Mykhailo Drapatyi is set to take command as Kyiv seeks continuity, reform and civilian protection under Russian attack

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that Mykhailo Drapatyi will become commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, replacing Oleksandr Syrskyi in one of Kyiv’s most consequential wartime leadership changes since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The decision, announced late on Tuesday, comes as Ukraine faces the twin pressure of sustaining military operations and answering public concern over the direction of the war. Zelenskyy said the handover would be formalised on Wednesday and presented it as part of a wider effort to modernise command structures without interrupting combat operations.

In an address published by the Ukrainian presidency, Zelenskyy said he had spoken with senior commanders across the army and security forces before deciding that Drapatyi should take the post. He also thanked Syrskyi for his role in defending Kyiv, the Kharkiv offensive and operations in Kursk, while saying Ukraine now needed an updated defence strategy and a coordinated institutional handover.

A command change under wartime pressure

The appointment places Drapatyi at the centre of Ukraine’s next phase of military planning, including corps reform, drone supply, equipment delivery and protection against Russian air strikes. Zelenskyy said the new leadership must prepare proposals on defence strategy, battlefield logistics and mobilisation, while maintaining Ukraine’s long-range pressure on Russia.

The timing gives the move immediate political weight. Ukraine’s armed forces remain under intense operational strain, while society is demanding both military effectiveness and accountability from wartime institutions. Zelenskyy’s message sought to balance those pressures: respect for Syrskyi’s service, continuity in operations, and a promise that Ukraine would “emerge from this situation stronger”.

Drapatyi, a senior officer associated with Ukraine’s post-2014 generation of commanders, will inherit a force shaped by attrition, rapid technological change and the growing importance of unmanned systems. His first challenge is likely to be less symbolic than administrative: turning reform language into faster, clearer decisions for combat units.

Civilians remain at the centre of the stakes

The command change also lands against a worsening civilian toll. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that in the first six months of 2026, civilian casualties reached 1,396 killed and 7,978 injured, a 37% increase from the same period in 2025. Its June civilian protection update said long-range weapons and drones remained a leading cause of civilian harm, with cities far from the frontline among those affected.

That context matters for European governments supporting Kyiv. The question is not only whether Ukraine can hold or regain territory, but whether its institutions can preserve public trust while fighting a long war. Military command, civilian protection, anti-corruption safeguards and political legitimacy are now tightly linked.

For Europe, the appointment reinforces the urgency of sustained backing that is both military and institutional. Ukraine’s defence depends on weapons, air protection and industrial support, but also on the rule-of-law and accountability framework that has underpinned its case for closer European integration. Earlier European efforts to support justice for Ukraine, including work around a special tribunal for the crime of aggression, sit within the same broader struggle over sovereignty and responsibility.

A rapid handover with little margin for error

Zelenskyy said the formal decisions would follow on Wednesday. Until then, the practical details of Syrskyi’s future role and Drapatyi’s command team remain closely watched.

The immediate measure of success will be stability: no disruption at the front, clearer supply channels for units, and a credible answer to commanders’ requests. The longer measure will be whether the new leadership can sharpen Ukraine’s defence while preserving the public confidence that has been one of the country’s strongest assets since 2022.

In breaking wartime politics, personnel changes can signal either weakness or renewal. Zelenskyy is presenting this one as renewal. Drapatyi’s task is to make that case operational before Russia can exploit the uncertainty.

The death of a Moroccan man during a police intervention has turned a local tragedy into a national debate over restraint, accountability and minority rights in Italy

Bologna is facing a tense reckoning after Abderrahim Fakir, a 42-year-old Moroccan man, died during a police intervention in the city’s Pilastro district. Prosecutors are examining bodycam footage, witness videos and the medical response, while relatives and supporters are calling for truth and justice without allowing the case to be buried beneath clashes that followed an initially solemn public demonstration.

The case has unsettled Italy because its central questions are both immediate and familiar: what happened in the minutes before Fakir lost consciousness, whether police restraint and emergency care were handled appropriately, and whether the investigation will be seen as independent enough by a family already grieving under public scrutiny.

