other military facilities  facilities with water and gas. After the explosion, there was a large fire. Russian authorities shut down mobile communications and internet in the area to try to cover up the destruction. 


Russia launched a new research vessel, Vice Admiral Burilychev. The ship is 108x 17.2 meters, has a crew of 60, can reach speeds of up to 15 knots, and has a hull displacement of 5,230 tons. It’s officially intended to be used for seabed exploration and research, but the ship is also expected to be used for reconnoitering undersea infrastructure such as undersea cables and pipelines. 


On July 4th, Ukraine struck the Azov Optical and Mechanical Plant. The plant produces optics and components used in missiles, armored vehicles, and drones, and participates in developing analogs of Western technologies that are difficult to obtain due to sanctions. 

Coordinates of the impacts:
47.095210,39.409250
47.094360,39.413769

You can see it was struck at least twice.



Ukrainian drones struck the Borisoglebsk airfield in the Voronezh region on July 4-5. Satellite images confirmed the destruction of external aircraft fuel tanks and aviation equipment, possibly including control modules for UMPK glide bombs. The bombs themselves were stored elsewhere. The fire lasted 2 days. The airfield serves as a base for Su-34 fighter-bombers, with up to 10 aircraft stationed there simultaneously. Fires burned at another location at this air base, but there is currently no information as to whether anything was damaged there or not. 

Low resolution imagery showing equipment at the airfield before the attack, and black scorch marks afterward. 




On July 7, Ukrainian FP-1 drones struck the Krasnozavodsk Chemical Plant in Moscow Oblast.  At least seven explosions were reported near the facility. The plant produces military equipment and components for Russia's Ministry of Defense, “including illumination devices, aircraft protection systems, and anti-terrorism technologies,” and explosives, gunpowder, and components for various munitions, including MLRS rockets, artillery shells, and ballistic missiles. The plant has multiple contracts with the state and receives funding through Rostec, Russia's state-owned defense company. 


A black cloud rising up from the factory after a drone hit it. 




On June 23, Ukraine launched an attack on Russia’s Atlas oil depot. It caught fire and burned for days. Atlas had been struck multiple times in the past. 

Here is a photo of the Atlas depot taken from the nearby highway. Multiple tanks are visibly damaged/destroyed.


Russia almost doubled its monthly missile and drone attacks on Ukraine between December 2024 and May 2025. The numbers increased from 1,269 strikes in December to 2,436 in May. Russia fired a record 5,438 drones in June alone, 16 times as many attacks as compared to June 2024. Ukraine's interception rate dropped from 95 percent to 79 percent for drones and from 74 percent to 50 percent for missiles.

 

Trump stated his administration is "helping Ukraine a lot" on July 6 when asked about US support. The Defense Department paused deliveries of Patriot air defense missiles and precision-guided munitions, leaving Ukraine more vulnerable to Russian attacks. Trump spoke with Putin on July 3 and expressed frustration, saying Putin "wants to go all the way and just keep killing people." Trump openly expressed displeasure with how that conversation went. He feels no progress is being made towards the peace process on Russia’s end, and recently described Putin as “nice” but added that the things Putin says are “meaningless.”

On July 4th, Trump and Zelenskyy had a phone conversation that Zelenskyy described as "the best conversation in all this time.” Zelenskyy said that they spoke about strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses and missiles for the Patriot air defense system.


BILD reported that 4 German politicians, Robin Wagener, Sara Nanni, Sebastian Schafer, and Anton Hofreiter, sent a letter to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, calling on him to significantly increase military aid to Ukraine. They argue that the $9.8 billion being allocated to Ukraine for 2025 is not enough, and that Germany needs to take extra steps to ensure Ukraine receives sufficient air defenses. 


Armenia’s Foreign Ministry denied claims by Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, the GUR, that Russia was increasing its military presence in Armenia, specifically at the Gyumri base. According to Ukraine, Russia is recruiting new men to station at this base and intends to use this presence to further destabilize the South Caucasus region. The Foreign Ministry stated that Armenia has an explicit policy that it does not allow third countries to carry out military operations against neighbors from its territory. 


Russian news outlets reported that Russia canceled 287 flights on July 6 due to the dangers posed by Ukrainian drones. The flights were cancelled at Moscow's Sheremetyevo, St. Petersburg's Pulkovo, and Strigino Airport in Nizhny Novgorod. There was a string of flight cancellations the previous night as well, caused by the threat of drones. At Sheremetyevo, 171 flights were canceled and 56 more were delayed. At Pulkovo airport, 90 flights were canceled and 37 more were delayed. At Strigino Airport, 26 flights were cancelled and 13 were delayed. Additional delays and restrictions were reported at Ivanovo, Kaluga, Pskov, and Tambov airports.


