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.
Key Points
- Zelensky bows to pressure to sack military chief
- Three injured after Ukraine-bound vessel struck near Romanian coast, says president
- Russian guided bomb in Zaporizhzhia kills at least three
- Russian warship carries out live-firing exercise off UK coast
- Chinese nationals injured in drone attack on Moscow
- Four Indians killed in attack on ship leaving Ukraine port
Ousted Ukraine military chief says his troops captured 700 sq km from Russian forces
06:29 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine has recaptured 700sq km (270.3 square miles) of its territory this year, outgoing commander in chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said this morning.
“I am handing over to my successor an army that is not only holding the defence but is also on the offensive,” Syrskyi said in a statement on Telegram, confirming he was leaving the top military job.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that a young major general, Mykhailo Drapatyi, would replace Syrskyi after days of street protests.
Watch: Two killed in Zaporizhzhia and nine injured in latest Russian attack on residential building
06:20 , Arpan Rai
EU envoys meet to negotiate 21st Russia sanctions package
06:04 , Arpan Rai
Top EU officials are set to meet today in the hopes of reaching a compromise with Greece and passing a 21st package of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, EU diplomats said.
The package lists about 215 individuals and entities including 94 financial institutions. Close to 90 of these are banks, taking the total number of sanctioned banks to over 100, or more than half of Russia's 213 internationally connected lenders.
A European state intelligence service report, seen by Reuters, warned in June that Russia risked an "explosive" banking crisis and a new sanctions package targeting banks could trigger an economic shock.
Russian authorities have dismissed warnings of a looming crisis.
EU diplomatic sources said the aim of the listings was to discourage third countries from dealing with these Russian lenders, given any EU ties are now minimal or non-existent.
Russia's Wildberries says warehouses attacked again and several injured
05:45 , Arpan Rai
Another attack on warehouses of Russia's largest online retailer Wildberries has injured several people, said Tatyana Kim, the head and co-founder of the company, this morning.
Kim said warehouses in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk had been attacked.
A previous strike by Ukrainian drones on Saturday killed eight workers, sparked fires and disrupted operations at Wildberries.
New UK defence secretary calls Russia's military exercise off the UK coast 'irresponsible'
05:23 , Arpan Rai
Britain's new defence secretary Wes Streeting said it was "irresponsible" for Russia to have conducted a live-fire weapons exercise off the English coast.
“We should see yesterday's events as performative and irresponsible," Streeting told reporters when asked about the incident.
"It's not the first time that Russia has behaved like this, and frankly, it's the tip of the iceberg of the daily threats that this country faces and our allies face.”
Earlier, a government minster confirmed that a Russian naval vessel had conducted a "brief live-fire weapons exercise" in international waters approximately 40 nautical miles south of Plymouth in southwest England.
The defence secretary said standard maritime safety procedures were followed during the drill.
Kremlin says Russian online retailer Wildberries suffered losses in warehouse attacks
05:17 , Arpan Rai
Online retailer Wildberries, Russia's answer to Amazon, and the merchants who trade through it are grappling with losses in the wake of Ukrainian attacks on warehouses operated by the retailer, the Kremlin said yesterday.
Drones targeted two large logistics hubs in the cities of Kotovsk and Elektrostal on Saturday. The strikes killed eight workers, sparked fires and disrupted operations at Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, which can handle over 20 million orders per day.
Asked about the attacks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists: “The situation is indeed difficult because of the losses suffered both by the company itself and by representatives of small and medium-sized businesses.”
He denied accusations from Ukraine that Wildberries handles military supplies.
Watch: Zelensky names new commander-in-chief and vows ‘deep strikes’ on Moscow will continue
05:05 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine will continue its deep strikes on Russia under new general, says Zelensky
04:45 , Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed that Ukraine will continue to carry out strikes deep inside Russia under its new commander-in-chief Mykhailo Drapatyi.
"The operations of the Ukrainian Defence Forces are ongoing and must continue steadily. Ukraine's plan for long-range sanctions and our program of middle-range strikes will be carried out with absolute precision," Zelensky said as he introduced Drapatyi.
Drapatyi is a respected and experienced commander who led Ukraine's land forces from 2024 to 2025 and is described as a general of a new generation.
I have decided that Mykhailo Drapatyi will become the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Together with Mykhailo, Yevhenii Khmara, and Pavlo Palisa, we determined how the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine should be reconfigured. It is a fact that… pic.twitter.com/spK2B2ppHP
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 21, 2026
Zelensky names new military commander: Everything we know so far
04:12 , Arpan Rai
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.
Military reshuffle in Ukraine celebrated in Russia
04:01 , Arpan Rai
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.
