Zelensky calls on allies for a shift in Russia's governing system
Russian Offensives Continue to Ravage Ukraine, With Deadly Attacks on Civilians and Territorial Gains
As of July 31, 2025, the political and military situation between Russia and Ukraine remains highly tense and violent. Russian forces are continuing their slow advances in eastern Ukraine, notably claiming to have seized Chasiv Yar, a strategically important hillside town in eastern Ukraine. However, Ukrainian forces have also made advances in other eastern regions such as Zaporizhia Oblast and near Lyman.
In a significant military gain for Russia, the Russian army claimed to have captured Chasiv Yar, a strategically important military hub for Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donetsk region. Ukrainian military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko said Russian forces "have full control over the entire northern and eastern part" of Chasiv Yar, including districts that had been hardest to get. Fighting for the western side of Chasiv Yar is ongoing, with the situation "very difficult". Home to around 12,000 people before the war but now largely destroyed, the town could allow Russian forces to advance on remaining civilian strongholds in the eastern Donetsk region.
Thursday's attacks came just hours before Ukrainian lawmakers overturned a law that would have curbed the powers of two anti-corruption bodies. The Kremlin has made the capture of the Donetsk region a priority since it claimed the industrial region as part of Russia in September 2022.
Russia's brutal offensive against Ukraine has resulted in numerous civilian casualties. On a specific day, Russia launched a drone and missile attack on Kiev, resulting in the death of 26 people, including three children. The toll from the attack was later revised to 36, including 10 bodies retrieved from the rubble of a residential building in Sviatoshynsky district. At least 159 people were wounded in the strikes, including 16 children. Among the victims of the attack was a six-year-old boy who died on the way to the hospital.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined the Helsinki +50 Conference via a video call on July 31, 2025, and urged his allies to bring about "regime change" in Russia. Zelensky called Moscow's claim of capturing Chasiv Yar "Russian disinformation", saying that "Ukrainian units are defending our positions."
Kiev is observing a day of mourning after Thursday's bombardment, which was among the deadliest the capital has seen since Russia's large-scale offensive in February 2022. One person was also killed in a Russian attack early Friday on Zaporizhzhia, in southeast Ukraine.
The conflict continues to take a severe toll on civilians, with residential buildings, schools, and hospitals targeted. The international community must take action to protect the civilian population and bring an end to this brutal conflict.
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- Despite ongoing political negotiations, the ongoing war-and-conflicts between Russia and Ukraine continue to be dominated by military news, with Russian forces making strategic gains such as the capture of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine, which has resulted in numerous civilian casualties and displacement.
- The politics surrounding war-and-conflicts between Russia and Ukraine frequently intertwine with general-news, as illustrated by the recent overturning of a law in Ukraine that curbed the powers of anti-corruption bodies, which was followed by escalating attacks on civilian areas, raising concerns about the international community's response to these humanitarian crises.
