Russian Missile Strike Kills 10 Civilians In Pechenihy As Ukraine Fires Nearly 800 Drones

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces staged one of their biggest drone attacks on Russia sinceMoscow's invasionmore than four years ago, firing almost 800 drones just two days after launchinga similar salvo, officials said Tuesday. Meanwhile, a Russian missile strike on a village in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region killed at least 10 people and wounded eight others as the barrage demolished homes, officials said Tuesday. The warring countries are locked in an escalating duel of long-range aerial strikes. Fighting on the roughly 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front line in eastern and southern Ukraine is restricted by large numbers of drones and ground robots threatening troop movements, and neither side is making significant battlefield progress, analysts say. Over the past year Ukraine has devised and deployed domestically producedlong-range dronesfor strikes deep inside Russia. Its drone technology hasimpressed governmentsand defense manufacturers around the world. Kyiv officials aim to make the Russian publicfeel the war's consequencesand pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into negotiating a peace settlement. Putin has so far shownno signhe intends to stop the invasion. “Putin continues to drag out the war instead of accepting Ukraine’s realistic ceasefire proposals and ending the bloodshed,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X. Russian air defenses overnight intercepted 791 Ukrainian drones over a number of Russian regions, as well as annexed Crimea and the Black and the Azov seas, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said, in what was the second-largest drone attack since January 2025, according to an Associated Press tally. More than 600 Ukrainian drones flew toward the Moscow region, where 180 were shot down, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. He didn’t provide further details. Officials reported no deaths or major damage. Ukraine has increasingly launched swarms of hundreds of drones in an attempt to overwhelm Russian air defenses. In the Moscow region that surrounds but doesn’t include the Russian capital, three people were wounded, Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said. Three people were also wounded in the Ryazan region adjacent to the Moscow region where three private houses were damaged by the attack, Gov. Pavel Malkov said. The overnight attack started a fire at a warehouse ofWildberries, Russia's biggest online retailer, in an industrial zone. Ukraine has repeatedly targeted the company's depots, which it says help supply the Russian military. Wildberries said its facility sustained “insignificant damage.” Coverage of the attack in state and Kremlin-backed Russian media was mostly muted, as is often the case. Russia’s main television channels — state-run Russia 1 and Channel One — did not mention the attack at all in their morning news bulletins. But Russian state news agency RIA Novosti featured it among the main news on its website’s homepage, describing it as “one of the most large-scale attacks on Moscow since the beginning of the summer.” State newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta on its website prominently featured a roundup of what Moscow region Gov. Andrei Vorobyov reported about the attack on the area, describing it as “massive” in the headline. Pro-Kremlin tabloid MK featured a news brief about the attack on its home page. A Russian missile strike on the village of Pechenihy in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region killed 10 civilians, according to preliminary information, said Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration. Another 17 people were wounded, he said. Zelenskyy called it “a brutal attack” that damaged 10 homes, a cafe, a post office, a store and at least seven vehicles, according to Syniehubov. “We will definitely respond to this Russian strike,” Zelenskyy said on social media. Also, three people were killed and three others were wounded over the past day in Russian attacks on Ukraine’s Sumy region, including drone strikes and an explosive device blast, Ukraine’s National Police said. The U.K. Defense Ministry said Tuesday that it won’t budge from its military support for Kyiv, after Russia said that Ukraine’s reported use of British drones for attacks on Russian soil would bring unidentified consequences for London. “Britain stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, and we are committed to providing the equipment Ukraine needs to defend itself against Putin’s illegal invasion,” a British defense spokesperson said. British newspaper The Sunday Times reported that two U.K. companies made drones used by Ukraine to hit Russia. Following the report, the Russian embassy in the U.K. said in a statement that “London’s actions will inevitably carry consequences.” ___ Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. Brian Melley in London contributed. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine athttps://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Your browser does not support HTML5 audio. news weather traffic

Ukraine launches 637 drones toward Moscow, mayor says, with Wildberries facility hit Russia's Defense Ministry said it shot down nearly 800 Ukrainian drones. LONDON -- Ukraine launched more than 600 drones toward Moscow overnight, according to the city's mayor, representing one of Kyiv's largest long-range attacks of the war to date according to data analyzed by ABC News. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said Ukraine launched at least 637 drones in the direction of the Russian capital from Monday night into Tuesday morning, of which at least 197 were shot down by Russian air defenses over the capital region. The drones were among 791 Ukrainian craft reported downed by the Russian Defense Ministry overnight. Andrey Vorobyov, the governor of the Moscow Region, said that at least three people were injured -- among them a 10-year-old girl -- amid the drone attacks, two in the southeastern suburbs of the city and one to the northeast of the city center. Vorobyov also reported damage to residential properties in three districts to the east of Moscow and to a shopping center, local government building and residential building in Kolomna to the southeast of the capital. Another warehouse belonging to the Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries was also attacked to the east of Moscow, Vorobyov said, with a fire breaking out at the facility. The company said in a post to social media that the "logistics facility" sustained "minor damage" with drone debris hitting the wall of the building. Mosoblenergo, a regional energy provider, said in a post to Telegram that more than 5,000 customers and 46 "socially significant facilities" in the Moscow region were left without power after the latest round of Ukrainian strikes. Temporary flight restrictions were introduced at all four of Moscow's international airports, Russia's federal flight transport agency Rosviatsiya said on Telegram. Elsewhere, at least three people were injured by a drone attack in the Ryazan region of western Russia, regional governor Pavel Malkov said, while three more people were injured by Ukrainian attacks in the Bryansk region, according to local officials. Ukraine has been significantly expanding its long-range strikes deep into Russia in recent months, with prime targets including urban centers, fuel processing facilities, logistics hubs and military sites. Thus far in August, Russia's Defense Ministry has claimed the shooting down of at least 11,236 Ukrainian drones -- just shy of the record monthly total of 13,312 drones reported in July -- and 34 "Flamingo" cruise missiles, according to ministry statements analyzed by ABC News. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post to social media on Monday that he met with military leaders and discussed "the progress of long-range operations during the first half of August." "We confirmed the priorities for deep strikes in the coming weeks and in September. The confirmed damage inflicted on the Russians confirms the effectiveness of our long-range strategy," Zelenskyy wrote. Russia continued its own long-range strike campaign against Ukrainian cities overnight. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 147 drones of various types in its latest barrage, of which 111 were shot down or otherwise suppressed. Russian drone impacts were reported in 19 locations, the air force said in a post to Telegram. One airstrike on the village of Pechenihy in the northeastern Khakriv region killed at least 10 people, according to Zelenskyy. Ukraine's State Emergency Service said that at least 17 other people were injured in the strike. "We will definitely respond to this Russian attack," Zelenskyy wrote in a post to Telegram."And it is equally important that our partners also support our just and decisive responses with their own steps to put pressure on Russia and to support Ukraine. In Russian attacks elsewhere, local officials said that one person was killed and 15 people injured in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. Two people were also killed and another 10 were injured by Russian strikes in the southern Kherson region, one person was killed and four others injured in the eastern Donetsk region and three people were killed and three were injured in the northeastern Sumy region, local officials said.

In short: A post office, cafe and five other stores were reportedly destroyed in the village of Pechenihy, in Ukraine's northeast, as Russia continues to exploit a shortage of missile interceptors. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is vowing to strike back, while Russia is yet to comment on the attack. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the UK will continue to support Ukraine after the Kremlin issued a threat over British-made drones being used for an attack. A Russian missile attack has killed 10 people in a village in Ukraine's north-eastern Kharkiv region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, as he vowed that Kyiv would respond. There was no immediate comment from Russia on the attack, which also injured at least 18 people, according to the regional governor. "This morning, the Russians launched a brutal attack on a busy intersection in Pechenihy, Kharkiv region — a location with a post office and stores, surrounded only by residential buildings," Mr Zelenskyy said on X. "We will definitely respond to this Russian strike," he added. Reuters video from Pechenihy showed several covered bodies lying on the ground, burnt-out cars and damaged buildings. Russia has intensified its air attacks on Ukraine over the summer, trying to exploit its smaller neighbour's critical shortage of interceptors capable of downing ballistic missiles. Cafe and post office among shops hit The United Nations said last week that civilian casualties from the war in Ukraine had risen by nearly a third month-on-month in July. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said on X it was gathering information about the attack in Pechenihy and its impact on civilians. Ukraine has also increased its attacks on Russia, targeting oil facilities and logistics infrastructure to try to undermine Moscow's ability to wage war. On Tuesday, Moscow's mayor said Ukraine had launched 620 drones at the Russian capital and surrounding areas, in one of Kyiv's biggest air assaults on the region. Both Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians in their attacks. The strike on Pechenihy village injured at least 18 people and damaged 10 private buildings, a cafe, a post office, five stores and 15 cars, the governor of the surrounding region, Oleh Syniehubov, said on the Telegram messaging app. According to preliminary information, Russia used two small Banderol cruise missiles in the attack, the office of Ukraine's Prosecutor General said. A local official told public broadcaster Suspilne that the strikes had hit the central part of the village, where the cafe, post office and shops are located. Drone hits near nuclear power plant In a separate strike on Tuesday, local time, the International Atomic Energy Agency said a drone exploded at a bus stop used by staff of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, killing one and injuring several others. The IAEA, the United Nations' nuclear power watchdog, in a statement on X also said the plant's director described the incident as "the worst event the plant has faced". The agency, citing the plant's director, said the explosion at around 6am caused 16 casualties among staff and subcontractors, including one death and three serious injuries. Russian forces seized the station, Europe's largest with six reactors, in the first weeks of their February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and each side has since regularly accused the other of actions compromising nuclear safety. UK backs Ukraine after Russian threat Meanwhile, the UK's new prime minister is vowing the country will continue to support Ukraine "100 per cent", after Russia's embassy in the country threatened consequences over Kyiv's use of British-made drones. British newspaper The Sunday Times earlier this week reported that two UK companies made drones used by Ukraine to hit Russia. Following the report, the Russian embassy in the UK said in a statement that "London's actions will inevitably carry consequences". That led British Prime Minister Andy Burnham to publicly commit that the UK "stands 100 per cent behind Ukraine". A spokesperson for the UK's defence ministry has also weighed in, saying that: "Britain stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, and we are committed to providing the equipment Ukraine needs to defend itself against Putin's illegal invasion." Reuters/AP

Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least 12 people overnight and wounded dozens, Kyiv said, accusing Moscow of launching North Korean missiles in the raid. The allegation comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Tuesday that Moscow was receiving more ballistic projectiles and troops from its ally Pyongyang. Recommended Stories list of 3 items- list 1 of 3Russian strikes near Ukrainian capital kill four, including child - list 2 of 3Serbia and Ukraine pledge closer economic ties, eye free trade deal - list 3 of 3Russian forces kill several in Ukraine, launch ‘brutal’ attack in Odesa North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has already sent thousands of troops and plentiful supplies of weapons to support Putin’s four-year invasion. Zelenskky said Russia aims to exploit Kyiv’s critical shortage of Patriot air defense interceptors, which worsened after US diplomacy to end the war fizzled and Washington turned its attention to the Iran war. “Every step Russia takes – increasing ballistic missile production, bringing in North Korean equipment, preparing for mobilisation – all of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation,” the Ukrainian leader said on social media. The southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia was worst hit in Russia’s latest overnight barrage, with at least six people killed and at least 19 wounded, Zelenskyy said. Ivan Fedorov, head of the military administration in Zaporizhzhia, posted pictures on social media showing buildings and vehicles ablaze. “The city was struck with North Korean ballistic missiles, Zircons, and guided aerial bombs. It was a vicious attack, calculated to inflict maximum damage specifically on civilian infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said. All those killed were employees of the Zaporizhstal steel plant. “The ballistic strike caught employees on their way to shelter immediately after the air alert was announced,” the plant said in a statement, adding that “another 21 of our colleagues were wounded”. Six others were killed overnight in the Ukrainian regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk, Ukrainian officials said. In the capital Kyiv, Zelenskyy said an infectious diseases hospital was hit, while strikes on the frontline cities of Kherson and Kharkiv caused power outages. Elsewhere in the southern city of Mykolaiv, a Russian drone attack injured a 75-year-old woman, according to the head of the regional military administration. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its overnight attacks targeted defence industry facilities and transport and logistics centres in the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia. Drone attack kills one in Russia’s Voronezh In Russia, an overnight Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and injured two in the Voronezh region, while falling debris triggered fires at warehouse facilities, according to regional governor Alexandr Gusev. While Gusev did not specify which warehouse was damaged, Russian online retailer Wildberries – a frequent target of Ukrainian attacks – earlier said its logistics facilities in Voronezh had been evacuated. Russia’s air defence units destroyed 15 drones over the city of Voronezh and five districts of the region, Gusev said. Russia has stepped up ballistic missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, as Ukraine escalates strikes deep inside Russian territory.

Ukraine launched more than 620 drones at Moscow overnight in what appeared to be its largest such attack in years, while Russian attacks killed 10 people in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, according to Russian and Ukrainian officials. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 180 of the 620 drones heading towards Moscow were “destroyed” by Russian defences over the capital region between Monday evening and 5am (02:00 GMT) on Tuesday. He said 17 more drones were shot down en route to the capital later. Recommended Stories list of 3 items- list 1 of 3Poland arrests man who allegedly tried to kill Ukrainian American - list 2 of 3Russia says hit Ukrainian railway and port facilities in new strikes - list 3 of 3‘Very positive’: Trump says Kim Jong Un has responded to his overtures Russia’s state-run news agency TASS described the barrage as the largest drone attack on Moscow in the past two years. The drone attack wounded three people, including a 10-year-old girl, Moscow region’s Governor Andrey Vorobyov said on Telegram. He said the “most serious consequences” were reported in the Pavlovsky Posad district, where a house burned down. Several more homes and a guesthouse were damaged in Bogorodsky district, he added. A warehouse east of Moscow belonging to e-commerce giant Wildberries was damaged in Tuesday’s drone assault. In a statement, the company said its logistics complex sustained “minor damage” after “debris hit the wall of the building”. Ukraine has struck multiple Wildberries warehouses in recent weeks, saying the company supplies components for Russian drones. Ten killed in Kharkiv Meanwhile, the Ukrainian air force reported shooting down or suppressing 111 of 147 “enemy” drones overnight. Kharkiv’s regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said preliminary information indicated 10 people were killed and eight injured in the Pechenihy settlement. Five others, including a nine-year-old boy, were injured in the city of Izyum, he added. Elsewhere, Russian drones sparked fires and damaged buildings in Kyiv region’s Brovary city, including an office building and warehouses, said Mayor Ihor Sapozhko. With front-line fighting at a near standstill and talks frozen, Ukraine and Russia have significantly stepped up long-distance attacks, pushing the civilian death toll to its highest levels since the war’s first months in 2022. In July alone, 437 civilians were killed in Ukraine, the highest monthly toll since May 2022, according to a United Nations tally. Russian authorities reported 79 civilians killed in Ukrainian attacks in July, up from the previous month.

Kyiv, Ukraine – On the sunny morning of July 24, three Russian missiles whizzed towards Kyiv. Ukraine’s air defence downed only one because of a dire, desperate lack of Western-made missile interceptors, and the other two struck a sports centre that hosted an exhibition of drones. Recommended Stories list of 4 items- list 1 of 4Russia says hit Ukrainian railway and port facilities in new strikes - list 2 of 4Ukraine targets Moscow in mass drone attack as Russia bombards Kyiv - list 3 of 4Russian attacks kill 10 in Kharkiv as Ukrainian drones hit Moscow - list 4 of 4Top Russian economist ousted after warning of growing costs of Ukraine war The ear-popping, earth-shattering strikes wounded more than 100 people and killed 12, including Valentyna Savitska, a fair-haired, 32-year-old border security officer and mother of two. “Their childhood is over; they lost their mum,” Savitska’s husband, Ihor Solovey, told Al Jazeera. His son Vladyslav, 15, is now determined to join the military as “his choice is revenge, revenge for mum,” said Solovey, who heads the government-run Center for Strategic Communication that analyses and refutes Russian disinformation. His daughter Polyna, 11, is still recuperating. “Mum is unconditional love, mum is tenderness, mum is support. And [Polyna] already understands that she lost it all,” Solovey said. “Her psychologist says there’s a delayed stress, a scar for life.” July became the Russia-Ukraine war’s deadliest month since May 2022 as Moscow launched 376 missiles, a sinister record compared with 288 in March and 192 in July 2025. Russia also sent nearly 5,000 long- and short-range drones and hundreds of gliding guided bombs that collapsed entire buildings in front-line areas. Survivors often lose their houses and belongings. One of the missiles exploded just metres away from Kateryna Babych’s two-bedroom apartment in central Kyiv on July 2, in what became the war’s largest and deadliest attack that left 31 dead and more than 100 wounded. Within seconds, the blast turned her apartment building into a concrete mess. Broken windows and shockwave-disfigured doors were engulfed in the fire as suffocating smoke rose. Babych, 47, said she was more worried about her son Dmitry, who got a concussion and had his meniscus torn after a wardrobe fell on him. “He says nothing hurts, but he threw up after he pulled me out of my room, and then helped his neighbours open the doors that were blocked” by the shockwave, she told Al Jazeera hours after the attack, her words interrupted by the sound of broken plastic window frames that her neighbour threw off his balcony. Observers blame the record number of attacks and casualties on United States President Donald Trump’s refusal to supply PAC 2 and PAC 3 missile interceptors for US-made Patriot air defence systems. Each interceptor costs several million dollars, and only about 50 can be manufactured monthly at the Lockheed Martin factory in Arkansas. The White House redirected the supplies to its Middle East allies following Washington’s and Israel’s attacks on Iran – and also decided to beef up its own strategic stash. Kyiv only has a tenth of the interceptors it needs, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CNN on August 12. If Washington “sells us 5 percent [of its current missile stash], we will go through the winter and save people’s lives. If they can sell us 10 percent, we will destroy all the Russians’ ballistic missiles,” Zelenskyy said. The Russian attacks mostly targeted residential areas and retaliated against Ukraine’s campaign to strike oil refineries, fuel depots, warehouses storing dual-purpose goods, and transport hubs from the Baltic to western Siberia. All Kyiv can do these days is appeal to 40 countries to supply interceptors in return for future deliveries already planned for Ukraine. “It’s hard to get them from country to country; in some countries they are about to expire, so they sell us some,” Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko, former deputy head of Ukraine’s general staff of armed forces, told Al Jazeera. “The matter is not only about the missiles; we also need crews to serve the Patriots that Trump promised us, 17 or 18 of them, but we haven’t seen them yet.” Russia ‘cynically, violently’ using its advantage Apart from a chance to down Russian missiles mid-flight, Ukraine also needs to preemptively destroy Moscow’s ballistic potential by hitting the manufacturing chain. But Washington refuses to supply Kyiv with AIM 120-Amraam active seeker missiles, Romanenko said. Meanwhile, Russian plants work in shifts and exceed their production targets to churn out record amounts of ballistic and cruise missiles – up to 300 a month. The attacks give Russian President Vladimir Putin an “illusion” of his imminent victory, according to Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Kyiv-based Penta think tank. “Russia has an advantage, and Russia is using this advantage, using it cynically, violently,” he told Al Jazeera. “It creates a disbalance, and the situation is keeping us far from any real peace talks.” Putin has repeatedly rejected the resumption of peace talks. “These days, Putin has an illusion that he can win this war because Ukraine has a huge deficit of interceptor missiles,” Fesenko said. Moscow plans to increase the number of missiles to 200 per attack, Robert Brovdi, Ukraine’s top drone commander, told The Associated Press news agency on August 10. Russian missiles also pummel Ukraine’s main seaport, Odesa, nearly paralysing the shipment of Kyiv’s key exports – grain, vegetable oil and steel slabs. Even Ukrainian servicemen stationed there do not know the real amount of damage Russia incurred on the port’s infrastructure – and discuss it with a trademark Odesa sense of humour. “We’re like an honest wife, we’re the last to know about the husband’s infidelities,” Oleh, a military officer serving near the port, told Al Jazeera, withholding his last name in accordance with wartime protocol. In response, Ukraine hit Russia’s ports, oil terminals and cargo ships in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and the occupied ports on the Sea of Azov. “The situation is paradoxical,” analyst Fesenko said. “Both sides blocked each other’s grain exports, creating huge problems.” The mutual blockade, coupled with droughts and heatwaves in the Northern Hemisphere, raised year-to-year wheat prices 30 percent in early August. The suspension of exports will mostly affect Middle East nations such as Egypt, Lebanon and Sudan that cannot immediately find a new source of wheat. On Thursday, Putin rejected a Kyiv-proposed moratorium on hostilities in the Black Sea. “The problem is that Moscow actually doesn’t care about the problems of farmers” in southwestern Russia, Nikolay Mitrokhin, a researcher with Germany’s Bremen University, told Al Jazeera. “The grain they won’t have exported will feed cattle in Russia, large agricultural holdings will get government credits to buy the bankrupt farms, and some farmers will get compensations and loans for a new sowing season,” he said.

Russian forces have launched ballistic missile attacks on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, killing at least 16 people and wounding 33, officials said. Explosions rang out across several districts of Kyiv early on Thursday, shaking buildings and setting off car alarms, according to the Kyiv Independent, a Ukrainian news outlet. Recommended Stories list of 3 items- list 1 of 3Ukraine’s sacked defence minister calls for wartime elections - list 2 of 3At least six killed in Russian air attacks on Ukraine - list 3 of 3In Ukraine, forcible military recruitment efforts escalate into violence The blasts hit the Sviatoshynskyi, Solomianskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts. In Solomianskyi, a nine-storey residential building collapsed and caught fire following the attack, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. He said a children’s hospital in the district was also damaged, with windows shattered and cars burning on the grounds. “People are trapped” at another residential building, he continued, with parts of Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi also without electricity. Ukraine’s Emergency Services said at least 33 people were wounded in the “massive attack” on the capital, with fires breaking out in residential buildings and warehouses. It said rescuers were at the scene of the attacks and had rescued at least two people from the rubble of collapsed buildings. Fifteen people were killed in the capital, Klitschko said, while another person was killed in the Kyiv region. The attack, which lasted for nine hours, also damaged warehouses in Boryspil, outside Kyiv, authorities said. Russia launched at least 44 missiles, of which 39 were shot down, according to Ukraine’s air force. Moscow said it hit “military-industrial facilities, a transportation and logistics centre, and warehouses” in Kyiv city and region. Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera’s Audrey MacAlpine said air raid alarms continued to sound in the city on Thursday morning. “We know that two fuel industrial facilities were hit,” she said. MacAlpine said Russia’s escalating missile attacks across Ukraine were causing growing concern as Ukraine faces a shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles. The lack of sufficient air defences will be “a problem when Russia begins to target energy infrastructure, sites that will keep the heat and electricity on this winter”, she said. The attacks also prompted security responses in neighbouring NATO member states. Poland’s military command said it had mobilised aircraft and activated air defences to protect its airspace, particularly in areas bordering Ukraine. Romania’s Ministry of National Defence said radar systems detected aerial targets near the Ukrainian border overnight, prompting the scrambling of two Spanish jets deployed on NATO missions and a Romanian air force helicopter. The ministry said a drone entered Romanian airspace near Galati before crashing in an unpopulated area in Tulcea county. Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said it had shot down 726 Ukrainian UAVs between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning over several regions, as well as over the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. New defence minister The attacks came a day after Ukraine’s parliament confirmed Yevhenii Khmara as the country’s new defence minister. Lawmakers approved his appointment 312-2, well above the 226 votes needed. Khmara is a career intelligence official who rose through the ranks of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). He previously led its Alpha special operations unit, whose personnel have reportedly been linked to Operation Spiderweb, last year’s drone attack deep inside Russian territory. Addressing parliament before the vote, Khmara pledged to “do everything to defend Ukraine, to reduce Russia’s war potential as much as possible, and to force the enemy into a just peace”. Zelenskyy called the confirmation a sign that “Ukraine needs more strength. And it will have it.” Not everyone was convinced, however. Opposition lawmaker Solomiia Bobrovska said pulling Khmara from intelligence work was “a mistake”, even while praising him personally. Khmara’s confirmation fills the vacancy left by former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. He was ousted in July after a public rupture with the armed forces commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskii, who was also replaced weeks later amid public pressure. The rupture reverberated further when, a day before Khmara’s confirmation, Fedorov released a video calling for Ukraine to move towards holding elections, currently suspended under wartime law. He argued that the country faces a “systemic crisis of governance”. The political fallout spilled into the streets on Wednesday, as dozens of demonstrators rallied in Kyiv in support of Fedorov’s call. “It’s like we are in a trap,” protester Emilia, who gave only her first name, told Al Jazeera. “Because we have not had any elections, so the members of parliament, the people who are in the executive branch of power, they understand that, ‘Hmm, I can sit here and do whatever I want.'” Several others said they backed the idea of renewing the country’s leadership. But they were sceptical that a real vote could be held while the war continues. Ukrainian law currently bars elections during wartime, and no major political figure has publicly pushed back on that since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022. Zelenskyy’s term ended in May 2024, but the country has postponed its presidential election while martial law remains in effect.

At least 12 people have been killed and 21 wounded in a wave of Russian air attacks on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and the surrounding region, authorities said. “Kyiv region came under a massive attack by Russian missiles and strike drones tonight,” Kyiv regional military administration chief Tymur Tkachenko said on Telegram on Tuesday. Recommended Stories list of 3 items- list 1 of 3India’s PM Modi urges end to Ukraine war in talks with Russia’s Putin - list 2 of 3Poland opens terror probe into fire at factory supplying Ukraine drones - list 3 of 3US brings back Russia’s finance minister to G20 talks, angering Europe President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced “Russian terror” and said an Indian citizen was among the dead, calling on allies to boost Ukraine’s air defences. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least eight people were killed and five others, including two children, were injured during the overnight drone and missile attacks on the city. Another four people were killed in the Kyiv region, Ukrainian prosecutors announced, saying a residential building was damaged in the suburb of Boryspil. Zelenskyy said 50 people were evacuated from the building in Boryspil. “Russia always plans its strikes specifically to cause as much destruction to people’s lives as possible, and it succeeds only when air defence capabilities are insufficient,” he said on social media. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said it hit military and energy facilities in Kyiv and Odesa, as well as regions surrounding these cities overnight. Ukraine’s border service also said Russian forces hit the ferry checkpoint at Orlivka on the border with Romania, a NATO member. Ukraine targets Russian port In Russia, a Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire in the port area of Ust-Luga, a major export outlet in the northwest, and Moscow was repelling drones. In the Samara region, a Ukrainian drone attack hit the town of Novokuibyshevsk, blowing out windows in an apartment building, Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said on Telegram. Novokuibyshevsk and the surrounding area on the Volga River are home to a number of Russia’s major oil refineries run by the state oil company Rosneft. The acting governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said a Ukrainian attack killed one person. Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately attacking civilians. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Drone Forces commander says it hit 54 Russian “shadow fleet” vessels in August to prevent illegal oil sales funding Russia’s war in Ukraine. EU meeting The attacks come as European Union defence and foreign ministers gather in Ireland for talks on strengthening Ukraine’s air defences. Ukraine faces a shortage of interceptor missiles, particularly United States-made Patriot systems used against ballistic threats. Both sides have escalated long-range strikes in recent months, hitting infrastructure such as warehouses, businesses, and oil and port facilities, as well as ships, increasing civilian casualties.

