Russo-Ukrainian war, day 1242: Ukrainian hackers devastate Russia’s Gazprom

Exclusive

The punch that dropped Dubois was named Ivan. Usyk's whole life is that weird.. While you were watching Usyk flatten Dubois, you probably missed the wildest fact about boxing's new favorite champion.

Italy's giving a concert for Putin—and Europe is paying. Banned everywhere else, Putin's favorite conductor Gergiev finds European taxpayers willing to fund his comeback in Campania

Hackers erased Gazprom's digital brain in catastrophic cyber strike, HUR source says. Ukrainian operatives reportedly wiped servers, clouds, and backups, crippling the control systems of Russia's gas empire.

Ukraine's war cabinet was hit by a perfect storm. Zelenskyy just hit reset. Ukraine just overhauled its government for the first time since Russia invaded. No one voted.

Ukraine nationalized its way out of crisis—now it can't stop making money. The emergency worked too well. And that's actually a dangerous thing.

Military

HUR drones hit eight Russia's air defense radars and launchers near Donetsk — video shows strikes. Intelligence operators destroyed five high-tech detection systems built for complex airspace defense, and two S-300V launchers. Russian saboteurs tried to sneak into Donetsk's Pokrovsk—Ukrainian troops erased them, Syrskyi says. Ukraine's defenders reportedly spotted and eliminated a Russian sabotage group during a failed incursion into the city. Drone barrage targets Moscow and Rostov — fires, outages, train delays follow. No significant damage to any key asset has been confirmed. Power was knocked out in several settlements, and train stations were paralyzed for hours in stifling conditions.

Intelligence and technology

Ukraine's new 15-minute bridges: Plastic cubes, no delay, full mobility (video). Engineers from Ukraine's Steppe Brigade are fielding modular plastic bridges that deploy in just 15 minutes, giving troops rapid mobility across rivers in active combat zones. US plans to develop new cruise missile modeled on Ukrainian war needs and capable to strike targets over 450 km away. The US Air Force's upcoming LACM will carry a heavy warhead, dodge GPS jamming, and strike targets 450 km away. "Everyone who wanted to fight is already fighting": Top Ukrainian UAV commander prepares for war with drones, not people. NYP: How small Ukrainian factories are building drones that hunt Russian crafts — without draining millions. The NYP tours where engineers are building budget UAVs to overwhelm Moscow's drone swarms. British intelligence: Russia moves to erase Ukrainian language in occupied schools. Kremlin pushes a sweeping Russification drive targeting Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts from September 2025. Australia's Abrams tanks arrive in Ukraine—first of 49, or most already?. Some outlets say initial delivery; others report the majority of promised armor has landed.

International

Italy faces backlash for hosting Russian conductor, who backs killings Putin's regime, at UNESCO World Heritage palace. The July 27 event at the Royal Palace of Caserta has provoked outrage, with Ukrainian groups warning that hosting Putin's favorite maestro desecrates cultural heritage and insults war victims. EU declares Georgia's path to bloc effectively frozen until free elections, as protests rage for eighth consecutive month. The European Parliament backs Georgian protesters, while condemning the suspension of democratic standards. "He will risk everything in Ukraine": Putin may be preparing for even harsher war in Ukraine after Trump's ultimatum. Even with a collapsing economy and the threat of international isolation, Putin is poised to escalate his war. As Foreign Affairs puts it: the Kremlin leader will go to "extreme lengths" to avoid losing in Ukraine. "I want to help Ukraine as much as I can": American volunteer James joined Ukraine's Army to build future. Known by his callsign "Sonechko," James is part of a legion of foreign volunteers who've left their past lives behind to stand with Ukraine—some for justice, some for redemption, some for money. Europol dismantles pro-Russian cyber army flooding Ukraine and its allies with attacks. A coordinated crackdown wiped out over 100 systems tied to Kremlin-backed NoName057(16) hackers. ISW: Moscow scrambles to downplay EU's crushing new sanctions. Russia's top officials claim immunity, but signs of economic strain are beginning to show beneath the surface. In new movie, Czech director takes pro-Kremlin conspiracy theorists , who blamed Zelenskyy for war, to Ukraine. They believed what the Kremlin told them, until they stood amid missile craters and children's graves.

Humanitarian and social impact

Zelenskyy honors Ukrainian teenagers who recorded farewell video before being executed by Russians in Berdiansk. "This is death. Guys, goodbye." Ukraine remembers linguist Iryna Farion, target of Kremlin's propaganda, assassinated in Lviv in apparent campaign against Ukrainian voices. On 19 July, Ukrainians marked the first anniversary of the brutal killing of Iryna Farion, a fierce defender of Ukrainian identity and language. One woman dead, child injured in Odesa as Russia sends 344 drones and 35 missiles overnight. Ukraine intercepted more than 200 aerial targets, but dozens still reached homes, schools, and infrastructure across 12 locations in several regions.

Political and legal developments

Ukraine swiftly eliminated Russian-ordered killers of SBU colonel in Kyiv, but spy war will continue across globe. SBU Colonel Ivan Voronych was no ordinary officer. He was linked to Nord Stream sabotage and deep strikes in Russia. Read our earlier daily review here.