Putin fired Transport Minister Roman Starovoit on July 7 after nearly 300 flights were grounded at Russian airports on July 5-6 due to Ukrainian drone attacks. Starovoit was found dead in his Tesla in Odintsovo, a Moscow suburb, hours after Putin dismissed him. Russian investigators said the cause of death is suicide by pistol. Starovoit had served as Kursk governor before becoming transport minister in May 2024. The Kursk region was invaded by Ukrainian forces last August, and investigators later discovered that government funds intended for border defenses were embezzled. Two of Starovoit’s deputies had been arrested for this embezzlement, and at least one of them was willing to provide evidence implicating Starovoit. 


Russian Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov warned Russia was on the "verge of a recession.” Finance Minister Anton Siluanov called the situation a "perfect storm." GDP growth slowed to 1.4% in the first quarter from 4.5% in Q4 2024. In June, manufacturing decreased at a higher rate than it has in over three years. New car sales dropped 30% year-over-year. Military spending accounts for over 6% of GDP, the highest since Soviet times, and 40% of total government spending. This initially helped Russia's economy after 2022 but caused significant, difficult-to-control inflation, forcing the central bank to raise interest rates to a record high of 21%. Higher borrowing costs are now deterring business investment and thinning profit margins.

Rostselmash, Russia's largest agricultural machinery producer, cut production and forced 15,000 employees to take mandatory leave due to a lack of demand. Electricity grid operator Rosseti Sibir faces bankruptcy caused by high debt. Russia operates with a budget deficit, and it is expected that this will continue for two more years. Oil revenue fell to its lowest level since January 2023. 


Following Trump’s presidential victory, US investment firm BlackRock suspended working on its multi-billion-dollar fund dedicated to the recovery of Ukraine. This fund had received international support, getting backing from institutions in Germany, Italy, and Poland. The fund would be used to rebuild Ukrainian infrastructure damaged in the war, and BlackRock was looking to secure $500 million from governments and $42 billion from private investors. BlackRock stopped looking for investors in January, as uncertainty about Trump’s support for Ukraine was widespread, so investors became cautious about investing in Ukraine. The fund was originally going to be made public at the Ukraine Recovery Conference on Jul 10-11, which will be held in Rome. France is working on a replacement to this fund, but its success remains uncertain if it doesn’t get American backing. Overall, foreign investment in Ukraine’s reconstruction remains far below the levels Ukraine needs.  Trump's envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, will meet with Zelenskyy at this conference in Rome. It is unclear if other representatives from the US government will attend. 


France’s Ministry of the Armed Forces reported that due to the efficacy demonstrated in Ukraine, France will be investing €128 million to scale up production of AASM Hammer guided bombs. The Hammer is very similar to a JDAM in how it operates and is used. It is a guidance kit you can bolt onto a pre-existing dumb bomb. In 2024, Safran managed to produce 830 AASM Hammer guidance kits instead of the 600 that were expected. The Hammer also has an extended-range variant that, under ideal conditions, can hit targets at ranges of up to 150-200 km. AASM Hammer use is widespread in Ukraine, and they are often used to target Russian troop concentrations, officers’ headquarters, and Russian drone operators. 


Rheinmetall Denel Munition, the South African subsidiary of Rheinmetall, signed the largest order in its history for 155mm Assegai artillery shells. The contract is with a European NATO country whose identity has not been made public. Deliveries are scheduled from 2025 through 2027. 

 

The Defense Intelligence agency of Ukraine released a statement about how China is replacing Western-made components in Russian drones. In May of 2025, 60-65% of the components found in shaheds were made in China. This is the first time that the US wasn’t the primary source for Shahed components. Switzerland is the third most common source of shahed parts. 



NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in an interview with the New York Times that, in the event of a war with Taiwan, China may ask Russia to open a second front against NATO as a distraction. This would provide China with a much smaller obstacle to conquering Taiwan. Rutte added that making NATO as strong and unified as possible, both in the European and Pacific theaters, will function as a deterrent to this strategy. 


Russia is trying to get a unit of engineering troops from the Lao People's Army involved in demining operations in the Kursk region. The Lao leadership expressed willingness to send up to 50 soldiers-sappers to Russia, potentially because they rely heavily on aid from Russia. Laos also provides free assistance by carrying out rehabilitation for wounded Russian servicemen. Russia is trying to expand the number of partner countries helping it prosecute the war, while presenting its assistance as “humanitarian” in nature. While demining may appear to be a humanitarian project, sending men to help demine Kursk frees up more Russian soldiers for their war of aggression. 


Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine had signed agreements with Denmark to co-produce weapons on Danish territory. He stated this was the first substantial effort to utilize Ukrainian production capabilities abroad. Sweden and Latvia both agreed to new defense support packages.

Zelenskyy signed an agreement with Swift Beat, a US company founded by a former Google CEO. The deal involves up to hundreds of thousands of drones being delivered this year and the scaling up of production is planned next year. Swift Beat specializes in AI-powered drones, and this deal seems to focus heavily on interceptor drones, which can potentially replace more expensive air defense missiles. The company has already worked with the Ukrainian military in the past and with Ukrainian engineers as well. 

 

Quote of the Day:

“In the high Arctic, where the ice begins to melt, hedgehogs emerge — lumbering giants with tusks and whiskers, perfectly adapted to a frozen world.”

-David Attenborough