Tatiana Navka, the wife of Russian president ​Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, has launched a legal challenge aimed at overturning European Union sanctions imposed on her over the war in Ukraine, according ⁠to details published on an EU website. Navka, a former Olympic ice-skating champion, was put on a sanctions list by the EU in June 2022 that targeted people over Moscow's actions in Ukraine. Peskov's ⁠daughter Elizaveta and son Nikolai ​were ⁠included on the same list.

Brussels said at the time that the sanctions, which included a travel ban ⁠to the EU and financial restrictions, were imposed "in ​respect ⁠of actions undermining or threatening ‌the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine."

Details published on the EU's EUR-Lex website showed that Navka, 51 — who was ‌born in Soviet Ukraine but is ‌a Russian citizen — is now seeking to overturn the sanctions on her via the European Court of Justice.

The legal filing said she was ⁠arguing that the reason for the restrictions on her had not been properly set out, that errors of law and factual assessment had been made, and that the EU had failed to prove a sufficient link between her and the stated aim of its sanctions.

Navka is seeking damages from ‌the Council of the European Union for material damage ​and for damage to her reputation and other ‌non-material damage totalling just ⁠over €2 million (£1.71 million), the same document showed.

Another official EU ⁠database shows that Yekaterina Ignatova, wife of Sergei Chemezov, head of the ‌state-owned Rostec defence and ​industrial corporation, is seeking to ‌overturn EU sanctions on her ​via the same legal route.

Ukraine struck a Russian export terminal in ⁠the Rostov region, as well ⁠as ​oil facilities ⁠in the ⁠Yaroslavl and Udmurtia ​regions overnight, ⁠President ‌Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"We are ‌carrying out ‌our plan of ⁠long-range sanctions and reducing Russia's ability to finance the war," Zelenskiy said ‌on X, ​referring to ‌Ukrainian ⁠strikes deep ⁠inside Russia.

Russian forces have struck two vessels carrying ⁠military cargo in the southern Ukrainian port city ⁠of ​Mykolaiv, the ⁠Russian Defence Ministry ⁠said on Monday.

Russia and Ukraine ‌have stepped ‌up military activity in and around ⁠the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov in recent weeks, with each ‌side attacking dozens ​of ‌ships, including ⁠oil tankers ⁠and cargo vessels.

Russia cancelled its annual Navy Day parade in St Petersburg for the second year in a row, citing security concerns.

The Kyiv Independent reported that Moscow cancelled the annual event as Ukraine’s long-range drone attacks continue to threaten major Russian cities.

Instead of the parade, president Vladimir Putin addressed sailors at the navy headquarters.

The cancellation reportedly came amid reports of widespread internet outages in St Petersburg.

Since 2017, the Navy Day celebrations have featured large displays of Russian naval power, including a review of warships from the Baltic, Black Sea, Northern and Pacific fleets in St. Petersburg.

Navy Day is a national holiday in Russia and is celebrated on the last Sunday of July.

A civilian cargo ship carrying grain sank in the Black Sea near Odesa on 26 July, a week after it was hit by Russian cruise missiles, Ukrainian authorities said.

The vessel had been sailing through Ukraine’s maritime corridor when it was struck.

Ukraine’s Sea Ports Authority (USPA) said: “The Golden Leo, which was struck near Odesa on July 19, has sunk. As a result of the Russian attack, the ship sustained significant damage to its hull and superstructure, which led to the loss of its seaworthiness and subsequent sinking.”

The authority said no crew were on board when the ship sank because survivors had already been evacuated after the attack.

In the 19 July attack, ten people were killed in the Russian attack, according to The Kyiv Independent.

Russian drone attacks on Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region killed one person and damaged three civilian vessels, acting regional governor Heorhii Reshetilov said on Telegram.

The strikes hit port infrastructure, and damaged ships that had been stranded in Ukrainian ports since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Ukraine’s seaports authority said others were also injured but did not give a number.

Russia’s defence ministry said it had targeted two vessels carrying military cargo in the port of Mykolaiv.

Ukrainian drones launched a large overnight attack on Russia’s Rostov region, killing two people in the city of Rostov-on-Don and injuring eight others, regional governor Yuri Slyusar said.

Around 50 drones were reportedly shot down by Russian air defences, but strikes damaged apartment buildings, warehouses, a homeless shelter and an industrial facility in the port city of Taganrog, Reuters reported.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine had targeted a Russian export terminal in the Rostov region, as well as oil facilities in the Yaroslavl and Udmurtia regions.

Britain will hand over intellectual property behind its new “Stone Cloak” electronic warfare system to Ukraine, enabling the war-hit nation to produce the technology at scale, PM Andy Burnham will announce today.

The tablet-sized device is designed to block Russian detection of any drones it is fitted to.

The Ministry of Defence has already given thousands of the jammers to Ukrainian forces to bolster their drone operations.

Following its deployment in Ukraine, the technology is expected to be incorporated into the UK’s next generation of long-range strike weapons, including Project Brakestop, the Government’s initiative to develop low-cost cruise missiles.

Russia considers it premature to comment on reports that the United States and Ukraine are discussing a possible halt to aerial attacks as part of efforts to end the war, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

A Ukrainian source ⁠told Reuters that Ukrainian and US officials had discussed a proposal for an air ceasefire to present to Russia as part of a new push to revive peace talks aimed at ending the conflict triggered by Moscow's 2022 ⁠invasion of Ukraine.

The source said Ukraine had approached Russian president Vladimir Putin in the past with offers of a ceasefire, which had been turned down.

However, some officials believe that pressure on Russia's economy from ongoing Ukrainian drone and missile strikes may soften Putin's stance.

“We do ‌not know how credible these reports are or where they come from. These are newspaper reports and nothing more. Therefore, it is ‌premature to comment on them at this ‌stage," the Interfax news agency quoted Peskov as saying.

He said Russia's response to any new peace initiative would depend on whether it aligns with Moscow's interests. "We have heard ⁠statements that some new formulas may be possible. We still need to learn more about them," Peskov said.

"And, over time, some formulas or proposals will probably be put forward. What happens next will depend on how closely they correspond to our interests.”

Peskov reiterated that Moscow maintains channels of dialogue with US negotiators.