Vladimir Putin’s advisors increasingly blame him for Russia’s mounting losses in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday, hailing the success of Kyiv’s protracted campaign of strikes deep behind enemy lines.
The Ukrainian president wrote that Ukraine’s buoyed confidence on the battlefield is “creating a new atmosphere” around his Russian counterpart, with allies losing faith in Putin’s ability to continue to prosecute the four-year conflict.
“A very toxic atmosphere,” Zelensky assessed. “He alone is the reason this war began and hasn’t ended. Putin alone is responsible for the losses Russians continue to suffer. His retinue understands this - they are signalling it to us and to our partners.”
Zelensky’s stark assessment came as Ukraine struck two more warehouses belonging to Russian online retailer Wildberries, extending a series of drone strikes on a company at the heart of Russia's consumer economy.
Tatyana Kim, the co-founder and head of Wildberries, said warehouses had been attacked in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk, both in southern Russia.
Wildberries, often described as Russia's Amazon, is one of the country's biggest employers. The attacks mark a new stage in Ukraine’s campaign of deep strikes inside Russia to undermine the war effort and bring the conflict home to ordinary Russians.
Key Points
- Russia rules out giving up Ukraine territory in peace deal – report
- Putin facing 'toxic atmosphere' at home amid Russian losses, says Zelensky
- US to pitch ending Ukraine war as Rubio meets Lavrov today
- Zelensky discusses weapons and diplomacy in talks with US envoys
- Russia bans night-time port shipping after drone attacks
Russia strikes Ukraine's Odesa port
08:00 , James Reynolds
Russian forces struck infrastructure used for military cargo in the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odesa, the Interfax news agency reported on Thursday, citing Russia's defence ministry.
Russia and Ukraine have stepped up military activity in and around the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov in recent weeks, with each side attacking dozens of ships, including oil tankers and cargo vessels.
Two dead, five injured in Ukrainian attacks on Crimea and southern Russia
07:40 , Arpan Rai
At least two people were killed including a three-year-old child in separate overnight Ukrainian attacks on a southern Russian city and on the Russian-controlled peninsula of Crimea, authorities said this morning.
Crimean governor Sergei Aksyonov said one person died on the peninsula and four more were injured, including two children.
Falling drone debris sparked a fire at the home of a three-year-old boy in the city of Voronezh, some 500km (310 miles) south of Moscow, killing him, the regional governor Alexander Gusev said.
A 19-year-old man sustained minor injuries in the attack, which also damaged the roof of a warehouse belonging to an online marketplace and other buildings.
The governor of the Ulyanovsk region east of Moscow said Ukrainian drones had attacked an energy facility, which caught fire. The Russian defence ministry said its air defence units downed 223 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Putin's aide Lavrov signals readiness to end Ukraine war – but sticking to Alaska terms
07:28 , Arpan Rai
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and US secretary of state Marco Rubio discussed the Ukraine conflict and the normalisation of US-Russia relations in a meeting in Manila this morning, the Russian foreign ministry said.
Lavrov "reaffirmed Russia's readiness for a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict," the ministry's statement said, and told Rubio that Moscow remained committed to proposals put forward by presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at their August 2025 meeting in Alaska.
The two men, who met on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum, agreed to continue contacts, the Russian statement said.
The Kremlin has repeatedly said it wants to end the Ukraine war along the lines of terms discussed at that Alaska summit, which included a significant concession of territory by Ukraine. Kyiv has said it cannot abide by those terms, and the US has said no deal was ever finalised during the those talks.
One killed and four injured in Ukrainian attack on Crimea
07:03 , Arpan Rai
One person was killed and four injured in a Ukrainian attack on the Russian-controlled peninsula of Crimea, the Russian-installed governor said this morning.
There are two children among the injured, Crimean governor Sergei Aksyonov wrote on Telegram.
Air defence units downed 223 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russian news agencies said, citing the defence ministry.
The governor of the Ulyanovsk region east of Moscow said that Ukrainian drones had attacked an energy facility, adding it had caught fire.
Civilian sites were attacked in Russia's Voronezh region during the night, governor Alexander Gusev said, adding that some people were injured.
Watch: Wildberries: Huge fires as Zelensky launches new attacks on Russian warehouses
06:57 , Arpan Rai
Rubio and Lavrov wrap up meeting in Manila
06:41 , Arpan Rai
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and US secretary of state Marco Rubio have held their meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN forum in Manila, the TASS news agency reported.
The meeting lasted over half an hour, it added. Details of what was discussed are yet to be released.
Earlier Rubio told reporters in Manila that he planned to raise the conflict in Ukraine with Lavrov, saying that the US remained open to playing a role in ending the conflict “if that opportunity presents itself”.
