Russia dismissed a senior executive of the TASS state news agency on Friday after he attended an event hosted by the president of Azerbaijan, whose relations with Moscow have deteriorated in recent months.

The long-range Russian drones come in swarms each night, buzzing over Ukraine by the hundreds, terrorizing the population and attacking targets from the industrial east to areas near its western border with Poland.

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Child injured as Moscow and Kyiv fire drones and missiles after latest peace talks - Kremlin dismisses likelihood of a Putin-Zelensky meeting before August

A Russian rocket has sent an Iranian communications satellite into orbit, highlighting strong ties between the two countries

Moscow's lead negotiator on Wednesday in Istanbul said the Ukrainian and Russian positions on ending the war were still far apart, more than three years into Russia's invasion. The two sides held their third round of peace talks after two earlier meetings in May and June that failed to reach a breakthrough.

Russian air defenses destroyed 73 Ukrainian drones overnight, including three heading for Moscow, Russia's defence ministry said on Friday.

"The suitcase was found to contain an American Colt Commander, .45 caliber with three empty magazines," Russian officials said.

MOSCOW: Russia's only aircraft carrier, the 40-year-old Admiral Kuznetsov, is likely to be sold or scrapped, the chairman of Russia's state shipbuilding corporation told the Kommersant newspaper in comments published on Friday (Jul 25).