Ousted Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has warned that Ukraine is "slowly losing" its war against Russia, calling for urgent investment in AI-guided drones, a domestic ballistic missile programme and low-cost interceptors. Fedorov, who served from January until his dismissal last month, also criticised government corruption and a lack of institutional independence. His removal has triggered weeks of street protests demanding his reinstatement, and polling suggests he could defeat President Volodymyr Zelensky in a wartime presidential election.
Meanwhile, Zelensky has appealed for an air-defence support package ahead of winter and requested 27 billion euros to fund 2026 defence spending. British Prime Minister Burnham urged allies to dig deeper into stockpiles for Patriot missiles and is set to share Storm Shadow component data with Kyiv. European Council President Antonio Costa pledged to accelerate a 90-billion-euro EU loan earmarked for Ukraine.
On the battlefield, Russian strikes on Independence Day killed at least one civilian and wounded more than 30, including at least 20 injured in a drone strike on central Chernihiv. A Ukrainian drone attack in Russia's Krasnodar region killed two people and set an oil refinery ablaze.