New Ukraine army chief vows to step up counteroffensive as EU bids to finalise fresh Russia sanctions – as it happened

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Ukraine will step up counteroffensive actions, new army chief says

Back to Ukraine, the country’s new commander in chief said Ukraine’s ⁠armed forces have been tasked ⁠with stepping ⁠up ​counteroffensive actions.

“The ‌president of ‌Ukraine has set ‌clear objectives for us: to continue and intensify offensive operations ‌in all domains, to plan new ​operations behind enemy lines, to develop our military ⁠and its technologies, ​and ​to build ​up the ​capabilities of ‌the Armed ​Forces ​of Ukraine,” Mykhailo Drapatyi said on Facebook.

Key events

• 4h ago

  Closing summary

• 4h ago

  Ukrainians hope new commander will end army’s ‘Soviet culture’

• 5h ago

  Zelenskyy hosts senior US officials in Kyiv for talks on 'protecting Ukrainian sky'

• 5h ago

  Model scout for Jeffrey Epstein found dead at his home near Paris

• 5h ago

  Hungary's Orbán-era chief prosecutor resigns

• 5h ago

  Chancellor Merz's close aide Frei replaces Spahn as parliamentary leader of CDU/CSU after surrogacy resignation

• 5h ago

  Berlin 'irritated' by renewed detention of Deutsche Welle correspondent in Turkey

• 6h ago

  France reports 'unprecedented' level of excess deaths amid heatwave

• 6h ago

  EU steps work on tackling Russia's shadow fleet with flag verification boardings, Kallas says

• 7h ago

  Germany blames Russia for false information on nuclear-weapons research

• 8h ago

  Ukraine will step up counteroffensive actions, new army chief says

• 8h ago

  Spain, France battle wildfires as heat continues to grip southern Europe

• 8h ago

  Morocco calls for investigation into arrested national's death in Bologna

• 8h ago

  At least 15 people injured after two trams collide in Rotterdam

• 9h ago

  EU talks on finalising 21st package of sanctions against Russia under way

• 9h ago

  Zelenskyy names new head of Ukraine's General Staff as he continues military reshuffle

• 9h ago

  Ukrainian military reshuffle will not change frontline situation, Kremlin says

• 10h ago

  US 'would like to see that war come to an end,' Rubio says, as he says he will discuss Ukraine with Lavrov

• 10h ago

  Russia's Lavrov to meet US counterpart Rubio this Thursday

• 11h ago

  Venice Biennale to challenge EU's decision to withdraw funding after Russia's return

• 11h ago

  Greece braces for warmest day of the year so far

• 11h ago

  French human organisations seek court ban on trading with or investing in Palestinian occupied territories

• 11h ago

  Hungary's Orbán confirms raid on Fidesz party's servers, questions legitimacy of new officials

• 11h ago

  My friends left Ukraine after the Russian invasion. Now I wonder if we live in the same world

• 11h ago

  Ukraine agrees to export drones to US under Pentagon plan - reports

• 12h ago

  Zelenskyy fires Ukraine’s army chief and offers Fedorov ‘prominent position’

• 12h ago

  'We are bringing the war back home, to Russia,' Zelenskyy says after overnight strikes

• 12h ago

  Morning summary: But can they do it on a Wednesday morning in Brussels?

Closing summary

Jakub Krupa

And, on that note, we will be closing the blog for today.

• Ukraine’s new commander in chief Mykhailo Drapatyi said Ukraine’s ⁠armed forces have been tasked ⁠with stepping ⁠up ​counteroffensive actions (13:51), as he took over the role after president Volodymyr Zelenskyy reshuffled key military personnel.

• Zelenskyy also hosted senior US officials fdor talks on “protecting Ukrainian sky” (17:09), a day before US secretary of state Marco Rubio is set to meet with Russia’s Sergei Lavrov for talks in Manila (11:39).

• Earlier, Zelenskyy praised the army’s overnight attack on Russian logistics hubs, saying “we are … bringing the war back home, to Russia” (9:35).

• Meanwhile, EU ambassadors are locked in discussions on the 21st package of sanctions against Russia, with critics saying that the bloc’s sanctions policy is reaching its limits as several countries pushed back against some of the proposals (9:30, 12:59).

In other news,

• Hungary’s ⁠former nationalist prime minister Viktor ⁠Orbán confirmed ⁠that prosecutors had taken ⁠his Fidesz party’s servers during a ⁠raid on ​Tuesday, complaining about the actions of the new government led by Péter Magyar (10:57).