At least 10 people were killed and 18 others were injured today, Tuesday, in a Russian missile attack on the town of Petchiniri (Pechinihi) in northeastern Ukraine, according to Kharkiv region governor Oleksiy Sinegubov. Sinegubov said the attack hit a area about 55 kilometers east of Kharkiv city (northeast of the country) and damaged civilian facilities, including 10 homes, a café, and shops. A AFP reporter said the victims' bodies were covered with emergency blankets while firefighters continued their work among burned cars and buildings with rising smoke after the attack. Separately, Ukrainian electricity company DTEK said today that a thermal power plant in central Ukraine stopped operating after suffering serious damage from a Russian assault. Zelenskiy warning The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, stating that it targeted a busy crossroads that includes a post office, shops, and surrounding residential buildings. He urged allies to support what he called military responses by Kyiv through taking measures to pressure Russia. The Kharkiv region, which borders Russia and where Russian forces control parts of it, has been subject to intense missile and drone attacks. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched 147 drones during the night of Monday to Tuesday, with 111 shot down or intercepted by Ukrainian defenses. Ukrainian escalation In other news, the International Atomic Energy Agency announced today that a drone strike near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, in the areas controlled by Russia in Ukraine, killed one person and injured 15 others. The agency, citing the plant management, said all victims were plant staff or workers for contracting companies, noting that three of the injured are in critical condition. Kyiv has intensified long-range strikes against Russian territory and territories in Ukraine under Moscow control. Kyiv says these strikes are in response to Russian attacks and also target cutting off funding for the war by hitting power and logistical infrastructure in Russia. In Moscow, mayor Sergei Sobyanin said at least 620 drones targeted the capital overnight, with defenses intercepting 180 of them. Regional governor Andrey Vorobyov said three people were injured, including a child. This comes as civilian casualties rise amid intensified long-range attacks by both Russia and Ukraine, while a United Nations Human Rights monitoring mission in Ukraine reported that last month was the deadliest for civilians since May 2022.

Ukrainian authorities said Russian ballistic missile strikes killed at least 12 people and injured more than 30 others in Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday, also damaging buildings and causing power outages in parts of the Ukrainian capital. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who called for Friday to be declared a day of mourning, said a fire broke out in a nine-story residential building in the Solomiansky district of the capital, destroying the upper floors and killing seven people. Klitschko added on Telegram that damage had been caused to two other areas, and non-residential facilities, warehouses, a school, and a children’s hospital were struck. Ukraine’s electric company DTEK said it had restored power to more than half of the nearly 90,000 homes that had lost electricity in the capital following the attack. Russia has intensified its airstrikes on Ukraine in recent months in an effort to exploit the sharp shortage of interceptors in its smaller neighbor to shoot down ballistic missiles. The Russian Defense Ministry said Moscow carried out air strikes with missiles and drones on Kyiv and the region where the Ukrainian capital is located, targeting facilities that produce drone components, a military warehouse, and a logistic center, in addition to other targets. Witnesses reported hearing more than ten explosions. Diplomatic efforts have so far failed to secure a permanent ceasefire in the war, which began with a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Kyiv: Local officials said Russia fired a volley of missiles overnight, killing at least 12 people in Kyiv, and the explosions were heard across the Ukrainian capital. Ukraine’s emergency service sector said at least 33 people were injured in the attack, and the air alert continued into Thursday morning. The strikes targeted 12 sites in the Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, and Solomianskyi districts of Kyiv, damaging residential buildings, a medical facility, and an educational institution. In the Solomianskyi district, the upper two floors of a nine-story residential building were destroyed, and fires broke out on other floors. People were trapped in two residential buildings and a school used as a shelter. The Ukrainian Air Force said on Thursday that Russia launched dozens of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, hypersonic missiles, and 168 drones during a night attack on the country. It said, on Telegram, that air defense units shot down 145 drones and most of the cruise missiles, noting that the Kyiv region was the attack’s main target. Separately, Ukraine intensified long-range strikes against weapon depots, military facilities, and other strategic targets inside Russian territory in an effort to weaken Moscow’s ability to continue attacking Ukrainian cities.

Ukrainian authorities announced that 12 people were killed and 40 others injured in a wide Russian attack with missiles and drones that targeted Kyiv and several Ukrainian regions in the early hours of Thursday. The strikes caused damage to residential buildings and various facilities, and power outages affected parts of Kyiv, as rescue teams continued their operations at the damaged sites. The attacks extended to Kyiv, Odesa, and Chernihiv regions, damaging residential buildings, a children's hospital, and a school, with fires breaking out at several locations. Russia used ballistic missiles of various types, cruise missiles, and drones during the assault, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed his call for more Patriot interceptor missiles to bolster the country's air defense capabilities. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced a day of mourning in the capital tomorrow and ordered flags lowered on municipal buildings. Moscow announced it had targeted military facilities. In turn, the Russian Defense Ministry said it carried out a heavy strike with precision weapons and long-range drones, confirming that the attacks targeted a factory making components for the Falcon-wing missiles, military-industrial facilities, logistics centers, and warehouses in Kyiv and its region. The targets also included a transport and logistics hub and a fuel depot in Kyiv region, and depots of military equipment in the ports of Cheromorsk and Yuzhny in Odesa region. Russia announces it shot down 250 drones heading toward Moscow. On the other side, Russian authorities reported shooting down 250 drones that were flying toward Moscow overnight, including 28 drones that were destroyed inside the Moscow region, while rescue teams continue operations at crash sites. Ukraine: Russian forces’ casualties approaching 1.5 million personnel. Separately, the Ukrainian army said the total number of Russian killed or wounded since the war began in February 2022 has risen to about 1,472,640, including 1,480 killed or wounded in the past 24 hours. According to Ukrainian data, Russian losses since the start of the war include 12,283 tanks, 25,165 armored fighting vehicles, 48,261 artillery systems, 2,050 rocket launchers, and 1,577 air defense systems. The losses also include 439 combat aircraft, 354 helicopters, 5,010 cruise missiles, 35 warships and submarines, as well as tens of thousands of military vehicles and equipment.

Russian attacks kill 10 in Ukraine as Zelenskyy says Moscow is getting more North Korean missiles Russian attacks kill 10 in Ukraine as Zelenskyy says Moscow is getting more North Korean missiles KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia attacked Ukrainian cities with missiles, drones and glide bombs Tuesday, killing at least 10 civilians, officials said, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow is getting new military help from North Korea for its more than 4-year-old invasion. Zelenskyy said Russian forces used ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea in an overnight attack on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, where a company said seven workers at its steel plant were killed and 21 injured. Three more people, including a 15-year-old boy, were killed by Russian drones and artillery in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, authorities said. In addition to the ballistic missiles, North Korea is preparing to deploy more of its troops to Russia, Zelenskyy said late Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2024, pledging mutual aid if either country faces aggression. Kim has sent thousands of troops and huge supplies of weapons to support Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Some experts say the engagement with Moscow is helping improve North Korea’s military capabilities, and Zelenskyy said the battlefield experience would help Pyongyang menace other countries in its region. Ukraine says Russia is poised to escalate the war Ukraine says Russia is scaling up its production of ballistic missiles, aiming to exploit Kyiv’s critical shortage of Patriot air defense interceptors that can stop them, and claims Moscow is preparing to recruit more troops for a new push on the front line that stretches 1,250 kilometers (775 miles) along eastern and southern Ukraine. “Every step Russia takes — increasing ballistic missile production, bringing in North Korean equipment, preparing for mobilization — all of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation,” Zelenskyy said on social media. In an unusual step, Ukraine’s air force didn’t say in its daily report how many missiles Russia launched overnight. It was not clear whether the omission was deliberate, and Kyiv officials made no immediate comment. U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to stop the war have fizzled as Washington grew frustrated with the lack of progress and its attention turned to the Iran war. In an indication that Putin is determined to press on with the invasion, Russia’s highest court on Monday ordered that Yabloko, the only political party opposing the war, to be excluded from the ballot in the Sept. 18-20 parliamentary election. “The Kremlin will not enter serious negotiations or make meaningful compromises on its demands as long as Putin believes that he has a viable military path to achieving his full objectives,” the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said in an analysis Monday. “Ukraine’s Patriot shortages offer Russia an opportunity to cause very serious damage to Ukraine over the coming winter and will therefore contribute to delaying meaningful negotiations and protracting the war,” it said. Russia hits the grounds of a Kyiv children’s hospital Russian forces also struck parts of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, overnight, according to officials. One strike hit the grounds of a children’s hospital, leaving two craters and shattering windows, the State Emergency Service said. Children and medical workers were in bomb shelters and nobody was hurt, it added. At another location in Kyiv, a Russian strike started a fire in a warehouse that spread across about 1,200 square meters (nearly 13,000 square feet), according to emergency officials. The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces overnight struck “military industrial facilities and transport and logistics centers” in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia with “ground-based precision weapons.” It said in a statement that it hit civilian storage facilities housing drones in Kyiv and a metallurgical plant in Zaporizhzhia. Metinvest, a major Ukrainian mining and metals company with operations in Zaporizhzhia, said seven of its steel plant employees died as staff tried to reach shelters after a warning of an incoming ballistic missile. The company, which employs tens of thousands of people, said in a statement that the attack damaged its blast furnace and other equipment and forced the plant to shut down. Russia targeted Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia with Zircon anti-ship missiles and Iskander ballistic missiles, while launching 120 long-range strike drones across the country, Ukraine’s air force said. Russia’s biggest e-commerce company hit again Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses overnight intercepted nearly 400 Ukrainian drones over 14 regions and Crimea, the peninsula that Moscow illegally annexed from Kyiv in 2014. Russia’s biggest online retailer, Wildberries, said its logistical facilities in the Voronezh region near the Ukrainian border came under attack and caught fire. It added that the fire was extinguished and goods stored there were “largely undamaged.” Ukraine has repeatedly struck Wildberries warehouses and Russian oil facilities in what it says is a strategy to compel Putin to negotiate an end to the invasion. Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces struck an oil refinery in the city of Orsk in Russia’s Orenburg region near the border with Kazakhstan, about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) from Ukraine, causing a fire. The refinery, with an annual processing capacity of about 44 million barrels of crude oil, produces gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel, among other products. The extent of the damage was being assessed, the military said. Meanwhile, Romania’s Ministry of National Defense said its navy destroyed two drones drifting in the Black Sea about 90 nautical miles (166 kilometers) from the port of Constanta. The Gerbera-type drones were neutralized by divers using controlled detonations, and some pieces were recovered, the ministry said, adding that Ukraine said the drones were not theirs. UN says over 16,000 civilians are being held by Russia The United Nations, meanwhile, estimates that more than 16,000 civilians detained by Russia during the war are still being “deprived of their liberty,” with many held incommunicado and on grounds that don’t comply with international law. “Widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment” of both Ukrainian civilian detainees and prisoners of war by Russia are continuing, including sexual violence, said Claudia Fuentes Julio, the U.N. assistant secretary-general for human rights. She spoke at an informal meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Monday to spotlight the plight of civilians and soldiers taken following the Russia invasion. —— Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed. ___ Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia used North Korean ballistic missiles in overnight strikes that killed at least nine people across Ukraine. Six people were killed and 19 injured in Zaporizhzhia, while three others died in Dnipropetrovsk, according to Ukrainian officials. Zelensky said the strikes on Zaporizhzhia involved North Korean ballistic missiles and described the attack as a “vicious attack, calculated to inflict maximum damage specifically on civilian infrastructure”. Explosions were also reported in Kyiv, where Zelensky said a strike damaged an infectious disease hospital and left one person wounded. He added that Russian strikes on substations in Kherson and Kharkiv caused power outages. “Every step Russia takes – increasing ballistic missile production, bringing in North Korean equipment, preparing for mobilization – all of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation,” Zelensky said. He called on Ukraine’s allies to respond with additional sanctions and air defence support. Meanwhile, Ukraine continued its long-range drone campaign against targets inside Russia. A drone attack caused fires at a Wildberries site in Russia’s Voronezh region. The retailer, often described as Russia’s equivalent of Amazon, has been targeted in several recent Ukrainian strikes. Faridah Abdulkadiri Follow us on:

A Russian missile and drone barrage kills at least 16 in Ukraine’s Kyiv region A Russian missile and drone barrage kills at least 16 in Ukraine’s Kyiv region KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia pounded the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and the surrounding region with scores of missiles and drones in a nighttime aerial attack that lasted for hours and killed at least 16 people, officials said Thursday. Moscow’s forces have in recent months intensified their ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, exploiting Ukraine’s chronic shortage of U.S.-made Patriot air defense interceptors, the sole weapon in its arsenal able to shoot down the missiles. Such large-scale Russian missile strikes have become a regular occurrence this summer. Just over two weeks ago, a Russian attack on Kyiv and its surrounding region killed 17 people, and nine were killed in the city two days before that. The United Nations said last week that Kyiv was also one of the hardest hit cities in Ukraine in July, with at least 54 civilians killed and 202 injured. At the same time, Ukraine has shifted the war onto Russian soil through long-range drone strikes on oil facilities that have caused fuel shortages across the country. It has also unsettled the Russian public by striking warehouses of Wildberries, the country’s biggest online retailer. Zelenskyy repeats his appeals for more air defense President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pleaded for countries to send more Patriot interceptors for defense, but international stockpiles are low amid the Iran war and Kyiv’s more than four-year fight against Russia’s all-out invasion. Russia’s overnight barrage also included cruise missiles and jet-powered drones that further strain air defenses, the Ukrainian air force said. Explosions boomed across Kyiv in the dark, but the air force said hits were recorded at 28 locations across the country. Emergency services said 15 people were killed in the capital, with another death in the wider Kyiv region. About 40 people were wounded, Zelenskyy said, as air raid warnings lasted until after dawn. More than 38,000 people, including over 2,000 children, sheltered in Kyiv’s subway stations overnight, the system’s operator said. “It was a massive attack,” Zelenskyy said on social media, adding that Russia “had been preparing (it) for a long time, combining different types of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, aiming to cause as much damage as possible to civilian infrastructure.” The Russian Defense Ministry said it struck a Kyiv industrial site manufacturing components for Flamingo cruise missiles. Sites involved in the production and storage of drones, an ammunition depot and a logistics center were also hit, it said. Ukraine says it struck more Russian oil facilities Russia and Ukraine have battered each other with drones and missiles as their armies struggle to gain the upper hand on the 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front line, where huge numbers of drones are pinning down troops. Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces struck an oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk, in Russia’s Tatarstan region, starting a fire, and the Tamanneftegaz oil terminal in Volna, in Russia’s Krasnodar region, where there was also a blaze. Ukraine has hit both facilities in recent months as part of its campaign to disrupt Russia’s vital oil industry. Tatarstan leader Rustam Minnikhanov confirmed there had been a “massive attack” in the region, state news agency Tass reported, citing his press service. Many of the drones targeted Nizhnekamsk’s Zakamsk economic area, disrupting production at industrial sites and damaging residential buildings, Tass quoted him as saying. The Russian Defense Ministry said air defenses shot down 726 drones overnight over a number of Russian regions, annexed Crimea and the Black and Azov seas, in one of Ukraine’s biggest aerial attacks of the war. Ukraine’s neighbors are on alert Russia’s relentless onslaught has spooked other European countries, especially those bordering Ukraine, which fear spreading attacks from Moscow. Amid the attack on Kyiv, the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command activated its military aviation operations, ground-based air defense systems and radar reconnaissance. Polish and other NATO military aircraft were deployed to monitor its airspace, Polish news agency PAP reported. Romania’s Defense Ministry said that an unidentified drone crashed and burned in an uninhabited area near the Ukrainian border. Two Spanish F-18 jets, deployed on a policing mission in Romania, were scrambled after 2 a.m. local time to monitor a group of “air targets” near the border, the ministry said. In addition, two Romanian F-16 fighter jets were deployed to destroy a naval drone seen near a major Black Sea gas project, Romania’s acting Defense Minister Radu Miruta said. Moldova’s Defense Ministry also said its airspace was breached by at least one drone. Russia “is increasingly testing the resolve of NATO and its partners, violating the sovereignty of neighboring states and deliberately expanding the risks posed by its war far beyond Ukraine,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on social media. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saw a broad threat to the European Union. “An escalating campaign of threats is underway, unsettling our citizens and seeking to divide our Union,” she said on X. Explosions shatter windows and screams fill the air Russia’s overnight strikes hit 12 locations across Kyiv’s Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts, damaging 30 apartment blocks, a school, a children’s hospital and a kindergarten, Zelenskyy said. Larysa Bondaruk, 60, sat on the ground, holding her cat, Chanel, which had been rescued by firefighters. With tears in her eyes, she said her neighbor’s grandson had been trapped by the rubble and died. Her apartment was badly damaged. “A rocket hit the roof. It was incredibly loud. Immediately, debris and doors were blown out. There were columns of smoke, columns of fire, screams, crying and despair,” she said. “Two people were killed in our building, but the rescuers responded quickly and professionally. I am grateful to them for that.” In Solomianskyi district, the top two floors of a nine-story residential building were destroyed and fires broke out on other floors. People were also trapped in two residential buildings and a school shelter. ___ AP reporters Vasilisa Stepanenko and Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin and Stephen McGrath in Leamington Spa, England, contributed. ___ Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Russia using North Korean missiles to strike Ukraine, Zelensky says Ukraine and Russia have continued striking each other overnight, with President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Moscow of using North Korean missiles. Ukraine said strikes on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia - which killed seven people and injured at least 24 - involved ballistic missiles from Russia's ally. In Voronezh, western Russia, warehouses of the biggest online retailer Wildberries were hit by Ukraine. The company, known as Russia's Amazon, has been repeatedly targeted in recent weeks. The attacks come a day after at least 13 people were killed, including one child, in Ukrainian drone strikes on the Russian republic of Tatarstan, more than 1,100 km (680 miles) from the Ukrainian border. In a video address on Monday evening, Zelensky said "for the first time" Russia "cannot wage war without reinforcements from North Korea". "The more North Korean strikes there are here in Ukraine, in Europe, the more their missiles and soldiers are used, the more they correct their shortcomings and blind spots", Zelensky said, adding that this poses a danger to the rest of the world. He has not presented any evidence to back up his comments. It is not the first time Zelensky as well as other senior Ukrainian and Western officials have accused Russia of receiving military assistance from North Korea. The Ukrainian president warned over the weekend that as many as 50,000 North Korean soldiers were being sent to fight with Russian forces. Some 11,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed to help Moscow push Ukrainian troops out of the western Russian region of Kursk following their cross-border incursion in August 2024. In January 2025, Western officials told the BBC that North Korean troops had suffered nearly 40% casualties in the fighting there in just three months. In his Monday's address, Zelensky also hailed a successful air strike on a Russian petrochemical plant in western Siberia on Monday as a "very significant achievement" by the Ukrainian military. He promised "more Ukrainian deep strikes, which should demonstrate to Russia and the Russians that peace is necessary". Zaporizhzhia regional head Ivan Fedorov posted photos of vehicles and buildings on fire, saying Moscow had struck the city using missiles and guided bombs. All seven casualties were employees of Ukraine's Zaporizhstal metallurgical plant, which later halted all its operations. One person was injured in strikes on the capital Kyiv, where air raid sirens sounded twice during the night. Explosions could be heard on the outskirts of the capital, triggering fires. Local officials later said a children's hospital was damaged - but there were no injuries as staff and patients were sheltering. Two women have been injured in a Russian drone strike on the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, according to regional head Serhii Kryvosheienko. He later said that one person was killed when Russia attacked the city with gliding bombs in the afternoon. Meanwhile, strikes on substations in Kherson and Kharkiv resulted in power outages. Ukrainian officials say Russia fired 120 drones overnight and a range of different missiles, but for the first time they have not given a number of missiles fired or intercepted. It follows an Air Force statement on Monday urging the media not to write "sensationalised headlines" or "spread pessimism" about the shortage of air defence interceptors. Separately, there have been reports of a fire and explosions at a logistics centre of Wildberries in the Voronezh region. Wildberries has not yet confirmed the attack, but said that its facilities in the region, which borders Ukraine, have been evacuated. Kyiv said at the time it was targeting logistics hubs used by Russians to buy military equipment, and disrupting supplies to the Russian army. At least 75 people were injured in the strikes, with Ukraine's Armed Forces saying it had hit the city's Tanevo oil refinery. Verified images on social media showed large plumes of smoke and flames rising into the sky in daytime, with air raid sirens howling in the background. The Uzbek consulate in Tatarstan said seven of those killed were citizens of Uzbekistan.

At least 15 killed in Kyiv as Ukraine grapples with air defence shortages At least 15 people have been killed in the latest Russian strikes targeting the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv's mayor said, as Ukraine continues to face a shortage of air defence missiles. Blocks of flats and warehouses were struck across the city overnight, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said, while a children's hospital and school were also damaged. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the deaths were the result of a shortage of air defence missiles, which Kyiv relies on Western allies to supply. Speaking to BBC News at a wrecked apartment block in Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Ukraine needed "ammunition, anti-missile systems - we need support from our partners". Klitschko was in Solomianskyi district to assess the damage. Around him, emergency workers continued to sift through rubble and people stood outside their destroyed homes. Among them was Valeria Bondaruk, who moved to Kyiv after her home in southern Ukraine was bombed, believing it would be safer for her and her daughter. Now she has been driven from her home for the second time during this war. A shard of glass embedded in her bedroom wall served as a sign of how close this was. She hid in a hallway. She told the BBC she feared for her 13-year-old daughter's future and was considering leaving Ukraine. Writing on Telegram, Zelensky said "as long as Ukraine does not have enough anti-ballistics, Russia will not seriously think about peace". He added: "The interceptors for the Patriots have not yet been replaced, and they are needed every day. Each additional missile saves the lives of our people." An update released by the Ukrainian Air Force on Thursday morning implied that none of the Russian ballistic missiles used overnight were intercepted. The Russian defence ministry said it used air, land and sea-based weapons to target military facilities and warehouses. Ukraine has relied on American supplies of Patriot interceptor missiles to combat Russian ballistic missiles, but the US has used much of its stockpile during the war with Iran. Zelensky's renewed plea for more military aid came as he faced a direct political challenge from the popular ex-Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who has called for an election and launched a scathing attack on the government by claiming corruption has deprived the military of weapons. The latest strikes on Kyiv began around midnight local time as air raid sirens sounded across the city, followed by the impact of around 20 Russian missiles. The strikes cut power to thousands of properties, plunging parts of the Kyiv region into darkness. A day of mourning is to be observed on Friday. At a local school in the Solomyanski disctrict, the windows were knocked out and its playing fields were left covered in debris. A nearby storeroom was totally ruined, exposing the basement. The BBC was told it was a laundry and boiler house supplying heating to the surrounding apartment blocks. Wednesday night's attack was the kind Ukraine's deputy intelligence chief told the BBC that Russia was planning ahead of the winter in order to make life difficult, even for those who haven not seen their homes destroyed. Russia used 168 drones and 44 missiles in the attack, mainly targeting Kyiv, Ukraine's Air Force said, adding that air defences had shot down 146 drones and 39 cruise missiles. Anastasiia Kovtun, 31, sat with her partner next to the ruins of her flat, which was part of a nine-storey building. The primary school teacher said she felt like her "head was going to blow" when she heard the explosions in her area from the shelter. "It's so frightening to realise it's your house, you never think you're going to be next," she told the BBC. When asked if she would ever be able to live in her flat again, she said: "Even if were able to move back in, we wouldn't want it after this. If we stayed in the flat for ten minutes more we might have been killed." Elsewhere in the broader Kyiv region, an attack in the Brovary and Boryspil districts killed one man and wounded seven. One person was killed and 11 injured in the region of Donetsk, a local official said. In Russia, the defence ministry said that 726 Ukrainian drones had been shot down after being launched at various regions across the country. Recent weeks have seen both sides in the war carrying out massive air strikes, resulting in dozens of deaths. Ukraine has stepped up its attacks deep inside Russia and targeted the capital Moscow with a wave of 600 drones at the weekend. Two separate attacks on Russia this week killed at least 16 people, including one child. Despite the ongoing attacks and vulnerabilities on both sides, there has been little progress in diplomatic efforts to broker a ceasefire. Both sides accuse each other of targeting civilians. Russia first launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and currently controls about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory – largely concentrated in the eastern border regions. Additional reporting by Isabella Jewell in Kyiv

Sacked Ukrainian defence minister calls for presidential election Ukraine's popular ex-defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has called for wartime elections, in what is widely seen as the biggest challenge to Volodymyr Zelensky's presidency since Russia's full-scale invasion four and a half years ago. "Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia," said Fedorov, 35, in a video posted to YouTube on Tuesday, adding that Ukraine is fighting "precisely because we want to remain a free European state". Since the war broke out in 2022 Ukraine has been under martial law, meaning elections are suspended. Fedorov, who did not mention Zelensky by name in the video, was unexpectedly fired from his role as defence minister last month, just six months after his appointment. But in his own video message late on Wednesday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the tasks the newly-confirmed Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara faced, including defending against deadly Russian aerial attacks and expanding Ukraine's "deep-strike capabilities" inside Russia. Meanwhile, a source in the presidential office told the BBC it was "highly bizarre to plan elections amidst missiles and drones. This demonstrates a complete lack of realism". A number of Ukrainian analysts have also questioned whether it would be possible to properly organise the voting for millions of Ukrainians who have fled the country and also hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the front line. Zelensky - whose five-year presidential term ended in May 2024 - has been under pressure from both Washington and Moscow to hold new elections. When US President Donald Trump suggested last year that Kyiv was "using war" to avoid a vote, Zelensky said Ukraine was "ready for elections" within 60-90 days if its allies helped guarantee security for them. Holding a fair and safe vote would present considerable challenges for a country under repeated Russian bombardment and many Ukrainians saw Trump's remarks as reflecting Vladimir Putin's narrative that Zelensky is not a legitimate leader. In the latest Russian attacks on Wednesday, four people were killed when a drone hit a minibus in the southern city of Kherson. Buses and minibuses in Kherson have been repeatedly targeted in recent months, killing drivers and passengers alike. In the central city of Zhytomyr, two police officers were killed and another 20 people injured in a Russian drone strike on the regional police headquarters, a local official said. In a separate development, Ukraine's two anti-corruption agencies said they were conducting a special operation targeting current and former MPs as well as an unnamed official in the presidential office. Hours later, Zelensky's office said its deputy head Iryna Mudra had been dismissed, amid local media reports of a raid on her premises. There was no immediate comment from Mudra, although MP Vadym Stolar, whose home was searched as part of the operation, said he was co-operating with anti-corruption officials. In his video, Fedorov complained that corruption was depriving the military of weapons and equipment and making it harder for Kyiv to win the war. He spoke of Ukraine facing a "systemic crisis of governance" and being "scared of change". About 100 protesters gathered outside the Ukrainian parliament on Wednesday morning, chanting "bring back Fedorov as minister of defence" and "we are fed up, we want dialogue". Fedorov is a charismatic politician, and during his tenure as defence minister, he was credited with energising the ministry, heading a drive against corruption, challenging outdated military structures and transforming the battlefield with new technology. His dismissal in mid-July is believed to have resulted from tensions between him and army commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi. Within days Syrskyi was also replaced, as mounting protests calling for Fedorov's reinstatement piled pressure on the Ukrainian president. Fedorov spoke in the video of a sense of injustice, warning it was "particularly dangerous when society develops the feeling that the main criterion for an appointment is not professionalism, results, or the ability to transform the country, but personal loyalty to the system". The protests have continued weekly, with younger Ukrainians especially disappointed to see the established armed forces chief favoured over the fresh-faced digital innovator. He gave no indication of his own political plans in the YouTube video, instead focusing on the need for a "legal, safe, and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to restore a full democratic process even amidst a prolonged war". In the space of a month, he has gone from saying he would only return to government in his old job, to calling for widespread reform and political change. He has not explicitly stated his intention to run against Zelensky but he has laid down the most serious challenge yet, calling for "a state where institutions are stronger than names". That might be a reference to Zelensky's own personal profile, but after such a stark intervention, it is Fedorov's name that is now doing the rounds. His call for elections has angered some Ukrainian commentators, including those who backed Fedorov's return as defence minister. One of Zelensky's detractors argued that even the government's fiercest opponents understood that holding elections during the war was impossible. Ivan, 24, who was among the protesters calling for Fedorov's reinstatement outside parliament, told the BBC that "elections at this time of war wouldn't be the best thing". Oleksandr Merezhko, an MP loyal to Zelensky, said he had backed Fedorov's return to the defence ministry but found his idea for new elections as "very dangerous and unrealistic". "It will weaken the country and our unity, our resilience. That's why I think that the idea to hold elections unfortunately plays into the hands of Putin." Another pro-Fedorov protester in Kyiv, Maya, said elections were not a good idea when Ukraine was at war. Zelensky was for now "the best choice, the safest option for all of us, but after the war ends I hope there will be a new president", she said. Opposition MP Volodymyr Aryev disagreed, accusing Zelensky of being detached from reality and saying "we have reached a point where we must choose between elections and chaos". A former minister of digital transformation, Fedorov set up a volunteer "IT Army of Ukraine" to launch cyber-attacks against Russians in the early days after Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Later, he led a successful fundraising campaign called the Army of Drones and brought in elements of "gamification" to the war, designing a system that awarded Ukrainian military units with credits for hitting Russian targets. As defence minister, his focus on drones, high-tech warfare and procurement continued, and saw him ask SpaceX founder Elon Musk to stop Russia from using Starlink satellites for drone attacks. The move has been credited with causing considerable disruption to Russia's frontline operations and advance. In a Facebook post shortly after his dismissal, Fedorov listed his achievements and said he would "continue... to defeat the enemy through asymmetry, speed of innovation, and organisational strength". Additional reporting from Tabby Wilson, Isabella Jewell in Kyiv and Jaroslav Lukiv in London.

