Russia-Ukraine war: A weekly recap and look ahead (July 25)

By NPR Staff

Published July 25, 2022 at 12:21 PM EDT

People try to console a woman named Sabina after her husband Artem Pogorelets was killed by Russian shelling in a market in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Thursday.

As the week begins, here's a roundup of key developments from the past week and a look ahead.

What to watch this week

WNBA star Brittney Griner's trial will resume in Moscow on Tuesday. She has admitted to bringing cannabis into Russia, but said she didn't intend to break the law.

Also on Tuesday, European Union energy ministers are scheduled to meet in Brussels on gas supply issues.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is visiting countries in Africa, including Ethiopia, Uganda, the Republic of Congo and Egypt, where he addressed Arab League leaders in Cairo.

Russians will mark a national holiday honoring the country's navy on Sunday.

What happened last week

July 18: Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska, began a trip to Washington, where she met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and first lady Jill Biden, and delivered remarks to U.S. lawmakers.

July 19: Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Tehran, where he met with Iranian leaders and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Iran expressed support for Russia in the Ukraine war. It was Putin's second trip outside Russia since his country invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

July 20: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the U.S. will send four more long-range artillery systems, known as HIMARS, to Ukraine, as part of a U.S. military aid package. The U.S. has already sent 12 such systems.

July 21: Russia attacked Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-biggest city, in one of its most crowded areas, the city's mayor said. At least three people were killed and more than 20 injured.

On the same day, Russia restarted natural gas flows to Europe via the Nord Stream pipeline. Maintenance work had paused gas shipments for 10 days.

July 22: In Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine finalized agreements with Turkey and the United Nations to unblock Ukraine's seaports and resume exports of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea. The agreements also would help "Russian grain and fertilizer to reach global markets," the U.N. said. At the signing ceremony, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called the development "a beacon of hope ... in a world that needs it more than ever."

Also on Friday, Human Rights Watch released a report on "apparent war crimes" committed by Russian forces in areas of southern Ukraine under their control.

July 23: Russian air strikes hit Odesa's port, eliciting international condemnation and raising doubts about Russia's commitment to the previous day's agreements. "Russia breached its commitments," Blinken said.

July 24: Sunday marked five months since Russia invaded Ukraine. The Ukrainian Seaports Authority said it was working to resume shipping from seaports in Odesa and elsewhere.

In-depth

As Ukraine's war grinds on, soldiers are outgunned and injuries are rising.

The bombed Mariupol theater troupe is back on stage with a homegrown Ukrainian play.

How prosecuting war crimes in Ukraine compares to hunting Nazis.

Cafes are opening in Kharkiv, but most large Ukrainian businesses remain shuttered.

Kharkiv is finding a new normal as residents return to work — despite missile strikes.

Russia's war in Ukraine is hurting nature.

Special report

Russia's war in Ukraine is changing the world: See its ripple effects in all corners of the globe.

Earlier developments

You can read past recaps here. For context and more in-depth stories, you can find more of NPR's coverage here. Also, listen and subscribe to NPR's State of Ukraine podcast for updates throughout the day.