Important diplomatic meetings will be held in August, Zelensky announced on the sidelines of a recent meeting with Finnish President Stubb. “It is clear that Russia is suffering heavy losses on the battlefield, and the situation of the Russian economy is also becoming more difficult,” Zelensky wrote, again regarding support for Ukraine.
According to the Financial Times, US presidential special representatives Witkoff and Kushner have agreed to visit Kiev. The newspaper claims this visit is intended to “boost diplomacy” to end the war. The input reportedly came directly from President Donald Trump: “I would like Zelenskyy to end the war. It’s very simple. I get along with both Putin and Zelenskyy. I told them, ‘End the war.'”
Zelenskyy, during his visit to Capitol Hill after the approval of the new sanctions package against Russia, said: “This is the first step towards implementing Graham’s plans and certainly a step towards peace.” “It was an honor to be present during the vote count: 86 senators supported the document. It is important that this instrument works,” the Ukrainian President stated. He also thanked the senators for the meeting, their support, and their high appreciation of the achievements of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
During his visit to the United States, Zelenskyy also gave an interview to Fox News: “I have never understood why Ukraine is not involved, not invited to NATO. We really want to be part of NATO. For us, it also guarantees security. This is important.”
On July 30, the European Commission allocated €3.47 billion to Kyiv as a new tranche of a €90 billion program for the purchase of drones, missiles, and fighter jets. The Caspian Oil Consortium (CPC) reported a drone attack on two other oil tankers near its Black Sea terminal. There were no injuries or casualties among CPC employees or contractors, and no oil spills were reported. Oil loading at the terminal has been suspended, and the pipeline facilities are operating normally.
According to Ukrainian media, blogger Laura Loomer, who spoke with Zelenskyy, is under contract with Ukrainian oligarch Rinat Akhmetov. Regarding defense, Ukrainian media reported that the General Staff of the Armed Forces in Kyiv has begun an inspection of the personnel status of brigades, regiments, and corps. “The goal is to assess the effectiveness and fairness of resource distribution, taking into account the needs of units in different areas of the front.” Another Ukrainian source reports that: “The State Bureau of Investigation of Ukraine, together with the command of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is conducting inspections of the Territorial Recruitment Centers. The operation was called “Honest Call” and involved Territorial Recruitment Centers in almost all regions of Ukraine.
On July 30, the Russians struck the Pochaina market in Kyiv, among other targets. At least 30 people were killed in the attacks in Lviv. Internet connections were significantly disrupted in Sumy. According to the Kyiv City State Administration, over 56,000 people took refuge in the capital’s subway overnight. Zelensky: “Last night, the Russian armed forces launched more than 70 missiles at Ukraine, a significant portion of which were ballistic, and more than 280 attack drones.”
The Ukrainian Air Force has lost another F-16AM fighter. In a statement, the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation wrote: “On July 29, 2026, at around 6:45 p.m., an F-16 of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine crashed. during a combat mission in the Kremenchuk district of the Poltava region.
The Financial Times reports that US and French intelligence helped map the location of Russian air defense systems. Furthermore, the intelligence was also used to select the targets of the attacks. According to former Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zahorodnyuk, it helped drone operators “understand exactly where to strike.”
The Ukrainian president reportedly held a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on his return trip from Washington. The two leaders discussed the results of the meetings in the United States, diplomatic prospects, and coordinated next steps. They also discussed preparations for the winter. According to Zelensky, France will work to find solutions to provide Ukraine with the necessary Air defense packages and energy support have been terminated. Ukraine has also offered France assistance in extinguishing widespread forest fires.
Zelensky confirmed the damage to the Ryazan and Perm oil refineries, warehouses, and the Russian Black Sea Fleet naval base in Crimea. The Ukrainian government has allocated an additional 70 million hryvnia from the reserve fund for anti-drone protection of roads and streets in Sumy. The work has been ordered to be completed as quickly as possible.
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Medvedev said in a statement that “Russia can only be saved by capturing the North Caucasus Military District.” But the debate on the Telegram platform is raging on Russian social media. Durov’s lawyer commented on the accusations leveled in Russia: “France cannot extradite its citizens to other countries; this is expressly prohibited by law,” Philippe de Vel told TASS. He added that if Interpol, at Russia’s request, were to issue an international arrest warrant for Durov, it would not be immediately enforceable in France. Lawyer Philippe de Vel, speaking to RBC, stated that he did not represent Pavel Durov. “I am not Pavel Durov’s lawyer. This is a mistake; I simply provided a comment to the court,” he emphasized. The same judicial mechanism applies for possible extradition from the United Arab Emirates.