Russia strikes on Kyiv and Odesa Caption for the video: Russia strikes on Kyiv and Odesa Russia strikes on Kyiv and Odesa Published 36 minutes ago Topical !Doula of death Sasha Primakov and BBC journalist Valera Tarana on the backdrop of clocks 1:10:56 Video, What we do not know about dying? BBC interview with the death doula, Duration 1:10:56 4 hours ago !Ilham Aliyev 2:44 Video, Are more political prisoners in Azerbaijan?, Duration 2:44 August 31, 2026 !consequences of flooding 0:46 Video, Nepal. More than 700 dead, Duration 0:46 August 30, 2026 !firefighters looking at a burning warehouse 0:39 Video, 37 killed after strike near Kyiv, Duration 0:39 August 29, 2026

Ukrainian forces have launched one of their biggest drone attacks on Russia since the invasion began, firing almost 800 drones. The overnight attack comes just two days after a similar assault. Meanwhile, a Russian missile strike on a village in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region killed at least 10 people and wounded eight others. Analysts say both countries are locked in an escalating duel of long-range aerial strikes. Ukraine aims to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into peace talks, but he shows no sign of stopping the invasion. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy calls the missile strike a "brutal attack" on civilians. In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, fire is seen on the site of a Russian air attack in Pechenihy, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. In this photo provided by Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov's official telegram channel, flame and smoke rise from a construction site after a Ukrainian drone attack in an undisclosed area in the Moscow region, Russia, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. In this photo, provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, rescuers carry a body that they removed from under the rubble of a private house following a Russian air attack in Pechenihy, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. In this photo, provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, fire is seen on the site of a Russian air attack in Pechenihy, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. A street cleaner observes a daily nationwide minute of silence in memory of soldiers killed in the war with Russia, in Kyiv, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces staged one of their biggest drone attacks on Russia sinceMoscow’s invasionmore than four years ago, firing almost 800 drones just two days after launchinga similar salvo, officials said Tuesday. Meanwhile, a Russian missile strike on a village in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region killed at least 10 people and wounded eight others as the barrage demolished homes, officials said Tuesday. The warring countries are locked in an escalating duel of long-range aerial strikes as fighting on the roughly 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front line in eastern and southern Ukraine is restricted by large numbers of drones and ground robots threatening troop movements, analysts say. Over the past year Ukraine has devised and deployed domestically producedlong-range dronesfor strikes deep inside Russia. Its drone technology hasimpressed governmentsand defense manufacturers around the world. Kyiv officials aim to make the Russian publicfeel the war’s consequencesand pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into negotiating a peace settlement. Putin has so far shownno signhe intends to stop the invasion. “Putin continues to drag out the war instead of accepting Ukraine’s realistic ceasefire proposals and ending the bloodshed,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X. Russian air defenses overnight intercepted 791 Ukrainian drones over a number of Russian regions, as well as annexed Crimea and the Black and the Azov seas, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said, in what was the second-largest drone attack since January 2025, according to an Associated Press tally. More than 600 Ukrainian drones flew towards the Moscow region, where 180 were shot down, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. He didn’t provide further details. Officials reported no deaths or major damage. In the Moscow region that surrounds but doesn’t include the Russian capital, three people were injured, Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said. The overnight attack started a fire at a warehouse ofWildberries, Russia’s biggest online retailer, in an industrial zone. Ukraine has repeatedly targeted the company’s depots, which it says help supply the Russian military. Wildberries said its facility sustained “insignificant damage.” A Russian missile strike on the village of Pechenihy in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region killed 10 civilians, according to preliminary information, said Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration. Another 17 people were wounded, he said. Zelenskyy called it “a brutal attack” that damaged 10 homes, a cafe, a post office, a store and at least seven vehicles, according to Syniehubov. “We will definitely respond to this Russian strike,” Zelenskyy said on social media. Also, three people were killed and three others were wounded over the past day in Russian attacks on Ukraine’s Sumy region, including drone strikes and an explosive device blast, Ukraine’s National Police said. Hatton contributed from Lisbon, Portugal. Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine athttps://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. To view our latest eEdition, click the image on the left.

Seven workers were killed at a Ukrainian steel plant ‌on Tuesday during a Russian attack on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia in which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow used North Korean ballistic missiles. The Zaporizhstal plant was forced to suspend production after being hit as Russia pummelled Zaporizhzhia with Zircon hypersonic missiles, guided aerial bombs and ballistic missiles supplied by Pyongyang. "The ballistic missile strike hit ​as employees were making their way to a shelter immediately after ​the air-raid alert was sounded," parent company Metinvest Group said in a statement that put the death toll at seven, with 24 people injured. The attack brought production at the plant to a complete halt, and other damaged sites ​were operating at reduced capacity, the company said. West hasn't given Ukraine enough to win the war: former NORAD commander Russia's Defence Ministry said Russian forces had struck a metallurgical plant in Zaporizhzhia that produces flat-rolled steel, which it said was used by the Ukrainian military. The ministry also said Russian forces had struck the Nova Poshta sorting complex in Kyiv, which it described as used ⁠to distribute dual-use goods, including components for drones and electronic warfare equipment. Russia did not immediately say ​whether it had used North Korean missiles in the attack on Zaporizhzhia. There was no comment from Pyongyang. Six others were killed overnight in the Ukrainian regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk, and a Russian attack on Kyiv caused fires in the capital, Ukrainian officials said. The attacks followeda Ukrainian drone strikethat Russian authorities said on Monday had killed at least 13 ⁠people and wounded 39 in the Russian city of Nizhnekamsk, one of the heaviest civilian tolls in Russia in months. Another Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and injured two overnight in Russia's Voronezh region, and caused fires at warehouse facilities, the regional governor said. Russian online retailer Wildberries, whose warehouses have frequently been targeted by Ukraine, said it had evacuated its logistics facilities in the region for safety ​reasons. Kyiv has increasingly been striking Russia, including hitting oil refineries and warehouses used by Wildberries. Ukraine said on Tuesday it had targeted ​an oil refinery in the Russian city of Orsk in its latest strikes. Why attack 'Russia's Amazon'? | About That Russia has fired scores of North Korean ballistic missiles at Ukraine since late 2023, but the deployment of ⁠North Korean missile ⁠forces would be an expansion of the ​already extensive military co-operation between Moscow and Pyongyang. Zelenskyy said on X on Saturday that "a decision has been made for 30,000 to 50,000 North Koreans ​to be deployed on the territory of ⁠Russia" to fight for Moscow. He had previously provided an estimate of 30,000 soldiers. Russia and North Korea signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty two years ago, including a mutual assistance provision if either faced external aggression. North Korea sent an estimated 14,000 soldiers to Russia's Kursk Region in 2024 after an incursion into the region by Ukrainian forces. Hundreds of North Korean troops killed in Ukraine What will Russia get out of deal with North Korea? North Korea has also supplied Russia with millions of artillery and mortar rounds, ballistic missiles, ⁠long-range artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, according ‌to Ukrainian and independent assessments. Russia has also used the pioneering low-cost, long-range Iran-designed Shahed attack drones, unleashing thousands of them on Ukraine every month. Moscow has adapted the design of the Shahed, which it calls the Geran, to include new features, including jet engines, which it is using to penetrate deeper into Ukraine, including Kyiv. Ukraine, meanwhile, has used a range of missiles provided by allies like the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden and France. With files from CBC News

A Russian missile attack killed 10 people on Tuesday in a village in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, Ukrainian authorities said. "This morning the Russians launched a brutal attack on a busy intersection in Pechenihy, Kharkiv region — a location with a post office and stores, surrounded only by residential buildings," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X. Zelenskyy posted photos of a destroyed building, cars on fire and emergency responders carrying people on stretchers. "We will definitely respond to this Russian strike," he said. A further 17 people were injured in the attack, the governor of the surrounding region, Oleh Syniehubov, said on the Telegram messaging app. There was no immediate public comment from Russia on the attack. The strike on the village damaged 10 private buildings, a café, a post office, a store and at least seven cars, Syniehubov said. North Korean ballistic missiles used by Russia in deadly attack in Ukraine, Zelenskyy says Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office said that according to preliminary information, Russia used two small Banderol cruise missiles. A local official told public broadcaster Suspilne that the strikes had hit the central part of the village, where the café, post office and shops are located. Ukraine, meanwhile, launched 620 drones at Moscow and surrounding areas into the early hours ​of Tuesday morning, the capital's mayor said, ​in one of Kyiv's biggest air assaults on the region. Russian forces downed 180 ⁠of the drones ⁠over the Moscow region and ‌emergency services were working at crash sites, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Telegram, without going into detail on any casualties or damage. Drones hit a warehouse ⁠of Russian e-commerce company Wildberries and other facilities near Moscow, regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov said separately. At least three people, including ‌a 10-year-old girl, were injured in the region, he added. Wildberries, a frequent target of Kyiv's attacks following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, said drone debris ​hit a wall at the warehouse, causing minor damage. Several other ⁠Russian-controlled regions, including Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, also ⁠reported heavy attacks from Ukraine. Krymenergo, the Crimean peninsula's largest power ⁠supplier, said ⁠southern districts came ​under Ukrainian drone attacks overnight. It said several settlements have been cut ​off from ⁠power supplies as a result of the attacks, and that the situation with power deliveries has remained challenging in northwestern, eastern and southern parts of the region. Russia warned Britain on Tuesday it would face consequences for supplying drones to Ukraine used to attack targets on Russian territory. Russia's embassy in London was responding to a report in the Times newspaper on Saturday which said British-made drones had been used for long-range strikes against Russia for the first time. "London's actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer," the embassy said in a statement posted on its Telegram channel. "The deeper its involvement in the conflict and the greater its support for Kiev's terrorist machinery, the higher the price it will pay." 'We live here': Latvia's defence chief on the threat of neighbour Russia Britain's Defence Ministry did not confirm whether British drones have been used. Asked about the Russian embassy comments, a Defence Ministry spokesperson said: "Britain stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and we are committed to providing the equipment Ukraine needs to defend itself against Putin's illegal invasion." In June, Britain said it would provide 150,000 drones to Ukraine by the end of 2026 as part of a £752-million ($1.4-billion Cdn) funding package.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of using North Korean ballistic missiles in its attacks, as another night of bombardment killed at least nine civilians and injured dozens of others. Zelenskyy said Russian forces used ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea in their attack on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, where local officials said six people were killed and 19 wounded. Three more people, including a 15-year-old boy, were killed by Russian drones and artillery in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, local authorities said. Russia has received additional ballistic missiles from Pyongyang and is preparing to deploy more North Korean troops, Zelenskyy said late Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2024 that pledged mutual aid if either country faced aggression. Since then, various reports of Ukrainian troops skirmishing with North Korean counterparts have emerged. The Ukrainian president warned that North Korea's missile capabilities are being improved by the collaboration with Russia. "The more North Korean strikes there are here in Ukraine, in Europe, the more their missiles and soldiers are used, the more they correct their shortcomings and blind spots, the greater the danger will later be for Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, and other countries in the region," Zelenskyy said on social media. In December 2024, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff estimated that there had already been more than 1,000 North Korean troops in the war. In January 2025, Ukraine announced it had, for the first time, captured two wounded North Korean soldiers. Ukraine says Russia is scaling up its production of ballistic missiles, aiming to exploit Kyiv's critical shortage of Patriot air defense interceptors that can stop them. Kyiv also claims Moscow is preparing an increase in recruitment for a new push on the front line that stretches 775 miles along eastern and southern Ukraine. "Every step Russia takes — increasing ballistic missile production, bringing in North Korean equipment, preparing for mobilization — all of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation," Zelenskyy said on social media.

By SAMYA KULLAB KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia bombarded the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and its region with dozens of missiles and drones in a nocturnal airstrike that lasted for hours and claimed the lives of at least 16 people, authorities said Thursday. In recent months, Kremlin forces have intensified their ballistic missile attacks against Kyiv, taking advantage of the chronic shortage of Patriot air-defense interceptors manufactured in the United States—the only weapon in their arsenal capable of shooting down those projectiles. These large-scale Russian offensives have become a routine occurrence this summer. Just a little more than two weeks ago, another operation over Kyiv and its region killed 17 people, and nine more died in the city two days earlier. The United Nations said last week that Kyiv was also one of the hardest-hit cities in the country in July, with at least 54 civilians killed and 202 injured. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed to allied countries to send more Patriot interceptors, but international reserves are low amid a war with Iran and after more than four years of Ukrainian struggle against Russia’s total invasion. The nocturnal volley from Russia also included cruise missiles and turbojet-powered drones that put even more pressure on the air defenses, the Ukrainian Air Force said. Explosions rang out across the city in the darkness. Kyiv was the main target, but there were strikes at 28 sites across the country, according to the Air Force. Emergency services said 15 people were killed in the capital, and another died in the Kyiv region. About 40 more were injured, Zelenskyy said, and air-attack alerts remained in effect until after dawn. More than 38,000 people, including more than 2,000 children, sought refuge overnight in Kyiv’s metro stations, the system operator said. “It was a massive attack,” Zelenskyy said on social media, adding that Russia “had been preparing it for a long time, combining different types of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones, with the aim of causing the greatest possible damage to civilian infrastructure.” But the Russian Defense Ministry said its offensive reached an industrial site in Kyiv that manufactured components for Ukrainian Flamingo cruise missiles. It also hit sites related to the production and storage of drones, a munitions depot, and a logistics center, it stated. Russia and Ukraine have traded drone and missile strikes as their armies fight to gain an advantage along the 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front, where large numbers of drones are immobilizing troops. Ukraine has attempted to move the war onto Russian soil through long-range drone strikes against oil facilities and other infrastructure. The General Staff of Ukraine said its forces attacked an oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk, in Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan, causing a fire, and the Tamanneftegaz oil terminal in Volna, in Krasnodar, where a fire was also reported. Ukraine has attacked both facilities in recent months as part of its campaign to disrupt Russia’s vital oil industry. Tatarsan’s leader Rustam Minnikhanov confirmed a “massive attack” in the region, Tass reported, citing his press service. Many of the drones targeted the Zakamsk economic zone of Nizhnekamsk, disrupting production at industrial sites and damaging residential buildings, Tass added. The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday morning that its air defenses shot down 726 Ukrainian drones overnight over various regions of the country, the annexed Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas, in one of Kyiv’s largest airstrikes of the war. The relentless Kremlin offensive against Kyiv has frightened other European countries, especially those bordering Ukraine, who fear what Russian President Vladimir Putin may have in store for the continent. During the Russian assault on Kyiv, Poland’s Operational Command activated its military aviation operations, ground-based air defenses, and radar reconnaissance. Polish and other NATO aircraft were deployed to monitor the country’s airspace, the Polish news agency PAP reported. Romania’s Defense Ministry said an unidentified drone crashed and caught fire in a desolate area near the Ukrainian border. Two Spanish F-18s, deployed on an air-surveillance mission in Romania, were mobilized after 2 a.m. to monitor a group of “air targets” near the border, the ministry said. Additionally, two Romanian F-16 combat aircraft were deployed to destroy a naval drone seen near a major gas project in the Black Sea, Romanian Acting Defense Minister Radu Miruta said. The Moldovan Defense Ministry also stated that its airspace was breached by at least one unauthorized unmanned aircraft. Russia “is increasingly testing the resolve of NATO and its partners, violating the sovereignty of neighboring states and deliberately raising the risks posed by its war far beyond Ukraine,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on social media. The strikes reached 12 different points in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, and Solomianskyi districts, causing damage to 30 apartment buildings, a school, a pediatric hospital, and a kindergarten, Zelenskyy said. Larysa Bondaruk, 60, sat on the floor holding her cat Chanel, which had been rescued by firefighters. With tears in her eyes, she recounted that her neighbor’s grandson had been trapped under the rubble and died. Her apartment was severely damaged. “A rocket hit the roof. It was incredibly strong; debris and doors flew out immediately. There were columns of smoke, columns of fire, screams, crying, and despair,” she said. “Two people died in our building, but rescuers responded quickly and professionally. I am grateful for that.” In Solomianskyi district, the top two floors of a nine-story residential building were destroyed, and fires broke out in others. Several people were trapped in two residential buildings and in a school shelter. ___ The Associated Press reporters Vasilisa Stepanenko and Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, and Stephen McGrath in Leamington Spa, England contributed to this report. ___ This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.

At least 16 people have been killed and dozens wounded in a “massive” Russian attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight into Thursday, Ukrainian authorities said. Attacks also bled into Moldova and Romania on Thursday. Romania said an explosive-laden naval drone believed to have been launched by Russia targeted one of its offshore natural gas projects. In the Ukrainian capital, strikes damaged a hospital, a school, a preschool, residential buildings and several warehouses across the city, local authorities said, as the destruction of civilian infrastructure also drew sharp international condemnation. CNN producers in Kyiv heard several explosions and saw smoke over the city, as an air raid alert stretched on for hours. Massive fires lit up the night sky over the capital, video by Reuters news agency showed. Ukraine has been relatively successful at intercepting the massive numbers of drones that Russia uses in its large-scale attacks. But in recent weeks, Moscow has repeatedly exploited Kyiv’s near-zero stocks of Patriot interceptor missiles, which are needed to defend against faster-moving ballistic missiles. Ukraine only has 10% of the interceptor missiles it urgently needs from the United States and other allies, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN in an interview earlier this month. “This year we have two and a half times less interceptors than we had in 2025,” Zelensky said in that interview. “Russia has two times more ballistic missiles per month than they had before.” Russia’s defense ministry said Thursday on Telegram that it had launched a “massive strike using high-precision weapons” against military facilities, a transport and logistics center, and warehouses in the city of Kyiv and the broader region. Zelensky said on Thursday that “the Russians prepared for a long time and combined various types of projectiles, cruise missiles, and drones to inflict as much damage as possible on civilian infrastructure.” Rescue workers had pulled two people from the rubble and were continuing to deal with the aftermath of the attack, which damaged more than a dozen locations across the city, emergency services said. Firefighters were working to extinguish massive blazes. “The missiles narrowly missed us by about 10 minutes,” local Kyiv resident Anastasiia Kovtun, 31, told Reuters. She and her neighbors fled to a bomb shelter in a nearby parking garage. “By the time we were on our way back, the entire road had already been bombed, and all the buildings along the route were damaged.” Windows were shattered at a children’s hospital in the Solomianskyi district, said Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko. Outside of Kyiv, Russia also attacked gas infrastructure in the Chernihiv region and a border crossing with Moldova in the Odesa region, Zelensky said. Other drone attacks and shelling hit the regions of Zhytomyr, Kherson, Kharkiv and Donetsk. In total, in the last 24 hours, the death toll in Ukraine has reached 25 people, with a further 132 injured throughout the country, according to reports from regional military administrations. Drones hit Romanian, Moldovan territory During the attacks on Ukraine, Romania’s defense ministry said a Russian drone had crashed into its territory, landing in an uninhabited area in the county of Tulcea, near the Ukrainian border, Reuters reported. Russian drones have repeatedly breached Romanian airspace throughout the war. The defense ministry later added that it scrambled two F-16 fighter jets to destroy a marine drone that was carrying explosives near a Romanian offshore natural gas project. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the naval drone an example of “hybrid warfare” and said that “an escalating campaign of threats is underway, unsettling our citizens and seeking to divide our Union.” Moldova’s president, Maia Sandu, also said on Thursday that her country’s airspace was once again violated as “a drone came down on Moldovan territory. Russia must face far greater pressure to stop this.” Meanwhile, Poland said it had started preventative military aviation operations to protect its airspace during the strikes, Reuters reported. While Moscow has been striking Ukraine near-nightly, Kyiv has also ramped up its offensive, launching more than 800 drones at Russia Sunday in one of its largest aerial attacks of the conflict. Russia’s state-run TASS News said it was the largest Ukrainian drone attack since the beginning of the year – with many of the drones targeting the Moscow area where many of Russia’s elite reside. On Tuesday, Russia’s defense ministry said it intercepted and destroyed 791 Ukrainian drones overnight, in another major assault launched by Kyiv. CNN’s Amy Croffey contributed to this report.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired one of his most senior officials Wednesday as corruption investigators named a deputy head of the presidential office among the suspects in a money-laundering case. The stunning developments came a day after Ukraine’s recentlyfired defense ministerdemanded national elections, despiteRussia’s more than 4-year-old invasion. Although Zelenskyy was not implicated in the graft investigation, it threatened to pull him into another political crisis and provide another test of his resilience. Investigators gave few details of the probe. It has identified a group of people alleged to have laundered 150 million hryvnias ($3.4 million) to pay bail for a defendant in amajor graft caselast year, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau said. That case, involving the state-owned nuclear power company, brought the resignations of Ukraine’s justice and energy ministers. The latest suspects include a former lawmaker, the chairperson of a state bank’s board and the head of the bank’s supervisory board, as well as a deputy head of the presidential office, the agency said. Zelenskyy made no public comment on the investigation but issued a decree dismissing Iryna Mudra as deputy head of the Office of the President. Investigators have not named her as a suspect. Investigators searched Mudra’s office Wednesday, said lawmaker Oleksii Honcharenko. Zelenskyy remains dogged by high-level graft investigations, although he has never been named as a suspect even as the probes have engulfed officials close to him. Last year, his chief of staff Andriy Yermak resigned and later was named as a suspect in a major graft probe involving a luxury construction project in thebiggest threatto Zelenskyy’s government since Russia’s 2022 invasion. The European Union has identified deep-seated corruption as one of themajor hurdlesto Ukraine's desired membership in the bloc. Zelenskyy is already under pressure over hisfiring last monthof Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, one of the longest-standing members of his team and a close ally since helping him win the 2019 presidential election. Zelenskyy, seeking toreconcile tensionsbetween the Defense Ministry's young and tech-savvy innovators and Ukraine's seasoned, Soviet-trained battlefield leaders, risked angering both sides by reshuffling his wartime leadership. He ousted both Fedorov, whose changes to military procurement aimed to stamp out corruption, and commander-in-chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi. That sparked sustained street protests supporting Fedorov. For Zelenskyy, it was the second time in a year that a move triggered a strong public backlash, after he tried to curb the powers of anti-corruption agencies in 2025. Fedorov, in an address posted to YouTube late Tuesday, called for elections — appearing to directly confront Zelenskyy, whose term expired in 2024. Ukraine's constitution prohibits such a vote under martial law. “We must find a legal, safe and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to restore a full democratic process even amid a prolonged war,” Fedorov said. He said Ukraine faces a crisis in how it is governed, arguing the current system is oriented toward protecting itself and resisting change. He also condemned corruption among officials without naming anyone, saying it had weakened Ukraine’s ability to fight. Zelenskyy’s office did not immediately comment on Fedorov’s address. It was not immediately clear whether Fedorov's appeal would resonate with Ukrainians. Also on Wednesday, lawmakers approved Zelenskyy's candidate, Maj. Gen. Yevhenii Khmara, as the new defense minister, a move that effectively closes the door to Fedorov’s return to the post, which he has sought, anytime soon. Lawmakers also gave their consent for Andrii Sybiha to stay on as foreign minister after serving in an interim role. The political disarray follows recent successes for Ukraine in the war. Usinginnovative drone technology, it has repeatedly hit Russian oil facilities, causingfuel shortages. It has also shocked the Russian public by striking warehouses ofWildberries, the country's biggest online retailer, andstalled front-line advancesby Moscow's bigger army. But Zelenskyy has been unable to get traction in U.S.-led peace efforts, and Ukraine is at the mercy of Russia's ballistic missiles because more U.S.-made Patriot interceptors aren't available due to low international stockpiles. Russian President Vladimir Putin hasbalked at negotiatinga peace deal directly with Zelenskyy. In its latest attack, a Ukrainian drone hit an oil refinery in Ufa in Russia's Bashkortostan, its Gov. Radiy Khabirov was quoted as saying by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. There are three oil refineries in Ufa, and all have been attacked. The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses overnight intercepted 453 Ukrainian drones over multiple regions, as well as Russian-held Crimea and the Black Sea. It said Russian forces on Tuesday hit a bulk carrier in the Black Sea, southeast of Odesa, that was carrying military equipment. On Wednesday, the Russian military struck what it said were fuel and lubricant storage tanks for the Ukrainian armed forces in the southern port of Chornomorsk. A Russian drone struck a minibus in Kherson in southern Ukraine on Wednesday, killing four people, said Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the regional military administration, adding that four women were wounded. Another Russian drone struck a civilian car in the regional capital, killing a woman, he said. Amid the fighting, Russia and Ukraine swapped 103 prisoners of war, according to Zelenskyy and the Russian Defense Ministry. ___ Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. ___ Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine athttps://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

