Daily review

Russia faces mounting pressure on multiple fronts as Trump's new sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil forced China to halt oil purchases, while Ukrainian paratroopers liberated a Donetsk village and drones struck deep into Russian territory. The Kremlin responded with unusual restraint, politely asking Washington to continue negotiations.

Additionally, Moscow initiated massive nuclear exercises, while Budapest peace talks on Ukraine showed no progress.

Russia continues to earn $1.5 billion weekly from record oil exports, as the US Senate pauses sanctions legislation.

Kyiv works on a contract to purchase 25 Patriot air defense systems.

Russia's 100,000-strong summer offensive has collapsed before Pokrovsk while Ukrainian forces expand long-range strikes that are crippling Russian refineries and creating fuel shortages 1,200+ km from the front. The military developments come as President Trump intensifies pressure on Zelenskyy to accept territorial concessions, though Ukraine's leader has firmly rejected Putin's demands for full control of Donetsk Oblast.

Finland proposes €200 billion Russian asset transfer.

Facing a shortage of soldiers to defend cities from nightly Shahed attacks, Ukraine is moving toward training civilians to intercept drones - a dramatic shift in defense strategy. The move coincides with Trump's meeting with Zelenskyy being overshadowed by a surprise announcement of a 2.5-hour Putin call and planned Budapest summit, raising questions about Washington's commitment to providing Ukraine with the advanced weapons needed to change the battlefield dynamics.

Even pro-Kremlin propagandists now admit that Ukraine stands "more militarized than ever" with self-sufficient production and expanding international facilities.

Ukraine launched coordinated long-range drone strikes against Russia's petroleum infrastructure, hitting oil facilities in Rostov Oblast and the Volgograd refinery.

Russia's grinding offensive toward Pokrovsk hit a wall of Ukrainian counterattacks Tuesday, with three brigades forced to halt operations amid command coordination failures—a symptom of deeper problems as Moscow's tank losses outpace production and casualties exceed 1,000 daily. Meanwhile, the war's mathematics grow increasingly brutal: Ukraine's 10-kilometer-deep "kill zone" now revolves around drone range, with commanders tracking whether they can destroy Russian forces faster than Moscow can mobilize replacements.

Odesa Mayor Trukhanov was stripped of Ukrainian citizenship over a Russian passport allegation after surviving $25 million in corruption charges.

Ukrainian forces liberated Mali Shcherbaky in southern Zaporizhzhia Oblast and pushed five kilometers into Russian-held territory.

Russia unleashed one of its largest drone assaults on Ukraine's energy infrastructure overnight, deploying 465 drones that left thousands without power and water in Kyiv while killing a 7-year-old child in Zaporizhzhia. The attack comes as unidentified drones breach military facilities across Europe from Germany to Czechia, signaling an escalating hybrid campaign that NATO officials describe as psychological preparation for potential future conflict.

Only 35% of Russia's strategic tank reserves remain after three years of war, while Ukrainian strikes on refineries trigger gasoline shortages across Russia. As Putin masses 90,000 troops for a new offensive on Lyman, his admission that Ukraine's refinery attacks "won't help" rings hollow amid mounting evidence of the Kremlin's strategic pressures and Europe's growing resolve to support long-range Ukrainian strikes.

Ukraine concluded defense agreements with Denmark, Slovakia, Spain, and Romania at DFNC³, opening production and cooperation channels.

Meanwhile, Putin's personal daily budget has swelled to $1.1 million.

Ukraine has successfully disabled approximately 20% of Russia's oil refining capacity through precision drone and missile strikes on 16 of the country's 38 refineries.

Russia's weekend bombardment killed at least nine Ukrainian civilians, including a family of four in western Lviv Oblast, as Czech voters elected populist Andrej Babiš on promises to cut aid to Kyiv. The attacks featured Chinese-provided satellite targeting data, while Ukraine achieved its first FPV drone kill of a flying helicopter and destroyed North Korean artillery near the front lines.

Russian forces struck a passenger train at Shostka railway station in Sumy Oblast, injuring dozens including three children. Meanwhile, Czech anti-Ukrainian Babiš's party won the country's election, threatening to cut off Prague's military support for Kyiv.

Russia deployed 381 drones and 35 missiles in its biggest attack yet on Ukraine's energy sector overnight, while Ukrainian forces demonstrated their expanding reach by striking the Orsk refinery 1,400 kilometers inside Russian territory — part of a campaign that has now hit 21 refineries since January and created nationwide fuel shortages in energy-rich Russia.