Thousands of Ukrainians gathered in Kyiv for a second consecutive day to protest the sudden removal of popular defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
The demonstrations took place outside the presidential office after Fedorov was not reappointed in a surprise government reshuffle.
The move has exposed a troubling flaw in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's leadership and startled senior European officials, just as Kyiv appeared to be gaining advantages in its war with Russia.
Clash of Military Strategies
Fedorov's removal stemmed from clashes with conventional military chief of staff Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Guardian senior international correspondent Peter Beaumont noted that the conflict between the two men and their ideas about how to fight the war was inevitable.
On one side was Syrskyi, an older, old-school general micromanaging a bruising war of attrition against a more numerous foe.
On the other was Fedorov, with his tech-driven, more improvisational approach that appeared in recent months to be showing dividends.
Zelenskyy defended his decision, stating he was forced to choose between sides when what he wants most is unity.
Repairing Ties with Poland
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy took steps to repair a rift with key ally Poland over his decision in May to name a Ukrainian army unit in honour of second world war fighters who killed Poles.
He pledged to expand investigations into those killings by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and open intelligence files, stating improved ties were critical in view of Poland's help.
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk wrote on X that Poland was ready for a serious and friendly dialogue on the issues that unite and divide the two nations.
Russian Attacks Continue
Concurrently, a Ukrainian drone attack on a logistics centre in the town of Kotovsk in western Russia killed seven people and wounded 24.
More than 370 drones were launched towards Moscow overnight.
Governor of the Tambov region, Evgeny Pervyshov, said the workers were killed when enemy UAVs hit a Wildberries logistics centre.
In Moscow, the mass drone attack was mostly neutralised by air defence forces, according to the capital's mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, with 64 enemy UAVs destroyed on approach.
Russia also continued its attacks in the Black Sea, hitting two Ukrainian port cities and killing three people, focusing strikes on deepwater ports that handle grain.
A Russian drone attack on port infrastructure at the southern city of Mykolaiv damaged three civilian foreign-flagged vessels and killed two Ukrainians on board a foreign vessel.
Another man was killed in a Russian attack on Odesa, Ukraine's biggest seaport, according to local officials.
Odesa Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said a later Russian strike hit a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, damaging the ship, triggering a fire, and injuring four of its 17 crew members.
Traders and analysts state that the strikes have led to a partial halt in grain shipments and an almost complete suspension of grain purchases at port terminals.
Crackdown on Dissent in Russia
In Russia, authorities cracked down on dissent, detaining a blogger who criticised President Vladimir Putin and the war, while fining an anti-war politician ahead of September's parliamentary election.
The blogger, Ilya Remeslo, was detained on suspicion of spreading false information about the Russian army, though RIA news agency quoted his lawyer, Sergei Badamshin, saying he denied the charges.
Separately, Boris Nadezhdin, a politician who attempted to run against Putin in the 2024 presidential election, was fined 1,000 roubles ($13) for displaying extremist symbols.
