Ukraine war briefing: Military’s former top commander says Kyiv has no chance of joining Nato

Key Points:

• Ukraine’s former top military commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi, now ambassador to the UK, stated there is no prospect of Ukraine joining NATO, citing that the country does not meet the military standards required and criticizing NATO’s outdated doctrines.
• Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia’s Moscow and St Petersburg regions caused multiple casualties and fires, prompting Finland to establish a temporary aviation restriction in the eastern Gulf of Finland.
• The frontlines in Ukraine saw little change in July, with Russian forces gaining less than 40 sq km, a significant decrease from previous months, while Ukraine made some territorial gains, particularly in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
• Ukrainian President Zelenskyy dismissed ambassador to the US Olga Stefanishyna amid a broader government shake-up, as Kyiv intensifies efforts to secure more US Patriot missile systems.
• Russian officials reported that Ukrainian drone strikes killed 11 people in Crimea and a Black Sea resort, while Russia blamed Ukraine for a deadly bombing in Moscow; meanwhile, Russian anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin fled to Paris amid tightening repression ahead of parliamentary elections.