German nuclear fuel plant cleared to work with Russia's Rosatom
06:10 , Arpan Rai
A German nuclear fuel assembly plant has won regulatory approval to jointly produce fuel with Russia's state-owned Rosatom, underscoring how the nuclear sector remains largely exempt from European sanctions on Russia.
A federal state regulator cleared Advanced Nuclear Fuels, part of French nuclear power company Framatome, a subsidiary of EDF, to produce fuel rods in Lingen, Lower Saxony, for Russian-designed nuclear power plants with Rosatom, Germany's federal environment ministry said on Wednesday.
The federal ministry said it regretted the collaboration but added the regulator legally had no choice but to give its go-ahead.
There is so far no EU agreement on an extension of sanctions on Russia to the nuclear power sector but Germany was working towards that, a ministry spokesperson told Reuters.
Russia rules out giving up Ukraine territory in peace deal – report
05:50 , Arpan Rai
Russian president Vladimir Putin still insists he will keep all occupied Ukrainian territory as part of any peace deal to end the war, according to a report.
Sources close to the Kremlin said Putin wants to hold these occupied regions near the border and use them as buffer zones, reported Bloomberg.
At the same time, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has also ruled out formally ceding any territory illegally occupied by Russia since the war began in 2022.
In June Putin signalled that Russia was ready to reach a compromise to end the war, but no details were shared.
Putin facing 'toxic atmosphere' at home amid Russian losses, says Zelensky
05:27 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is under pressure as a result of his country's losses in the war on Ukraine.
“He alone is the reason this war began and hasn't ended. Putin alone is responsible for the losses Russians continue to suffer,” Zelensky said in his nightly address.
“The situation on the front, together with our long-range sanctions and mid-range strikes, is creating a new atmosphere around Putin. A very toxic atmosphere,” he said.
Zelensky said Russian society is starting to feel the impacts of the war more than ever. “His retinue understands this – they are signalling it to us and to our partners. Russian society is beginning to feel it more and more as well. We need decisions to bring about peace.”
The situation on the front, together with our long-range sanctions and mid-range strikes, is creating a new atmosphere around Putin. A very toxic atmosphere. He alone is the reason this war began and hasn't ended. Putin alone is responsible for the losses Russians continue to… pic.twitter.com/AmKq0PzFtp
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 22, 2026
Watch: Two killed in Zaporizhzhia and nine injured in latest Russian attack on residential building
05:19 , Arpan Rai
Russia bans vessel movement at night at major port amid Ukraine drone attacks
04:47 , Arpan Rai
Russia has introduced a temporary ban on vessel movements in and out of the port of Novorossiysk between midnight and 5am because of Ukrainian drone attacks, three grain industry sources said on Wednesday.
Novorossiysk is Russia's biggest port by volume and handles up to one third of Russia's grain exports. The ban follows traffic restrictions introduced earlier this month in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait.
The sources said the order was verbal and that no official document had been sent to shippers. They said the port was functioning as usual outside the restricted night-time hours, and grain shipments had not been affected.
A government order published on 21 July banned vessels from anchoring in areas without air defences at the port of Azov in the Sea of Azov and the port of Kavkaz in the Kerch Strait.
US to pitch ending Ukraine war as Rubio meets Lavrov today
04:21 , Arpan Rai
US secretary of state Marco Rubio is set to meet today with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in the Philippines, where he’s expected to renew the prospect of the US trying to broker an end to the war in Ukraine.
The meeting between Rubio and Lavrov is slated to occur on the sidelines of a gathering by Southeast Asian foreign ministers, among the most high-profile side meetings the region's top diplomats were having at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations event in Manila.
Rubio told reporters in Manila yesterday that he plans to raise the conflict in Ukraine with Lavrov, saying that the US remained open to playing a role in ending the conflict “if that opportunity presents itself.”
He acknowledged that those efforts have “kind of fallen off a little bit over the last few months” but said the meeting would explore whether there’s an opportunity to renew talks.
“We have to have a relationship with the Russian government, even though we have areas of disagreement,” Rubio said, noting that they are two largest nuclear-armed countries.
Lavrov, speaking to reporters at the ASEAN meeting, said he would ask Rubio about the latest statements by US president Donald Trump predicting that a settlement is getting close.
“I will ask Marco Rubio about it tomorrow,” Lavrov said.
Zelensky discusses weapons and diplomacy in talks with US envoys
04:00 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spoke yesterday about the prospects for pursuing more active diplomacy and moving towards an accord to end the more than four-year-old war with Russia.
Both the Ukrainian leader and the White House confirmed the telephone conversation took place.
US-brokered diplomacy in the war has stalled with Washington largely focused on the conflict with Iran.
“I just spoke with President Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff @SEPeaceMissions and Jared Kushner @jaredkushner," Zelensky wrote in a post on X.
“It was a good, important conversation on how to reinvigorate diplomacy and bring peace closer. Peace is needed – peace with dignity, and Ukraine has long been ready for it,” he said, adding that both sides would stay in close contact.
