Tensions between Russia and the neighbouring Caucasus republic of Azerbaijan are escalating against the backdrop of Moscow's war in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned Baku not to jeopardize relations between the two countries because of the war.

A city with a pre-war population of 60,000, Pokrovsk is located west of Avdiivka which fell to Russian forces in February 2024 and is a critical hub in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War noted that cooperation with China has allowed Russia to bypass Western sanctions on imports of electronics for drone production. Ukraine’s military intelligence estimates that Russia receives up to 65% of components for its Geran drones from China. Beijing rejects the claims.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday renewed his offer to meet with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, but hopes of progress were low as delegations prepared to hold another round of talks.

Russia now controls more than two-thirds of Ukraine’s Donetsk region — the main theater of the ground war. Russian forces have carved out a 10-mile-deep pocket around the Ukrainian troops defending the crucial city of Kostiantynivka, partly surrounding them from the east, south and west.

Ukraine's extensive use of asymmetrical tactics, and innovative equipment such as sea drones, gives the country an effective edge against its foe.

Officials have warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that a demographic crisis could mean the country he leads will be short millions of workers by the end of the decade.

U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to ramp up arms shipments to Ukraine is a signal to Kyiv to abandon peace efforts, Russia said on Thursday, vowing it would not accept the "blackmail" of Washington's new sanctions ultimatum.

Europe’s top human rights court delivered damning judgments against Russia in four cases brought by Kyiv and the Netherlands accusing Moscow of atrocities in Ukraine dating back more than a decade.

Between September 2022 and August 2023, Russia launched around 2,000 Iranian-designed Shahed drones into Ukraine, according to the conflict monitor Airwars. That figure has surged in 2025. In June alone, Russia launched a record 5,337 Shahed-type drones, comprising both attack and decoy variants.