According to ANSA’s English service, police were called on Sunday after reports that Fakir was behaving erratically in Pilastro. The agency reported that he died while pinned to the ground as officers tried to handcuff him, and that local police said bodycam footage from the officers involved would be made available to investigators.

An Investigation Under Close Watch

The Bologna prosecutor’s office has opened a file to reconstruct the sequence of events and determine the cause of death. Italian media reported that the procedure includes the names of two police officers and four ambulance workers in a preliminary register, while no one has been formally placed under investigation at this stage.

That distinction matters. The case is one of the first to unfold under a new legal mechanism introduced by Italy’s recent security decree, described in Italian reporting as a “45 bis” procedure for cases involving possible wrongdoing by officers acting in the line of duty. Supporters of the measure say it protects police from premature accusation; critics fear it may create distance between public concern and direct accountability.

For Fakir’s family, the priority is simpler: a complete explanation. Their lawyer has urged that the inquiry should not rely on the same police body to investigate officers involved in the incident, reflecting a wider European human rights principle that deaths involving state agents must be examined with independence, promptness and public credibility.

A Peaceful Vigil, Then Clashes

Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore called a public gathering in Piazza Nettuno to demand clarity. Relatives, community representatives and residents attended in a mood of grief and restraint. Rai News reported that Fakir’s family asked for “truth and justice” while distancing itself from later violence, after parts of the protest moved toward police buildings and clashes broke out.

That division is now central to the political narrative. Government figures have condemned anti-police chants and disorder, while opposition voices and rights advocates have warned against allowing the unrest to overshadow the death itself. A public order response to public anger cannot substitute for answers about the original incident.

The facts remain incomplete. Video circulated online appears to show Fakir calling for help before losing consciousness, but prosecutors must establish the full timeline, including what happened before the recorded clip, when emergency workers could intervene, and whether Fakir’s reported health conditions played any role. The Italian Red Cross has said its responders were waiting to assist while the police operation was still under way and that they intervened once permitted to do so.

Why The Case Resonates Beyond Bologna

Fakir’s death has resonated because it sits at the intersection of policing, migration, mental health and race. He was described by people who knew him as a long-term legal resident who ran a small cleaning and removals business. Those details do not decide the facts of the police intervention, but they challenge a political reflex that too often flattens migrants into security subjects before they are seen as neighbours, workers and family members.

The European Times has previously examined how racism in Europe increasingly operates through culture, religion and migration status, rather than only explicit language about ethnicity. The Bologna case now forces that discussion into a concrete civic setting: a man is dead, a family is demanding clarity, and institutions must show that equal dignity is not conditional on nationality, behaviour in crisis or public sympathy.

Italy’s authorities have an opportunity to lower the temperature by making the investigation thorough, transparent and visibly independent. That means treating police officers, medical workers, witnesses and the family with procedural fairness, while resisting both premature exoneration and premature conviction.

For Bologna, the question is not only whether the streets remain calm. It is whether the state can answer a harder demand: when a person dies during an encounter with public authority, the public must be able to trust that the truth will not depend on power, status or origin.

Brussels ceremony blends royal tradition, public celebration and renewed attention to defence and social cohesion.

Belgium marked its National Day in Brussels on Tuesday with the traditional mixture of royal ceremony, military display, civil-service tribute and public festivities, as the country used its 21 July holiday to reaffirm constitutional continuity at a time of wider European uncertainty.

The day began with the Te Deum service at the Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula, attended by members of the royal family and senior public officials, before attention shifted to the centre of Brussels for the military and civil parade. The annual celebration commemorates 21 July 1831, when Leopold I took the constitutional oath and became the first King of the Belgians.

In the afternoon, soldiers, veterans, police, firefighters, customs officers and civil protection services were due to take part in the parade, one of the most visible state ceremonies in the Belgian calendar. The City of Brussels listed the military and civil parade among the central events of the day, alongside public activities in the Parc de Bruxelles and an evening concert and fireworks programme at the Cinquantenaire.

