Overview
- Putin told deputies at the Duma on Monday that Western backers are using "openly terrorist methods" because they cannot defeat Russia on the battlefield.
- The president signed a decree to raise Russian armed forces by 27,000 personnel, a step Moscow says strengthens its ability to sustain operations in Ukraine.
- The Russian Defense Ministry reported intense air‑defense activity against Ukrainian drone swarms, saying it shot down 182 drones in a 12‑hour span after earlier reporting larger overnight losses.
- Moscow announced it had taken control of two localities, Toskoye and Kommunarovka in eastern Ukraine, and the foreign ministry said 86 Russian civilians were killed by Ukrainian strikes on rear areas between July 15 and July 24.
- The Kremlin condemned an attack on an Iranian-linked merchant vessel in the Caspian Sea, while international officials warned that attacks on ports and ships are raising food and energy prices and complicating efforts to de‑escalate.