We've wrapped up our live coverage. You can catch up on the day's news by scrolling through the posts below, or read more about Russia's war in Ukraine here.
July 30, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news
By Josh Berlinger, Thom Poole, Adrienne Vogt and Matt Meyer, CNN
Updated 11:30 p.m. ET, July 30, 2023
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Officials report another drone crash on Russian soil, this time in a southern border region
From CNN's Mariya Knight
A drone came down in a rural area of Russia's southwestern Rostov region near the border with Ukraine on Sunday, according to regional Gov. Vasily Golubev.
“An unmanned aerial vehicle crashed in the settlement of Daraganovka,” Golubev said in a Telegram post Sunday.
The village sits about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Taganrog, where a missile was shot down on Friday. The missile’s remnants fell on the center of the city, wounding 14 people.
In the case of Sunday's drone crash, the governor said a home and a car were damaged, but no casualties were immediately reported. An ambulance was headed to the scene at the time of Golubev's post, he said, and further information may be available later.
The governor said officials are still determining whether the unmanned aerial vehicle was a Ukrainian drone.
Drones on Russian soil: Russia said it brought down three Ukrainian drones trying to attack Moscow on Sunday, the second reported attack on the country's capital in a week. Russia also said it intercepted more than two dozen drones in Crimea, the peninsula it seized in 2014.
Paired with missile strikes, like the one in Taganrog, and incursions by anti-Kremlin Russian fighters aligned with Ukraine, drones are part of the increasing number of instances where the reverberations of Moscow's invasion have reached its own territory.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that the war is "gradually" being pushed back to Russian territory.
1 killed and 5 wounded by Russian strikes in eastern Donetsk region, according to prosecutor general’s office
From CNN’s Mariya Knight
Ukrainian authorities have launched an investigation into the death of one civilian and the injury of five others Sunday in the eastern Donetsk region as a result of Russian shelling on civilian infrastructure, Ukraine's Prosecutor General’s Office said in a statement.
“A pre-trial investigation in criminal proceedings over violation of the laws and customs of war" is being conducted under the supervision of regional prosecutors, the statement said.
According to the investigation, Russian troops opened fire on civilian areas in Kostiantynivka and a nearby village of Predtechyno, the Prosecutor General's Office said. A local resident died as a result of the shelling and five others sustained mine-blast injuries, with a 13-year-old boy among the wounded.
Kostiantynivka is just west of Bakhmut and north of the city of Donetsk.
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, at least 12 residential buildings and a gas pipeline were damaged in the attacks.
It's 11 p.m. in Ukraine. Catch up on the latest here
As drones hit a building in Moscow, Ukraine said it continues to see marginal gains along the front lines.
These are Sunday's biggest developments.
Drones in Moscow: Russia said it brought down three Ukrainian drones trying to attack Moscow on Sunday, the second reported attack on the country's capital in a week. A business and shopping center west of the capital was hit, damaging two floors of a 50-story building, state news agency TASS reported.
Meanwhile, in St. Petersburg, President Vladimir Putin marked Russia's Navy Day by announcing plans to acquire 30 new ships this year to replenish the fleet.
On the battlefield: The war is "gradually" being pushed back to Russia's territory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday.
"Ukraine is getting stronger. Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia — to its symbolic centers and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process," he said.
A spokesperson for Ukraine's military said its troops are also seeing "slow but steady progress" around the battered eastern city of Bakhmut. On the southern front, Ukraine said it is consolidating positions and holding back Russian offenses.
Peace talks: Saudi Arabia is set to host Ukraine peace talks that will include Western and several developing countries — but not Russia — the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, said on Sunday.
It follows Putin's claim Saturday that Moscow has not rejected peace negotiations with Ukraine, with the Russian leader saying an agreement is needed from both sides, but it's difficult to reach one while Ukraine's army is on offense. While Zelensky repeatedly said in the beginning months of Russia's full-scale invasion that he wanted to meet face to face with Putin, he has since ruled out any peace negotiations with Russia until Moscow’s troops withdraw from his country’s territory.
