For this date, links to 10 reports: from the Kyiv Independent, the Moscow Times, Kyiv Post, the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and Tass; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 7-16-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Russian attacks kill 7, injure 25 in Ukraine over past 24 hours; trains hit twice in one day, by Anna Fratsyvir | The Kyiv Independent  Russian strikes killed at least seven people, including a train driver in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and injured 25 others in multiple regions over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian regional authorities said today. Ukraine’s Air Force said . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for July 17 report from the Moscow Times.

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Zelensky taps ex-Defense chief Umerov as Security Council secretary, by Kateryna Zakharchenko | Kyiv Post  President Volodymyr Zelensky today signed a decree that appointed Rustem Umerov, previously his Minister of Defense, as Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. READ MORE . . .

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Disruptions of cellphone internet links in Russia are spreading, by Dasha Litvinova | AP  TALLINN — In the last two months cellphone internet shutdowns, which officials say are needed to foil Ukrainian drones, have hit dozens of Russian regions — from those near the fighting to parts of Siberia and even the Far East. Wi-Fi outages also have been reported. READ MORE . . .

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Russian-controlled Crimea brings in information blackout designed to counter Ukrainian drone attacks. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Authorities in Russian-controlled Crimea said today they were introducing an information blackout designed to counter Ukrainian drone, missile and sabotage attacks. READ MORE . . .

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EU approves 18th round of sanctions against Russia. From AFP. EU countries today approved a new package of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine, including lowering the price cap on Russia’s global oil exports. The 18th round of sanctions since the 2022 invasion . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

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Russia not ruling out countermeasures against new EU sanctions — Foreign Ministry. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia does not exclude countermeasures after analyzing the 18th package of EU sanctions, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Tass. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 17  Russia returns 1K bodies of killed Ukrainian soldiers. From the Moscow Times. Russia returned the bodies of 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed in combat and received the remains of 19 Russian soldiers under a deal reached during last month’s peace talks in Istanbul, authorities in Moscow said Thursday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 17  Ukraine to boost domestic arms production to counter Russia’s invasion, says Zelenskyy, by Volodymyr Yurchuk and Emma Burrows | AP  KYIV — A new Ukrainian government approved Thursday will race to expand domestic arms production to meet half the country’s weapons needs within six months as it tries to push back Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Meanwhile . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED