Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Crimea Is Being Strangled. Russian Authorities Are Struggling. Why (And How) Is Ukraine Doing It?

Russia launched 41 missiles and 125 drones in a massive overnight attack on Ukraine, with Kyiv as the main target. Ukrainian officials said it was Russia's largest use of ballistic missiles since the start of the full-scale invasion. At least one person was killed and 16 were injured. @MaryanKushnir, @radiosvoboda, Reuters

In a country of just more than 7 million people, the arrival of so many Chinese workers has been difficult to accept for many Kyrgyz. rferl.org/a/china-centra…

Russia launched one of its largest ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv since the start of its full-scale invasion overnight on July 19, killing one person and wounding 16 others, as Ukraine announced strikes on two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea. rferl.org/a/ukraine-kyiv…

The US military suffered its first combat fatalities since March in the Iran war, with the Pentagon saying two service members were killed and another was missing during defensive operations in Jordan, as hostilities ramped up in the region and further endangered a fragile cease-fire. rferl.org/a/centcom-sold…

Ukrainian drones targeted logistics and energy facilities across Russia and occupied Crimea. Fires broke out at an oil depot in Noginsk, east of Moscow, and at separate logistics hubs for the online marketplace Wildberries in the Tambov and Moscow regions. Authorities in Russia's Tambov region said at least seven Wildberries employees were killed.

Many European Union diplomats thought that it would become easier to approve sanctions on Russia after the departure of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in May after 16 years in power. rferl.org/a/eu-watered-d…

Some of the drones targeting Kramatorsk now reportedly land on isolated rooftops at night, then launch at targets after sunrise. rferl.org/a/ukraine-russ…

Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is about more than warships, says naval strategist Joshua Tallis. The real challenge is convincing commercial shipowners it's safe to return. rferl.org/a/hormuz-strai…

US strikes on Iran widened early on July 18 from the Strait of Hormuz hotspot to multiple sites throughout central and southern Iran, including through the use of jet fighters, while Iran continued to pound US Gulf allies, as a fragile cease-fire further tattered. rferl.org/a/iran-attacks…

Joosep Kaasik, the undersecretary for internal security in Estonia's Ministry of the Interior, told RFE/RL in an interview that his country takes the threat of a potential Russian attack seriously, but is also prepared to deal with political influence and the use of soft power by its Eastern neighbor.

As US forces targeted military sites and infrastructure, primarily in southern Iran, for the sixth night on July 16-17, Tehran responded by announcing it was launching strikes on five Persian Gulf states, including attacks on US military forces in Syria and Bahrain. Tehran's claims could not be independently verified.

One analyst said that Ukraine’s military strategy under Yevhen Khmara would probably be marked by continuity, with an ongoing focus on deep strikes to degrade Russia’s ability to wage war and undermine its domestic morale. rferl.org/a/who-is-yevhe…

Ukraine says it has hit an additional 159 vessels linked to Russia's so-called shadow fleet during a 12-day drone campaign in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.

(7/7) Read the full article by @Mike_Eckel ⬇️ rferl.org/a/russia-hacke…

(6/7) After traveling to Thailand, Obrezko was arrested on a US warrant, extradited to Boston, and has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.

(1/7) A suspected former Russian FSB hacker allegedly helped spy on NATO-aligned governments and Western organizations. He stayed safe for years. Then the decision to travel to Thailand may have changed everything.