✕ Home News Analysis Agro-Forestry Art & Culture Technology Economy & Business Education Energy & Extractives Politics Law & Governance Health Science & Environment Social & Gender Sports Transport Urban Development WASH Research LogIn/SignUp Close the sidebar Deadly Missile Strike Ravages Ukrainian Village: Ten Dead in Russian Attack A Russian missile strike in Pechenihy, a village in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, killed 10 people and injured 17 others on Tuesday. The attack damaged homes, a post office, and businesses. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vows to respond. Russia had not commented immediately following the incident. Politics Devdiscourse News Desk Updated: 18-08-2026 13:56 IST | Created: 18-08-2026 13:56 IST !Deadly Missile Strike Ravages Ukrainian Village: Ten Dead in Russian Attack A Russian missile strike has claimed ten lives and left 17 injured in the village of Pechenihy, located in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, according to Ukrainian authorities. The missile barrage targeted a busy intersection, enveloped by residential areas, a post office, and shops. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the attack, describing it as 'brutal,' and shared images online of vehicles ablaze and emergency responders aiding victims. He has promised a response to the deadly strike. The attack reportedly involved two small Banderol cruise missiles that caused extensive damage to multiple buildings, including a cafe and several stores. There has been no immediate response from Russia regarding the incident. (With inputs from agencies.) READ MORE ON Russian missile emergency responders Kharkiv region strike Ukrainian village Russia response Volodymyr Zelenskiy Ukraine attack Pechenihy Banderol cruise missiles READ MORE {{title}} Next Article {{title}} {{subtitle}} {{subtitle}} {{/subtitle}}{{sector}} {{sector}} {{/sector}} {{source}}{{source}} {{/source}}{{isBlog}} {{/isBlog}}{{sourceUrl}} |{{sourceUrl}} {{/sourceUrl}}{{country}} |{{country}} {{/country}} Updated:{{modifiedOnString}}IST | Created:{{publishedOnString}}IST {{imageCopyright}} {{{description}}}{{disclaimer}} {{disclaimer}} {{/disclaimer}} {{tags}} READ MORE ON {{{tagArray}}} {{/tags}} PERSPECTIVES AND INSIGHTS {{authorImage}} {{author}} {{title}} LATEST NEWS {{country}} {{country}} {{/country}}{{^country}} Global {{/country}} {{title}} VIDEOS {{^defaultImage}} ► {{/defaultImage}} {{title}} View All HOME ABOUT CAREER ADVERTISEMENT PARTNERS CONTACT US Sectors Agro-Forestry Art & Culture Technology Economy & Business Education Energy & Extractives Politics Law & Governance Health Science & Environment Social & Gender Sports Transport Urban Development WASH Editions Pacific South Asia East and South East Asia Europe and Central Asia Central Africa East Africa Southern Africa West Africa Middle East and North Africa North America Latin America and Caribbean Disclaimer Terms of use Privacy Policy © Copyright 2026

Ukraine and Russia traded more attacks overnight, with the Kharkiv regional governor reporting 10 dead civilians not far from the Russian border and the Moscow mayor saying Ukraine launched some 620 drones toward the region. This follows one of the largest Ukrainian attacks on Russia during the war over the weekend, and the UN warning that amplified Russian strikes on towns and cities in July meant that civilian deaths in the conflict rose to levels not seen since May 2022 and the earliest months of combat. The drone attacks on the Moscow area again caused minor damage at a facility belonging to Russian online retail giant Wildberries, a frequent target for Ukrainian forces of late. What happened in the Kharkiv missile strike? The governor of the Kharkiv oblast, Oleh Syniehubov, on Tuesday said that the 10 people were killed and 18 more wounded in a Russian missile strike on the village of Pechenihy. "The strike damaged 10 private houses, a cafe, a post office, a shop and at least seven cars," Syniehubov wrote on Telegram, noting that the casualty figures were preliminary. He said emergency services were responding and dealing with the attack. Parts of the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine are occupied by Russian forces. Both Kharkiv and the Belgorod region across the border in Russia have been targeted frequently throughout the war. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack targeted a busy intersection. What happened as hundreds of drones approached Moscow? Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Tuesday that some 620 drones had flown towards the capital region overnight. He said that most were intercepted on approach, and another 180 were shot down over the Moscow area. Russian state news agency TASS called it the heaviest such attack in two years. Russia's Defense Ministry said that, in total, it repelled 791 Ukrainian drones overnight across Russian territoy and the annexed Crimean Peninsula. The figures cannot be verified but indicate the intensity of Ukrainian strikes into Russian territory in recent days. Moscow's regional governor, Andrei Vorobyov, issued more details on the damage caused by the drones shot down over the capital, giving a slightly lower figure of "over 150." He said that three people were injured in three separate districts, including a young girl with a shrapnel wound to the hand. Vorobyov also reported damage to several mainly residential buildings, including one house that "burned down completely in the village of Kuznetsy." He said that a drone also struck a "Wildberries warehouse near Atlant-Park" in the city of Kolomna, which also logged damage at a retail site near a shopping center. What did Russia say about reports of UK drones being used in strikes on its territory? Russia's Embassy in London also turned its attention to drone attacks this week, responding critically on Monday evening to reports in newspaper The Times saying that drones supplied by the UK had been used in attacks on Russian territory. The embassy asserted that such reports "confirm that London is deliberately opting for an escalation of the Ukraine crisis, while hypocritically professing a desire for peace." It accused the UK of "acting as an accomplice and co-perpetrator of the bloody crimes and terrorist attacks committed by Ukrainian neo-Nazis," and said that "London's actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer." What did Germany's environment minister say during his visit to Kyiv? Also on Tuesday, German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider traveled to Kyiv. The Social Democrat (SPD) politician planned to spend several days in the country this week if circumstances allow. "The goal of the trip is to work with our Ukrainian partners to identify, at an early stage, opportunities for a climate-friendly, resilient renewal of infrastructure and further reconstruction, including with the participation of the German business community," the Envirnoment Ministry said on Tuesday as Schneider was arriving. The minister was accompanied by business representatives, not least from companies specializing in climate-friendly technologies. Schneider also planned to be briefed on the situation for Ukraine's nuclear power plants, including the damage to protective dome covering the Chernobyl or Chornobyl reactor that melted down in the 1980s during the Soviet era. "Its repair is highly complex," the ministry said. Ukraine's main functioning nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia, meanwhile, has been under Russian military occupation and operational control since the first weeks of the war in 2022. Its reactors are in cold shutdown status but the plant still requires external power, cooling and maitenance. Close to the front lines, the plant and the surrounding area has fairly frequently come under fire. Edited by: Louis Oelofse If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google, so you'll always see our verified news first.

Seis personas murieron en un ataque ucraniano con misiles en la región rusa de Bélgorod, cerca de la frontera, anunciaron el lunes (17.08.2026) las autoridades locales. "Terroristas ucranianos atacaron con misiles la aldea de Koloskovo, distrito de Valuiski", anunció el gobernador regional Alexandr Shuvaev, en la plataforma de mensajería estatal MAX. Precisó que "seis civiles murieron y cuatro resultaron heridas, incluyendo un menor de edad" de 14 años. Según el gobernador, "en el lugar del ataque ardió un inmueble y dañó un automóvil". La región, fronteriza con Ucrania, ha sido objeto reiterado de contraataques por parte de Kiev como parte de su defensa frente a la invasión rusa. Kiev emplea cada vez más armamento de largo alcance y mayor velocidad en estas operaciones, que llegan incluso a más de mil kilómetros de la frontera. Un muerto en ataque ruso contra sucursal de correos Una persona murió y cuatro resultaron heridas debido a un ataque con drones rusos que destruyó la sucursal número 3 de Nova Poshta, el correo ucraniano, en Kramatorsk, región de Donetsk, informó la empresa en Telegram. "Como resultado de este cínico ataque enemigo contra la infraestructura civil en Kramatorsk, uno de nuestros compañeros murió y otros cuatro resultaron heridos de diversa gravedad", declaró la empresa. "Indemnizaremos a los clientes por el valor declarado de los envíos destruidos en el ataque. Más víctimas civiles La semana pasada, el embajador especial del Ministerio de Exteriores de Rusia, Rodión Miroshnik, informó de la muerte de al menos 201 civiles en julio pasado. A su vez, el proyecto independiente ruso Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) cifró en 634 el número de víctimas civiles de ambos países en julio. Según este grupo cerca de un 30 % del total de las víctimas correspondió a civiles en territorio ruso o en las regiones ucranianas controladas por las Fuerzas Armadas de Rusia Rusia y Ucrania han intensificado sus ataques los últimos meses, dejando un número creciente de víctimas civiles, a casi cuatro años y medio del inicio de la ofensiva rusa. El domingo, una ola de centenares de drones dejó 12 muertos en Rusia, mientras que los ataques rusos mataron a siete personas en Ucrania. Ataques contra infraestructura ucraniana Rusia atacó instalaciones de la compañía energética ucraniana Naftogaz en 13 ocasiones en diversas regiones de Ucrania durante la última semana, informó la empresa este lunes. Los ataques se centraron en la infraestructura de producción, indicó Naftogaz, añadiendo que las operaciones en algunas de las instalaciones se han detenido como consecuencia de los ataques, lo que ha provocado una pérdida en los volúmenes de producción. Además un ataque ruso dañó un buque civil con bandera de Togo en la región ucraniana de Odesa durante la noche, según informó el gobernador de la región. Los incendios provocados por el ataque ya han sido extinguidos, señaló Oleh Kiper a través de la aplicación de mensajería Telegram. lgc (afp, dpa, efe, rtr) (Actualizado a las 09:05 con el ataque ruso contra una sucursal de correos).

What you need to know Follow this blog for the latest news on Russia's war in Ukraine on September 1, 2026. - Russian strikes Kyiv, Odesa on first day of school year, killing at least 12 - EU ministers focus on Ukraine air defenses, military support at Ireland talks - Drones trigger brief NATO response at Estonia's border with Russia Tired of missing our real-time updates? Click here to add us as a Preferred Source on Google. Germany says response to drone find near Ukrainian plane will be measured Germany's foreign minister said Berlin would respond in a measured way to the discovery of an explosives-laden drone near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig/Halle Airport in August. Johann Wadephul said the government was coordinating its approach with NATO and European Union partners. The case sparked widespread speculation that Russia was responsible, though Berlin has not publicly assigned blame. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged a clear-cut response. Despite declining to publicly assign responsibility, Wadephul stressed Germany would not be deterred by the incident. "Germany will not be intimidated in any way, and that will continue to be the fundamental stance of our policy," Wadephul said, adding that Berlin "stands side by side with our Ukrainian partner." "Russia must know that Germany is a stabilizing force in Europe, one that is always prepared to negotiate, but which will not be intimidated in any way." Ukraine says Russian missile and drone assault hits Kyiv, Odesa Ukraine's air force said Russia struck at least 28 locations in overnight attacks that continued into Tuesday, with debris falling at several additional sites. The attack targeted Kyiv and the Odesa region and involved ballistic, cruise and anti-radar missiles, along with more than 200 drones and decoys. At least 11 people were killed in the capital region: - Seven people were killed in Kyiv's Darnytskyi district; three others were wounded, including a child. - One Indian citizen was reported among those killed - One person was killed in the Holosiivskyi district after a building was hit and caught fire. - Three people were killed and 12 were injured elsewhere in the Kyiv region. In Odesa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a Russian strike "deliberately damaged a border crossing point on the border with Romania, as well as export infrastructure." Ukraine reports August strikes on 54 Russian 'Shadow Fleet' ships Russia and Ukraine are not only battling for dominance in the air with drones, but are also increasingly taking the drone war to the seas. The commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert Brov, said Tuesday that his force struck 54 Russian "shadow fleet" vessels in August. He did not immediately provide additional details. Separately, Russia's state news agency Tass reported that Russia attacked "more than 150 seagoing vessels involved in military cargo deliveries for the Ukrainian army, as well as accompanying patrol boats, during the summer." At least 70 of those attacks were recorded in August. EU defense ministers meet in Ireland to discuss Ukraine air defenses European Union defense ministers are gathering in Wicklow, south of Dublin, for talks that are expected to focus on bolstering Ukraine's air defenses. Moscow has taken advantage of Ukraine's shortage of US-built air defense missiles to pummel the country, while Kyiv has hit back against Russian infrastructure with its own long-range drone strikes. There is also concern over Russia's apparent move to ramp up operations in Europe. The ministers are also expected to discuss the bloc's support for Ukraine, including the implementation of a €90 billion ($104 billion) loan for Kyiv. The loan, approved in April, aims to assist Kyiv with its most urgent economic and military needs as it continues to fight against Russia's full-scale invasion. The talks are also expected cover further military assistance and closer cooperation between Ukraine's and the EU's defense industries. Ministers are also expected to discuss the growing role of space in modern defense strategy. EU foreign ministers are due to arrive later on Tuesday ahead of separate talks on Wednesday focused on continued support for Ukraine. NATO jets scrambled after drones briefly enter Estonian airspace NATO military aircraft were scrambled overnight after drones flew close to Estonia's border and briefly entered Estonian airspace, the country's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said. The aircraft were launched from Amari Air Base, Tsahkna wrote in a post on social media. "NATO reacted swiftly and exactly as planned. The Alliance is vigilant and ready to protect Allied territory," he added. It was not immediately clear who launched the drones. The incident highlights ongoing security concerns along NATO's eastern flank and is seen as a consequence of Russia's continuing war against Ukraine. Russian strike on Kyiv railway depot kills 7 Russia targeted Ukraine's capital for a sixth day in a row, including a ballistic missile strike on a railway depot in Kyiv that killed seven people. "The ballistic strike took the lives of 7 people, 6 of whom were our employees. 1 colleague is in hospital with injuries," Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, chief executive of Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine's state-owned railway network said, adding that "there is extensive destruction." Emergency services said eight people were killed and five wounded in Kyiv, including three children, as fires broke out across several parts of the capital during the overnight attacks. Elsewhere in the Kyiv region, one person was killed and nine others, including a child, were injured after missiles and drones struck an apartment building and a business facility in Boryspil. The attacks marked the sixth consecutive day of Russian strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding region. Russia's Defense Ministry said it targeted military and energy facilities in Kyiv, Odesa, and nearby areas. Across the border in Russia's Belgorod region, one person was killed in a Ukrainian attack, acting Governor Alexander Shuvayev said. Welcome to our coverage European defense ministers are meeting in Ireland today and are expected to hear from Ukraine's new acting defense minister, Yevgeniy Khmara. He is likely to point to the latest wave of Russian attacks, now entering a sixth straight day, as Moscow continues its campaign against Kyiv and surrounding areas. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly argued that the sustained bombardment underscores the urgent need for additional air defense systems. The meeting comes as several European countries are also strengthening their own military capabilities, partly in response to a growing number of drone-related incidents near their borders. Overnight, Estonia reported a new drone incursion into its airspace, adding to concerns about regional security. We'll be following these developments, along with other key events in Russia's war against Ukraine, throughout the day in this blog.

Russia attacks Kharkiv, causing at least 10 deaths and repelling 791 drones launched by Ukraine Ukrainian authorities have recently noted the lack of air defenses and the difficulties in intercepting Russian projectiles At least ten civilians have died from the impact of a Russian missile in the Ukrainian town of Pechenihy, in the northeastern Kharkiv region, according to this Tuesday's report by Governor Oleh Sinehubov. "According to preliminary information, ten people have died. Eight others have been injured and are receiving all the necessary medical assistance," he wrote on Telegram. He added that the attack also caused damage to about a dozen private homes, a cafe, a post office, a shop, and at least seven private cars. Ukrainian authorities no longer regularly report the number of missiles Russia launches against its territory, at a time when the lack of air defenses is hindering interception of these projectiles, Efe reports. The Ukrainian Air Force stated that last night Russian forces launched 147 attack and other drones, of which 111 could be neutralized, while 19 sites registered impacts and fragments of downed drones fell at three points. Two civilians, a man and a woman, died last night in the southern Zaporizhzhia region as a result of a Russian drone impact. Another massive Ukrainian attack For its part, Russia shot down 791 Ukrainian long-range drones during the early hours of Tuesday, 180 of which were neutralized near Moscow, the second massive attack in just three days after Sunday’s operation, when the Russian Defense Ministry annihilated 822 unmanned aerial vehicles. "During the course of last night air defenses intercepted and destroyed 791 fixed-wing drones" over fifteen Russian regions, the annexed Crimean Peninsula, and the Black and Azov seas, the Russian military command said on Telegram. The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, wrote on his MAX messaging network that "until 5:00 a.m. in the direction of the Moscow region, 620 drones were launched, of which 180 were shot down near the city." After this message, Sobyanin reported the downing of another 17 Ukrainian drones near the capital. The Moscow region mayor, Andrei Vorobyov, noted on his Telegram channel that during the night air defenses and electronic warfare means "repelled a massive drone attack" during which more than 150 aircraft were shot down. The attacks affected eight districts of the capital region south and east of Moscow, Efe reports. "Unfortunately, there are casualties. In the Ramensky district, a 10-year-old girl was injured after a drone fell on a private house. She sustained multiple shrapnel wounds to one hand and was hospitalized," he said. Additionally, in the Bogorodsky district a woman was injured and in Kolomna a young man was injured. "All are under medical observation," he stated. In the Noginsk district, a drone hit a Wildberries logistics center, the "Russian Amazon," one of Ukraine’s main targets in recent weeks. According to Vorobyov, the firefighters controlled the fire and no casualties were reported. "The greatest damage was recorded in the Pavlovo-Posadski district. In the Kuznetsy village, a private house burned down completely. In Pavlovsky Posad, the roof of a building caught fire, residents were evacuated and no one was injured," he wrote. Additionally, in Kolomna a Globus retail chain shopping center caught fire, and a civil registry, a shop, and a building were damaged. He also reported damage in the towns of Kotelniki and Elektrostal. "We continue to repel the drone attack. All emergency services are operating on maximum alert," Vorobyov concluded.

Russian attack on Kiev left at least 12 dead and dozens injured The bombing occurred during the early hours of this Thursday and affected different areas of the Ukrainian capital. There was damage to residential buildings, a school, and a children’s hospital. Occurred during the early hours of this Thursday. Credits: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko A large-scale Russian attack on Kiev left at least 12 dead and 34 wounded during the early hours of this Thursday, according to the latest balance released by Ukrainian authorities. The explosions affected various points in the capital and caused damage to residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, while emergency teams continued rescue and search work among the rubble. The offensive took place amid a new escalation of airstrikes between Russia and Ukraine, a conflict that has continued since Russia’s large-scale invasion began in February 2022. In the past hours, Russian forces combined missiles and drones in an operation that also hit other areas of Ukrainian territory. Residential buildings, a school, and a children’s hospital were damaged The attack struck different areas of Kiev. One of the most affected sites was a multi-story residential building, where the upper floors were destroyed as a result of the impact. Emergency services worked in the area to locate potential victims and assist those affected. Damage was also reported to a school and a children’s hospital. Ukrainian authorities released images of the bombardment’s effects and noted that several civilian properties suffered damage. Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported the number of victims and announced that Friday would be a day of mourning in the capital. On that day, flags would be flown at half-mast and recreational activities planned in the city would be suspended. New escalation of air attacks between Russia and Ukraine. Credits: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated that Russia had prepared the attack in advance and that the offensive used different types of weaponry. According to the president, the objective was to cause damage to Ukrainian infrastructure. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that dozens of missiles, including ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as attack drones, were used during the operation. According to the data released by authorities, Ukrainian air defenses managed to intercept a substantial portion of the drones and cruise missiles, though they faced greater difficulties in stopping ballistic missiles. One of the most affected sites was a multi-story residential building. Credits: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko The attack also caused electricity outages in various areas. Thousands of households were temporarily left without power, while technical teams worked to restore service. The situation also raised concerns in neighboring countries. Military activity in the region again put other Eastern European states on alert, especially due to the presence of drones and missiles near their borders. Russia confirmed the offensive and explained its targets The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that its forces conducted during the night a massive attack with missiles and drones against Kiev and the surrounding region. From Moscow they indicated that the operation targeted facilities linked to the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, logistics centers, and fuel and lubricant depots. They also claimed that facilities related to the production of drone components were attacked. The Russian version contrasts with Ukrainian authorities’ claims, who noted damage in residential areas and buildings used by civilians. The offensive also occurred in a context of increasing use of drones by both countries. Russia has intensified its airstrikes against Ukraine, while Kiev has also carried out long-range drone operations against targets inside Russian territory. The Ukrainian Air Force indicated that Russia launched a combination of ballistic, cruise, and other high-speed projectiles, along with a significant number of drones. According to reports released during the day, the offensive hit numerous points in Kiev as well as in other regions of the country. One of Zelenskiy’s main demands again related to air defense. The Ukrainian president asked Western allies for new systems and Patriot interceptor missiles, considered essential to face ballistic missile attacks. The need to have more air defense systems became one of Kiev’s main requests to its allies since the start of the war. The ability to detect and intercept missiles before they reach populated areas is seen as key to reducing civilian casualties. While emergency rescue operations continue in Kiev, Ukrainian authorities keep the balance open because rescue teams are still working in some of the affected areas. For that reason, the number of victims could change as the search among the damaged buildings progresses. The attack adds to a series of aerial offensives that in recent months have affected Kiev and other Ukrainian cities. The capital, which is far from the main ground combat lines, remains one of the targets of missile and drone attacks. More than four years after the start of Russia’s large-scale invasion, the war maintains a high level of military activity and without a ceasefire agreement that would allow sustained hostilities to be stopped. Thursday’s offensive again shows the impact that air attacks have on the civilian population and the infrastructure of Ukrainian cities.

A Russian attack in northeastern Ukraine has killed at least 10 people and left eight injured, according to Oleg Sinegubov, head of the military administration of the Kharkiv region, on Tuesday. The attack occurred in a town located about 60 kilometers from Kharkiv city, he said on Telegram, noting that emergency teams are still working in the area, AFP reports. Almost 800 drones shot down. Russia shot down 791 Ukrainian long-range drones overnight, 180 of which were neutralized near Moscow, the second massive attack in just three days after Sunday’s when the Russian Defense Ministry wiped out 822 unmanned aircraft, according to EFE. 'During the course of last night, air defenses intercepted and destroyed 791 fixed-wing drones' over fifteen Russian regions, the annexed Crimean Peninsula, and the Black and Azov seas, the Russian military command announced on Telegram. The mayor of the Russian capital, Sergei Sobyanin, wrote on his MAX account, the Russian messaging network, that 'up to 05:00 this morning (02:00 GMT) 620 drones were launched toward the Moscow region, of which 180 were shot down near the city.' After this message Sobyanin reported the downing of another 17 Ukrainian drones in the capital’s vicinity. The Moscow region’s mayor, Andrei Vorobyov, said on his Telegram channel that overnight air defenses and electronic warfare measures 'repelled a massive drone attack' during which more than 150 artifacts were shot down. The attacks affected eight districts of the metropolitan region south and east of Moscow. 'Unfortunately there are victims. In the Ramensky district, a 10-year-old girl was injured when a drone fell on a private house. She sustained multiple shrapnel wounds to a hand and was hospitalized,' he said. In addition, in the Bogorodsky district a woman was injured and in Kolomna a young man. 'All are under medical observation,' he stated. In the Noginsk district, a drone hit a Wildberries logistics center, the Russian Amazon, one of Ukraine’s main targets in recent weeks. According to Vorobyov, firefighters controlled the fire and there were no reported casualties. 'The greatest damage was recorded in the Pavlovo-Posadski district. In the village of Kuznetsy, a private house burned completely. In Pavlovsky Posad, the roof of a building caught fire, residents were evacuated, and no one was injured,' he wrote. Additionally, a Globus retail network shopping center in Kolomna burned down, and a civil registry office, a store, and a building were damaged. He also reported damage in the towns of Kotelniki and Elektrostal. 'We continue to repel the drone attack. All emergency services are on high alert,' he concluded.

At least 10 people have died this Tuesday in a Russian missile attack on a village in Kharkiv region's northeastern area, in Ukraine, according to the country’s authorities. Another 17 people were injured in the offensive, according to Oleh Syniehubov, the region’s governor, via the Telegram messaging app. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has promised a reply from his country: “We will undoubtedly respond to this Russian attack.” “This morning, the Russians launched a brutal attack on a very busy intersection in Pechenihy, in the Kharkiv region, a place where there is a post office and shops, surrounded only by residential buildings,” Zelenskiy wrote on his X account (formerly Twitter). The leader also posted photos of a destroyed building, cars in flames, and emergency personnel transporting people on stretchers. Russia has not yet commented on the attack. This morning, the Russians launched a brutal attack on a busy intersection in Pechenihy, Kharkiv region – a location with a post office and stores, surrounded only by residential buildings. — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 18, 2026 As of now, 10 people have been reported killed. My condolences to their families and… pic.twitter.com/AnFmXsSzAS Syniehubov confirmed that about a dozen private buildings, a café, a post office, a shop, and at least seven cars were also damaged. The Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s Office stated that, according to preliminary information, Russia used two small cruise missiles of the Bandera type in the offensive. Ukrainian authorities no longer regularly report the number of projectiles that Russia fires at Ukrainian territory, at a time when the lack of air defenses is hindering interception. Attack on Zaporizhzhia Hours earlier, the governor of Zaporizhzhia region, Yevgeny Balitsky, had informed via his account on the Russian state messaging app MAX that at least one civilian was killed and another 16 were injured after a Ukrainian drone attack on a bus stop in Enerhodar, the city that houses Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. “They were waiting for the bus at the stop, to get to work,” Balitsky wrote, very close to the Kremlin. He then condemned that “this attack against them is a terrorist act that only Kiev’s mad Nazis can justify.” The mayor of this city occupied by Russia, Maksim Pupyov, stated through the same channel that three of the injured were in serious condition. Enerhodar is a frequent target of attacks, which Kyiv and Moscow have accused each other of. Many of its residents work at the neighboring nuclear power plant, controlled by Russia practically since the invasion began. In August 2022, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) sent a permanent mission of inspectors to assess physical damage and safety at the plant to prevent a nuclear accident in a conflict zone. The Ukrainian Air Force said that last night Russian forces launched 147 attack drones and other drones, of which 111 could be neutralized, while impacts were recorded at 19 sites and fragments of downed drones fell at three points. At least two civilians, a man and a woman, have died in Zaporizhzhia as a result of a Russian drone strike. These attacks come at a time when both Kyiv and Moscow are increasingly betting on attacks in zones within the enemy’s territory. Civilian deaths are rising at an unprecedented rate for this conflict since it began.

