Russian invasion of Ukraine

This handout photograph taken and released by Ukrainian Presidential Press Service on July 29, 2024, shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visiting the command outpost of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in the area of Vovchansk, Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Yevgeniy Serebryakov, who was arrested on suspicion of involvement in a bomb attack on a car carrying a Russian military officer north of Moscow.

A Russian citizen detained in southwestern Türkiye following a bomb attack in Moscow has been extradited to Russia by Turkish authorities.

Ukrainian convicts Volodymyr Barandich (C) and Arthur Kachurovsky (L) and a guard (R) wait in a courtyard of the Boryspil penal colony outside the town of Boryspil, Kiev region, on July 4, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Artur Kachurovsky is one of thousands of Ukrainian prisoners who have taken up the offer to join the army and fight the Russians in return for a pardon.

Russia has launched fresh attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure using drones and missiles, escalating tensions amid the ongoing war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, attending the NATO summit in Washington, expressed gratitude for promised air defense systems to bolster Kyiv's defenses.

NATO will need between 35 and 50 additional brigades to fully implement its new defense plans to counter a potential Russian attack, according to a military source who spoke to Reuters. Each brigade comprises between 3,000 and 7,000 soldiers. Creating these additional combat units represents a significant challenge.

Vladimir Putin conveyed to Viktor Orban that he would not accept any terms for peace in Ukraine other than his own. After three hours of talks in the Kremlin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban highlighted the significant gap between Ukraine's and Russia's visions for ending the war.

Last night, the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk was attacked by surface drones, according to local authorities. Car traffic on the Crimean bridge, connecting the Russian-annexed Ukrainian peninsula with the Krasnodar region, was temporarily halted for about an hour. Local residents reported powerful explosions and a fire in a mountainous area above the city, as noted by UNIAN.

The task forces of Türkiye, Romania and Bulgaria have embarked on a joint mission to detect and clear mines in the Black Sea under an agreement ratified earlier this year.

The defense ministers of Russia and the United States engaged in a telephone conversation for the first time in over a year, reported Reuters. The two sides presented starkly different accounts of the discussion.

Russia has expressed readiness to halt the conflict in Ukraine on the condition that Ukraine cedes control of four regions currently under partial occupation. Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin's aide on foreign affairs, conveyed this statement, as reported by Reuters.