A Parade with a Wider Message

The parade came one day after King Philippe’s National Day address, in which he urged Belgians to protect social cohesion while confronting climate pressure, strained public finances, geopolitical instability and the need for defence investment. The speech placed the ceremonial holiday in a sober national context, linking celebration with responsibility.

“Budgetary measures are necessary,” the King said in his official National Day speech, while also calling for socially just solutions and greater attention to the most vulnerable. He warned that climate, geopolitical, technological and social upheavals were testing Belgium’s cohesion, but argued that the country could emerge stronger by “joining forces”.

That message gave the parade a sharper political edge. National Day is often read through the familiar images of flags, uniforms and royal attendance. This year, however, those symbols appeared against a European backdrop shaped by the war in Ukraine, pressure on NATO members to spend more on defence, rising concern over climate extremes and continuing debate over how public institutions serve a divided society.

The parade route and public events also turned Brussels into a civic stage. Families, tourists and residents gathered around areas close to the Royal Palace, while public-service villages and cultural activities offered a broader view of the state than the military procession alone. The day’s civilian component remained important: Belgium’s National Day is not only a display of armed forces, but also a tribute to emergency workers and public servants whose work is often most visible during crises.

Security and Public Trust

For Belgium, the symbolism of National Day is delicate. The country’s federal structure, linguistic communities and coalition politics make national unity a permanent political task rather than a settled assumption. Public ceremonies therefore carry a particular function: they do not erase difference, but they offer a shared civic language around constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy and public service.

The Brussels parade also highlighted the changing nature of security in Europe. Military vehicles, police units and protection teams are now seen not only as ceremonial presences, but as signs of a state preparing for more complex threats. That includes traditional defence, cyber risks, foreign interference, terrorism, emergency response and the resilience of public infrastructure.

At the same time, a democratic security culture depends on accountability and inclusion. Uniformed services are strongest when they are trusted by the public and when they operate within clear legal and human-rights standards. Belgium has already seen public debate around the role of religious and moral support in state institutions, including discussions reported by The European Times on spiritual assistance in the armed forces and prison system.

Celebration in an Uneasy Moment

The festive side of the day remained central. The Brussels programme included children’s activities, concerts, folklore parades, sports events and an evening show, reflecting the holiday’s role as a popular urban celebration as much as an official ceremony. For many people in the capital, National Day is experienced less as an abstract constitutional anniversary than as a public gathering in parks, streets and squares.

Yet the event’s deeper meaning lies in the balance between celebration and restraint. Belgium’s 2026 National Day did not present a country free of pressure. It presented a country seeking to hold together its public institutions, social obligations and defence responsibilities under the visible symbols of the state.

In that sense, the parade in Brussels was not merely a ritual repeated from year to year. It was a reminder that national ceremonies matter most when they are tested by the times around them. Belgium’s message on 21 July was one of continuity, but also of vigilance: unity is not declared once a year. It has to be maintained in public policy, social protection and the everyday conduct of democratic institutions.

• The EIB Group, through the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund, is investing in a new Santander securitisation that will unlock €1.43billion in financing for small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-caps in Spain.
• More than €100million will go to women entrepreneurs and businesses that are owned or managed primarily by women.
• The transaction will strengthen the competitiveness of Spanish companies and contribute to the EU savings and investments union.
• This is the first securitisation transaction in Spain where the collateral is embedded directly in the notes.

The EIB Group, comprising the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF), has invested €876million in a new Santander securitisation. The transaction will enable Santander to provide around €1.43billion in lending to support the green transition and strengthen the competitiveness of small and medium businesses and mid-caps in Spain, support job creation and help retain talent. Of this figure, €108 million will go towards loans for women entrepreneurs and businesses that are owned or managed primarily by women, and more than €162 million will support the green transition.

The agreement between the EIB Group and Banco Santander will improve access to finance for small and medium businesses and mid-caps, helping them to meet their working capital and liquidity needs while offsetting the impact of inflation, high energy prices and high interest rates on investment.

