Aliyev reveals secret Russian-German  meeting in Baku on  Ukraine

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev revealed during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin that Russian and former German officials entered Azerbaijan in mid-July for a possible meeting to discuss the war in Ukraine.

Aliyev stressed that his country's authorities were not aware of this development until after it occurred, noting that flight statistics provided a basis for believing that a secret meeting was held in Baku without notification from Germany or Russia.

The President of Azerbaijan explained that he had ordered an investigation by the State Border Guard Service following media reports, stressing that the information about the figures involved had been officially confirmed.

 Aliyev said the two German figures, Ronald Bufala and Matthias Platzik, arrived in Baku on July 12 and returned to Berlin on July 14.

The Azerbaijani president added that former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov and the head of the Presidency Council of Civil Society Valery Fadyev also arrived from Moscow on the same date, stressing that his country welcomes any meeting that contributes to ending the Russia-Ukraine war despite the use of its territory without its knowledge.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he had no information about the meeting, reiterating that Berlin had been trying for months to persuade President Putin to start peace negotiations but he continued to refuse.

Dismissal of Ukrainian army chief and leadership changes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sacked the commander-in-chief of the army, Oleksandr Syrsky, as his successor, the commander of the Joint Forces, Mykhailo Drabaty, in a move that coincides with disagreements within the military establishment.

In a post on Telegram, Zelensky confirmed the decision to appoint Drabati as the new commander-in-chief of the armed forces, thanking Syrsky for the steadfastness of the military positions on the frontlines.

Ukrainian media reports revealed that the decision to dismiss came after protests in the country and growing demands, following escalating disagreements between Syrsky and former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov over the management of the army and plans to modernize it.

Syrsky, who took office in 2024 and led the defense of the capital Kyiv at the start of the war in 2022, faced accusations of obstructing reform plans within the military before being relieved of his duties, the sources  said.

Rising Deaths and Injuries and UN Documentation of Escalation

The UN Human Rights Office announced that the number of civilians killed and injured in Ukraine has risen by more than a third during the first half of this year.

The UN office confirmed in an official statement that it documented 1,396 people killed and 7,978 injured during the period from January to June, recording an increase of 37% compared to the same period last year.

The head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Danielle Bell, revealed that this escalation is driven by long-range ballistic missiles, short-range drones and glide bombs.

Short-range drone attacks alone killed 418 people and injured 2,437 others in the first six months, the UN reports said, noting that these attacks are destroying service systems that support civilian lives as the war enters its fifth year.