In one of Kyiv's most frequently bombed neighborhoods, residents choose to stay
03:00 , Alex Croft
Residents of Kyiv’s historic Lukianivka neighborhood share a dark joke: Russian strikes hit the area so frequently, they ought to be issued military service documents as though they are living on the front line of the war.
Real estate agent Dmytro Zhekov acknowledges the danger up front when he tries to draw prospective renters to one of the Ukrainian capital's most frequently bombed areas. In his sales pitch on social media, he highlights the neighborhood’s many virtues: affordable rents, easy access to the city center, a well-connected metro line and historic landmarks.
“From the beginning I tell them, ‘This is a place in the danger zone. It gets hit regularly. If you are all right with that, then we can see it,’” he said.
The district includes a Soviet-era weapons plant that has become one of Russia’s most frequent targets in Kyiv, with its roof blackened by repeated strikes. Across the street, the Lukianivka metro station, which gives the neighborhood its name, has been hit at least eight times. During air raids, it also serves as a shelter for residents. Craters have become a permanent part of the urban landscape.
Read more here:
In one of Kyiv's most frequently bombed neighborhoods, residents choose to stay
Domestic fuel market in Russia partly stabilised, says Moscow's deputy PM
01:29 , Alex Croft
The domestic fuel market in Russia has partly stabilised, deputy prime minister Alexander Novak said on Tuesday.
He did, however, say the situation was still difficult in some regions.
Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries in recent months have disrupted fuel supplies, leading to long queues at pump stations, excessive gasoline prices and rationing in several regions.
Watch: Kyiv shares footage of attack on Russian airbase
Wednesday 22 July 2026 00:01 , Alex Croft
Another costly day for Russian military aviation.
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) July 21, 2026
The 15th Artillery Reconnaissance Brigade successfully targeted the Khalino airbase in Russia’s Kursk region, striking a MiG-29 fighter jet and a Pantsir-S1 air defense system. pic.twitter.com/ZPwIYPUyyA
Russian forces seize village in Kharkiv region, says Moscow
Tuesday 21 July 2026 23:00 , Alex Croft
Russian forces have taken control of the village of Volokhivske in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, news agencies cited the Defence Ministry as saying.
The agencies also said Moscow had continued to hit infrastructure used by Kyiv's military in the Ukrainian port of Odesa.
The Independent could not independently confirm the battlefield reports.
Kremlin: Moscow in touch with New Delhi after four Indians killed in Black Sea
Tuesday 21 July 2026 22:01 , Alex Croft
We heard earlier from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who said Moscow was in touch with its partners in India after a missile strike killed four Indians on a Black Sea cargo ship as it was leaving the port of Odesa in Ukraine.
Kyiv said Russia hit the Golden Leo – a Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship manned by a crew from India and Syria – with three cruise missiles on Sunday, killing 10 people including four Indians.
New Delhi summoned the Russian chargé d’affaires over the incident.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that Russia will continue to hit vessels involved in supplying the Ukrainian military.
Zelensky bows to pressure to sack military chief
Tuesday 21 July 2026 21:40 , Jane Dalton
President Volodymyr Zelensky has 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.
Mr Zelensky 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 pressure on Russia that would force Russia toward peace," he said.
The Ukrainian leader said he made the decision after a series of meetings with military commanders. They began shortly after protests broke out demanding the reinstatement of former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, seen by demonstrators as a driver of military modernisation, and the removal of Syrskyi, who they said embodied the army's old, Soviet-style command culture.
Watch | 'I was Russia’s Michael McIntyre': Russian comedian Sasha Nezlobin on his new life in America
Tuesday 21 July 2026 21:02 , Alex Croft
Recap: Burnham speaks to Zelensky and Trump in first calls after taking office
Tuesday 21 July 2026 20:00 , Alex Croft
Andy Burnham has spoken with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and US president Donald Trump as part of his first set of phone calls with world leaders as prime minister.
Burnham promised that Britain's support for Ukraine would remain unchanged under his leadership, just hours after he replaced Sir Keir Starmer in No 10.
Zelensky confirmed the call on his Telegram channel and said the two sides reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine and agreed to speak on bilateral cooperation in the near future, including within the Anti-Ballistic Coalition.
"I was happy to speak with Andy Burnham and congratulate him on taking office as prime minister of the United Kingdom. I truly appreciate that the support for Ukraine and our people will remain steadfast," he said.
Zelensky thanked Burnham for “warm words of respect for the Ukrainian people and for your condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed in Russia's recent attacks”.
I was happy to speak with Andy Burnham @andyburnham and congratulate him on taking office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. I truly appreciate that the support for Ukraine and our people will remain steadfast. Thank you for your warm words of respect for the Ukrainian… pic.twitter.com/6sJ9ErbpPF
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 20, 2026