“I am, frankly, asking for faster action and greater support.”
Posting earlier on X, he said securing Patriot interceptor supplies was a “critical priority now, as massive Russian attacks continue unabated.”
I just spoke with President Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff @SEPeaceMissions and Jared Kushner @jaredkushner. It was a good, important conversation on how to reinvigorate diplomacy and bring peace closer. Peace is needed – peace with dignity, and Ukraine has long been ready for it.… pic.twitter.com/XvqrLjZs8s
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 22, 2026
Zelensky asks US for faster action on Patriot air defence production
03:00 , Jane Dalton
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky says he has discussed licences for Patriot air defence system production with US ambassador to Nato Matthew Whitaker, to protect Ukrainian cities from missile attacks.
"These past months have been extremely difficult...That is exactly what we discussed with Ambassador Whitaker today - production licences, missiles and everything else that is needed," Mr Zelensky said in his address.
"I am, frankly, asking for faster action and greater support."
Earlier, he wrote that securing Patriot interceptor supplies was a "critical priority now, as massive Russian attacks continue unabated".
President Donald Trump agreed during a meeting with Mr Zelensky at the Nato summit in Turkey this month that the United States would grant Ukraine a licence to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors.
Russia bans night-time port shipping after drone attacks
02:00 , Jane Dalton
Russia has introduced a temporary ban on vessel movements in and out of the port of Novorossiysk between midnight and 5am because of Ukrainian drone attacks, three grain industry sources say.
The sources said the order was verbal and that no official document had been sent to shippers.
Novorossiysk is Russia's biggest port by volume and handles up to one third of Russia's grain exports. The ban follows traffic restrictions introduced earlier this month in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait.
Novorossiysk also ships oil, metals and goods in containers.
The sources said the port was functioning as usual outside the restricted night-time hours, and grain shipments had not been affected.
EU envoys fail to agree on new package of Russian sanctions
01:00 , Jane Dalton
EU ambassadors have failed to agree on a 21st package of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, an EU diplomat said.
The envoys will meet again on Thursday, the diplomat added.
The new package targets Russia's banking sector in an effort to squeeze Moscow's financial system at what the EU sees as a vulnerable time.
However, Greece wants the EU to soften already agreed restrictions on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies and has become the main obstacle to adopting the new package.
Zelensky welcomes US ambassador to Nato back to Kyiv
Wednesday 22 July 2026 23:59 , James Reynolds
Great to welcome Matthew Whitaker @MattWhitaker46, U.S. Ambassador to NATO, back in Kyiv – this time together with Lieutenant General Curtis Buzzard, Commander of NATO Security Assistance & Training for Ukraine.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 22, 2026
We had a good talk – first and foremost on how to protect Ukrainian… pic.twitter.com/6R7kXNLGyD
Recap: Burnham speaks to Zelensky and Trump in first calls after taking office
Wednesday 22 July 2026 23:00 , 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
Pictured: Aftermath of fire at Wildberries warehouses in Russia
Wednesday 22 July 2026 22:00 , James Reynolds
US envoys and Zelensky discuss diplomacy
Wednesday 22 July 2026 21:30 , Jane Dalton
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have discussed the prospects for pursuing more active diplomacy and moving towards an accord to end the war with Russia.
Both the Ukrainian leader and the White House confirmed the telephone conversation took place.
US-brokered diplomacy in the war has stalled with Washington largely focused on the conflict with Iran.
Mr Zelensky wrote that it “was a good, important conversation on how to reinvigorate diplomacy and bring peace closer”.
“Peace is needed – peace with dignity, and Ukraine has long been ready for it."
He said said both sides would stay in close contact.
Zelensky’s new military chief wins widespread approval
Wednesday 22 July 2026 21:01 , Jane Dalton
Zelensky’s new military chief wins widespread approval after surprise sacking
Putin aides 'tell Ukraine Russian president alone responsible for war amid toxic atmosphere'
Wednesday 22 July 2026 20:25 , Jane Dalton
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed the situation on the front lines is partially responsible for “creating a new atmosphere around [Vladimir] Putin”.
He wrote on social media: “The situation on the front, together with our long-range sanctions and mid-range strikes, is creating a new atmosphere around Putin.
“A very toxic atmosphere.
“He alone is the reason this war began and hasn't ended.
“Putin alone is responsible for the losses Russians continue to suffer.
“His retinue understands this – they are signalling it to us and to our partners.
“Russian society is beginning to feel it more and more as well.”
The situation on the front, together with our long-range sanctions and mid-range strikes, is creating a new atmosphere around Putin. A very toxic atmosphere. He alone is the reason this war began and hasn't ended. Putin alone is responsible for the losses Russians continue to… pic.twitter.com/AmKq0PzFtp
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 22, 2026