Ukraine's president has repeatedly sounded the alarm over deepening military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, often while appealing for more Western air-defence supplies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Russia fired North Korean missiles in an overnight attack that killed six and wounded 19 in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia. "The city was struck with North Korean ballistic missiles, Zircons, and guided aerial bombs," he said, referring to Russia's hypersonic cruise missile system, Zircon. Zelenskyy had warned on Monday evening that Russia was preparing to station more North Korean troops on its territory and had already received more ballistic missiles from Pyongyang. He has repeatedly sounded the alarm over deepening military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, often while appealing for more Western air-defence supplies. "This is the first time they cannot wage war without supplements from North Korea," he said in his nightly address, referring to Russian forces. "They are now preparing to deploy an additional contingent of Koreans on their territory. They have received, just imagine, additional ballistic missiles from North Korea," he added. Only certain air defence systems, including US Patriots, are capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. A shortage of PAC-3 interceptors has worsened since the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran in February. At the same time, Ukraine has been increasing its strikes against Russian cities far from the border. At the weekend, Zelenskyy said a decision had been taken for 30,000-50,000 North Koreans to be deployed on Russian soil. He did not explain how he obtained those figures. North Korea has become one of Russia's closest military partners since Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a mutual defence pact in June 2024. Moscow used the North Korean troops in a counteroffensive later that year that pushed Ukrainian forces out of the border Kursk region. The overnight Russian attacks spanned Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk, regional authorities said. Russia's defence ministry said its forces "delivered a group strike with high-precision ground-based weapons, hitting military-industrial enterprises and transport-logistics centres in the cities of Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia." In Zaporizhzhia, Ivan Fedorov, head of the regional military administration, said Russian forces launched a "massive" attack using missiles and guided aerial bombs. "Six people were killed and 19 others wounded," Fedorov wrote on Telegram, updating an earlier toll of five dead. In the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian drone and artillery strikes on five districts killed three people and wounded five others, regional military administration head Oleksandr Ganzha said on Telegram. Journalists in Kyiv said they heard a series of explosions shortly after midnight after authorities issued a missile alert. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on social media that the capital was "under ballistic missile attack." Ukraine's emergency service said a warehouse caught fire and one person was wounded. Kursk offensive About 600 North Korean troops were killed fighting for Russia against Ukrainian forces, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers last year. North Korea has suffered some 4,700 casualties, including injuries and deaths, the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) told a parliamentary committee. About 2,000 injured soldiers were repatriated to North Korea by air or train between January and March, according to the NIS. The dead soldiers were cremated in Russia before their remains were sent back home, the intelligence agency said. The assessment came after Pyongyang confirmed for the first time that it had sent troops to help Russia recapture parts of the Kursk region, which Ukraine took control of in a surprise incursion. Meanwhile, North Korea's economy was showing signs of recovery as Pyongyang deepened trade and diplomatic ties with Russia and China, South Korea's unification ministry said in a report in April. Rigid socialist planning and high military spending undermined growth in North Korea for years, as have sweeping international sanctions aimed at scuppering its development of nuclear weapons. China has long been the diplomatically isolated country's main economic backer, though Pyongyang has also drawn closer to Moscow since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Those relationships are now driving an improved economic outlook, with the North appearing to have "moved beyond a period of contraction" and "entered a phase of gradual recovery," according to the South Korean ministry. Analysts said the North was also receiving economic and military technology assistance from Russia in return for sending troops and ammunition to help it fight Ukraine.

The Kharkiv region, parts of which are occupied by Russian forces, has been hit heavily since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. A Russian attack on a village in the Kharkiv region of northeast Ukraine killed at least 10 people, the local governor said on Tuesday. The strike comes amid a surge in civilian deaths in the four-and-a-half-year war. Russian forces "carried out a rocket strike on Pechenigy," a village around 40 kilometres from the Russian border, Kharkiv regional governor Oleg Synegubov said on social media. "According to preliminary information, 10 people were killed," he added, with eight people wounded. The strike damaged private houses and shops, he added. The Kharkiv region, parts of which are occupied by Russian forces, has been hit heavily since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Meanwhile, a total of 620 drones flew towards the Moscow region overnight, Russian officials said on Tuesday, reporting that several people were wounded and buildings were hit. "Tonight and in the morning, air defence and electronic warfare forces were repelling a large-scale drone attack on Moscow region," Moscow region Governor Andrey Vorobyov said on Telegram. The "most serious consequences" were reported in the Pavlovsky Posad district, where a house burned down, Vorobyov said. With frontline fighting at a near standstill and talks frozen, Ukraine and Russia have significantly stepped up long-distance attacks, pushing the civilian death toll to its highest levels since the war's first months in 2022. Targeting Ukraine's energy sector The strike on Kharkiv comes a day after Ukraine’s state energy company Naftogaz Group said its facilities had been targeted 13 times over the past week, bringing the total number of attacks to almost 300 since the start of the year. Russian drones and missiles struck facilities in several regions of the country, with one asset hit multiple times during the week, Naftogaz said, reporting serious damage to equipment and production capacity. No employees were hurt in the attacks, the company said. DTEK Group, a coal mining and power production company which says it is the largest private investor in Ukraine’s energy sector, also said a Russian attack started a fire at one of its mines, killing a 52-year-old man. Russia has repeatedly battered the Ukrainian power grid with Moscow hoping to sap Ukraine’s will to fight by denying civilians light, heating and running water during the bitter winter months. Ukrainian officials, who say Russia is “weaponising winter,” fear Moscow will pursue its campaign through the coming winter, too. With troops largely bogged down by drones and robots along the roughly 1,250-kilometre front line, both Russia and Ukraine are expanding their aerial campaigns and devising new long-range weapons. Ukraine has been targeting energy sites with drones and missiles deep inside Russia for months, hoping to hit a vital source of revenue for the Russian army. With Moscow now within range of Ukrainian drones that regularly attack the region, organisers cancelled a large military music festival due to be held on central Moscow’s Red Square from Friday. The organisers of the Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival said on social media Monday that the event was postponed until next year due to reasons beyond their control. In May, authorities significantly scaled back Russia's annual Victory Day celebrations on Red Square for the first time in nearly two decades. Russia's defence ministry said that there would be no military hardware at the annual parade because of fears of long-range attacks by Ukrainian drones. Innovative solutions Ukraine depended heavily on foreign military aid after Russia’s full-scale invasion of February 2022 but has gradually increased its domestically produced firepower, firing a salvo of more than 800 long-range drones at Russia on Sunday. Ukraine also has successfully targeted depots owned by Wildberries, Russia’s main online retailer, as far as 2,000 kilometres from Ukraine’s border. Russian forces have increasingly hit apartment blocks, ports, schools and hospitals, among other urban targets, killing close to 17,000 civilians, according to the United Nations. The death toll of 437 Ukrainian civilians in July was 70% higher than the same month in 2025, it said last week, as Russia's barrages intensified. Russia has exploited Ukraine’s severe shortage of US-made Patriot air defence interceptors, which are the only way of countering ballistic missiles. But Kyiv is swiftly innovating, with Ukraine now developing its own ballistic missile to hit back at Russia and working with European countries on developing more anti-ballistic air defences.

The Kharkiv region, in which some areas are occupied by Russian forces, has been heavily attacked since Moscow launched its large-scale invasion in February 2022. A Russian attack on a town in the Kharkiv region, in northeastern Ukraine, killed at least ten people, the regional governor said on Tuesday. The attack comes amid a spike in civilian casualties in this four-and-a-half-year war. The Russian forces conducted a rocket attack on Pechenigy, a town located about forty kilometers from the Russian border, the Kharkiv region governor, Oleg Sinegubov, said on social media. 'According to preliminary information, ten people died,' he added, eight were injured. The attack damaged private homes and shops, he added. The Kharkiv region, some areas of which are occupied by Russian forces, has been hard hit since Moscow launched its large-scale invasion in February 2022. Meanwhile, a total of 620 drones were directed towards the Moscow region overnight, according to Russian officials, who noted that several people were injured and some buildings were hit. 'Tonight and in the morning, the air defense and electronic warfare forces repelled a massive drone attack against the Moscow region,' the regional governor Andrey Vorobyov said on Telegram. The 'most serious consequences' were recorded in the Pavlovsky Posad district, where a house was destroyed by fire, Vorobyov noted. With front-line fighting largely stalled and talks frozen, Ukraine and Russia have significantly intensified long-range attacks, bringing civilian deaths to their highest levels since the early months of the 2022 war. The Ukrainian energy sector in the crosshairs. The attack on Kharkiv comes a day after the state energy company Naftogaz Group reported that its facilities had been targeted 13 times in the past week, bringing the total number of attacks to almost 300 since the beginning of the year. According to Naftogaz, drones and Russian missiles hit facilities in several regions of the country, and one was repeatedly attacked during the week, causing severe damage to equipment and production capacity. The company added that no employees were injured in the attacks. The DTEK group, a coal mining and electricity generation company that presents itself as Ukraine's largest private investor in the energy sector, also reported that a Russian attack caused a fire in one of its mines, where a 52-year-old man died. Russia has repeatedly struck the Ukrainian power grid in the hope of undermining Ukraine's will to resist by leaving the population without electricity, heating, or running water during the harsh winter months. Ukrainian authorities, who say Russia is 'using the winter as a weapon,' fear Moscow will prolong this campaign into the next winter as well. With troops largely immobilized by drones and robots along the roughly 1,250-kilometer front, both Russia and Ukraine are expanding air campaigns and developing new long-range weapons. For months, Ukraine has been attacking energy facilities inside Russia with drones and missiles, aiming to hit a key source of revenue for the Russian military. With Moscow now within reach of Ukrainian drones that regularly target the region, organizers canceled a major military music festival that was due to take place starting Friday on Red Square in Moscow. The organizers of the Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival stated on Monday on social media that the event is postponed to next year for reasons beyond their control. In May, authorities significantly reduced the annual Victory Day celebrations on Red Square, for the first time in nearly two decades. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that there would be no military hardware at the parade for fear of long-range attacks with Ukrainian drones. Innovative solutions. Ukraine has depended heavily on foreign military aid following Moscow's large-scale invasion in February 2022, but has gradually increased its own firepower, culminating in Sunday with a volley of more than 800 long-range drones against Russian territory. Ukraine has also managed to strike warehouses owned by Wildberries, Russia’s leading online retailer, up to 2,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Russian forces have increasingly targeted apartment blocks, ports, schools, and hospitals, among other urban targets, killing nearly 17,000 civilians, according to the United Nations. The tally of 437 Ukrainian civilians killed in July was 70% higher than in the same month of 2025, the organization added last week, coinciding with the intensifying Russian bombings. Russia has exploited the severe shortage in Ukraine of American-made Patriot air defense interceptors, which are the only means to counter ballistic missiles. But Kyiv is innovating rapidly, and Ukraine is already developing its own ballistic missile to respond to Russia and is working with several European countries on developing more ballistic missile defense systems.

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Issued on:11/08/2026 - 15:57 Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least nine people overnight and wounded dozens, Kyiv said Tuesday (August 11), accusing Moscow of launching North Korean missiles in the raid. Headings To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Issued on:11/08/2026 - 15:57 Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least nine people overnight and wounded dozens, Kyiv said Tuesday (August 11), accusing Moscow of launching North Korean missiles in the raid. © 2026 Copyright France 24 - All rights reserved. France 24 is not responsible for the content of external websites. Audience ratings certified by ACPM.ACPM The content you requested does not exist or is not available anymore.

War in Ukraine: At least 10 killed in Kharkiv, several wounded in Moscow drone attack At least 10 people were killed and eight wounded in a strike on Pechenigy, in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, the local governor said Tuesday, as 620 drones targeted the Moscow region overnight, Russian officials said, with several people wounded and buildings struck. To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. A total of 620 drones flew towards the Moscow region overnight, Russian officials said on Tuesday, reporting that several people were wounded and buildings were struck. With frontline fighting at a near standstill and talks frozen, Ukraine and Russia have significantly stepped up long-distance attacks, pushing the civilian death toll to its highest levels since the war's first months in 2022. Russian air defences destroyed more than 180 of the drones over the capital region, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on the state-backed MAX platform. The drone swarm wounded three people, including a 10-year-old girl, Moscow region Governor Andrey Vorobyov said on Telegram. "Tonight and in the morning, air defence and electronic warfare forces were repelling a large-scale drone attack on Moscow region," he said. 'Most serious consequences' The "most serious consequences" were reported in the Pavlovsky Posad district, where a house burned down, Vorobyov said. A drone also struck a warehouse east of Moscow belonging to e-commerce giant Wildberries. Read moreFast and fearless: Baltic defence startups innovate to counter Russian threat "The company's logistics complex in the Moscow region sustained minor damage as a result of the attack. Debris hit the wall of the building," the company said in a statement. Ukraine has struck multiple Wildberries warehouses in recent weeks, saying the company supplies components for Russian drones. Meanwhile, a Russian attack on a village in the Kharkiv region of northeast Ukraine killed 10 people, the local governor said Tuesday. The strike comes amid a surge in civilian deaths in the four-and-a-half-year war. 10 killed in Kharkiv Russian forces "carried out a rocket strike on Pechenigy", a village around 40 kilometres from the Russian border, Kharkiv regional governor Oleg Synegubov said on social media. "According to preliminary information, 10 people were killed," he added, with eight people wounded. The strike damaged private houses and shops, he added. The Kharkiv region - parts of which are occupied by Russian forces - has been hit heavily since Moscow invaded in February 2022. Read moreRussia’s Supreme Court upholds ban on anti-war party Yabloko According to the United Nations, more civilians have been killed in the war in recent months than in any period since the start of the invasion. (FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Russian attacks leave 10 dead in Kharkiv as Ukraine launches 620 drones at Moscow Russia and Ukraine exchanged new strikes on Tuesday, leaving at least 10 people dead in the Ukrainian Kharkiv region and three wounded in the Moscow region, where Russian authorities said they faced one of the largest drone attacks launched by Kyiv against the area. Crimea, annexed by Russia, also recorded attacks and power outages. At least 10 dead and eight injured were reported from a Russian attack on a town in the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Tuesday. The attack on the town of Pechenihy caused damage to 10 private buildings, a cafe, a post office, a shop, and at least seven vehicles, Syniehubov said on Telegram. The Russian Defense Ministry also stated on Tuesday that its forces had taken the towns of Krasnopillia and Orikhivatka in the Donetsk region, in eastern Ukraine, according to the RIA agency. Reuters said it could not independently verify the on-the-ground information. If confirmed, the capture of both towns would allow Russian forces to increase pressure on strategic Ukrainian positions in Donetsk. Krasnopillia is located about three kilometers from Dobropillia, considered a key defense point for Ukraine in that sector, while Orikhivatka is a little over six kilometers from Sloviansk. Separately, Ukraine launched 620 drones at Moscow and its surroundings during the early hours of Tuesday, according to the Moscow mayor, marking one of Kyiv’s largest airstrikes against the region. The attacks also caused power outages in Crimea, which Russia annexed, according to local authorities. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, without providing details about possible casualties or damage, said on Telegram that Russian forces shot down 180 drones over the Moscow region and that emergency services were working at the sites where the aircraft fell. At least three people, including a 10-year-old girl, were injured in the region, regional governor Andrei Vorobyov said, adding that drones hit a warehouse belonging to the Russian e-commerce company Wildberries and other facilities near Moscow. Debris from a drone hit the wall of the Wildberries warehouse, causing minor damage, according to the company. To display this YouTube content, you must authorize audience and advertising measurement cookies. An extension of your browser appears to be blocking the video player load. To view this content, you must disable it on this site. Authorities also reported heavy attacks in other regions under Russian control, including Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014. Krymenergo, Crimea’s main electricity supplier, said several localities were left without power as a result of the attacks, and the supply situation remained difficult in the northwestern, eastern, and southern parts of the region. With Reuters

Russian missile strikes kill at least 16 in and around Kyiv overnight A Russian missile barrage on Thursday killed at least 16 people in Kyiv and the surrounding region, local authorities said, with explosions echoing across the capital throughout the night. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had been preparing the attack "for a long time". To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Russian bombardments killed at least 16 people and wounded dozens in Ukraine's capital and its surrounding region overnight, authorities said on Thursday. The massive missile attack on Kyiv struck residential areas and warehouses, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram Thursday. In the early morning hours, rescuers in Kyiv were sifting through the rubble of destroyed buildings, including a damaged children's hospital, while grieving families watched as two bodies were pulled out of an apartment block. "There used to be a building here, and now it's gone," said 45-year-old resident Maria Abramova. She had only just reached her children's room after the air raid alert sounded when explosions rang out, blowing her windows out and "nearly killing" her husband. To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later wrote on X that the death toll in the capital had risen and that 40 people had been wounded. "The Russians had been preparing for a long time, combining different types of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones, aiming to cause as much damage as possible to civilian infrastructure," he wrote. To display this content from X (Twitter), you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. An attack in the Brovary district of the broader Kyiv region killed one man and wounded another, Kyiv regional governor Tymur Tkachenko said. "One industrial facility has been damaged. All relevant services are on site, working to extinguish the fire," he added. Ukrainian air forces said on Telegram that Russia launched dozens of ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles, as well as 168 drones in its overnight attack on the country. It said that air defence units downed 145 drones and most of the cruise missiles but none of the missiles that run on ballistic trajectory. Russia's defence ministry said on Telegram that it hit facilities producing drone components, a military depot and a logistics hub. Ukraine's air force had earlier warned of Russian "Kalibr" missiles in the vicinity of the village of Kagarlyk within the Kyiv region, heading towards the capital. The attacks also prompted security responses in neighbouring NATO member states. Poland's military command said it had mobilised aircraft and activated air defences aimed at protecting Polish airspace, particularly in areas bordering Ukraine. Romania's defence ministry said radar systems detected aerial targets near the Ukrainian border overnight, prompting the scrambling of two Spanish fighter jets deployed on NATO missions and a Romanian air force helicopter. The ministry said a drone entered Romanian airspace near Galati before crashing in an unpopulated area in Tulcea county. Russia also reported a large Ukrainian drone attack. Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 250 drones had flown towards the Moscow region between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, with most destroyed at a significant distance from the capital itself. "Twenty-eight drones were destroyed in the Moscow region," Sobyanin added. While Kyiv has faced near-nightly attacks, Ukraine has also escalated its retaliatory strikes on Russia in recent months, in part to attempt to pressure Moscow into coming to the negotiating table to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II. (FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)

Mass Russian barrage kills 12 in Kyiv Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Russia launched a barrage of drones and ballistic missiles at Kyiv and its surrounding region overnight, killing at least 12 people and wounding 21, Ukraine said Tuesday, hitting the capital as children were set to return to school after the summer. Issued on: Modified: Moscow has intensified its strikes on Kyiv this summer, more than four-and-a-half years into its invasion, with US-brokered talks frozen and the Kremlin not dropping its maximalist demands to end the war. Kyiv has tightened security following weeks of attacks and AFP journalists in the capital heard around a dozen loud explosions and saw flashes in the sky early Tuesday. President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced "Russian terror" and said an Indian citizen was among the dead, calling on allies to boost Ukraine's air defence this autumn. Authorities said eight of the victims were killed within Kyiv and that most of them were railway workers who died after a ballistic missile hit a rail depot. Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, chief executive of Ukrainian Railways, said six of the company's employees were killed. He said the attack caused "extensive destruction", including the complete devastation of a workshop, while fires continued to burn at some sites. Another four people were killed in the Kyiv region, Ukrainian prosecutors announced, saying a residential building was damaged in the suburb of Boryspil. 'As much destruction as possible' Zelensky said 50 people were evacuated from the building in Boryspil. "Russia always plans its strikes specifically to cause as much destruction to people's lives as possible, and it succeeds only when air defence capabilities are insufficient," he said on social media. He said it was "very important" that deliveries boosting Kyiv's air defence "increase this fall". EU defence and foreign ministers are due to gather in Ireland from Tuesday to grapple with how to bolster Kyiv, as the Kremlin escalates its air campaign. Ukraine's border service also announced that Moscow had hit the Orlivka ferry checkpoint on the frontier with NATO-member Romania with "Shahed-type attack drones". Romania has shot down Russian drones entering its airspace twice this year. Ukrainian officials also said Moscow had struck a "fire and rescue vehicle" in Zaporizhzhia, wounding four people, and attacked the southern Odesa region. - 'Massive strike' - In Moscow, Russia's defence ministry said its forces had carried out a "massive strike" using long-range weapons and attack drones. It said the attack targeted military-industrial and fuel and energy facilities in Kyiv and the surrounding region. The ministry also said it had struck infrastructure in the Odesa region and the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk. The Ukrainian air force had warned that the threat of "ballistic weapons and other means of attack against Kyiv and the region remains in effect", and urged residents to remain in shelters. Ukrainian children return to school on Tuesday, and the Kyiv regional military administration has warned there must be no large events in high-risk areas. Kyiv and its surrounding areas have come under sustained pressure from Russian attacks in recent weeks, with jet-powered drones adding to the threat and triggering as many as a dozen air-raid alerts a day. One weekend attack on an ammunition depot killed 38 people in the capital's suburbs. Both sides have escalated long-range strikes in recent months, targeting infrastructure such as warehouses, businesses and oil and port facilities, as well as ships, increasing civilian casualties. Ukraine faces a shortage of interceptor missiles, particularly US-made Patriot systems for use against ballistic threats. © 2026 AFP

Russian missile strike kills 10 in Ukraine's Kharkiv, Zelensky vows response A Russian missile strike hit central Pechenihy in Kharkiv region, killing 10 people and injuring 17. President Zelenskiy vowed a response as officials said homes, shops and a post office were hit. A Russian missile attack killed 10 people on Tuesday in a village in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, Ukrainian authorities said. "This morning the Russians launched a brutal attack on a busy intersection in Pechenihy, Kharkiv region – a location with a post office and stores, surrounded only by residential buildings," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X. Zelenskiy posted photos of a destroyed building, cars on fire and emergency responders carrying people on stretchers. "We will definitely respond to this Russian strike," he said. A further 17 people were injured in the attack, the governor of the surrounding region, Oleh Syniehubov, said on the Telegram messaging app. There was no immediate public comment from Russia on the attack. The strike on the village damaged 10 private buildings, a cafe, a post office, a store and at least seven cars, Syniehubov said. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office said that according to preliminary information, Russia used two small Banderol cruise missiles. A local official told public broadcaster Suspilne that the strikes had hit the central part of the village, where the cafe, post office and shops are located. A Russian missile attack killed 10 people on Tuesday in a village in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, Ukrainian authorities said. "This morning the Russians launched a brutal attack on a busy intersection in Pechenihy, Kharkiv region – a location with a post office and stores, surrounded only by residential buildings," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X. Zelenskiy posted photos of a destroyed building, cars on fire and emergency responders carrying people on stretchers. "We will definitely respond to this Russian strike," he said. A further 17 people were injured in the attack, the governor of the surrounding region, Oleh Syniehubov, said on the Telegram messaging app. There was no immediate public comment from Russia on the attack. The strike on the village damaged 10 private buildings, a cafe, a post office, a store and at least seven cars, Syniehubov said. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office said that according to preliminary information, Russia used two small Banderol cruise missiles. A local official told public broadcaster Suspilne that the strikes had hit the central part of the village, where the cafe, post office and shops are located. A Russian missile attack killed 10 people on Tuesday in a village in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, Ukrainian authorities said. "This morning the Russians launched a brutal attack on a busy intersection in Pechenihy, Kharkiv region – a location with a post office and stores, surrounded only by residential buildings," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X. Zelenskiy posted photos of a destroyed building, cars on fire and emergency responders carrying people on stretchers. "We will definitely respond to this Russian strike," he said. A further 17 people were injured in the attack, the governor of the surrounding region, Oleh Syniehubov, said on the Telegram messaging app. There was no immediate public comment from Russia on the attack. The strike on the village damaged 10 private buildings, a cafe, a post office, a store and at least seven cars, Syniehubov said. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office said that according to preliminary information, Russia used two small Banderol cruise missiles. A local official told public broadcaster Suspilne that the strikes had hit the central part of the village, where the cafe, post office and shops are located.

