From: Transform Ukraine By Douglas Landro / July 19, 2025
As the EU Unleashes Its Strongest Sanctions Package Yet, Ukrainian Soldiers Raise Battle Flags in Contested Territory While Moscow’s Energy Giant Faces Massive Cyberattack
Summary of the Day – July 18, 2025
The war’s economic battlefield witnessed a seismic shift as the European Union delivered its most comprehensive sanctions package to date, slashing Russia’s oil price cap and targeting the shadow fleet that has kept Moscow’s war machine funded. While diplomatic pressure mounted from Brussels, Ukrainian cyber specialists struck deep into the heart of Gazprom’s network infrastructure, crippling the energy giant’s operations across nearly 400 subsidiaries. On the ground, Ukrainian forces demonstrated resilience by reclaiming territory near the Dnipropetrovsk border that Russia had claimed to capture, even as Moscow continued its relentless assault on civilian infrastructure. The day also brought tragic confirmation of systemic abuse within Ukraine’s mobilization system, as investigators revealed the death of a conscripted man beaten by an enlistment officer, highlighting the human cost of wartime recruitment pressures.
Europe’s Economic Sledgehammer: The 18th Sanctions Package Targets Russia’s Lifelines
The European Union struck at the core of Russia’s war financing capabilities with its most aggressive sanctions package since the invasion began, lowering the oil price cap from $60 to $47.6 per barrel and targeting 105 vessels in Russia’s shadow fleet. The measures, delayed for weeks due to objections from Slovakia and Hungary, finally gained approval after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico withdrew his veto following assurances about gas pricing.
“The EU just approved one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date,” declared EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, emphasizing that oil revenues constitute one-third of Russia’s overall revenue.
Hungary also withdrew its objections in recent days, paving the way for Friday’s approval after being a consistent critic of sanctions on Russia. The breakthrough came after Slovakia reached an agreement with Brussels on phasing out Russian gas, with Prime Minister Fico stating that “negotiating options have been exhausted for now, and continuing our blocking position would now endanger our interests.”
Voice of Ukraine 