ONGOING · March 6, 2026
Ukraine: the war and its truces
Successive truces, negotiations that fall through, and strikes that resume: tracking the war in Ukraine through what each country chooses to tell about it.
21Subjects
34COUNTRIES
182DAYS
CURRENT SITUATION
On July 22, 2026, the date of the latest development recorded in this file, Volodymyr Zelensky dismisses the commander-in-chief of the armed forces Oleksandr Syrsky and appoints Mykhailo Drapatyi in his place, following a week of daily protests in Kyiv triggered by the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov; this is the most significant military reshuffle since the start of the war and the first time that the street has imposed a decision on the Ukrainian president. A month earlier, on June 21, Poland withdraws its highest distinction from Zelensky amid a memorial dispute over the Volhynia massacres, a dispute that also affects grain and Polish domestic politics. On June 15, Russian strikes kill several people in Kyiv and set fire to the Caves Lavra, a UNESCO-listed site, while Ukraine targets bridges in Crimea. These events follow the diplomatic sequence of June: after Zelensky's open letter to Putin on June 5 and the Kremlin's response inviting him to Moscow, Zelensky declares on June 10 that he has achieved "the desired result" following talks with Trump's envoys, Witkoff and Kushner, with Moscow claiming it has not received details of this call, while von der Leyen presents the EU's 21st sanctions package on June 21, including for the first time the fishing sector. No development has been added to this file since July 22, 2026, that is, for 43 days.
Summary based on 5 developments · generated on September 4, 2026
PERSPECTIVE EVOLUTION
21
Zelensky Sacks Army Chief Syrsky After a Week of Protests in Ukraine
Ukraine is navigating an unprecedented crisis of confidence between its civilian government and top military command by sacrificing its most decorated chief of staff to calm a street mobilized for six days.Ukrainska Pravda
Moscow views the dismissal of Syrsky as an admission of a governance crisis in Kiev rather than a simple military reorganizationTASS
The United States views this dismissal as a sign of an unprecedented rift within its main war partner, between a young tech-savvy generation and a command structure rooted in the Soviet school.NPR
+9Memory War: Poland Strips Zelensky of Its Highest Distinction
Berlin observes with concern the strategic implications of a memorial crisis that threatens Western solidarity against Moscow at a critical diplomatic moment for Kyiv.Deutsche WelleParis measures with concern the scale of a memory crisis that weakens the Warsaw-Kyiv axis at the worst moment, offering Moscow an immediate diplomatic benefit.Le Monde
Warsaw draws a clear line: Kyiv's glorification of the UPA crosses a symbolic threshold that even Poland's closest ally cannot be allowed to breach.RMF24+6Kyiv: Russian Strikes Destroy UNESCO Heritage Site as Ukraine Hits Crimea
London voices sharp condemnation of the destruction of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra UNESCO site, while highlighting concrete British action against Russia—the seizure of a Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker—against a backdrop of intensifying G7 diplomatic pressure.BBCKyiv frames a massive Russian strike on the Pechersk Lavra monastery—a UNESCO World Heritage site—as a deliberate attack on humanity's shared spiritual and cultural legacy. Ukrainian officials assert the strike demonstrates Moscow's systematic targeting of irreplaceable heritage, elevating the conflict's scope beyond territorial dispute to cultural warfare.UkrinformWashington distinguishes between two dimensions of the escalation: the destruction of a sacred site in Kyiv constitutes a war crime, while Ukrainian counter-strikes in Crimea reflect an accepted attrition strategy.NPR
+5Ukraine: Zelensky 'positive', EU 21st sanctions package, Moscow says it received no details
Kyiv leaves the Nordic summit with a diplomatic signal in handLe MondeFrance tightens the screw on Russia: cod, fishing and the 21st sanctions packageLe MondeMoscow out of the loop: Witkoff-Zelensky details not shared, Putin rejectsRT
Zelensky writes to Putin, the Kremlin replies "come to Moscow" — the truce held hostage by the St. Petersburg forum
Kyiv reads the letter as a public indictment of a Putin who can no longer afford his own people's silenceTSN UkraineMoscow plays it both ways: diplomatic opening for Trump, territorial fortitude for the domestic audienceMeduzaWashington discovers that the Ukrainian letter bypasses the White House without openly defying itHuffPost World
+13Massive Russian strike on Kyiv: hypersonic missile and drones
Kyiv measures the unprecedented scale of devastation: the night of May 23-24, 2026 saw the most destructive combined attack in terms of sites hit since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, according to municipal authorities.UkrinformMoscow frames the massive strike on Kyiv as a proportionate and announced response following the Ukrainian drone attack on Starobielsk's student dormitory, pointing to what it characterizes as double standards from European capitals.RTLondon reads the Oreshnik strike on Kyiv as reckless escalation that now transcends the conflict itself, posing an unprecedented threat to NATO airspace.The Independent
+1Germany's Merz pitches making Ukraine EU 'associate member'
Rome sees Merz's proposal as a "light membership" pragmatic approach, driven by the geopolitical urgency of the conflict rather than a classical expansion logic.La Repubblica
Amsterdam perceives Merz's proposal as a pragmatic attempt to get the EU out of a stalemate, but remains cautious about a rapid expansion due to budgetary and rule-of-law concerns in Ukraine.NRCWarsaw welcomes Merz's proposal with marked reserve: principle support for Ukraine's European anchorage, but fear that associate status could become a "permanent waiting room" blocking full membership.RMF24+7Three injured in Russian drone strike on residential areas in Kharkiv
Madrid assesses the escalating dynamic between Russian strikes on Kharkiv and Ukrainian attacks that breach Moscow's defenses, raising questions about what a nuclear power can do in the face of repeated conventional attacks.El Pais EnglishParis condemns a new Russian drone strike on residential areas of Kharkiv, highlighting the persistence of attacks against Ukrainian civilians as both sides' long-range striking capabilities continue to intensify.France 24 ENDoha anchors the Kharkiv drone strike within a broader sequence: a conflict entering its fifth year with a human toll of 15,850 civilian deaths, including 791 children, as per the UN's Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.Al Jazeera
+2Ukraine launches its largest drone attack on Russia in over a year
Canberra reads the Ukrainian drone assault as a direct response to deadly Russian airstrikes on Kyiv, within an escalation cycle where both belligerents now target each other's energy infrastructure.Sydney Morning Herald
Ottawa closely monitors the escalation of Ukrainian strikes against Russia, reporting facts with precision while emphasizing the diplomatic impasse and the shift of American attention away from the Ukraine front since late February.National Post
Beijing observes with close attention the escalation of drone strikes between Ukraine and Russia, recording factual data from the record attack on Moscow without taking a position on the legitimacy of military operations.South China Morning Post
+11Trump's 72-hour ceasefire takes effect on May 9 — Russia launches 51 attacks on the first day
France: despite the ceasefire, drones continue falling — Paris observes Trump's 72-hour peace with skepticismLe MondeUnited Kingdom: the ceasefire barely holds — London monitors violations and ambiguity in Russia's messagingThe IndependentAustralia: Russia and Ukraine accept Trump's ceasefire — cautious hope for a turning pointABC Australia
+4Moscow celebrates May 9 without tanks or planes: Putin's reduced parade reveals a Russia at war
Germany: Moscow celebrates under the protection of a truce — a parade as a demonstration of normalcy in abnormal timesDeutsche WelleVictorious Russia: Putin claims historical legitimacy for the struggle in UkraineTASSUkraine: the May 9 parade exposed as a presentation of Russian defeatUkrainska Pravda+5Russia Orders Embassy Evacuations from Kyiv and Threatens Massive Strikes Before May 9
Moscow enforces its truce through intimidation to shield the Victory Day paradeTASSKyiv tallies 1,820 Russian violations and vows mirror responseUkrinformParis refuses to be intimidated: Moscow's memorial truce masks a new escalation20 Minutes+1Zelensky's ceasefire sabotaged: 1,820 Russian violations and a kindergarten in Sumy
Kyiv extended its hand — Moscow struck a kindergartenUkrinformParis denounces Moscow's absolute cynicism: striking a kindergarten during its own truceLe MondeMoscow fights back on the narrative front: Kyiv attacks its own journalistsTASS+5Trump-Putin: The Call and the May 9 Ceasefire
Paris registers the alarm signal: peace diplomacy on Ukraine conducted without Europe or ZelenskyLe MondeMoscow presents Putin as the peacemaker who proposes a ceasefire while Trump validates his approachRTWashington presents a 90-minute call as a diplomatic breakthrough, with no binding content for MoscowNew York Times+6Ukraine: War Turns to Robotics as Kim Jong-un Opens Museum for Moscow's Fallen Soldiers
50,000 robots, 24 tanks ablaze: Ukraine industrializes asymmetric warfareUkrinformMoscow and Pyongyang consolidate a 'powerful rampart against the West'RTUkrainian ground robots revolutionize modern warfare doctrineThe Independent
+3Kyiv shooting: six dead, officers flee, and Zelensky warns Russia is preparing general mobilization
Kyiv under shock: former military officer shoots in café, police fail their duty, Zelensky warns of existential Russian threatUkrinformSingapore covers police failure and officer suspensions as a sign of internal fragilityChannel News AsiaSCMP highlights patrol chief's resignation over response deemed 'shameful'South China Morning Post
+1Trump eases Russian oil sanctions: Zelensky furious, Meloni breaks away, gas above $3 until 2027
Berlin notes the end of the Trump-Meloni special relationshipDW GermanLondon measures Trump's falling popularity: two-thirds of Americans disapproveThe Independent
The Jerusalem Post reveals a paranoid Patel at the FBI helm — Trump purges continueJerusalem PostMissile barrage on Ukraine: deadliest night in weeks
London connects strikes to its pledge of 120,000 drones and the surge in Western aidThe IndependentParis reads the strikes as evidence that the Iran conflict has relegated Ukraine to second priorityFrance 24Berlin qualifies invasion as 'war of aggression'—the Nuremberg legal termTagesschauEaster Truce in Ukraine: Putin Announces 32-Hour Ceasefire, Zelensky Accepts on Conditions
Beijing frames the truce in perfect symmetry to preserve its role as silent mediatorCGTNCanberra observes the Easter truce with skepticism of an ally who knows Moscow's broken promisesABC News AustraliaOttawa notes that Kyiv proposed the truce before Moscow — a chronology the Kremlin invertsGlobe and Mail+10Peace Negotiations in Ukraine at the Heart of International Diplomatic Debates
Trump as mediator confronting irrational hatred between equal belligerentsFox NewsFragmentation of European unity and delegitimization of Ukrainian leadershipRTAccusatory documentation of Russian war crimes through factual quantificationLe MondeUkraine-Russia Prisoner Exchanges: A Sign of Opening for Negotiations?
Exchanges presented as trilateral diplomatic success announcing negotiationsUkrinformDiplomatic and technocratic neutrality favoring mediation mechanismsStraits Times