Russia's overnight Kyiv attack kills 16 as Poland and Romania scramble Russia launched a sustained overnight missile and drone strike on Kyiv, killing 16 and wounding dozens. The barrage also pushed Poland, Romania and Moldova to heighten vigilance near Ukraine's borders. Russia launched a prolonged overnight missile and drone attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region, killing at least 16 people and wounding about 40, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday. Explosions were heard across the capital for hours before dawn, and emergency services said 15 people were killed in Kyiv and one in the wider Kyiv region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack was one of the latest signs of growing pressure on the capital, as Russia has stepped up ballistic missile strikes in recent months. Ukraine has been facing a shortage of US-made Patriot interceptors, which it says are the only weapons it has that can bring down ballistic missiles. At the same time, neighbouring countries were put on alert as the strikes unfolded. The Ukrainian air force said Russia's barrage included ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and fast-flying jet-powered drones, adding to the strain on air defences. Kyiv was the main target, but the air force said strikes were recorded at 28 locations across the country. Air raid warnings remained in force until after dawn. "It was a massive attack," Zelenskyy said on social media, adding that Russia "had been preparing (it) for a long time, combining different types of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, aiming to cause as much damage as possible to civilian infrastructure." Russia's Defence Ministry gave a different account, saying the attack hit an industrial site in Kyiv that manufactures components for Ukraine's Flamingo cruise missiles. It also said sites involved in the production and storage of drones, an ammunition depot and a logistics centre were struck. The exchanges came as both sides continue to hit each other with drones and missiles while their armies struggle to gain the upper hand along the 1,250-kilometre front line. Ukraine has also tried to push the war onto Russian territory through long-range drone strikes on oil facilities and other infrastructure. On Thursday morning, Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 726 Ukrainian drones overnight over several Russian regions, annexed Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The strikes on Kyiv also prompted action in neighbouring countries. Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command said it activated military aviation operations, ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance as the attack unfolded. Polish and other NATO aircraft were deployed to monitor the country's airspace, according to Poland's PAP news agency. Romania's Defence Ministry said an unidentified drone crashed and caught fire in an uninhabited area near the border with Ukraine. It said two Spanish F-18 jets on an air policing mission in Romania were scrambled after 2 a.m. local time to monitor a group of "air targets" near the border. Moldova's Defence Ministry also said at least one unauthorised drone breached its airspace. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on social media that Russia "is increasingly testing the resolve of NATO and its partners, violating the sovereignty of neighbouring states and deliberately expanding the risks posed by its war far beyond Ukraine." In Kyiv, officials said 12 locations were hit across the Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts. Residential buildings, a medical facility and an educational institution were damaged. Emergency crews worked through the rubble to pull people out. Among those affected was 60-year-old Larysa Bondaruk, who sat on the ground holding her cat, Chanel, after firefighters rescued it. In tears, she said her neighbour's grandson had been trapped under the rubble and died, and that her own flat had been badly damaged. "A rocket hit the roof. It was incredibly loud. Immediately, debris and doors were blown out. There were columns of smoke, columns of fire, screams, crying and despair," she said. "Two people were killed in our building, but the rescuers responded quickly and professionally. I am grateful to them for that." In Solomianskyi district, the top two floors of a nine-storey residential building were destroyed and fires broke out on other floors. People were also trapped in two residential buildings and in a school shelter. Overall, the overnight assault left Kyiv and the surrounding region battered, put neighbouring states on alert and underscored the continued intensity of missile and drone attacks in the war. With PTI Inputs Russia launched a prolonged overnight missile and drone attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region, killing at least 16 people and wounding about 40, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday. Explosions were heard across the capital for hours before dawn, and emergency services said 15 people were killed in Kyiv and one in the wider Kyiv region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack was one of the latest signs of growing pressure on the capital, as Russia has stepped up ballistic missile strikes in recent months. Ukraine has been facing a shortage of US-made Patriot interceptors, which it says are the only weapons it has that can bring down ballistic missiles. At the same time, neighbouring countries were put on alert as the strikes unfolded. The Ukrainian air force said Russia's barrage included ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and fast-flying jet-powered drones, adding to the strain on air defences. Kyiv was the main target, but the air force said strikes were recorded at 28 locations across the country. Air raid warnings remained in force until after dawn. "It was a massive attack," Zelenskyy said on social media, adding that Russia "had been preparing (it) for a long time, combining different types of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, aiming to cause as much damage as possible to civilian infrastructure." Russia's Defence Ministry gave a different account, saying the attack hit an industrial site in Kyiv that manufactures components for Ukraine's Flamingo cruise missiles. It also said sites involved in the production and storage of drones, an ammunition depot and a logistics centre were struck. The exchanges came as both sides continue to hit each other with drones and missiles while their armies struggle to gain the upper hand along the 1,250-kilometre front line. Ukraine has also tried to push the war onto Russian territory through long-range drone strikes on oil facilities and other infrastructure. On Thursday morning, Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 726 Ukrainian drones overnight over several Russian regions, annexed Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The strikes on Kyiv also prompted action in neighbouring countries. Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command said it activated military aviation operations, ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance as the attack unfolded. Polish and other NATO aircraft were deployed to monitor the country's airspace, according to Poland's PAP news agency. Romania's Defence Ministry said an unidentified drone crashed and caught fire in an uninhabited area near the border with Ukraine. It said two Spanish F-18 jets on an air policing mission in Romania were scrambled after 2 a.m. local time to monitor a group of "air targets" near the border. Moldova's Defence Ministry also said at least one unauthorised drone breached its airspace. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on social media that Russia "is increasingly testing the resolve of NATO and its partners, violating the sovereignty of neighbouring states and deliberately expanding the risks posed by its war far beyond Ukraine." In Kyiv, officials said 12 locations were hit across the Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts. Residential buildings, a medical facility and an educational institution were damaged. Emergency crews worked through the rubble to pull people out. Among those affected was 60-year-old Larysa Bondaruk, who sat on the ground holding her cat, Chanel, after firefighters rescued it. In tears, she said her neighbour's grandson had been trapped under the rubble and died, and that her own flat had been badly damaged. "A rocket hit the roof. It was incredibly loud. Immediately, debris and doors were blown out. There were columns of smoke, columns of fire, screams, crying and despair," she said. "Two people were killed in our building, but the rescuers responded quickly and professionally. I am grateful to them for that." In Solomianskyi district, the top two floors of a nine-storey residential building were destroyed and fires broke out on other floors. People were also trapped in two residential buildings and in a school shelter. Overall, the overnight assault left Kyiv and the surrounding region battered, put neighbouring states on alert and underscored the continued intensity of missile and drone attacks in the war. With PTI Inputs Russia launched a prolonged overnight missile and drone attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region, killing at least 16 people and wounding about 40, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday. Explosions were heard across the capital for hours before dawn, and emergency services said 15 people were killed in Kyiv and one in the wider Kyiv region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack was one of the latest signs of growing pressure on the capital, as Russia has stepped up ballistic missile strikes in recent months. Ukraine has been facing a shortage of US-made Patriot interceptors, which it says are the only weapons it has that can bring down ballistic missiles. At the same time, neighbouring countries were put on alert as the strikes unfolded. The Ukrainian air force said Russia's barrage included ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and fast-flying jet-powered drones, adding to the strain on air defences. Kyiv was the main target, but the air force said strikes were recorded at 28 locations across the country. Air raid warnings remained in force until after dawn. "It was a massive attack," Zelenskyy said on social media, adding that Russia "had been preparing (it) for a long time, combining different types of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, aiming to cause as much damage as possible to civilian infrastructure." Russia's Defence Ministry gave a different account, saying the attack hit an industrial site in Kyiv that manufactures components for Ukraine's Flamingo cruise missiles. It also said sites involved in the production and storage of drones, an ammunition depot and a logistics centre were struck. The exchanges came as both sides continue to hit each other with drones and missiles while their armies struggle to gain the upper hand along the 1,250-kilometre front line. Ukraine has also tried to push the war onto Russian territory through long-range drone strikes on oil facilities and other infrastructure. On Thursday morning, Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 726 Ukrainian drones overnight over several Russian regions, annexed Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The strikes on Kyiv also prompted action in neighbouring countries. Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command said it activated military aviation operations, ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance as the attack unfolded. Polish and other NATO aircraft were deployed to monitor the country's airspace, according to Poland's PAP news agency. Romania's Defence Ministry said an unidentified drone crashed and caught fire in an uninhabited area near the border with Ukraine. It said two Spanish F-18 jets on an air policing mission in Romania were scrambled after 2 a.m. local time to monitor a group of "air targets" near the border. Moldova's Defence Ministry also said at least one unauthorised drone breached its airspace. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on social media that Russia "is increasingly testing the resolve of NATO and its partners, violating the sovereignty of neighbouring states and deliberately expanding the risks posed by its war far beyond Ukraine." In Kyiv, officials said 12 locations were hit across the Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts. Residential buildings, a medical facility and an educational institution were damaged. Emergency crews worked through the rubble to pull people out. Among those affected was 60-year-old Larysa Bondaruk, who sat on the ground holding her cat, Chanel, after firefighters rescued it. In tears, she said her neighbour's grandson had been trapped under the rubble and died, and that her own flat had been badly damaged. "A rocket hit the roof. It was incredibly loud. Immediately, debris and doors were blown out. There were columns of smoke, columns of fire, screams, crying and despair," she said. "Two people were killed in our building, but the rescuers responded quickly and professionally. I am grateful to them for that." In Solomianskyi district, the top two floors of a nine-storey residential building were destroyed and fires broke out on other floors. People were also trapped in two residential buildings and in a school shelter. Overall, the overnight assault left Kyiv and the surrounding region battered, put neighbouring states on alert and underscored the continued intensity of missile and drone attacks in the war. With PTI Inputs

The Ukrainian leader, Volodímir Zelensky, reported that emergency teams have been working nonstop since early on at the sites hit by the Russian offensive. He characterized the action as a “massive” bombing and noted that Russia “has been preparing for a long time, combining different types of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, with the aim of causing the greatest possible damage to civilian infrastructure.” “There is destruction in Kyiv and the region, as well as in the Odesa and Chernihiv regions,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on his X account. In the capital, he detailed, residential buildings were affected, including a high-rise whose upper floors were devastated. A children’s hospital and a school were also hit. “Emergency and rescue operations continue,” he added. Zelensky confirmed that the Russian attack caused 12 deaths in Kyiv, plus two deaths in other regions. “My condolences to all the families and loved ones,” he wrote. He also noted that about 40 people were injured. Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, had previously reported a toll of 13 dead and 33 wounded in the city, after an initial estimate of five fatalities. In the Odesa region, according to Zelensky, the enemy carried out a drone attack against a border crossing with Moldova; while in the Chernihiv region, the target was gas-related infrastructure. The president thanked “all the rescuers, doctors, police, and public service workers who helped people from the very first moments.” The leader used the offensive to renew his call for air defense systems. “Unfortunately, while Moscow invests in ballistic missiles and in escalation, this type of attack does not always receive the response it should from the world. And until Ukraine has sufficient anti-ballistic defense, Russia will not take peace seriously,” he wrote. Zelensky stated that Ukraine “is doing everything possible” to obtain that protection, and that work on the FREYJA anti-ballistic program continues unabated. However, he emphasized that the US-made Patriot interceptors “still cannot be replaced” and that the country needs them “every day.” “Every additional missile saves the lives of our people,” he asserted, and he thanked “everyone who understands this and seeks and finds ways to help.” The bombing hit residential areas, warehouses, and other facilities overnight, according to Ukrainian authorities. Klitschko had communicated via Telegram that the attack struck several districts of Kyiv, with people trapped in a residential building and fires in multiple locations. A Reuters witness reported hearing more than a dozen explosions in the city. The Ukrainian Air Force had previously warned about the presence of Russian Kalibr missiles near Kagarlyk, in the Kyiv region, heading toward the capital. In the Brovary district, within Kyiv province, another attack caused one man’s death and injuries to another person, according to regional governor Tymur Tkachenko, who did not clarify whether that casualty was included in the balance released by Klitschko. “An industrial facility was damaged. All relevant services are on the scene and working to extinguish the fire,” Tkachenko said. The attacks also triggered security measures in NATO neighboring nations. Poland mobilized aircraft and activated its air defenses, while Romania detected air targets near the border with Ukraine, prompting the deployment of two Spanish fighter jets on Alliance missions and a Romanian helicopter. According to Romania’s Defense Ministry, a drone entered Romanian airspace near Galați before plunging into an unpopulated area of Tulcea. On the Russian side, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that about 250 Ukrainian drones headed toward the Moscow region overnight, most of which were neutralized at a distance from the Russian capital. “Twenty-eight drones were destroyed in the Moscow region,” he specified. In the diplomatic arena, Zelensky had indicated this month that Kyiv had proposed to American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner a plan aimed at ending the war. Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told the newspaper Izvestia that Moscow had not received concrete proposals for new meetings with the American negotiators, though she noted that Russia would be willing to organize a meeting with little notice. Source: Infobae

- Russia used North Korean missiles in a Zaporizhzhia attack killing six, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed. - Six more died in Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk, while Kyiv suffered fires from the attacks. - Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed strikes on Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia, though it denied North Korean missile use. KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces killed six people early on Tuesday in an attack on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia that involved North Korean ballistic missiles, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Six others were killed overnight in the Ukrainian regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk, and a Russian attack on Kyiv caused fires in the capital, Ukrainian officials said. Regional governor Ivan Fedorov posted photos online showing buildings and vehicles ablaze in Zaporizhzhia, where officials said 20 people had also been wounded. "The city was hit by North Korean ballistic missiles, Zircons (anti-ship missiles) and KABs (precision-guided aerial bombs)," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. "A brutal attack calculated to inflict maximum damage on civilian infrastructure." Russia did not immediately say whether it had used North Korean missiles in the attack on Zaporizhzhia. There was no comment from Pyongyang. Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had struck the Nova Poshta sorting complex in Kyiv which it said was used to store and distribute dual-use goods, including components for drones and electronic warfare equipment. Russian forces also struck a metallurgical plant in Zaporizhzhia that produces flat-rolled steel which it said was used by the Ukrainian military, the ministry said. The attacks followed a Ukrainian drone strike that Russian authorities said on Monday had killed at least 13 people and wounded 39 in the Russian city of Nizhnekamsk, one of the heaviest civilian tolls in Russia in months. Four years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there is no end in sight to a war that has killed many thousands of people, mostly in Ukraine, devastated towns and cities, and forces millions of Ukrainians from their homes. Russia has continued heavy bombardments of Ukraine, trying to exploit Ukraine's shortage of high-end air defenses by using more ballistic missiles, which are particularly hard to shoot down. Kyiv has increasingly been striking Russia, including hitting oil refineries and warehouses used by e-commerce retailer Wildberries. Ukraine said on Tuesday it had targeted an oil refinery in the Russian city of Orsk in its latest strikes. North Korean links with Russia Reuters cited an official at Ukraine's military intelligence agency last week as saying a North Korean missile unit had begun deploying to western Russia and could be equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers for strikes on Ukraine. Russia has fired scores of North Korean ballistic missiles at Ukraine since late 2023, but the deployment of North Korean missile forces would be an expansion of the already extensive military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. Zelenskyy said on X on Saturday that "a decision has been made for 30,000 to 50,000 North Koreans to be deployed on the territory of Russia" to fight for Moscow. He had previously provided an estimate of 30,000 soldiers. Russia and North Korea signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty two years ago including a mutual assistance provision if either faced external aggression. North Korea sent an estimated 14,000 soldiers to Russia's Kursk Region in 2024 after an incursion into the region by Ukrainian forces. North Korea has also supplied Russia with millions of artillery and mortar rounds, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, according to Ukrainian and independent assessments.

A Russian missile strike on the village of Pechenyhy in the Kharkiv region killed 10 people and injured 18 on Tuesday, Aug. 18, according to local authorities. Kharkiv Regional Military Administration (OVA) Head Oleh Syniehubov said the injured were receiving medical treatment. Emergency crews were working at the scene to clear the consequences of the attack. Later, Syniehubov clarified that the number of people injured in the attack had risen from 8 to 18. President Volodymyr Zelensky has also reacted to the strike, writing on social media: “This morning, the Russians brutally struck a crowded intersection in Pechenyhy, Kharkiv region, where the post office and shops are located, surrounded by residential buildings.” He expressed his condolences to the families and friends of those killed. According to Zelensky, rescuers have already extinguished the fire, while emergency and other services continue to work at the scene. The circumstances of the attack are being investigated. “We will definitely respond to this Russian strike. And it is no less important that partners also complement our fair kinetic responses with their steps in putting pressure on Russia and supporting Ukraine,” the president added. Later, the OVA head published photos showing the aftermath of the strike. “The occupiers struck the central part of the settlement with two Banderol missiles,” the report said. Syniehubov specified that the strike set a cafe and seven cars on fire across an area of about 400 square meters (4,305 square feet). The fire has since been extinguished. Ten private houses, a post office building, five shops, and 15 cars were also damaged. “Medics are providing the wounded with the necessary assistance. The rubble from the damaged buildings is being cleared, while emergency services are patrolling the surrounding area in case anyone else needs help,” the report added. Russian drones hit Kyiv region and Zaporizhzhia Russian drones also attacked Kyiv region early Tuesday, damaging civilian infrastructure in the Brovary district. As of 7:30 a.m., an office building, warehouses, and a private house had been damaged, according to local authorities. No casualties had been reported at that time. Fires broke out at three locations in the Brovary community. Authorities said they would provide further details about the damage and consequences of the attack later. It was later reported that the distribution center of the EVA retail chain and the EVA.UA online store were hit in the attack. The company said the exact extent of the damage and losses would be assessed after the fire is extinguished and the facility is inspected. “Preliminarily, the fire may have damaged both the EVA.UA online store warehouse and facilities supplying goods to the chain’s offline stores,” the company said. As a result, some stores may temporarily experience shortages of certain goods, while some online orders may be delayed. In Zaporizhzhia, two people were killed in a Russian drone strike late on Monday, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (DSNS). The victims were a 43-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman. The attack partially destroyed a residential building and caused a fire, which rescuers extinguished. Russia launches 147 drones overnight According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched 147 Shahed-type attack drones, including jet-powered variants, as well as Gerbera and Parody decoy drones, beginning at 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 17. Ukraine’s Air Force said the attack was countered by fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, as well as mobile fire groups. As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, Ukrainian air defenses had shot down or suppressed 111 Russian drones across northern, southern, and eastern Ukraine. Russian drones were recorded being hit at 19 locations, while debris from downed drones fell at three other locations. You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter

Russian forces launched a major combined missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight into Thursday, Aug. 20, killing at least 13 people and injuring 33 as strikes damaged residential buildings, a children’s hospital, a school, and other civilian infrastructure across the Ukrainian capital. As of 3:20 a.m. Kyiv time, the Kyiv City Military Administration (KMVA) said consequences of the attack had been recorded at more than 12 locations across the Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, and Solomianskyi districts. Residential buildings, a medical facility, and an educational institution were damaged, while large warehouse fires broke out. “Unfortunately, five people were killed by the enemy. Another 23 people were injured,” KMVA said in its latest update. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko had earlier reported three people killed and 20 injured, 14 of whom were hospitalized, before the city military administration raised the toll. However, later Klitschko reported that the death toll in Kyiv has risen, while 33 people were injured. “Another injured person died in hospital. Twelve people are dead in the capital at this time,” the report reads. Seven of the fatalities were reported in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district. Firefighters continue to extinguish fires in the Sviatoshynskyi, Solomianskyi, and Darnytskyi districts. State Emergency Service units and other relevant services are working at the scene. In a subsequent report, the mayor added that Friday, Aug. 21, has been declared a Day of Mourning in Kyiv to honor the victims of the massive Russian attack on the capital. “On this day, flags will be lowered on all municipal buildings in the city. It is also recommended that national flags be lowered on state and privately owned buildings across the capital,” the report reads. All Friday entertainment events are prohibited in Kyiv. Later, the State Emergency Service (DSNS) reported that the death toll in Kyiv had risen to 13 people. In the Kyiv region, one person has been reported killed and seven injured. “Our units in the Solomyanskyi district of the capital discovered the body of another woman. In total, 14 people have died and more than 40 have been injured in this Russian attack in Kyiv and the region,” the DSNS said. More than 600 rescuers and police officers have been involved in the response since the attack began. Emergency services are currently working at two sites in the capital and three more in the Boryspil and Brovary districts. In the first minutes after the strikes, DSNS and National Police units rescued and provided first aid to dozens of people. Police have set up headquarters at the attack sites to accept reports of damaged or destroyed property. In Kyiv alone, more than 200 applications have already been registered. Psychologists are also providing support to people who have lost relatives or been left without homes. Around 20 residential buildings, a school, a children’s hospital and a kindergarten were significantly damaged in the capital. The DSNS said it had deployed all necessary personnel and equipment, including robotic systems, to clear the rubble and search for survivors. “We are checking whether there are more people under the rubble. In the Kyiv region, a fire has engulfed warehouses with household goods. Rescuers are trying to contain the flames, and aircraft have been deployed,” the report read. Fires are currently being contained at two fuel infrastructure facilities in the Brovary district and at two warehouse buildings in the Boryspil district. DSNS aircraft are assisting with firefighting operations. During air-raid alerts, emergency units and equipment move to safe locations. Work resumes immediately after the alerts end. Ukraine’s Air Force initially warned of ballistic missiles approaching Kyiv from the north, with successive missile threats reported as explosions shook the capital. “Explosions in the capital. Kyiv is under ballistic attack,” Klitschko wrote on Telegram, urging residents to remain in shelters. The first reported impacts were in the Sviatoshynskyi and Darnytskyi districts. Klitschko said a strike hit an area of non-residential development in Sviatoshynskyi, while non-residential buildings were burning in Darnytskyi. He warned at the time that more missiles were still heading toward the capital. In the Solomianskyi district, debris fell near a five-story residential building, blowing out windows and starting a fire. A children’s hospital was also damaged, with windows shattered and vehicles burning on its grounds, Klitschko said. The scale of the destruction grew as emergency crews moved through the district. Klitschko said the upper floors of a nine-story residential building in Solomianskyi were destroyed and caught fire. At another residential building, residents were trapped inside as emergency services rushed to the scene. KMVA also reported that a school building in Solomianskyi was damaged and that people were trapped inside its shelter. Emergency services were dispatched to the site. In Sviatoshynskyi, warehouse buildings caught fire and a non-residential structure was destroyed. Authorities earlier said people could be trapped beneath the rubble. The attack also disrupted electricity supplies. Klitschko said parts of the Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts were left without power, with energy crews working to determine the cause. The assault did not end with the initial ballistic strikes. Ukraine’s Air Force later tracked Russian Kalibr cruise missiles as they moved north across Ukraine. At around 1:30 a.m. Kyiv time, the Air Force reported Kalibr missiles near Kaharlyk in the Kyiv region heading toward the capital, followed minutes later by an urgent warning for Kyiv residents to take shelter as the missiles approached from the south. Russia also deployed jet-powered drones during the continuing attack. The Air Force later reported a jet-powered UAV moving from the Chernihiv region toward Kyiv. Shortly after midnight, additional jet-powered drones were detected over central Poltava region moving west toward the Cherkasy and Kyiv regions. The combination of ballistic missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles and jet-powered drones kept Kyiv under prolonged aerial threat as emergency crews worked at strike sites across the city. Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian cities, residential neighborhoods and civilian infrastructure with missiles and drones. International humanitarian law prohibits attacks directed against civilians and civilian objects, while hospitals and other medical facilities receive specific protection. Intentionally directing attacks against civilians or civilian objects constitutes a war crime. You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter

Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Ukraine must find a way to restore full democratic elections despite the ongoing war, arguing that Russian President Vladimir Putin should not be the one deciding when Ukrainian citizens can vote. Fedorov made the remarks in a video address posted to his YouTube channel, saying Ukraine needs a “legal, safe, and realistic mechanism” for holding elections during a prolonged conflict, while also safeguarding voting rights for soldiers, Ukrainians living abroad, and residents of frontline regions. “We must not let Putin decide when Ukrainians can choose their government,” Fedorov said, adding that “democracy cannot be a hostage to Russia.” “We are fighting precisely because we want to remain a free European state,” he continued. Pressed for greater government accountability Fedorov also pressed for greater government accountability, arguing that officials holding public authority or funds should be required to transparently show results and explain their decisions publicly. Ukrainians “cannot endlessly live in a state where they do not know why certain decisions are made, why some reforms are moving forward, and others are blocked, why decisions that are needed at the front today go through offices for months,” he said, according to RBC-Ukraine. Legal barriers to wartime voting Ukrainian law currently bars elections under martial law, and only the Verkhovna Rada has the authority to lift that restriction. According to RBC-Ukraine, the debate over wartime elections gained renewed attention in 2025, after US President Donald Trump argued that democracy “cannot be without elections,” prompting Zelensky to respond that he was open to holding a vote – once the electoral process could be secured and legislation updated. However, any election would require a prior ceasefire with Russia. Throughout the war, Putin has repeatedly attacked Ukraine’s democratic legitimacy, weaponizing the fact that Kyiv has not held parliamentary and presidential elections while under martial law. Meanwhile, Fedorov’s remarks come as Russia barred on Aug. 10 its only registered liberal, anti-war party, Yabloko, from the upcoming State Duma parliamentary elections scheduled to be held Sept. 18-19. Fedorov’s departure from the defense ministry Fedorov’s video address came just hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky formally submitted a motion to the Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, nominating Yevhen Khmara as permanent Defense Minister. The confirmation vote is expected as early as Wednesday, Aug. 19. Fedorov’s ouster as defense minister came as part of a broader Cabinet reshuffle on July 15, a move that triggered nationwide protests calling for his reinstatement. The protests continued for weeks, with the last protest reported on Tuesday, when protesters gathered outside the Verkhovna Rada as lawmakers were expected to consider the appointment of a new defense minister. Since his ouster, Fedorov has turned down other government roles offered to him, saying he would accept nothing short of resuming his position as defense minister. At the time of his dismissal, Fedorov cited unresolved tension with military leadership, particularly with former Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), who has since publicly apologized to Fedorov. You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter

Russian forces launched a large-scale overnight missile and drone attack on Ukraine, hitting mainly the Odesa and Kyiv regions and damaging the international Orlivka ferry crossing on the border with Romania. Orlivka crossing damaged Russia attacked the international crossing point serving the Orlivka ferry on the Ukrainian-Romanian border overnight with Shahed-type drones. According to Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, the attack hit buildings and the territory of the crossing, sparking fires that were later localized by rescuers. The Romanian side was informed of the attack, while traffic is being redirected to other border crossings. The registration of citizens and vehicles at Orlivka has been temporarily suspended. The Border Guard Service urged travelers to take the disruption into account when planning to cross the state border, noting that this is not the first Russian attack on the crossing. The Orlivka crossing is located in the Odesa region’s Izmail district, near the village of Orlivka. Odesa Regional Military Administration head Oleh Kiper said the region came under a massive combined attack overnight. “The strikes damaged civilian infrastructure. One person was injured,” Kiper wrote. Two residential buildings were damaged, and a fire broke out at a sewing workshop. Rescuers targeted in Zaporizhzhia Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration (OVA) head Ivan Fedorov reported that four rescuers were injured when a Russian drone targeted their vehicle as they were traveling to respond to a fire in the Zaporizhzhia district. “In Kushuhum, an enemy drone hit a State Emergency Service (DSNS) vehicle that was heading to extinguish a fire. The vehicle was damaged, four rescuers were injured,” Fedorov wrote on Telegram. The wounded rescuers are receiving medical care and remain under observation. Fires reported in Chernihiv region and Kherson Russian drones also struck Chernihiv region overnight, causing fires in two settlements in the Novhorod-Siverskyi district. In one settlement, the roof of a disused cultural center caught fire. In another, two buildings on the territory of an infrastructure facility were damaged by fire. There were no casualties reported in the region. Rescuers quickly extinguished the fires. In Kherson, one person was killed when a Russian FPV drone struck a car, according to local authorities. Air Force: 199 targets neutralized According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched a combined attack from 6 p.m. on Aug. 31 using Iskander-M/KN-23/S-400 ballistic missiles, Zircon anti-ship missiles, Kalibr sea-launched cruise missiles and Kh-31P anti-radar missiles. Russia also launched S8000 Banderol and 218 Shahed-type attack drones, around one-third of which were jet-powered, as well as Parody decoy drones. The main directions of the attack were Odesa and Kyiv regions. Ukraine’s air defenses, supported by aviation, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, as well as mobile fire groups, repelled the attack. As of 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, air defenses had shot down or suppressed 199 targets, including: - five Iskander-M/KN-23/S-400 ballistic missiles; - two S8000 Banderol drones; - five Kalibr cruise missiles; and - 187 drones of various types. Russian missiles and attack drones were intercepted at 28 locations, while debris from downed targets fell at 10 locations. The Air Force said some Russian missiles did not reach their intended targets and that information about their locations was still being clarified. “Unfortunately, there are deaths and injuries as a result of the Russian attack. We express our condolences to the families and loved ones,” the Air Force said. Kyiv and the surrounding region have faced a sustained wave of Russian missile and drone attacks in recent weeks. The latest barrage, which killed 12 people and injured at least 20 others, including children, marked the sixth consecutive day of Russian strikes on the area. The latest attack came as Ukrainian children prepared to return to school after the summer holidays. Regional authorities had warned against holding large public events in areas considered at high risk of further Russian strikes. This barrage followed a devastating Russian strike on an ammunition depot in the Kyiv-region village of Myla last week that killed 38 people. You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter

Al menos 15 personas murieron y más de 30 fueron heridas en Kiev en un nuevo ataque con misiles y drones por parte de Rusia que busca explotar el déficit de munición de defensa aérea en Ucrania, en medio del lento suministro por parte de los socios extranjeros y de la escasez global provocada por el elevado uso de interceptores en Oriente Medio. Aunque la mayor parte de los 36 misiles de crucero y 168 drones de largo alcance fueron interceptados, un número indeterminado de misiles balísticos, entre ellos S-400, Iskander-M, Ónix y Zircón, impactaron en 28 ubicaciones, informó la Fuerza Aérea de Ucrania el jueves por la mañana. Ocho personas murieron en el distrito de Solomianski tras el impacto de un misil contra un edificio residencial de nueve plantas, según las autoridades locales. "La gente llamaba a sus familiares, muchos estaban en shock. Estaba oscuro, todo ardía", contó Larisa, una residente, a la emisora pública Suspilne. Su joven vecino murió en el ataque. "Que estos moscovitas se quemen en el infierno", dijo la mujer cuyo apartamento quedó destruido. Cerca de 38 personas se refugiaron en un búnker antiaéreo de un jardín de infancia, cuyas ventanas saltaron por las explosiones de las bombas. Miles de vecinos también se ocultaron en aparcamientos subterráneos y estaciones de metro. Muchos, sin embargo, permanecieron en casa, esperando que la suerte estuviera de su lado, mientras intentaban dormir algo para poder funcionar durante el día. No hay suficientes refugios para los aproximadamente tres millones de habitantes de la capital ucraniana y apenas hay tiempo para reaccionar a las alarmas aéreas. Los misiles balísticos tardan entre 2 y 4 minutos en llegar desde las regiones fronterizas, donde los lanzadores rusos aprovechan la cobertura de la noche para lanzar ataques. Además de las zonas residenciales, resultaron alcanzados almacenes de una empresa productora de alimentos y de la Cruz Roja en Boryspil, en las afueras de la capital. Rusia no piensa en la paz "El ataque fue masivo: los rusos se prepararon durante mucho tiempo y combinaron distintos tipos de balística, misiles de crucero y drones para causar el mayor daño posible a la infraestructura civil", reaccionó el presidente Volodímir Zelenski. Rusia "no pensará en la paz" hasta que Ucrania disponga de medios suficientes para defenderse de los misiles balísticos, señaló, instando a una reacción del mundo y agradeciendo a quienes buscan formas de ayudar. “No se puede simplemente contemplar en silencio, con indiferencia e inacción, cómo los rusos destrozan vidas con misiles balísticos”, enfatizó el presidente. El ataque ruso también golpeó la infraestructura de gas en la región norteña de Cherníguiv y un paso fronterizo con Moldavia en el sur. Los ataques al sistema energético se intensifican, ya que Rusia ha prometido una vez más "congelar" a Ucrania, dejándola sin electricidad ni gas durante el invierno. El ataque en la frontera con Moldavia forma parte del esfuerzo por aislar las exportaciones ucranianas. Los puertos de Odesa permanecen bloqueados por los ataques rusos, con solo un 20 % del volumen necesario exportado hasta ahora en agosto. Moldavia ofreció su apoyo para transportar el grano por ferrocarril hasta puertos rumanos, pero Rusia utiliza los ataques aéreos para obstaculizar estos esfuerzos y asustar a los vecinos de Ucrania. Un dron ruso entró en el espacio aéreo de Moldavia antes de atacar Ucrania, informó el Ejército moldavo. Otro dron entró en Rumanía y explotó en tierra cerca de la frontera después de que dos aviones F-18 españoles fueran levantados en vuelo para una posible intervención. "No se trata de incidentes aislados. Forman parte de los ataques terroristas sistemáticos y deliberados de Rusia", subrayó el ministro de Asuntos Exteriores ucraniano, Andri Sibiga, advirtiendo de que Rusia "está poniendo a prueba cada vez más la determinación de la OTAN y de sus socios". Aunque Rusia insiste en que sus ataques solo apuntan a centros de producción militar y depósitos de armamento, en realidad buscan sembrar el pánico y hacer imposible la vida en el país en un intento de obligarlo a rendirse, según los analistas ucranianos. El peligro de los ataques rusos, así como el enorme desplazamiento de población y la ocupación de alrededor del 20 % del territorio, hacen que la mayoría de los ucranianos crean que unas elecciones justas y transparentes son imposibles en este momento, a pesar del llamamiento a celebrarlas lanzado por el exministro de Defensa Mijailo Fedorov tras su destitución por Zelenski. "No puedo imaginar cómo proporcionar técnicamente a los miles de soldados que están actualmente en el frente la posibilidad de votar y de presentarse. También temo mucho la desunión de la sociedad durante el proceso electoral y cómo podría afectar al curso de la guerra", afirmó Dmitro Koziatynskyi, coordinador de las protestas que se habían mantenido a favor de Fedorov durante un mes. Durante la noche, drones ucranianos atacaron una zona industrial en la región rusa de Tatarstán, donde se encuentra una refinería de petróleo, provocando "interrupciones", según las autoridades locales.

