Backlash grows as Zelensky 'retreats' after mass protests over bill & Trump approves $322 million package including HAWK and Bradleys

Day 1,247.

Today, as Zelensky seeks to make concessions to those protesting a bill many argue threatens the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies, we assess the significance of Trump’s new $332 million military package, then resume our two-part dispatch from Moldova, sometimes described as a frontline in Cold War II.

Contributors:

Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.

Jimmy Rushton (Kyiv-based Foreign Policy/Security Analyst). @JimmySecUK on X.

Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.

With thanks to Andrei Curararu of Watchdog MD.

Content Referenced:

VIDEO DISPATCH: 'Moldova is worse than Ukraine': My clash with Russian sympathisers on the frontline of Cold War Two (Francis Dearnley for The Telegraph): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZC5FvDt-u0  

Zelensky backtracks on corruption reform in attempt to end protests (Jimmy Rushton in The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/07/23/ukraine-intelligence-chief-zelensky-tear-country-apart/ 

Exclusive: Chinese engines, shipped as 'cooling units', power Russian drones used in Ukraine (Reuters):

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/chinese-engines-shipped-cooling-units-power-russian-drones-used-ukraine-2025-07-23/ 

‘A fatal mistake’ — Ukrainian soldiers slam Zelensky’s anti-corruption crackdown (Kyiv Independent):

https://kyivindependent.com/a-fatal-mistake-ukrainian-soldiers-slam-zelenskys-anti-corruption-crackdown/

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Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers.

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