On July 4, 2025, several significant events were reported in the ongoing Ukraine conflict. These events include prisoner exchanges, attacks on Russian military targets, and the increased use of chemical weapons.
Russia and Ukraine conducted another prisoner exchange, though the exact number of prisoners involved was not disclosed by the Russian Defense Ministry. Ukraine reported attacks on the Azov Optical and Mechanical Plant in Rostov, Russia, and a facility in Sergiev Posad, near Moscow, which produces thermobaric warheads. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the recent Russian air strikes on Ukraine as one of the largest of the entire war.
The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, stated that Russia has killed 900 civilians and injured 5,000 in the past six months. The attacks on Kyiv damaged the Polish embassy's consular section. Intelligence reports from Germany and the Netherlands indicate that Russia is increasing its use of chemical weapons, specifically tear gas and chloropicrin.
U.S. Representative Don Bacon criticized former President Donald Trump's stance on potential arms supply stoppages to Ukraine, urging a change in strategy. These events highlight the continued intensity of the conflict and the complex geopolitical dynamics affecting the international community.