July 30, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

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.

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.

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.”  

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.

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.

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'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.

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.

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. 

One of the newest pieces in Ukraine's arsenal is a remote-controlled sea drone designed to attack Russian forces in the Black Sea.

The Ukrainian-made surface drones, first shown publicly to CNN, are armed with 300 kilograms (about 660 pounds) of explosives and can hit a target 800 kilometers (about 500 miles) away.

A pilot who goes by the call sign "Shark" said the drones are easy to control and have limited the Russian navy's movements. Equipment on Russian ships is designed to attack other ships, according to the drones' developer, rendering the vessels' defenses ineffective.

Naval drones were used to strike the Kerch bridge — which links Crimea to mainland Russia — earlier this month, and they could prove to be vital against Russian threats on ships after the country withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal.

Earlier Sunday, on Russia's Navy Day, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to add 30 more ships to his country's fleet.

Watch more from Alex Marquardt's report here:

Pope Francis on Sunday urged Russia to rejoin a deal that had allowed for the export of Ukrainian grain to international markets, helping mitigate the global food supply crunch worsened by Moscow's war.

Some background: The deal, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July 2022, had allowed Ukraine to export grain by sea, with ships bypassing a Russian blockade of the country’s Black Sea ports and navigating safe passage through the waterway to Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait, eventually reaching global markets.

The UN said it proved vital for stabilizing global food prices and bringing relief to the developing countries that rely on Ukrainian exports.

Russia withdrew from the accord on July 17, arguing that it was being prevented from adequately exporting its own food. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the main objective of the deal — supplying grain to countries in need — had not been realized.

What's happened since the deal's collapse: Russia has unleashed a flurry of attacks on grain supplies in key Ukrainian cities, including the port city of Odesa, wiping out 60,000 tons of grain, enough to feed 270,000 people for a year, British Ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward said.

It has meanwhile courted African countries, with Putin casting Moscow as a nonetheless reliable source of food. Putin has offered to send free grain to the continent, but the UN says that will not make up for Russia pulling out of the grain deal.

CNN's Rob Pichet, Mick Krever and Anna Chernova contributed to this post

As Russia's war against Ukraine rages on, and Kyiv escalates its counteroffensive, Russian President Vladimir Putin says a ceasefire is hard to implement.

He made the claim at a carefully orchestrated press event attended by a small group of Russian media in St. Petersburg. 

Putin said 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 is difficult to reach one while Ukraine's army is on offense, the Russian leader said.

Key context: This week at a summit with African governments, Putin said he was considering a peace initiative proposed by the leaders and blamed Kyiv for not coming to the table.

But Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out any peace negotiations with Russia until Moscow’s troops withdraw from his country’s territory, characterizing the conflict as an unprovoked war of aggression launched by Putin.

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.

Ukraine's purported losses: Putin also said on Saturday that Ukrainian forces lost 415 of its tanks and 1,300 armored vehicles since June 4.

When asked for comment by CNN on the Russian leader's claims, Serhii Cherevatyi, the deputy commander of the Ukraine military's Eastern Group for Strategic Communications, joked that "if we really had so much (material), we'd already be in Moscow.

"It seems to me that he is living in his own universe," Cherevatyi said.

On critics: When asked by a journalist about the arrest of people in Russia who are critical of his leadership during the armed conflict with Ukraine, Putin replied:

CNN's Radina Gigova and Uliana Pavlova contributed to this post

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated servicemen, veterans and all citizens of the country during a speech in St. Petersburg on the country's Navy Day.

This year, 45 ships, boats and submarines, as well as about 3,000 servicemen, took part in the parade, according to the Kremlin. 

Putin said 30 new ships will be added to the Russian fleet this year, including a missile Corvette called the Mercury, which is named in memory of the crew of a "legendary" Russian brig known for its battle with two ships in the 19th century.

Guests at the parade included four leaders who attended Putin's Africa summit.