Explosion reported near airfield in southern Russia

The talks are expected to begin at 7 p.m. local time at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul.

Russia launched 71 drones from multiple directions overnight. Air defenses shot down 27 drones, and 18 were lost or intercepted by electronic warfare, the Air Force said.

The legislation, swiftly pushed through by President Volodymyr Zelensky's lawmakers on July 22 and signed by the president the same day, "crossed red lines" for Brussels, European Pravda reported, citing EU sources.

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi did not reveal Ukraine's casualties in Kursk Oblast but said Russia's losses were significantly greater.

"We see what people expect from state institutions — ensured justice and the effective functioning of each institution," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Demonstrators gathered in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, and Odesa to oppose the legislation, which grants sweeping new powers to the prosecutor general over the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO).

The OECD reportedly warned that the bill threatens the independence of anti-corruption agencies and could undermine Kyiv's credibility among foreign partners. This could negatively impact defense investment and reconstruction financing.

Lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak claimed that procedural rules were violated during the bill's passage, making the constitutional challenge viable. The motion will require at least 45 signatures from members of parliament.

The delegation will be led by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov and include representatives from Ukraine's military intelligence, the Foreign Ministry, and the Presidential Office.

Colonel Maksym Kazban was a veteran officer who commanded the Liut Brigade, a unique front-line formation made up of Ukraine’s elite police forces.

A railway hub in Novocherkassk used by the Russian military and defense-industrial complex came under an attack, said Andrii Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.

The number includes 970 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

The State Duma, the lower chamber of Russia's parliament, on July 22 submitted a bill that, if passed, will expand Russia's seasonal mobilization into a year-round draft.

"We have one common trouble, one enemy. Therefore, internal contradictions should be resolved through open dialogue to achieve a single common goal — to defend our country. I am confident that Ukraine will be saved by strong military and institutions," Military Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov said.

"(W)hatever expectations (Russian President Vladimir) Putin might have had for a good relationship with (U.S. President Donald) Trump, it was always going to come second to his maximalist goals in Ukraine. For Putin, the invasion of Ukraine is existential," a former high-ranking Kremlin official said.