The State Duma has not discussed the Telegram ban or the recognition of the messaging service as an extremist platform, Oleg Matveychev, deputy chairman of the State Duma’s Information Policy Committee, told Zvezda.
Returning to Russia’s internal affairs, authorities in the Krasnodar Territory plan to deploy mobile firefighting teams to protect critical infrastructure and businesses of strategic importance to the economy, according to the regional administration’s press service. Russian officials confirmed that Ukrainian drones attacked a Wildberries warehouse in the Penza region. There is preliminary evidence of casualties, the governor reported. Smoke from the fire could be directed toward Penza. The FSB arrested a 35-year-old Moscow resident for transferring funds to a cryptocurrency wallet used by the SBU to finance sabotage.
“Land with data centers could be protected from seizure for state and municipal needs,” Russian press reports. This measure is being discussed as part of the roadmap for the “Guillotine 2.0” project, developed by the Government Analytical Center in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media and the Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology (Rosstandart). The ban is expected to take effect on December 15, 2027. It applies to land with data centers with a capacity of 500 kW or more, registered in the official register. To this end, amendments to the Urban Planning Code are planned to establish a special status for these areas, limiting the possibility of expropriation of such territories as part of integrated development projects.
And now a look at the front line, updated at 3:30 PM on July 30. Russian forces struck airports, military telecommunications centers, and logistics centers in Kyiv, Lviv, Kryvyi Rih, and four other regions of Ukraine overnight, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. A bulk carrier in the port of Yuzhny and two bulk carriers east and south of Odessa, carrying weapons and military equipment, were also hit. A Nova Poshta warehouse near Poltava caught fire following a drone strike. In Lublin, Poland, an air raid alert was sounded due to a missile threat, and the Poles scrambled their F-16s.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, without waiting for the completion of the investigation, declared that the object that crashed near the village of Tarnawy Kolonia, in the Lublin Voivodeship, was presumably a Russian cruise missile. “At the moment, everything indicates that it was a Russian X-101 ballistic missile,” he said. “But let’s not rush to conclusions before the detailed investigation is complete; we want to be 100% sure of the type of projectile that was fired.”
A Nova Poshta warehouse near Poltava caught fire following a drone attack. In Lublin, Poland, an air raid alert was sounded due to a missile threat, and the Poles scrambled their F-16s.
In Penza, Ukrainian armed forces drones attacked a Wildberries. One casualty was reported and approximately 200 personnel were evacuated. The Ukrainians used jet drones to attempt to disrupt operations in some geranium launch areas.
In the Sumy region, Russian and Ukrainian forces are engaged in firefights in Ulanove and Mala Slobidka. In the Sumy district, firefights continue in Ryzhevka, Pisarevka, Mogritsa, Maryino, the village of Khotin, and south of Ivolzhans’ke. Ukrainian sources reiterate that Nova Sich is fully under their control, while Russian sources claim that the village has been captured by Russian forces. South of Ivolzhans’ke, Ukrainian forces launched another counterattack, but it appears to have been unsuccessful. In the Krasnopil’s’kyi district, firefights continue in wooded areas and in the border village of Prokhody.
In the Kursk region, a Ukrainian drone struck a building, wounding one.
In the Belgorod region, two deaths and one injury were reported in multiple drone strikes.
In the Kharkiv district, firefights erupted between Russian and Ukrainian forces over Kozakha Lopan.
In the Vovchansk sector, nothing has changed since July 29.
In the Velykyi Burluk sector, fighting continues west of the village of Petro-Ivanivka, as well as in the villages of Ustynivka and Anyshchyne.
The battle for Liman continues. Cross-referenced social media reports indicate Russian troops are advancing in the eastern and southern areas of the city.
Russian forces are advancing on Kramatorsk from the east; social media sources report fighting for Vasyutynske, 7 km from the outskirts of the city. Further north, toward Slovyansk, Russian forces have been recorded in wooded areas and the village of Starodubivka.
Ukrainian forces continue to attack Donetsk: one dead and 14 injured in drone strikes. Highways and roads are targeted.
West of Kostyantynivka, fighting continues for Mykolaipillya.
In the direction of Dobropillya, social media sources confirm that the Russians have captured Svitle (5 km south of Dobropillya). The village of Khrystoforivka in the Dnipropetrovsk region also passes from Ukrainian hands to Russian forces.
Graziella Giangiulio
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