Kyiv blasted Russia with a barrage of drone strikes overnight, killing at least three people in retaliation for one of Moscow’s deadliest attacks of the more than three-year-old war. Drone storage sites and oil refineries bankrolling Russian strongman Vladimir Putin’s invasion into Ukraine were targeted,

The Russian air force (the VKS, Vozdushno-Kosmicheskiye Sily) is on the retreat. In recent weeks, it has pulled many of its warplanes from bases near Ukraine and redeployed them to bases farther from the border.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow hoped for more peace talks with Ukraine but that the momentum of the war was in its favour, signalling no shift in his stance despite a looming sanctions deadline from Washington.

By Ben Aris in Berlin US President Donald Trump called Russia’s attacks on Ukraine “disgusting” in his most strongly worded criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin yet, and warned that Washington will impose new sanctions if no agreement is reached by August 8,