???? Live: Russia says Ukrainian drone strikes police station near border

Issued on: 31/07/2023 – 08:35

2 min

8:05am: Russia says Ukrainian drone strikes police station in Bryansk

A Ukrainian drone hit a police station overnight in the frontier Russian region of Bryansk but there were no victims, the regional governor has said.

“Ukrainian forces attacked the district of Trubchevsky at night,” Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram. “A drone hit the police station in this district. No victims,” but the windows and roof were damaged, he added.

The overnight strike came hours after three drones were shot down over Moscow in the latest attack on the Russian capital.

6:30am: Russia’s GDP to grow more than 2% this year

Russia’s economy will grow more than 2% this year, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has told the TASS news agency, adding that the federal budget deficit will reach 2.0%-2.5% of gross domestic product.

Siluanov said the Russian rouble’s recent weakness had been driven by the country’s trade balance, and the predictability of the exchange rate was very important to the ministry.

3:16am: Ukraine reports fierce fighting in northeast

A senior Ukrainian official reported heavy fighting in the northeast of the country on Sunday, with Kyiv’s forces holding their lines and making gains in some areas.

Russia’s military said it had pushed back Ukrainian forces in the area.

Read moreCounterattack or ploy? Kyiv vigilant despite heavy Russian shelling of northeast region

Ukraine’s President Zelensky described Sunday as “a good day, a powerful day” at the front, particularly near Bakhmut, where Ukrainian forces say they are retaking ground lost when Russian forces took the city in May.

Key developments from Sunday, July 30:

Russia’s defence ministry said three Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow early on Sunday, two of which crashed near the capital. The attack damaged two buildings and temporarily suspended flights at Vnukovo airport.

Pope Francis called on Russia to revive the Black Sea grain deal, which allowed Ukraine to export grain from its seaports despite the war.

Meanwhile, officials in Kyiv said Saudi Arabia is preparing to host a summit in August to discuss Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s plan for peace in his country amid the ongoing Russian invasion.

Read yesterday’s liveblog to see how the day’s events unfolded.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)