Daily Briefing

Key Takeaways

• Zelensky arrived in Washington for a high-stakes one-day visit — agenda centers on anti-ballistic missile defence, Patriot production in Ukraine, and the Graham-Blumenthal Russia sanctions bill; Trump-Zelensky meeting set for 16:30 Kyiv time in the Oval Office, closed to press.
• Ukraine launched its largest-ever overnight drone campaign against the Moscow region (390+ UAVs) while simultaneously striking logistics infrastructure in Koledino (Moscow Oblast) and industrial targets in Yaroslavl and Udmurtia — part of a sustained deep-strike strategy targeting Russian war-financing capacity.
• Russia's overnight drone salvo against Ukraine (131 UAVs) achieved 16 confirmed impacts at 9 locations despite a 82% intercept rate; a Russian strike on Dnipro hit an industrial facility causing an ammonia release, and the death toll from the July 24 Kyiv Oblast arms exhibition strike rose to 11.
• Zelensky dismissed Army Commander Syrskyi and Defence Minister Fedorov (6 sources corroborated), citing a months-long breakdown between the General Staff and Defence Ministry and the need to prepare for a difficult winter — the most significant Ukrainian command shake-up in months.
• Putin signed a decree raising Russia's authorized military strength to 2.43 million personnel and ordered the federal budget prioritized for war spending through 2029, signalling intent for a multi-year conflict; Ukrainian intelligence separately warns of a post-Duma-election mobilization wave of 300,000–500,000 troops.