- Russia accuses the U.S. of fanning Japanese revanchism by supporting the claim over the Kuriles - Estonia links attack on a Defense contractor to Russia - An unidentified drone hits the courtyard of a police station in northeast Turkey - The ousted Ukrainian defense minister asks to hold elections during wartime - Ukrainian power plant damaged by a Russian attack - The shameful Trump and White House attack on a CNN journalist: "Your children will feel outraged and ashamed" - Putin lends diplomatic and economic support to the Burmese coup leader - Russia and Burma note their good rapport: "Our good relations will continue in the future" - A German court convicts a Ukrainian linked to the rocket-pomb packages tied to Russia - Russia says Peruvian fighters were "aware" of the conditions of the war - IAEA calls for an immediate halt to the "unacceptable" attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant - Russian children participate in anti-terror drills in more than a hundred schools and kindergartens - UK defends its support for a Briton: this is how they defend against "Putin’s illegal war" - Russia accuses Ukraine of creating a "real nuclear disaster threat" at Zaporizhzhia - A drone explodes and kills a person near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant - Russia says it fights alongside North Korea for a "new and more just world order" - Wall Street opens lower on rising bonds and oil - Ukraine exhumes the remains of ultranationalist Konovalets: "We are bringing home an exemplary warrior" - Russia announces advances in Ukraine with the capture of two more towns in Donetsk - At least ten dead in a new Russian attack on Kharkiv, northeast Ukraine - At least one dead and 15 wounded in a Ukrainian attack in Enerhodar, near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant - Moscow accuses London of seeking an escalation in Ukraine over alleged use of British drones against Russia - Russia says North Korean troops are fighting against the Ukrainian Nazi cabal - Russia withdraws the vote for peace by excluding Yabloko from the ballots - Ukraine repairs anti-drone networks over a road in the Donetsk area - Melania Trump: "There is nothing more powerful than bringing a mother and her child together" - A Russian pensioner fined for trying to shoot down drones with a shotgun - Russian Supreme Court rejects Yabloko’s appeal against exclusion from legislative elections - Moldova reports a fire caused by an unidentified drone - Russia and MAGA influencers in the U.S. team up on social media for the independence of a Canadian province - Health mysteries of Trump: one of the White House physicians fuels concerns about his condition - Ghana asks Russia to curb illegal recruitment of youths to fight in Ukraine - Zelenski: "More resources must be allocated to the front against Russian drones" - Brent rises 0.18% to near $88.7 per barrel - Lavrov says the Japanese ambassador declined summons to the Russian Foreign Ministry - Health questions around Trump: one of the White House physicians fuels concerns about his state - Zelenski promises to continue long-range strikes against the Russian rear in September - Russia says it has reached two cargo ships in Ukrainian ports - Russia sentences an opposition leader to 11 years for criticizing the war in Ukraine - Trump announces a substantial reduction of joint exercises with South Korea - Melania Trump announces the return of another child separated from their family by the war in Ukraine - The anti-war Russian party accuses 35 people of detention before an appeal in the Supreme Court - Russia takes control of two more towns in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia - At least six dead and four wounded in Ukrainian bombardments of Belgorod region in Russia - Russia attacks ports and ships in Odesa after rejecting a moratorium on targets in the Black Sea - Ukraine claims to have disabled seven logistics centers of the ‘Russian Amazon’ - Ukraine strikes a company in southern Russia that makes rocket fuel - At least five dead in a Ukrainian attack on the Russian Rostov region - Russia says it has shot down 822 Ukrainian drones launched against 16 regions and annexed Crimea - At least one dead and 13 wounded in a Russian attack on Zelensky’s hometown - A new Russian missile attack on Kyiv leaves at least three injured in the Ukrainian capital - At least three dead in Rostov in a Ukrainian drone attack - At least one dead and four wounded in Ukrainian attacks on the Donetsk region - Russia asks the U.S. and Turkey for explanations about possible arms supplies to Ukraine - Ukraine launches an attack on an airfield in Savylykha - Ukraine launches almost 600 drones against Russia and hits an industrial area in Samara with a missile - A new drone found in Romania, the third in one day - China urges Japan to "observe" the post-WWII order in response to Putin’s visit to the Kuriles - Remains of nationalist leader Yevhén Konovalets reinterred in Ukraine - Texas oil up 1.4% to $82.40 per barrel - Ukraine and Egypt meet to discuss Black Sea security - European stocks interrupt four weeks of gains as oil rises - A drone and weapons remnants spotted on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast - Russia claims: "The United States is involved in attacks on Russian territory against civilian targets" - Gas imported to Russia from Morocco and India has not been unloaded due to price dispute - Russian justice prosecutes a Russian officer swapped with Ukraine for a prisoner for treason - Left turn or moderate profile? Key names in the Democrats’ rearmament to end the Trump era - Russian opposition party Yabloko appeals Supreme Court against its exclusion from elections - The euro rises on positive Eurozone economic data - Drought in Europe: the economy stalls as rivers hit historic lows - The fall of a drone from Ukraine causes a fire in a forest in Romania - An Italian fighter under NATO command shoots down a drone over Latvia’s airspace - Ukraine accuses Moscow of killing a mother and nine-year-old son in a drone attack in Sumy - Trump declares unwavering support for Japan amid Russia crisis after Putin’s visit to the Kuriles - Russia says the U.S. is increasingly involved in the Ukraine war and demands explanations from Washington - Russia reports one dead and six injured in a Ukrainian attack on a housing block in Briansk - Ukraine attacks a Russian port in the Baltic with more than fifty drones - Russia campaigns to present Ukraine’s alleged mistreatment of prisoners of war - The UN calls for moderation by Russia and Japan to avoid escalating tensions after Putin’s Kuriles visit - Putin angers Japan with Kuriles visit: Russia asserts its "indisputable right" and the EU calls for reconciliation - Ukraine says Russian elections in occupied areas are illegal - Brent crude falls to 87.07 per barrel - Russia calls Takaichi’s criticisms of Putin’s Kuriles visit as "offensive" - Putin angers Japan with Kuriles visit: Russia asserts its "indisputable right" and the EU calls for reconciliation - Ukraine offers Russia a ceasefire in the Black Sea amid growing fear over food shortages - Poland detains a Russian recruit by Moscow who planned to attack a U.S.-Ukrainian citizen - The European Union reaffirms its commitment to supporting Ukraine and its economy - Japan summons the Russian ambassador in Tokyo to convey displeasure at Putin’s Kuriles visit - Takaichi calls Putin’s Kuriles visit "unacceptable": "It wounds Japan’s feelings" - The EU changes the game: Eurovision cannot be held in countries in conflict or politically sensitive - Russia asserts the "indisputable right" to the Kurile Islands claimed by Japan - Russia closes three grain-loading terminals in the Black Sea damaged by attacks - The leader of the anti-war Russian party warns he will not be silenced by Putin - Ukraine asks the EU for a 220 million euro grant for its farmers - Russia admits its Urals refinery will be inoperable for half a year after Ukrainian attacks - Wall Street opens higher on better-than-expected inflation data - Ukraine sends a new offer to Russia to slow cross-border attacks in the Black Sea - Two NATO Spanish F-18s on alert in Romania take off for drone alert on the border with Ukraine - At least five killed in Sevastopol while trying to neutralize a Ukrainian missile - Russia and Ukraine exchange more military fatalities in combat - Zelenski says Ukraine cannot survive without Patriots - A Russian drone hits a locomotive and its crew on a passenger train in Odesa - Ukraine again attacks the so-called Russian Amazon east of Moscow with drones - Zelenski: "I make millions of calls trying to swap for missiles" - Zelenski insists on Patriots: "If the U.S. sells us 10%, we will destroy all Russian ballistic missiles" - Democratic senators pressure the Trump administration to suspend new sanctions on Russia - NATO warns of Russia’s growing risk tolerance - Ukraine warns of increasing North Korean support to Russia in the war - Ukraine says it has reached four Russian warships in the attack on the port of Novorossiysk - Only 159 ships arrived at the port of Odesa in July due to increased Russian attacks - The number of deaths from Ukrainian attacks on the Russian naval base at Novorossiysk rises to three - Zelenski announces Ukraine has liberated 745 square kilometers since January - Ukraine suspends drone attacks on oil tankers at the Novorossiysk port - The Russia-Ukraine war continues to push up global food prices - At least one dead and several injured in a new wave of massive Russian attacks on Zaporizhzhia - A region in Russia begins rationing fuel after latest Ukrainian attacks on a refinery - Ukraine asks NATO for demining equipment and protection against explosive contamination caused by Russia - Putin warns the EU that he will respond in waters worldwide over the seizure of its ships - Ukraine claims to have hit the Russian naval base at Novorossiysk, in the Black Sea - Ukraine launches a massive attack on the Russian city of Novorossiysk, on the shores of the Black Sea - Zelenski warns that Russia is preparing a major mobilization for autumn - Zelenski says he has given new proposals to the U.S. to negotiate peace - Russia launches airstrikes in Sumy - Hanover airport experienced disruptions on Monday due to a drone - Russia releases a former U.S. Marine detained since 2022 - Ukrainian steel company Zaporizhstal halts operations due to Russian attacks - More than 4.4 million Ukrainians are under temporary protection in the EU, a historic high - Ukraine claims to have hit another Russian refinery in southern Russia - Russia confirms intercepting or destroying 396 Ukrainian drones over 15 regions during the night - At least six dead in new Russian attacks on the Ukrainian province of Zaporizhzhia - Russia attacks Kyiv with ballistic missiles, according to the mayor of the capital - Russian Supreme Court excludes the opposition party Yabloko from legislative elections - Swedish intelligence says it has dismantled a Russian espionage operation - Russian electoral commission accuses the opposition party Yabloko of "foreign financing" - Ukraine observes a one-minute silence each day to remember its dead: "Above all, it is about love" - Moldova recalls its ambassador in Moscow after a drone fell in the south of the country - Ukrainian drone attack causes a fire at a Siberian chemical company - At least 13 dead and 75 injured in one of Ukraine’s deadliest attacks on Russia - Five dead in a Russian artillery attack in Kharkov - A series of Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk leaves at least one dead - 12 dead and 39 wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on Nizhnekamsk, Russia - Peru reports the death of eleven compatriots fighting in the Russian army against Ukraine - War Russia-Ukraine: more attacks, more damage and more civilians dead - Russia accuses the U.S. of fanning Japanese revanchism by supporting the Kuriles claim - The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the United States of fanning Japanese revanchism by supporting Tokyo’s claim to the Southern Kuriles when the archipelago was visited last week for the first time by President Vladimir Putin. "Such statements by an American diplomat only fan Japanese revanchism and revisionism, which are causing growing concern almost among all of Japan’s neighbors," said Maria Zajárova, Foreign Ministry spokesperson, in a statement. The diplomat referred to statements by the U.S. ambassador to Tokyo, George Glass, who stressed last Thursday on X that "the United States maintains an unwavering stance in supporting Japan, its most important ally, and in recognizing its sovereignty over the disputed northern islands." He also highlighted Washington and Tokyo’s joint opposition to "any action that harms peace and regional stability." Estonía vincula el ataque a un contratista de Defensa con Rusia Estonia is investigating whether Russia was involved in a recent incendiary attack on a Defense contractor

Russian forces attacked civilian infrastructure and residential buildings in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi, Holosiivskyi, and Solomianskyi districts overnight on September 1, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported. The strikes killed eight people and injured five others, including three children, sparking fires and partially destroying a residential building. Russian forces also struck railway infrastructure in Kyiv, including a depot, the state railway operator Ukrainian Railways reported. The strike killed seven people — six of them railway employees — and injured another company employee. Ukrainian media reported that the strike hit the city’s Darnytskyi district. In the Kyiv region, a Russian strike using ballistic missiles and drones killed four people and injured 13, local authorities stated. The strike also damaged residential buildings, vehicles, and infrastructure, the State Emergency Service reported. In Boryspil, the strike damaged a five-story residential building, two private houses, and a store, and hit an industrial building at another address in the city. Rescuers evacuated 48 people. Russian drones attacked the Orlivka ferry crossing on the border between Ukraine’s Odesa region and Romania, Ukrainian border guards reported. The crossing has since suspended operations. In the Odesa region, a massive Russian strike damaged residential buildings and sparked a fire at a sewing workshop, injuring one person, local authorities stated. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces struck military enterprises and energy facilities in Kyiv and the surrounding region, as well as infrastructure in Odesa, the Odesa region, and the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk. At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication. If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected]. To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.

Russia pounded the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and the surrounding region with scores of missiles and drones in a nighttime aerial attack that lasted for hours and killed at least 14 people, officials said Thursday. Moscow’s forces have in recent months intensified their ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, exploiting Ukraine’s chronic shortage of U.S.-made Patriot air defense interceptors, the sole weapon in its arsenal able to shoot down ballistic missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pleaded for countries to send more Patriot interceptors but international stockpiles are low amid the Iran war and Ukraine’s more than four-year fight against Russia’s all-out invasion. Russia’s overnight barrage also included cruise missiles and fast-flying jet-powered drones that put further strain on air defenses, the Ukrainian air force said. Explosions boomed across the city in the dark. Kyiv was the primary target, but hits were recorded at 28 locations across the country, according to the air force. About 40 people were wounded, Zelenskyy said, as air raid warnings remained in place until after dawn. Russia and Ukraine have battered each other with drones and missiles as their armies struggle to gain the upper hand on the 780-mile front line, where huge numbers of drones are pinning down troops. Ukraine has attempted to shift the war onto Russian soil through long-range drone strikes on oil facilities and other infrastructure. The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday morning that air defenses shot down 726 Ukrainian drones overnight over a number of Russian regions, annexed Crimea and the Black and Azov seas, in one of Ukraine’s biggest aerial attacks of the war. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. Russia’s relentless onslaught on Kyiv has spooked other European countries, especially those bordering Ukraine, which fear what Russian President Vladimir Putin might have in store for the continent. As the Russian attack on Kyiv unfolded, the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command activated its military aviation operations, ground-based air defense systems and its radar reconnaissance. Polish and other NATO military aircraft were deployed to monitor the country’s airspace, Polish news agency PAP reported. Romania’s Defense Ministry said that an unidentified drone crashed and caught fire in an uninhabited area near the border with Ukraine. Two Spanish F-18 jets, deployed on an air policing mission in Romania, were scrambled after 2 a.m. local time to monitor a group of “air targets” near the border, the ministry said. Also, Moldova’s Defense Ministry said that its airspace was breached by an unauthorized drone. Russia’s overnight strikes hit 12 locations across Kyiv’s Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts, damaging residential buildings, a medical facility and an educational institution. Emergency crews were at the scene and pulled people out from under the rubble. 60-year-old Larysa Bondaruk sat on the ground, holding her cat, Chanel, which had been rescued by firefighters. With tears in her eyes, she said that her neighbor’s grandson had been trapped under the rubble and died. Her apartment was badly damaged. “A rocket hit the roof. It was incredibly loud. Immediately, debris and doors were blown out. There were columns of smoke, columns of fire, screams, crying and despair,” she said. “Two people were killed in our building, but the rescuers responded quickly and professionally. I am grateful to them for that.” In Solomianskyi district, the top two floors of a 9-story residential building were destroyed and fires broke out on other floors. People were also trapped in two residential buildings and a school shelter.

At least 12 people, including an Indian national, were killed and dozens injured after Russia launched a large overnight attack across Ukraine using drones, ballistic missiles and guided aerial bombs, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The strikes hit Kyiv, Odesa and several other regions, damaging residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, while also triggering fires and disrupting essential services. In Kyiv, a strike on a railway depot reportedly killed seven people. In Boryspil, a five-storey residential building was damaged, forcing around 50 residents to evacuate. Four people were killed and 13 injured in the city, according to Zelenskyy. ALSO READ:Hormuz Tensions To Escalate? Tanker Hit By Three Unknown Projectiles In Strait Odesa and the surrounding region also came under sustained drone and guided-bomb attacks, leaving thousands of families without electricity. Emergency teams were working to restore power, while a border crossing with Romania and export infrastructure were reportedly damaged. Several other regions, including Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy and Dnipro, were also targeted. Nearly 350 first responders were involved in rescue and recovery operations in Kyiv and the surrounding region. Zelenskyy said the overall toll had reached 12 deaths, including an Indian citizen, with dozens more wounded. He offered condolences to the families of those killed and accused Russia of deliberately planning attacks to cause maximum destruction. The Ukrainian president also highlighted a critical shortage of air-defence interceptor missiles, particularly systems capable of countering ballistic threats. He said stronger supplies of air-defence equipment were essential to prevent further casualties," I am grateful to everyone helping Ukraine receive anti-ballistic capabilities through PURL and bilateral supplies, and it is very important that these deliveries increase this fall. The number of victims of Russian terror directly hinges on every new package of assistance. I thank everyone who is helping make Ukraine more resilient." ALSO READ:CM Vijay Opens Mettur Dam, Releases Cauvery Water for Delta Farmers The confirmation of an Indian casualty comes shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, where Modi called for an end to the conflict “for humanity's sake.” EssentialBusinessIntelligence, SharpMarketInsights, PracticalPersonal FinanceAdvice, DailyFuel,GoldandSilverPrices andLatestStories — On NDTV Profit.

Indian Among 12 Killed In Russian Overnight Attack On Ukraine, Says Zelenskyy An Indian citizen was among 12 people killed in Russian overnight strikes across Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Dozens were injured. An Indian citizen was among 12 people killed in a large-scale Russian overnight aerial attack across Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday. Dozens of others were injured in the strikes, which targeted Kyiv, Odesa and several other Ukrainian regions. “Overall, 12 people were killed, among them an Indian citizen, and dozens more were injured in the attack. My condolences to everyone who has lost family and loved ones," Zelenskyy mentioned in a post on X. The announcement came as emergency crews continued working to deal with the aftermath of the Russian strikes. Zelenskyy said nearly 350 first responders were involved in operations in Kyiv and the surrounding region alone. According to the Associated Press, Russia launched a large aerial assault in and around Ukraine’s capital overnight into Tuesday morning. The Ukrainian Air Force said the attack began at around 6 pm on Monday and involved ballistic, cruise and anti-radar missiles, along with 218 drones and decoys. About one-third of the drones were reportedly jet-powered. Kyiv And Odesa Among Main Targets The Ukrainian Air Force said the Kyiv and Odesa regions were the main targets of the attack, according to AP. The strikes marked the sixth consecutive day of Russian attacks on Kyiv, following an unprecedented stretch of air raid alerts that began the previous week. The repeated attacks have involved both nighttime and daytime strikes, creating prolonged disruption and danger for residents. Zelenskyy said residential buildings and civilian infrastructure were damaged in the latest assault. In Kyiv, a strike on a railway depot killed seven people, according to Zelenskyy. AP reported that multiple districts of the capital were hit, with civilian infrastructure and residential buildings damaged. In the Darnytskyi district, Russian strikes killed seven people, while one person was seriously wounded and taken to hospital, AP reported. At another site in the district, an explosion wounded two people, including a child. In the Holosiivskyi district, a non-residential building was hit and caught fire, killing one person. In the Solomianskyi district, a drone struck a residential building, damaging it. Emergency workers rescued a man and freed a woman who had been trapped beneath the rubble. Residential Buildings Damaged In Boryspil The surrounding Kyiv region was also hit. In Boryspil, a five-storey residential building was damaged in the attack. Zelenskyy said 50 people were evacuated from the building, while AP reported that emergency crews evacuated 48 people and rescued two people from under the rubble. AP said three cars caught fire in Boryspil. A truck also caught fire at an infrastructure facility, damaging the building. A service station was damaged as well. Odesa Region Hit, Romania Border Crossing Damaged The Odesa region also came under a major Russian attack, according to AP. Regional head Oleh Kiper said civilian infrastructure was damaged and one person was wounded. Two residential buildings were damaged, and a fire broke out at a sewing factory. Russian forces also struck the Orlivka international ferry crossing on the border with Romania, AP reported. Zelenskyy said guided aerial bomb and drone strikes had continued against Odesa and the region since Monday evening. Thousands of families were left without electricity, while efforts were underway to restore power. He also said a border crossing with Romania and export infrastructure were damaged. Ukraine Says 199 Aerial Targets Destroyed Or Suppressed Ukrainian forces said they destroyed or suppressed 199 aerial targets during the attack, including five ballistic missiles and 187 drones, according to AP. Missile and drone strikes were recorded at 28 locations, while debris from intercepted targets fell at another 10 sites. The attack also affected the Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy and Dnipro regions, Zelenskyy said. The Ukrainian President blamed Russia for deliberately carrying out attacks aimed at causing destruction and called for increased deliveries of anti-ballistic defence capabilities to Ukraine. “I thank everyone who is helping make Ukraine more resilient," Zelenskyy said.

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched a large aerial assault in and around Ukraine’s capital overnight into Tuesday morning, killing at least 12 people and wounding more than a dozen others, including three children, local authorities said. The strikes marked the sixth straight day of heavy Russian attacks on Kyiv that began last week and are an unprecedented stretch of consecutive aerial assaults since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor more than 4½ years ago. Moscow's aim is to grind down civilians by disrupting their daily life, Ukrainian officials say. Several million Ukrainian schoolchildren returned to classes Tuesday for the new school year, just as Russia unleashed its onslaught of cruise and ballistic missiles, jet-powered drones, glide bombs and artillery salvos at Kyiv as well as eight other regions of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that 12 people were killed, including an Indian citizen. The attack struck civilian infrastructure and residential buildings in several districts of Kyiv, authorities said, with eight people killed in the city itself and three others in the surrounding region. Six employees of state-owned railway company Ukrzaliznytsia were among those killed in Kyiv when a ballistic missile hit a depot and other premises, company chairman Oleksandr Pertsovskyi said in a social media post. Nearly 350 emergency workers were deployed in Kyiv and the surrounding region, Zelenskyy said. The Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces carried out a “massive strike” on Ukraine overnight with “precision-guided weapons” and long-range drones. The assault targeted facilities manufacturing and storing weapons as well as military-related infrastructure, it said. Ukraine’s air force said that Russia began the attack at 6 p.m. Monday, using ballistic, cruise and anti-radar missiles, as well as 218 drones and decoys. About a third of the drones were jet-powered, which are much harder to intercept than the propeller-driven version. The main Russian targets were in the Kyiv and southern Odesa regions, the air force said in a statement. The attack on the Odesa region, located on the Black Sea, damaged civilian infrastructure and wounded one person, regional head Oleh Kiper said. Two residential buildings were damaged, while a fire broke out at a textile factory. Russian forces also struck the Orlivka international ferry crossing on the border with Romania, he said. Russia also shelled the northern Zhytomyr region, starting fires at an industrial facility and a warehouse, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said. In the capital, first responders worked to clear rubble from damaged apartment buildings and free trapped residents. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday that its air defenses overnight intercepted 516 Ukrainian drones over 18 Russian regions, as well as the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea. In the Leningrad region, the drone attack sparked a fire in the port of Ust-Luga, Gov. Alexander Drozdenko said, as Ukraine extended its campaign to hurt Russia's oil sector, which is a mainstay of the economy. Ust-Luga is one of Russia’s largest oil and gas export terminals more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) away from Ukraine. It has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian drone attacks this year.