Zelensky also said it was necessary to implement his 10-point peace plan to ensure the flow of grain after Russia pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Pope Francis on Saturday called for Moscow to rejoin the deal.
Ukrainian fighters are pushing forward under heavy Russian fire in southeast Ukraine, military says
From CNN's Radina Gigova and Maria Kostenko
Kyiv's forces are making small advances in various frontline areas of southeast Ukraine, treading carefully as Russia launches aerial assaults on their positions, according to a spokesperson with the National Guard of Ukraine.
"The Russians are actively using attack drones," including Russian-made Lancets and the Iranian-manufactured Shaheds, according to Andrii Kulish, a press officer for the National Guard's "Rubizh" brigade.
"We are advancing in small steps because we are taking care of our people. And we are making progress," Kulish said on national television Sunday.
Ukraine's military says Russian forces have focused attacks in the areas of Avdiivka and Marinka — a pair of nearby small cities in the Donetsk region — and are also active in the directions of Berdiansk and Melitopol further south.
"In the last 24 hours, the enemy attacked our positions 20 times. In addition, they made 603 attacks using tanks, (multiple rocket launchers) and cannon artillery," the Tavria defense forces, which is leading the fight in those areas, said via its press center.
"Hottest spot" on the front line: The military grouping said it is "holding back the Russian offensive" near Marinka, adding that it has recorded 18 clashes between troops there over the last 24 hours.
"The intensity of the enemy's assault actions in Marinka is increasing," it continued, claiming the Russian assaults include fighters from Russia's Storm-Z units, which are made up of convicts.
The area is "definitely the hottest spot" on the front line — especially near Oleksandrivka, which neighbors Marinka, the Tavria group said.
Further south: The Tavria defense forces also continue its offensive in areas surrounding Melitopol and Berdiansk, "consolidating their positions, inflicting artillery fire on the enemy targets identified, and carrying out counter-battery operations," the military grouping said.
Closer to the city of Zaporizhzhia, Russian forces have received reinforcements in the town of Robotyno, a town that a Ukrainian fighter said Saturday is under full Ukrainian fire control.
CNN cannot independently verify battlefield claims from either side in the conflict.
Ukraine announces peace talks in Saudi Arabia, which will include Western and developing nations
From CNN's Mariya Knight and Jonny Hallam
Saudi Arabia is set to host Ukraine peace talks including Western and several developing countries, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, said on Sunday.
“We are preparing the next meeting of advisers to the leaders of the states regarding the implementation of the Peace Formula of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, which will soon take place in Saudi Arabia,” Yermak said.
The talks, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, will involve Ukraine, Western nations and key developing countries, including India and Brazil — but Russia will not be a participant.
While Yermak did not provide specific dates for the summit, the Journal reported that the meeting is due to take place in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah from August 5 to 6.
Yermak said that "each point of the Peace Formula is being discussed in an individual and group format with representatives of more than 50 countries of the world on an almost weekly basis," referring to Zelensky's 10-point plan he presented to world leaders at the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, last year. The steps include a path to nuclear safety, food security, a special tribunal for alleged Russian war crimes and a final peace treaty with Moscow.
Yermak said that the goal of the talks is “to unite the world around Ukraine.”
"The evidence of this goal is obvious: we involve the countries of the West, the East, the North and the South," he added.
On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Moscow has never rejected peace negotiations with Ukraine. In order to start the process to end the war, an agreement is needed from both sides, but it's difficult to reach one while Ukraine's army is on offense, the Russian leader said.
While Zelensky repeatedly said in the beginning months of Russia's full-scale invasion that he wanted to meet face to face with Putin, he has since ruled out any peace negotiations with Russia until Moscow’s troops withdraw from his country’s territory. Zelensky said allowing any negotiations while another nation's military is occupying Ukraine would only "freeze" the war, pain and suffering caused by Putin's invasion.