• Morocco’s foreign ministry said it ⁠was concerned by the death of a ⁠national during ⁠a ​police arrest in Bologna in Italy and urged ⁠a “thorough investigation” (13:32).

• At least 15 people were injured after two trams collided on a key bridge in Rotterdam in the Netherlands (13:29).

• Firefighters continued to battle huge blazes in Spain and France on Wednesday, amid as extreme temperatures continue to affect large parts of Europe (13:36, 15:48).

If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.

I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.

Ukrainians hope new commander will end army’s ‘Soviet culture’

Pjotr Sauer

On Tuesday night, Volodymyr Zelenskyy named the 43-year-old major general Mykhailo Drapatyi as the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, putting him at the head of the military as Kyiv tries to shift the momentum of the war.

The appointment was one of the few wartime decisions in Ukraine to command near-universal support, reflecting Drapatyi’s high standing across the country’s political, military and civil society circles, and helping to steady the political mood after days of turmoil in Kyiv.

Days earlier, thousands of demonstrators had taken to the streets following the dismissal of the popular defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, who had clashed with the then commander-in-chief, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, over the conduct of the war.

Drapatyi’s appointment is likely to be welcomed by many of the protesters who have filled Ukraine’s streets, particularly after Drapatyi publicly backed Fedorov in his dispute with Syrskyi.

Drapatyi belongs to a younger generation of Ukrainian commanders formed by more than a decade of fighting, and built his reputation on the frontline.

Supporters say he took up drone warfare early, pushed authority down to junior officers and expected them to answer for their own decisions.

Zelenskyy hosts senior US officials in Kyiv for talks on 'protecting Ukrainian sky'

Meahwhile, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed US ambassador to Nato Matthew Whitaker and Commander of Nato Security Assistance & Training for Ukraine, Curtis Buzzard to Kyiv.

“We had a good talk – first and foremost on how to protect Ukrainian skies with more Patriot interceptor supplies through PURL. This is a critical priority now, as massive Russian attacks continue unabated.”

He said they also “discussed the US-Ukraine bilateral defence partnership: building on president Trump’s decision in Ankara to licence Ukraine to produce Patriots, and the Drone Deal, which our teams are now working through.”

“This has real potential, and we hope to get it finalised soon,” he said.

Jakub Krupa

We are still waiting for news from Brussels on the 21st package of sanctions against Russia (12:59), with EU ambassadors expected to resume their talks after 5pm local time (4pm UK).

Model scout for Jeffrey Epstein found dead at his home near Paris

Amelia Gentleman

A modelling scout who recruited women for Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead at his home near Paris, French officials have said.

Daniel Siad, 69, was under investigation by the prosecutors specialising in human trafficking in France, accused of rape and other charges. His name appeared in more than 1,000 documents in the US Department of Justice Epstein files that were declassified earlier this year.

Siad was one of several French men accused of aiding Epstein to traffic and abuse women. He had not yet been questioned by investigators, but had denied the allegations, saying he wanted to give his version of events.

He was found dead in his home on Monday evening. An investigation to determine the cause of death has been opened and an autopsy is to be carried out.

The files revealed Siad to be one of Epstein’s most loyal correspondents. He remained in frequent contact with him until months before the financier’s death, receiving wired payments apparently for expenses incurred during travel to find women.

Hungary's Orbán-era chief prosecutor resigns

And over in Hungary, the country’s chief ⁠prosecutor Gábor Bálint Nagy submitted his resignation on Wednesday, the latest senior official to leave as the new government led by Péter Magyar pursues its reforms.

In a statement, Nagy – elected to his post by the previous government of Viktor Orbán last year for a nine-year term – said he was “subjected to a series of attacks through my person, far beyond the framework of acceptable professional and public debates, despite the fact that I performed my mandate in accordance with the law.”

Magyar noted his resignation, saying in a social media post:

“With this, the country is free of yet another Orbán puppet who was obstructing the political transformation.”

Since ousting Orbán from power in April elections, Magyar has pushed to get rid of a host of top officials including unpopular ex-president Tamás Sulyok, removed by a constitutional amendment on Sunday, AFP noted.

Chancellor Merz's close aide Frei replaces Spahn as parliamentary leader of CDU/CSU after surrogacy resignation

In other news from Berlin, Thorsten Frei will be the new parliamentary leader of the ruling CDU/CSU party in Germany, replacing Jens Spahn who resigned over the weekend after he and his husband used a surrogate mother to become parents, a practice he has criticised in the past and his party is vehemently opposed to.

