Ukraine imposes sanctions on Russian financial, cryptocurrency schemes

Ukraine's state energy giant Naftogaz has signed its first agreement to import natural gas from Azerbaijan, the company said in a press release on July 28. The deal comes as gas storage reserves have fallen to their lowest level in at least 11 years, driven by Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy grid.

Protests were held near the hotel housing the Russian fencers and outside the Sports Palace, the venue for the competition.

A hacker group named Silent Crow has claimed responsibility for a large-scale attack on Aeroflot's IT infrastructure, allegedly conducted in cooperation with the Belarusian opposition hacktivist group, Cyber Partisans BY.

The Pokrovsk direction remains the key vector of the Russian offensive, where Russia has concentrated most of its troops, said Victor Tregubov, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces.

Explosions were first reported in the capital late on July 27, according to Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground. The attack comes mere days after Russia and Ukraine held their third round of peace talks in Istanbul on July 23.

Russian forces launched 324 Shahed-type attack drones and other drones, four Kh-101 cruise missiles, and three Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles against Ukraine overnight, the Air Force reported.

Stabilization measures are currently underway in Kindrativka, a spokesperson for the Kursk military group said.

"According to received reports, a drone was spotted at an altitude of about 200 meters, last seen near Vilnius," said Darius Buta, a representative of Lithuania's National Crisis Management Center, according to LRT.

The number includes 1,000 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

New data from the Kyiv School of Economics Institute indicates that Russia has significantly depleted its vast Soviet-era weaponry stockpiles since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, causing the flow of military goods to the front lines to revert to pre-2022 levels.

"Ukraine has already achieved a lot on its European path. It must build on these solid foundations and preserve independent anti-corruption bodies, which are cornerstones of Ukraine's rule of law," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on July 27.

Serbia will not impose sanctions against Russia, President Aleksandar Vucic said, responding to recent comments by Minister for European Affairs Nemanja Starovic that suggested otherwise, Serbian media reported on July 27.

Ukraine will receive 33,000 AI-powered drone kits by the end of the year under a new contract between the U.S. Defense Department and U.S.-German software firm Auterion, the Financial Times reported on July 27.

A Russian drone targeting a bus with evacuated residents killed three people and injured 19 in Sumy Oblast on July 27.