Trump casts European purchases of US weapons for Ukraine as a victory as UN warns civilians being killed at record rate.

Putin ally warns Moscow will launch preventative strikes against the west ‘if necessary’ - Russian air defence units destroyed 122 Ukrainian drones overnight that targeted the capital Moscow, official

Despite the changes in warfare, Russian forces retain the ascendancy and are making slow but steady advances in the east and north of Ukraine. Russia has also caught up in UAV technology after falling behind early in the war, according to military analysts, and like its enemy is churning out drones domestically at a rate of millions a year.

Russia has handed over to Ukraine the bodies of 1,000 soldiers as part of an agreement reached at peace talks last month, Moscow's top negotiator said on social media.

In response, 65 percent of Trump voters backed the provision of arms to Ukraine, almost three times the 22 percent who opposed the move. The results suggest a shift in attitudes among Trump supporters toward aid for Ukraine over the past six months.

MOSCOW, July 17, (Xinhua): Russia on Tuesday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's 50-day ultimatum to agree to a Ukraine ceasefire, dismissing the threat of "severe tariffs" as unacceptable. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov emphasized that Moscow favors a diplomatic resolution to the Ukraine conflict and is ready to negotiate.

In exchange for David Slater's guilty plea in conspiring to transmit classified information about Russia's war with Ukraine on a foreign online dating platform, two other counts were dropped.

A retired Army officer who worked as a civilian Air Force employee has pleaded guilty to conspiring to share classified information about Russia's war with Ukraine.

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.