Zelensky says war is "gradually" being pushed back to Russian territory
From CNN's Radina Gigova and Kostan Nechyporenko
The war is "gradually returning" to Russia's territory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday in an evening address.
"Russian aggression has gone bankrupt on the battlefield. Today is the 522nd day of the so-called 'special military operation,' which the Russian leadership expected to last for a week or two," Zelensky said.
"Ukraine is getting stronger. Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia — to its symbolic centers and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process," he added.
Zelensky warned, however, that Russia can still attack Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure this winter, as it did last year to devastating effect. The president said that on Sunday he met with regional officials to discuss preparations for possible scenarios.
On Sunday, Zelensky also met with wounded fighters and medical teams during a trip to Ukraine's western Ivano-Frankivsk region.
Attacks on Russian soil: Russia said it brought down three Ukrainian drones trying to attack Moscow on Sunday, the second reported attack on the country's capital in a week.
In recent months, Russia has also reported Ukrainian missiles reaching cities miles from the border and incursions by anti-Kremlin Russian fighters aligned with Kyiv.
Ukraine says it's making "slow but steady" gains around Bakhmut, picking up ground each day
From CNN's Radina Gigova and Maria Kostenko
Ukraine's forces are "gradually moving forward" around the battered city of Bakhmut, while also claiming some gains elsewhere on the eastern front, a military spokesperson told CNN on Sunday.
Surrounding Bakhmut, Kyiv's military has generally been able to gain hundreds of meters per day and capture kilometers of territory each week, according to Serhii Cherevatyi, who represents the military's eastern grouping.
"This is a tactic of slow but steady progress. We realize that we have comparable forces and means, and sometimes the enemy outnumbers us," Cherevatyi said. "We use the tactics of coverage, maneuvers, ambush and not direct frontal attacks. And so, we are gradually moving forward."
Remember: Bakhmut is one of the most fiercely contested cities in the conflict, with both militaries pouring significant resources into its capture. While the territory bears some strategic value, it also has become a powerful symbol in a war where Russian President Vladimir Putin has had few recent clear-cut victories.
In May, fighters with the Wagner private military group claimed to have captured the city and handed it over to Russia's military. But in the time since, Ukraine has reported that heavy fighting continues in the area and claimed regular gains all around the city.
CNN cannot independently verify battlefield reports from either side in the conflict.
Other fighting nearby: North of Bakhmut, near the focal point cities of Lyman and Kupyansk, the Ukrainian military spokesperson said Russia's military is maintaining a presence of around 100,000 troops but suffering "heavy losses."
A bit farther east, the Luhansk region's Serebryansky forest "is a site of constant fighting," Cherevatyi said. Despite Russia's strategic actions, "they are failing there," he claimed.
In his evening address on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was "a good day, a powerful day" at the front lines. He highlighted Bakhmut and "other very hot and painful areas," including the small eastern cities of Avdiivka and Marinka, which have been long battered by the war.
Pope's call for restoration of grain deal is important, Zelensky says
From CNN's Kostan Nechyporenko and Radina Gigova
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday the call by Pope Francis for the restoration of the Black Sea Grain Initiative was "important" and that religious leaders' reaction to the war matters.
"The reaction of the world's religious leaders to the Russian missile terror and destruction of Ukrainian agricultural products is extremely important to protect the whole world, and especially the peoples of Africa and Asia, who suffer the most from the threat of hunger, from a food crisis," he said on Twitter.
Some context: Russia announced it was suspending its participation in the deal on July 17, spurring fears of global food insecurity. With the harvest only a few months away, US and Western officials are looking for options to transport more grain out of Ukraine. According to the European Commission, the country accounts for 10% of the world wheat market, 15% of the corn market and 13% of the barley market.
"Ukraine is and will be the guarantor of the world's food security. The key thing now is to stop Russian terror and fully implement the #PeaceFormula," Zelensky added, referring to the 10-point plan he presented to world leaders at the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, last year. The steps include a path to nuclear safety, food security, a special tribunal for alleged Russian war crimes and a final peace treaty with Moscow.