Surrogacy is banned in Germany, a policy Spahn refused to relax when he was health minister in 2020, so he and his husband, Daniel Funke, used a surrogate mother in the US.

Frei served as deputy chair of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group from 2018 to 2021 and as chief whip from 2021 to 2025, before leading the office of chancellor Merz over the past year.

Berlin 'irritated' by renewed detention of Deutsche Welle correspondent in Turkey

A German government ⁠spokesperson said on Wednesday that Berlin was “highly irritated” by the renewed detention of Deutsche Welle ⁠correspondent Alican Uludağ in ⁠Turkey.

The ​Turkish prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday that Uludağ had been detained again on ⁠suspicion of inciting hatred and hostility and publicly spreading misleading information, Reuters reported.

Later on Wednesday, an Ankara ⁠court released Uludağ under judicial control measures banning him ​from travelling abroad, Deutsche Welle ‌said.

The German government spokesperson said Turkish authorities were acting in violation of the freedom of the press that Turkey had committed ⁠itself to by joining the Council of Europe ​and signing the ​European Convention on Human ​Rights.

France reports 'unprecedented' level of excess deaths amid heatwave

Meanwhile, in France, 5,764 more deaths than usual were recorded during a record-breaking heatwave last month, health authorities have said, describing the excess mortality among people aged 15 and older as “unprecedented”.

Those who lost their lives between 17 June and 2 July died of “all causes” – none yet clearly linked to the heat, they said.

In comparison, the country reported 5,722 excess deaths linked to heat over the whole summer last year.

EU steps work on tackling Russia's shadow fleet with flag verification boardings, Kallas says

As we await any updates on whether the EU ambassadors managed to agree on the 21st package of sanctions on Russia, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas took to social media to highlight the work on tackling Russia’s shadow fleet.

In a post on X, she said:

“We’re turning up the pressure on Russia’s shadow fleet. The oil tanker MV SOUTH STAR, suspected of sailing under false flag in breach of international maritime law, has been boarded on 20 July by Operation @EUNAVFOR_MED IRINI forces for flag verification. Every illicit voyage helps sustain Russia’s war machine. We are matching our sanctions with action at sea.

In parallel, Member States this week have authorised Operation @EUNAVFOR ATALANTA to begin conducting flag verification boardings of suspected Russian shadow fleet vessels, in the same way Operation IRINI does. This decision further tightens the net.”

Germany blames Russia for false information on nuclear-weapons research

Meanwhile, Germany ⁠denied online reports that it ⁠was ⁠conducting ​nuclear-weapons research, dismissing them on ⁠Wednesday as Russian propaganda ⁠aimed at ​discrediting Berlin’s ‌efforts to ‌support Ukraine.

“The ‌German government regards these statements as part of the usual ‌Russian propaganda. The allegations made ​are simply unfounded … it is an attempt ⁠to discredit Germany ​as Ukraine’s strongest ​supporter,” ​a government ​spokesperson ‌said in comments reported by Reuters.

There is a bit of helpful background on Drapatyi from Reuters:

“Drapatyi, 43, appears well-suited to his new role: a former field commander respected by troops for both his tactical leadership and moral integrity, he has held an array of high-level posts including head of ⁠Ukraine’s ground forces.

That job in particular provided him with an insider’s view of troop recruitment, offering critical experience he will likely call upon to plug widespread personnel gaps that have enabled ​Moscow to make grinding gains along much of the front.

But he takes ‌the top spot at a time of ‌rising social and political tensions around Ukraine’s wartime leadership, as Kyiv seeks to regain the upper hand in the fifth year of war.

Writing on social media, former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, ‌now Kyiv’s ambassador to London, said Drapatyi’s tenure would be ‘much harder than he imagines.’”

Ukraine will step up counteroffensive actions, new army chief says

Back to Ukraine, the country’s new commander in chief said Ukraine’s ⁠armed forces have been tasked ⁠with stepping ⁠up ​counteroffensive actions.

“The ‌president of ‌Ukraine has set ‌clear objectives for us: to continue and intensify offensive operations ‌in all domains, to plan new ​operations behind enemy lines, to develop our military ⁠and its technologies, ​and ​to build ​up the ​capabilities of ‌the Armed ​Forces ​of Ukraine,” Mykhailo Drapatyi said on Facebook.