Ukrainians have expressed strong disapproval of calls from recently freed Russian political prisoners for the easing of sanctions affecting ordinary Russians and for initiating negotiations. Vladimir Kara-Murza, who had been serving a 25-year sentence, urged the West to reconsider whether sanctions targeting ordinary Russians were “unfair and counterproductive.” Ukrainian lawmaker Iryna Gerashchenko responded sharply, stating, “I no longer believe in any good Russians.” In response to the backlash, Kara-Murza told the BBC that he acknowledged Russian society’s shared responsibility for the actions of the Putin regime, stressing that “Putin can’t be allowed to win this war. Ukraine must win, and there should be more support from Western countries to ensure that happens.”
Similarly, Ilya Yashin, who had been serving an eight-and-a-half year sentence for condemning the Russian forces’ massacre in Bucha, provoked controversy with his call for Ukraine to “sit down at the negotiating table.” Following the criticism, Yashin reiterated his opposition to Russia’s “criminal, barbaric” invasion of Ukraine, emphasizing, “I gave two years of my life for telling the truth about the war in Ukraine,” and assured Ukrainians, “I am not your enemy.”
Ukrainian analysts are concerned that these high-profile Russian dissidents might influence Western policy, creating friction with Kyiv’s stance. Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, remarked, “The common goal of all Russians should be to liberate Russia from the insane dictator Putin and his regime, not to fight sanctions. Sanctions should only be strengthened as long as Russia continues its armed aggression… sanctions are what restrain the regime’s military machine.”
In a separate development, Pavel Kushnir, a Russian pianist and anti-war activist, died in prison after a hunger strike, an event the EU described as a shocking instance of political repression. Kushnir, an accomplished concert pianist who had studied at Moscow’s Tchaikovsky conservatory, had been arrested in May.
Also Read: Russian Bombings and Infantry Attacks Lead to Significant Gains in the East
On the military front, Russian missiles and drones targeted Kyiv and its surroundings on Monday evening, prompting a response from air defenses. Kyiv has experienced several intense air attacks recently, including a July missile strike that damaged a children’s hospital. Last Wednesday, Russia launched at least 89 drones at Ukraine, with over 40 intercepted near Kyiv in one of the largest aerial barrages in months.
The Institute for the Study of War reports that Russian troops have made tactical advances around Toretsk, with continued progress in nearby Druzhba and Pivnichne. The Ukrainian general staff confirmed ongoing fighting in these areas.
Ukraine has condemned Mali’s decision to sever diplomatic ties over allegations of Ukrainian support for separatist rebels who attacked soldiers and Wagner mercenaries. Ukraine’s foreign ministry criticized the move as “shortsighted and hasty,” with Andriy Yusov of Ukrainian military intelligence noting that “the rebels received all the necessary information they needed,” implying potential assistance from Ukraine.
In Kherson region, Russian shelling in Tomina Balka injured two people, while across the border in Russia, a drone strike on the village of Vyazovoe resulted in one death and three injuries.
Additionally, Vyacheslav Akhmedov, director of Russia’s Patriot Park, and Maj Gen Vladimir Shesterov, deputy of the defense ministry’s innovations department, have been arrested on fraud charges. This follows a series of arrests of senior military officials connected to Sergei Shoigu, who was dismissed as defense minister by Vladimir Putin in May. The park, a project of Shoigu’s, was intended to foster patriotism among Russian youth.
