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Morning opening: Russia strikes Ukraine's gas production facilities as Zelenskyy remains under pressure from protests
Jakub Krupa
Russia has attacked Ukraine’s Naftogaz’s gas production facilities in the northeastern Kharkiv region for three days in a row, the state-owned energy company said this morning, as reported by Reuters.
Meanwhile, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains under pressure over his sacking of a popular defence minister, with calls to reinstate him into his position and fire the army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Rare wartime protests against Zelenskyy’s decisions continued last night, with rumours swirling that he was close to agreeing to some of the demands.
I will keep a close eye on this today for you.
Elsewhere, I will be looking at the situation in Italy after a 42-year-old man died during a police arrest, sparking large protests in the city; but also at Greece and Spain, which face another heatwave with temperatures exceeding 40C.
I will also keep an eye on France where lawmakers are expected to approve a bill banning social media access for children under 15 later today.
Lots to cover.
It’s Tuesday, 21st July 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Key events
UN reports major rise in civilian deaths, injuries during Russian invasion of Ukraine
Back to Ukraine, the United Nations said that civilian casualties in the war sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine rose 37 percent in the first half of this year, AFP reported.
“We documented 1,396 civilians killed [and] 7,978 injured... that amounts to a 37 percent increase from the same period in the previous year,” Danielle Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, told reporters in Geneva.
French parliament to vote on social media ban for under 15s
French lawmakers will vote on Tuesday on a law that aims to ban social media access for children under the age of 15, joining countries around the world in considering a move unpopular with many teenagers but supported by some parents and teachers, Reuters reported.
If it is adopted, France would follow Australia, where the world’s first ban for under-16s on platforms including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube came into force in December, as concerns grow over the impact social media has on the health and safety of minors.
President Emmanuel Macron, who in April urged young people to switch off their phones and read in order to become better citizens, wants the law in place in time for the start of the next academic year and sees it as a part of his legacy.
The vote in parliament is due in the mid- to late afternoon, Reuters said, and I will keep an eye on this for you.
Two people injured in Acropolis stabbing as Greece braces for extreme temperatures
Helena Smith
in Greece
Greece is the latest country to face an extreme heatwave this summer, with temperatures exceeding 42C expected today, including up to 40C in Athens. The searing heat has prompted Red Cross to assign its volunteers to help tourists visiting the Acropolis.
An estimated 16,000 people daily climb the craggy hill to behold the monument at the height of the summer season.
As Red Cross crews began to assemble at the base of the 5th century BC site, emergency medics were also rushed to the area to assist two Greek Americans who appear to have been stabbed as they lined up outside the Acropolis ticket office.
The assailant, an as yet unidentified man, had been arraigned. Eyewitnesses described him as threatening other people also lining up at the Acropolis ticket office before the early morning attack.
The incident is likely to raise security concerns – and calls to reinforce policing – at Greece’s most visited tourist site.
Thousands protest in Bologna, clash with police after man dies during arrest attempt
Italian police clashed with demonstrators in the northern city of Bologna on Monday night, ANSA news agency reported, during a protest over a man’s death after officers tried to arrest him, Reuters reported.
Abderrahim Fakir, a Moroccan-born entrepreneur who ran a small removals and cleaning business, died on Sunday after police were called to deal with a man behaving aggressively and damaging a vehicle, Italian media said.
Footage of the incident filmed by a resident and widely shared online prompted hundreds of people to protest. According to ANSA, some threw a firecracker near police buildings in the city and police reacted using teargas and water cannons.
The video showed Fakir lying face down on the ground while two officers restrained him. He could be heard repeatedly calling for help and struggling for breath before his movements gradually stopped.
“The chants of ’police murderers’ and ’the whole world hates you,’ shouted during a demonstration in Bologna ... are disgraceful,” said Tommaso Foti, the European affairs minister in the government of prime minister Giorgia Meloni.
Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the incident. Interior minister Matteo Piantedosi said he had “full confidence” the inquiry would establish the facts and clarify what happened.
Falconer named UK PM Burnham's new lead on European relations
Lisa O’Carroll
Hamish Falconer is taking over from Nick Thomas-Symonds, with responsibilities for intergovernmental relations and European relations in the new British prime minister Andy Burnham’s cabinet.
The 40-year-old former diplomat, who worked in the Foreign Office and the Department for International Development previously, was elected an MP in 2024 and was immediately marked out as a rising star and appointed under secretary of state for the Middle East and north Africa.
Falconer, the MP for Lincoln, is a son of Labour grandee and peer Charlie Falconer, who served under Tony Blair’s government.
He worked for the Foreign Office for 10 years, focusing on national security, terrorism and hostage recovery, particularly in Afghanistan.
He also had a stint at the UK’s National Crime Agency in Pakistan and south Sudan working on human trafficking investigations.
Thomas Byrne, Europe minister in Ireland which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said he looked forward to working with him “working closely” with Falconer.
The departure of Thomas-Symonds will be a blow to EU counterparts who saw him as a reliable and stable partner able to heal the wounds of the Brexit past.
Byrne said he was responsible for a “genuinely positive step-change in the EU-UK relationship, to the benefit of both UK and EU citizens” restoring cross-channel confidence.
However, some EU diplomats worried that Keir Starmer’s reset talks had lost momentum amid a disagreement over whether EU citizens in a negotiated youth mobility scheme would pay cheaper tuition fees in the UK.
Jakub Krupa
Let’s take a quick look at other news from around Europe, including an update on who will be leading the UK’s “reset” talks with the European Union…
Ukraine-bound gas tanker hit in Black Sea, with three people injured, Romania's president says
A strike on a ship in the Black Sea carrying propane to the Ukrainian port of Reni wounded three seafarers and forced the crew’s evacuation, Romania’s president Nicușor Dan said.
“Last night, the LPG tanker Gas Lisbon, flying the Liberian flag, was struck outside Romanian territorial waters, approximately 20 nautical miles off the Romanian coast,” Dan said on X.
While the authorities were still working to establish who had hit the tanker, Dan claimed the incident was “most likely part of the Russian Federation’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine,” AFP reported.
The strike on the ship, which was carrying more than 3,790 tonnes of propane from the port of Alexandria in Egypt, caused a major fire on board the vessel.
After the strike, two Romanian rescue vessels evacuated the ship’s 17 crew members, including three who “required emergency medical care”, the emergency services said.
AFP noted that the Black Sea has been a regular theatre of confrontation between Ukraine and Russia since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Warren Murray
Russian has launched more ballistic missiles against Ukraine in July so far than it is thought to produce each month, the Institute for the Study of War thinktank said.
“Russia appears to be dipping into its stockpiles to continue increasing the number of ballistic missiles it launches against Ukraine, as these missiles have a higher success rate than drones and cruise missiles.”
Morning opening: Russia strikes Ukraine's gas production facilities as Zelenskyy remains under pressure from protests
Jakub Krupa
Russia has attacked Ukraine’s Naftogaz’s gas production facilities in the northeastern Kharkiv region for three days in a row, the state-owned energy company said this morning, as reported by Reuters.
Meanwhile, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains under pressure over his sacking of a popular defence minister, with calls to reinstate him into his position and fire the army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Rare wartime protests against Zelenskyy’s decisions continued last night, with rumours swirling that he was close to agreeing to some of the demands.
I will keep a close eye on this today for you.
Elsewhere, I will be looking at the situation in Italy after a 42-year-old man died during a police arrest, sparking large protests in the city; but also at Greece and Spain, which face another heatwave with temperatures exceeding 40C.
I will also keep an eye on France where lawmakers are expected to approve a bill banning social media access for children under 15 later today.
Lots to cover.
It’s Tuesday, 21st July 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
