Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky pushes for ‘diplomatic’ solution after Putin escalates Black Sea strikes

Kyiv said it would look to strengthen its air defences in the region after talks with Andy Burnham on Monday

Putin is sweeping ‘Black August’ under the rug  CNN

Over the past few decades, “Black August,” or “the August curse,” has become a sort of journalistic shorthand in Russia for dramatic crises that seem to happen in the last weeks of summer. In some respects, Black August is Russia’s rough equivalent to the “silly season” in British journalism, the late-summer lull when