The Kremlin says it won’t rule out the possibility of a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in China later this year. Meanwhile, one person has been killed after Russia targeted Kyiv in overnight strikes. Follow the latest below.
Monday 21 July 2025 14:07, UK
Michael Clarke, our military analyst, will be back on Tuesday to answer more of your questions about the war in Ukraine.
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Here are the latest battlefield maps in Ukraine.
Scroll through the maps below to view different parts of Ukraine, including the situation in key regions such as Luhansk, Donetsk, Kursk and Belgorod.
Ukraine’s new defence minister Denys Shmyhal has said the country needs $6bn to close this year’s defence procurement gap.
In an online meeting with Western allies, Shmyhal said the funds would allow for the production of more drones to help maintain defence lines, bolster air defences and launch more strikes into Russia.
It comes as Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued a call for “all available and effective drone interceptors” to be contracted (see previous post).
“We must ensure a significant increase in the frequency and range of our drone strikes on Russian targets,” he wrote in a post on X.
“Every site in Russia used by Moscow to produce weapons must become reachable by our defence forces.
“This means scaling up production of specific types of Ukrainian weapons. People must see clearly that Ukraine has its own missiles.”
Zelenskyy added that the objective is to raise the share of domestically produced weapons with Ukraine’s defence forces to 50% within the next six months.
Denys Shmyhal is now Ukraine’s new defence minister after a government reshuffle saw him leave the post of prime minister and take on the important new role.
Zelenskyy says the defence ministry is the country’s key institution during wartime, holding the “greatest concentration of resources and the greatest responsibility”.
After officially introducing Shmyhal as the new defence minister today, Zelenskyy outlined the “key priorities” for him and the ministry moving forward. They are:
Russia has used a propaganda video to showcase what it calls the “largest and most secret” drone factory in the world.
The video shows teenagers putting together the Geran-2 drones at the Alabuga industrial park near Kazan in Russia’s Tatarstan region.
“This is the largest such plant in the world and the most secret,” the CEO of the Alabuga special economic zone, told the Russian defence ministry’s television channel, according to the Kyiv Independent.
“At one time, the plan was to produce several thousands – now we are producing nine times more than planned.”
It comes as Moscow continues to ramp up its aerial attacks on Ukraine. Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War warned that Russia could launch up to 2,000 drones in one night by November (see 11.20 post).
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 426 drones and 24 missiles across the country in its latest overnight strike, but only 23 UAV drones hit their targets.
So, where has damage been reported in Ukraine? Take a look at the map below.
We’ve heard more from the Kremlin on the prospect of peace talks to end the war in Ukraine.
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia is in favour of a third round of talks.
He also didn’t rule out the possibility of a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in September.
Peskov confirmed Putin would visit China to mark the 80th anniversary of the Second World War, but said Moscow hasn’t heard if Trump plans to attend.
Russia could launch up to 2,000 drones in one night by November, analysts for the Institute for the Study of War have said.
Russia’s use of one-way attack drones in nightly strike packages grew at an average monthly rate of 31% in June and July, the US-based thinktank said.
Should that growth trend continue, analysts expect Russia to be able to use as many as 2,000 drones in one night in the coming months.
While the ISW noted that Russia won’t be able to sustain such attacks every night, it could launch a larger number of drones followed by a series of smaller packages.
The analysts said Western investment in Ukraine’s interceptor drone development and production remains critical for its ability to counter large-scale Russian strikes.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said “only real pressure” can stop Russia’s aggression after its latest aerial attack on Ukraine.
The country’s president said rescue and emergency efforts are under way following the overnight attack, with damage reported in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Ivano-Frankivsk.
Meanwhile, drones were intercepted over the Sumy, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Poltava, and Kherson regions, he added.
A total of 15 people have been injured, Zelenskyy said, with the youngest being a 12-year-old boy.
“I am grateful to everyone working in Ukraine and with Ukraine to defend lives – to expand weapons production, strengthen our air defence and continue work on sanctions,” he said.
“Only real pressure on Russia can stop this aggression.”
Before Russia launched its latest aerial attack on Ukraine overnight (see 8.50 post), the Kremlin said Vladimir Putin is ready to discuss peace in Ukraine.
However, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov insisted Moscow’s main aim is to achieve its goals.
“Putin has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible,” Peskov told Russian state television.
“This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy. The main thing for us is to achieve our goals. Our goals are clear.”
Russia continued its strikes on Ukraine overnight, with Kyiv’s air force saying 426 drones and 24 missiles were launched.
We can bring you these pictures from Kyiv after Russia’s latest overnight strikes on Ukraine.
As we reported in our 8.50 post, Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 426 drones and 24 missiles overnight across the country, but only 23 drones hit their targets.
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