The agreement was signed in Madrid by Marco Marrone, chief investment officer of the EIF, Joan Basora, head of the Multinational Financial Institutions Division at the EIB, and Catalina Mejía García, chief financial officer of Banco Santander Spain.

“Small and medium-sized enterprises are a vital driver of growth, innovation and employment in Europe. This investment reinforces the EIF’s commitment to improving access to finance for Spanish small and medium businesses and mid-caps, particularly those pursuing sustainable projects and those led by women,” said EIF Chief Investment Officer Marco Marrone.

“This transaction demonstrates how the long-standing partnership between the EIB and Santander continues to channel financing to small and medium businesses and mid-caps, the backbone of the Spanish economy,” said Joan Basora, head of the Multinational Financial Institutions Division at the EIB. “By mobilising private investment, the EIB is helping to drive growth, create jobs and strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion across the country.”

Catalina Mejía, Chief Financial Officer of Banco Santander Spain, said: “Our partnership with the EIB Group enables us to continue strengthening our support for Spanish SMEs and mid-caps, broadening access to finance to drive their growth, advance the sustainable transition and contribute to our country’s economic development and competitiveness.”

Under the transaction, the EIB will invest approximately €476million and the EIF €400million, alongside other private investors. The EIF’s investment is made through a guarantee embedded in the Class A2 securities. This is the first securitisation transaction carried out in Spain with a guarantee embedded directly in the securitisation notes.

The transaction once again highlights the EIB Group’s role in promoting financial instruments such as securitisation, which help unlock capital for green projects, reduce risk for financial institutions and support the EU savings and investments union, one of the EIB Group’s eight strategic priorities. It will also contribute to other EIB Group strategic priorities, including climate action and environmental sustainability and economic, social and territorial cohesion.

Photo caption, from left to right: Joan Basora, head of the Multinational Financial Institutions Division at the EIB, and Catalina Mejía García, chief financial officer of Banco Santander Spain and Marco Marrone, Chief Investment Officer at the EIF.

Background information

EIB Group

The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group is the financing arm of the European Union, owned by the 27 Member States, and one of the largest multilateral development banks in the world. In 2025, the EIBGroup signed €100billion in new financing and advisory services for over 870 high-impact projects under eight core priorities that support EUpolicy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, territorial cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships and the savings and investments union. Beyond long-term loans for large infrastructure, the EIB Group crowds in private investment for high-risk innovative projects and businesses, with a growing role in Europe’s markets for venture debt, venture capital, guarantees and securitisations.In 2025, the EIBGroup completed financing and investment operations in Spain totalling around €11billion, which came alongside an additional €2.9billion under the Regional Resilience Fund (NextGenerationEU loans).

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the subsidiary of the EIB Group specialised in providing guarantees and equity to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized businesses and startups across Europe. Acting as an anchor investor, through its extensive network of partnering banks and investment funds, the EIF mobilises private investment and nurtures the ecosystem of venture capital funds to support innovative European entrepreneurs.With the support of all 27 EU governments, the EIF has joined forces with institutional investors in a pan-European alliance to mobilise up to €80 billion for investment into innovative companies scaling up to become global leaders. The joint effort will expand the size and scope of the highly successful European Tech Champions Initiative, which has helped create 15 European mega-funds and scale 45 companies, including 12 unicorns, since being established three years ago.

Photos of the EIBGroup’s representatives and headquarters, logo files and video B-roll for media use are available here.

Santander

Banco Santander (SAN SM) is a leading commercial bank founded in 1857 and headquartered in Spain, and one of the world’s largest banks by market capitalisation. The group’s activities are organised into five global business units: Retail & Commercial Banking, Openbank, Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB), Wealth Management & Insurance, and Payments. This model enables the bank to make the most of its unique combination of global scale and local leadership. Santander aims to be the best open platform for financial services for individuals, SMEs, businesses, financial institutions and governments, and its mission is to contribute to the progress of people and businesses by doing things in a simple, personalised and fair way. In the first quarter of 2026, Banco Santander had €1.4 trillion in total customer deposits, more than 176 million customers, 6,600 branches and 185,000 employees.