TOP HEADLINES

• The Kremlin said it needed to find out the purpose of upcoming talks reportedly planned in Saudi Arabia about the conflict in Ukraine. READ MORE BELOW

• The Russian Foreign Ministry insists they will continue dialogue on prospects for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine crisis with China, Brazil and African partners, Russian state-owned news agency RIA has reported.

• Twin Russian missile strikes on the city center of Kryvyi Rih in southern Ukraine killed at least two people and more were trapped under rubble, the Ukrainian interior minister said.

• Russian servicemen foiled a Ukrainian attempt to cross the Dnieper River near the Maly Belogrudny island, destroying a boat and 10 servicemen, TASS has reported.

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

• Moscow says Ukraine's counter-offensive is "not working out as planned" and that NATO resources supplied to Kyiv had been "wasted" during the course of a two month-long operation that has seen limited gains for Ukraine.

• Ukrainian forces have recaptured nearly 15 square kilometers of land from Russian troops in the east and south over the past week during their counter-offensive, a senior defense official said.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that "war" was coming to Russia after three Ukrainian drones were downed over Moscow. READ MORE BELOW

• Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a voice message published on Monday that his Wagner group was not currently recruiting fighters but was likely to do so in future.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the Russian Navy during Sunday's naval parade in St. Petersburg, attended by several African leaders after the Russia-Africa summit.

• Ukraine is to start consultations with the U.S. this week on providing security guarantees for Kyiv pending the completion of the process of joining NATO, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff said.

• Russia's Defense Ministry said it brought down three Ukrainian drones on Sunday that had tried to strike Moscow in the second such attack in a week, which damaged a high-rise building reported to house government offices.

• Pope Francis has called on Russia to reverse its decision to abandon the Black Sea grain deal, under which it had allowed Ukraine to export grain from its seaports despite the ongoing conflict.

IN DETAIL

The Kremlin wants to explore the purpose of upcoming talks reportedly planned in Saudi Arabia about the conflict in Ukraine.

The Wall Street Journal reported at the weekend that Saudi Arabia would invite Western states, Ukraine and major developing countries to the planned talks. 

The newspaper said Kyiv and Western countries hoped the talks, which would exclude Russia, could lead to international backing for peace terms favoring Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked about the report, said Russia needed to understand what the aims of the planned talks were and what would be discussed.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that the conflict was escalating on Russian soil after three Ukrainian drones were downed over Moscow.

"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," Zelenskyy said. 

"Ukraine is getting stronger," he added, warning however that the country should prepare for new attack on energy infrastructure in winter.

"But we must be aware that, just as last year, Russian terrorists can still attack our energy sector and critical facilities this winter," he said.

Zelenskyy spoke after three Ukrainian drones were downed over Moscow early on Sunday, the Russian defense ministry said. The attack damaged two office towers and briefly shut an international airport.

Separately, Moscow said on Sunday its forces had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to attack the Crimean region with 25 drones. 

The attacks reported on Sunday were the latest in a series of recent drone assaults – including on the Kremlin and Russian towns near the border with Ukraine – that Moscow has blamed on Kyiv.

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