Five Things to Know, July 18, 2022 

1.   As Russian troops pressed their offensive in Ukraine's east, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired his state security chief and prosecutor general on Sunday, citing hundreds of criminal proceedings into treason and collaboration by people within their departments and other law enforcement agencies.

2.   More than 100 Syracuse-based National Guard soldiers are headed to Germany to help train the Ukrainian military. One-hundred-forty soldiers from the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team left Friday for Fort Bliss, Texas, to prepare for a trip to Europe, according to a news release by the New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs.

3.   Russian officials visited an airfield in central Iran at least twice in recent weeks to view weapons-capable drones it is looking to acquire to use in its war against Ukraine, the White House said. The Biden administration released the intelligence as President Joe Biden met Saturday with leaders of six Arab Gulf countries, plus Egypt, Jordan and Iraq for a regional summit. 

4.   A U.S. Air Force veteran living in Ukraine has been detained by pro-Russian separatists, his brother said Saturday — making him at least the third American to be captured in Ukraine since the war began. Troops supporting Russia took custody of Suedi Murekezi, 35, in the southern city of Kherson in early June and falsely accused him of participating in pro-Ukrainian protests, Sele Murekezi said.

5.   A U.S. Naval Academy midshipman died Sunday morning, marking the second student death in two months, according to the Annapolis, Maryland, school. The cause of death is unclear, but the service academy said no foul play is suspected.