Overview

• Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov cited security risks from Ukraine’s drone campaign when announcing the cancellation of the annual St. Petersburg naval parade on July 27.
• A five-day multi-theater exercise wrapped up with more than 150 war and support ships, 120 aircraft and helicopters, and over 15,000 personnel operating across the Baltic, Arctic, Pacific and Caspian seas.
• President Vladimir Putin ordered two marine infantry brigades to be upgraded into divisions by year-end, with plans to convert three additional brigades soon to bolster fleet combat capabilities.
• Russian air defenses reported shooting down 99 Ukrainian drones nationwide on the morning of the exercise’s conclusion, including more than ten over the Leningrad region, leading to a civilian injury from falling debris and hours-long closure of Pulkovo Airport.
• Moscow is prioritizing naval modernization and reinforced coastal defenses to deter further cross-border drone attacks and address exposed vulnerabilities in its rear areas.