KYIV (AP) -- Russia bombarded Ukrainian cities with missiles, drones and glide bombs, killing at least nine civilians, officials said Tuesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow is receiving new military help for its more than 4-year-old invasion from North Korea. Zelenskyy said Russian forces used ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea in their overnight attack on the southeastern Ukraine city of Zaporizhzhia, where local officials said six people were killed and 19 wounded. A further three people, including a 15-year-old boy, were killed by Russian drones and artillery in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, local authorities said. Russia has received additional ballistic missiles from Pyongyang and is preparing to deploy more North Korean troops, Zelenskyy said late Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a strategic partnership agreement just over two years ago. It vows mutual aid if either country faces aggression. Kim has sent thousands of troops and huge supplies of weapons to support Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Some experts say the engagement with Moscow is helping improve North Korea's military capabilities, and Zelenskyy warned that the battlefield experience would help Pyongyang menace other countries in its region. Ukraine says Russia is scaling up its production of ballistic missiles, aiming to exploit Kyiv's critical shortage of Patriot air defense interceptors that can stop them, and claims Moscow is readying an increase in recruitment for a new push on the front line that stretches 1,250 kilometers along eastern and southern Ukraine. "Every step Russia takes - increasing ballistic missile production, bringing in North Korean equipment, preparing for mobilization - all of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation," Zelenskyy said on social media. U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to stop the war have fizzled as Washington grew frustrated with the lack of progress toward a settlement and its attention turned to the Iran war. "The Kremlin will not enter serious negotiations or make meaningful compromises on its demands as long as Putin believes that he has a viable military path to achieving his full objectives," the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said in an analysis late Monday. "Ukraine's Patriot shortages offer Russia an opportunity to cause very serious damage to Ukraine over the coming winter and will therefore contribute to delaying meaningful negotiations and protracting the war," it said. Russia hits the grounds of a Kyiv children's hospital Russian forces also struck parts of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, overnight, according to officials. One strike hit the grounds of a children's hospital, leaving two craters and shattering windows, the State Emergency Service said. Children and medical workers were in bomb shelters and nobody was hurt, it added. At another location in the capital, a Russian strike started a fire in a warehouse that spread across about 1,200 square meters (nearly 13,000 square feet), according to emergency officials. The Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces overnight struck "military industrial facilities and transport and logistics centers" in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia with "ground-based precision weapons." It said in a statement Tuesday that it hit drone storage facilities in Kyiv and a metallurgical plant in the city of Zaporizhzhia. Russia targeted Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv with Zircon anti-ship missiles and Iskander ballistic missiles, while launching 120 long-range strike drones of various types across the country, Ukraine's air force said. Russia's biggest e-commerce company hit again Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that its air defenses overnight intercepted almost 400 Ukrainian drones over 14 Russian regions and occupied Crimea. Russia's biggest online retailer, Wildberries, said in a statement that its logistical facilities in the Voronezh region on the border with Ukraine came under attack and caught fire, but it said the fire has been extinguished. It said goods stored at the facilities were "largely undamaged." Ukraine has repeatedly struck Wildberries warehouses and has also bombarded Russian oil facilities in what it says is a strategy to compel Putin to negotiate an end to the invasion. Russian independent online outlet Astra said an oil refinery in the city of Orsk, some 1,300 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, was hit and published images of smoke billowing over it. There was no official confirmation of an attack on the Orsk oil refinery, which has been targeted before.

Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least 10 people overnight and wounded dozens, with Kyiv accusing Moscow of launching North Korean missiles in the raid. The allegation comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned – without providing evidence – that Moscow was receiving more ballistic projectiles and troops from itsally Pyongyang. Russia has turned to North Korea for support throughout its four-and-a-half-year invasion. Earlier in the war, Pyongyang dispatched thousands of troops to help Russia fight back a Ukrainian counterattack into its western Kursk region. And intelligence from the West, Kyiv and Seoul, has long accused North Korea of supplying weapons to Russia. The southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia was worst hit in Russia’s latest overnight barrage, with seven people killed and 24 wounded, local authorities said. All seven killed were employees of the Zaporizhstal steel plant. The plant said in a statement that another 21 employees were wounded. Three more people were killed by Russian drones and missiles in the neighbouring Dnipropetrovsk region, the local military administration said. In the capital Kyiv, Zelenskyy said an infectious diseases hospital was hit, while strikes on the frontline cities of Kherson and Kharkiv caused power outages. A children’s hospital in Kyiv was also hit, the health ministry said, posting photos of broken windows and debris in a courtyard. A ministry statement added: “Children and medical staff were not harmed, as they were in a shelter at the time of the attack.” Russia’s defence ministry said its forces “delivered a group strike with high-precision ground-based weapons, hitting military-industrial enterprises and transport-logistics centres in the cities of Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia”. Russia attacked Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region with “four guided aerial bombs”, killing a man who was driving past one of the targeted areas, regional governor Oleg Grygorov said on Telegram. Another two people were killed during a daytime strike in the southern port region of Odesa, local authorities said. Russia meanwhile said a civilian was killed in a drone strike in its Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine. Zelenskyy has recently renewed his warnings of deepening military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, while appealing for more Western air-defence supplies. On Monday, he said that Russia had received “additional ballistic missiles from North Korea”. Over the weekend, he alleged, “a decision has been made for 30,000 to 50,000 North Koreans to be deployed on the territory of Russia.” Kyiv has not explained how it obtained the figures and did not provide a timeframe for the deployment. But Zelenskyy is urging allies in the Asia-Pacific to supply air defence to Kyiv to counter Pyongyang’s capabilities. Seoul said it was watching the situation “closely”. A spokeswoman for South Korea’s foreign ministry told AFP: “Military cooperation between North Korea and Russia is an issue that directly affects our security and constitutes a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.” A senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification think tank, Hong Min, said “the prospect of additional North Korean deployments is highly plausible, given Russia’s growing demand for manpower as the war drags on”. Russia and North Korea signed a mutual defence pact in 2024, ahead of Pyongyang sending troops to help push Ukrainian forces out of Russia’s Kursk region. In recent weeks, Russia has considerably stepped-up strikes with ballistic missiles – a fast and powerful weapon that is hard to intercept. Only the most advanced air defence, such as the US-made Patriot system, is capable of intercepting them. Ukraine has been reporting an acute shortage of Patriot interceptors since the US-Israeli war against Iran began in February. Kyiv has also boosted its own long-range drone strikes against Russia, hitting oil infrastructure and e-commerce warehouses in counterattacks it says are justified and designed to crimp Moscow’s logistics and revenue sources. - AFP Others journalist complained of deception and lack of communication from the White House.

Russia kills 6 in “vicious attack,” says Ukrainian president. Russia bombarded Ukraine with North Korean missiles overnight, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Russian attack killed six people and injured at least 19 in Zaporizhzhia, said the city’s mayor, Rehina Kharchenko. Four apartment buildings and several non-residential buildings were damaged in the southeastern city, Kharchenko wroteon her Telegram channel. According to Zelenskyy, the city was struck with North Korean ballistic missiles, Zircons and guided aerial bombs.In a post on X, he wrote: “It was a vicious attack, calculated to inflict maximum damage specifically on civilian infrastructure.” Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un havedeepened tiessince the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine began. In September last year during a meeting in Beijing, Kim vowed to do “everything we can to assist Russia.” Zelenskyy also reported attacks on a Kyiv hospital and businesses overnight, with at least one person injured. The capital’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, urged residents late Monday to seek shelter. Moscow also attacked substations in Kherson and Kharkiv, causing power outages, Zelenskyy said. Further attacks took place in the Donetsk, Dnipro and Mykolaiv regions. “Every step Russia takes — increasing ballistic missile production, bringing in North Korean equipment, preparing for mobilization — all of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation,” Zelenskyy wrote. Russia has stepped up its missile attacks this summer, with Zelenskyy urging Western allies to help Kyiv strengthen its air defenses and to heap sanctions pressure on companies fueling Moscow’s war. However,Europe is running out of Patriot interceptorsto shoot down Russian missiles, according to the continent’s military officials. Ukraine, meanwhile, has struck back, targeting Russian infrastructure including oil refineries and buildings belonging to e-commerce giant Wildberries. Russian state mediaon Tuesday reported that two Wildberries warehouses in the Voronezh region, several hundred kilometers south of Moscow, caught fire following drone strikes, killing one person. Border guards send back 15 migrants who entered via underground passage. “We are both proud of Europe’s Christian cultural heritage and want to protect it,” say the two leaders. “Migrants who have no right to remain must leave Europe — no ifs, ands or buts,” says Manfred Weber. Magnus Brunner was speaking a week after a surge of tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta.

Former defense minister’s call for a vote meets largely unenthusiastic response from Ukrainian lawmakers. AI generated Text-to-speech Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov’s demand to hold wartime elections has sparked consternation in Kyiv, as the ramifications of a controversial government reshuffle rumble on. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s contentious ouster of Fedorov last month triggered nationwide protests — and has now resulted in the most serious internal challenge to his leadership since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022. Politicians from across the aisle chided Fedorov after theformer minister’s callon Tuesday night to find a “legal, safe, and realistic mechanism” that would allow Ukraine to “resume a full-fledged democratic process, even amidst the ongoing war.” Martial law, which was put in place shortly after Russian tanks rolled over the border, does not allow for presidential or parliamentary elections to take place, and experts have pointed to the further difficulty of holding a vote given the millions of displaced Ukrainians, the ongoing Russian occupation of parts of the country, the continued bombing by Kremlin forces and Moscow’s penchant for interfering in democratic ballots. Martial law also prohibits amendments to Ukraine’s constitution while it is in effect. “With all due respect to Mykhailo Fedorov, the constitution did not change because of his dismissal,”said Kira Rudik— leader of the liberal, pro-European Holos party in the Ukrainian parliament — shrugging off Fedorov’s suggestion. “Elections cannot be held under martial law. It is wrong to call for tearing the country apart to serve anyone’s political ambitions,”added Rudikin a post on X. Ukrainian lawmaker Mykola Kniazhytskyi, from former President Petro Poroshenko’s opposition European Solidarity party, alsocriticized Fedorov’s callfor wartime elections, arguing that holding a vote under Russian missile and drone attacks would pose serious security and logistical challenges. “The discussion about elections must begin with an answer to the question of state security,” wrote Kniazhytskyi on Facebook. Yaroslav Zhelezniak, another Holos lawmaker and senior member of the parliament’s finance committee, was also among those pushing back against Fedorov. “I will state my position right away: no and no,” hewrote on his Telegram channel. “It is unrealistic, at least because of the constitution,” added Zhelezniak. Zelenskyy axing Fedorov had sparked an outcry because, after seven months in the role, the ex-minister was widely viewed as innovating to ensure Ukraine’s military could continue resisting the Russian attack. Fedorov, who previously served as digital minister and also has close ties with American entrepreneur Elon Musk, made no secret of his displeasure at being booted from the defense job — and launched his counterattack on Tuesday night in a bombshell YouTube address. “If the war drags on for another year, two, or three, could Russia effectively gain the right to determine when Ukrainians can once again choose their own government?” asked Fedorov. “I am convinced it cannot. Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia. We are fighting precisely because we want to remain a free European state.” Fedorov’s call comes at a difficult moment for Ukraine, marked by a deepening crisis of public trust thanks to snowballing corruption scandals and political tensions, noted Roman Lozynskyi — a Ukrainian lawmaker also from the Holos party —in a Facebook postaddressed to Zelenskyy. Thepresident’s office was rocked by further corruption raidson Tuesday, as Operation Forrest Gump gathers steam. But the internal strife is giving fresh impetus to calls for elections, which could favor Moscow, warned the lawmaker. “People understand that elections during the war play into the enemy’s hands. That it will be a war of all against all, a field for fakes and manipulation. A society already torn apart and wounded,” continued Lozynskyi. But amid the country’s problems, Ukrainians can no longer simply dismiss the idea, he said. “Now people no longer know what is worse: corruption and lies without elections, or trying to reset the country by taking the risk of holding elections during the war. And that is a catastrophe.” Ukraine was due to hold its presidential election in March 2024 and parliamentary election in October 2023, but both were postponed due to the Russian invasion. Under pressure from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Zelenskyy has not categoricallyruled out wartime elections, but he has said they would require substantial international support — including from the U.S. and the EU — to ensure security and voting rights for Ukrainians at home and abroad. Meanwhile, Fedorov isn’t completely alone in calling for elections. Dmytro Kuleba — a former top ally of Zelenskyy — on Tuesday nightbackedthe idea of holding elections during the conflict, arguing that in Ukraine “elections after war will not be more civilized, than during.” “We don’t know when it will end. What if it lasts for another three years? We will be living under the political model that was formed in 2019, which is already emotionally exhausted. There is a demand among people for new members of parliament,” said Kulebato Interfax Ukraine, referring to the election in which Zelenskyy upended Kyiv’s politics with a landslide victory. The trains could start operating alongside Eurostar’s service as of 2030. “The event has been postponed until 2027 due to circumstances beyond the organizers’ control,” said festival bosses. The unmanned aerial vehicle entered Latvian airspace “as a result of Russian electromagnetic warfare,” said the Latvian military. Chișinău has recalled its envoy to Moscow after two incidents in recent weeks.

Russia used North Korean missiles in a deadly attack on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhya, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on August 11. A day of mourning will be held on August 12 following the overnight attack, which regional leader Ivan Fedorov said killed seven people and injured 24 others. Ukrainian officials said six other people were killed in Russian attacks on the Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions. Zaporizhzhya “was struck with North Korean ballistic missiles, [anti-ship] Zircons, and guided aerial bombs. It was a vicious attack, calculated to inflict maximum damage specifically on civilian infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said in social media posts. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces targeted Zaporizhstal, a steel plant in Zaporizhzhya that it claimed produces metal used by Ukraine’s military. Parent company Metinvest said the strike “caught the workers on their way to shelter immediately after the alarm was raised. Unfortunately, this terrorist attack took the lives of seven members of the Zaporizhstal team.” It said the metallurgical plant’s operations were halted due to damage. Ukraine is struggling to defend itself as deliveries of US-made Patriot systems and other anti-ballistic interceptor missiles have dwindled. Russia has fired a number of North Korean missiles since 2023 in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which Russian President Vladimir Putin launched in February 2022. krainian officials said a North Korean missile was apparently used in a Russian attack that killed six members of a family in a village in the Dnipropetrovsk region on July 30. Last week, Reuters cited a Ukrainian military intelligence official as saying a North Korean missile unit had begun deploying to the Voronezh region in western Russia, and that it could be equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers. On July 25, Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post that "Russia wants to bring in another 30,000 North Korean troops" and that "preparations have been under way in Russia's Voronezh region since June to receive them." In 2024, around 12,000 North Korean troops were deployed in Russia’s Kursk region following a surprise incursion by Ukrainian forces.

KYIV -- Russia launched a large-scale barrage of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones on Kyiv and its surrounding region, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 30 others, according to Ukrainian authorities. RFE/RL correspondent Maryan Kushnir reported early on August 20 that fires had broken out across the capital as rescuers worked to extinguish them even while Russia continued its attack. Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the upper floors of a nine-story residential building in the Solomyansk district were damaged and caught fire in one attack, while people were trapped in another residential building. Parts of the capital lost power. Klitschko later added that the death toll had risen to 15 in Kyiv, announcing that August 21 has been declared a day of mourning in the capital for those killed in the attack. The massive attack on Kyiv and its surrounding region lasted throughout the night, with Russian forces striking residential areas with attack drones as well ballistic and cruise missiles. Besides the casualties in the city itself, at least one person was killed and seven other were injured in the Kyiv region, local authorities said on August 20. "The Russians had been preparing for a long time, combining different types of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones, aiming to cause as much damage as possible to civilian infrastructure," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X. Russian forces launched dozens of ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles, as well as 168 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force reported on August 20, adding that the main target was the Kyiv region. "Rescuers freed two people trapped under the rubble," the State Emergency Service reported, adding that it continued to deal with the aftermath of the overnight attack on the capital. "Air defense forces are operating in the capital. The threat remains, so residents are urged to stay in shelters until the official all-clear is given," Kyiv authorities said in the early morning hours of August 20. During Russia's overnight attack on Ukraine, a drone entered Romanian airspace and crashed near the Ukrainian border. Romania, an EU and NATO member, scrambled fighter jets and a helicopter, with two Spanish F-18s also deployed to monitor the situation. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha later wrote on X that Russia had "once again violated the airspace of the Republic of Moldova and Romania, while a Ukrainian-Moldovan border crossing point was targeted." "These are not isolated incidents. They are part of Russia's deliberate and systemic terrorist attacks," he added. Russian drones have repeatedly entered Romanian and Moldovan airspace. In May, one crashed into the roof of a 10-story residential building in the Romanian city of Galati and exploded, injuring two people. Russia has intensified its missile attacks on Ukraine as the country faces severe shortages of air defense systems capable of intercepting high-speed ballistic missiles. In recent weeks, Zelenskyy has repeatedly called on Western allies to provide additional military aid and urged Washington to follow through on its vow to make licenses available for Ukraine to produce Patriot air defense systems. "Unfortunately, while Moscow is investing in ballistic missiles and escalation, such strikes do not always receive the response they should from the world," Zelenskyy said following the August 20 attack, adding that "as long as Ukraine does not have enough anti-ballistic defense, Russia will not consider peace seriously." Meanwhile, regional authorities in Russia's Tatarstan region said several people were injured following a Ukrainian drone attack that disrupted an industrial complex in Nizhnekamsk. Russian Defense Ministry said on August 20 its forces intercepted and downed 726 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight. Ukrainian military confirmed that its forces struck Russian facilities in Tatarstan and the Krasnodar region on August 20, including the Taneco oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk, where a hit was followed by a fire. Russia's oil-rich Republic of Tatarstan is located about 1,200 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, highlighting Kyiv's campaign to strike targets deep inside Russian territory. In Krasnodar Krai, the Tamanneftegaz oil terminal, one of Russia's key oil terminals in the Black Sea region, was also hit, the Ukrainian military added.

Zelenskyy vows response after Russian strike kills 10 in Kharkiv region Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine will definitely respond to Russia's missile strike on Pechenihy in the Kharkiv region, where at least 10 people were killed. “We will definitely respond” - Zelenskyy The president said the Russian strike on a civilian intersection would not go unanswered by Moscow. “We will definitely respond to this Russian strike. And it is equally important that our partners also complement our just kinetic responses with their own actions to put pressure on Russia and support Ukraine,” Zelenskyy stressed. The president called the strike brutal, saying the missiles hit exactly where a post office and shops were located, with residential buildings all around. According to Zelenskyy, 10 people are currently known to have been killed. This morning, the Russians launched a brutal attack on a busy intersection in Pechenihy, Kharkiv region – a location with a post office and stores, surrounded only by residential buildings. — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 18, 2026 As of now, 10 people have been reported killed. My condolences to their families and… pic.twitter.com/AnFmXsSzAS Many people were injured and are already receiving all necessary medical assistance. Rescuers extinguished the fire that broke out following the strike, while all emergency and response services continue to work at the scene. Earlier, on the night of August 18, Russian forces launched more than 140 drones at Ukraine, including Shahed and Gerbera attack drones and Parody decoy drones, attacking from six directions at once. As RBC-Ukraine reported, Ukrainian air defenses shot down or suppressed 111 enemy drones, although strikes were recorded at 19 locations. The missile strike on Pechenihy was reported in the morning. Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, confirmed that Russian forces used two small Banderol cruise missiles. The number of injured rose to 17. The strike damaged private homes, a cafe, a post office, a store and several vehicles. Criminal proceedings have been opened over the attack under the article concerning a war crime that resulted in deaths.

Aug 18 (Reuters) - A Russian missile attack killed 10 people on Tuesday in a village in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, Ukrainian authorities said. "This morning the Russians launched a brutal attack on a busy intersection in Pechenihy, Kharkiv region – a location with a post office and stores, surrounded only by residential buildings," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X. Sign up here. Zelenskiy posted photos of a destroyed building, cars on fire and emergency responders carrying people on stretchers. "We will definitely respond to this Russian strike," he said. A further 17 people were injured in the attack, the governor of the surrounding region, Oleh Syniehubov, said on the Telegram messaging app. There was no immediate public comment from Russia on the attack. The strike on the village damaged 10 private buildings, a cafe, a post office, a store and at least seven cars, Syniehubov said. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office said that according to preliminary information, Russia used two small Banderol cruise missiles. A local official told public broadcaster Suspilne that the strikes had hit the central part of the village, where the cafe, post office and shops are located. Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka Editing by Gareth Jones Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

KYIV, Aug 20 (Reuters) - A major Russian airstrike killed 16 people and injured more than 40 in Kyiv and the surrounding region on Thursday as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said a failure by Ukraine's allies to replenish its stock of air defence missiles was costing lives. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched dozens of cruise missiles, as well as ballistic and hypersonic ones, and 168 drones, in the massive overnight attack. Sign up here. The air force said that nearly 90% of the drones and most of the cruise missiles were downed. It did not specify how many ballistic missiles were launched and whether any were intercepted. Zelenskiy called Thursday's strike one of the most "cynical, calculated, and large-scale" of the four-and-a-half-year-long war. The upper floors of a nine-storey residential block were destroyed in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. He called for Friday to be observed as a day of mourning. Overall, 30 residential buildings, a school, a children's hospital, and a kindergarten were damaged in the capital and the surrounding areas, Zelenskiy said. Private energy company DTEK said it had restored power to some 90,000 households that lost the supply after the attack. The Russian defence ministry said Moscow attacked Kyiv and the surrounding region with airstrikes and drones, hitting facilities producing drone components, a military depot and a logistics hub, as well as other targets. ZELENSKIY CALLS FOR PATRIOT INTERCEPTORS The Russian strikes also targeted a border crossing with Moldova in the Black Sea region of Odesa, where repeated attacks on ports and ships have brought Ukraine's vital agricultural exports to a virtual halt in recent weeks, pressuring global food prices. As Russia has escalated its ballistic strikes in recent months, Zelenskiy has pleaded with allies to replenish Ukraine's stock of Patriot interceptors - the only weapon in its arsenal capable of downing a ballistic missile. "The interceptors for Patriot systems have not yet been replaced, and they are needed every day," Zelenskiy said on the Telegram app. "Each additional missile saves the lives of our people." Moscow, he said, would not seriously negotiate for peace as long as Ukraine had no missile defences to defend its cities. U.S.-mediated talks to end the war stalled earlier this year as Kyiv refused to yield to Russian demands to cede more territory. "Unfortunately ... the world's response to such attacks is not always adequate," Zelenskiy said. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X, in response to Zelenskiy's message, that she was working with member states and partners to provide Ukraine with anti-ballistic capabilities as "the most urgent of priorities". EXPLOSIONS SHOOK CITY Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said that some food warehouses and the facilities of the Red Cross around Kyiv were damaged in the attack, which lasted nearly nine hours. In recent weeks, fresh fruit and vegetables have occasionally disappeared from the shelves in some supermarkets in Kyiv as a result of strikes on logistics depots of food retailers. At the missile-damaged apartment block in Solomianskyi district, an elderly woman wailed as rescuers carried out the body of her grandson, Reuters TV showed. She stood sobbing beside his body after he was placed on the ground, before medics moved in to support her. While most of the dead were in the Ukrainian capital, one person was also killed in the surrounding region, an official said on Telegram. Ukraine has also increased its attacks on Russia, targeting oil facilities and logistics infrastructure to try to undermine Moscow's ability to wage war. Overnight, authorities in Russia's Tatarstan region - 1,000 km (620 miles) east of Moscow - reported a disruption at an industrial complex in the city of Nizhnekamsk following a Ukrainian drone attack, adding that some residential apartments were also damaged. Ukraine's military said it hit the TANECO oil refinery and an oil terminal in Krasnodar region. A drone crashed into Romania, a NATO and European Union member state, during the Russian attack on Ukraine, the Romanian defence ministry said. A drone also came down on Moldovan territory, President Maia Sandu said. Ukraine has handed peace proposals to U.S. negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, for a plan to end the war, Zelenskiy said this month. The Kremlin said on Thursday there was no information yet on a possible visit to Moscow by Kushner and Witkoff, who were last in the Russian capital in January and have not yet visited Kyiv. No date has yet been confirmed for a proposed visit to Ukraine, according to one source familiar with the discussions. Reporting by Daniel Flynn in Kyiv, Anna Pruchnicka in Gdansk, and Jekaterīna Golubkova in Tokyo; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Alison Williams and Gareth Jones Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

KYIV, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Russia attacked Ukraine's port infrastructure and a border crossing with Romania in the southern Black Sea region of Odesa overnight, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the strike "deliberately damaged a border crossing point on the border with Romania, as well as export infrastructure." Sign up here. Ukraine's emergency service said the attack had also targeted energy infrastructure and caused a fire at a residential building, where one person was hurt, without giving further details. In recent months, Russia has sharply increased both the number and intensity of its drone strikes on export infrastructure in the Odesa region, home to Ukraine's main Black Sea ports as well as the major Danube river ports of Reni and Izmail. Russian attacks have effectively blocked the seaports, which once handled 90% of the country's exports, forcing Kyiv to divert cargo through Danube river ports with lower capacity and to railway crossings on the western border. The Ukrainian border service said on Tuesday that in the overnight strike, Russia had attacked and damaged a checkpoint for ferry services at Orlivka on the border with Romania. "Processing of citizens and vehicles through this checkpoint has been temporarily suspended," the service said in a statement. The Odesa region faced more than 300 air-raid alerts in August, lasting a combined 238 hours, according to a monitoring service. Railway officials say constant air-raid alerts and attacks on facilities are significantly complicating their operations. However, Ukrainian railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia said it had increased grain deliveries to the Danube's ports for future exports. Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka in Gdansk and Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Aidan Lewis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Al menos 19 muertos en una intensa jornada de intercambio de ataques con drones y misiles entre Rusia y Ucrania - Kiev ha provocado incendios y la destrucción de al menos 14 centros logísticos del 'Amazon ruso' - Los últimos ataques ucranianos han dejado al menos 13 muertos en distintas regiones rusas Al menos 19 personas han muerto en los distintos ataques con drones y misiles intercambiados por Rusia y Ucrania durante la jornada del domingo. Moscú ha denunciado "uno de los más masivos" desde el inicio de la guerra en la región meridional de Rostov, mientras que la ofensiva rusa ha destruido un mercado del libro en Kiev. El conflicto ha escalado en los últimos meses, con nuevos ataques de largo alcance, sin avances diplomáticos que conduzcan a un eventual alto el fuego. El Ministerio de Defensa ruso ha informado de que había derribado 822 drones en todo el país durante la noche. El gobernador de Rostov, Yuri Slousar, informó de la muerte de cinco personas en el ataque ucraniano a esta región; y otras tres han muerto en las regiones de Belgorod, Kursk y Moscú, y otras cuatro en los territorios ucranianos controlados por Rusia. Mientras tanto, en Ucrania drones y misiles rusos han matado a dos personas en una acería de ArcelorMittal en Kryvyi Rih (centro-este). Esta fábrica, que se cuenta entre los mayores productores de acero de Ucrania, anunció que había suspendido parcialmente sus actividades. Además, otro ataque contra Kryvyi Rih por la noche ha dejado otra víctima. Otros ataques se han dirigido contra otras regiones, causando la muerte de dos personas en la región de Zaporiyia (sur), una en la de Sumy (norte) y otra en la de Donetsk (este). Un ataque ucraniano alcanza al 'Amazon ruso' Ucrania alcanzó la madrugada del domingo el mayor almacén de comercio electrónico de la compañía Wildberries en Rusia, con unos 250.000 metros cuadrados de superficie. La compañía, conocida como el 'Amazon ruso', confirmó el ataque ocurrido en la ciudad de Podolsk, que se encuentra a 36 kilómetros del centro de Moscú, pero añadió que todo el personal fue evacuado a tiempo. Aunque nadie resultó herido, se declaró un gran incendio. El Ministerio de Defensa ucraniano ha asegurado este domingo que sus ataques contra Wildberries han dejado fuera de servicio a siete de los diez mayores centros logísticos de la compañía y el Servicio de Inteligencia Exterior de Ucrania cifra en más de 100.000 millones de rublos (1.051 millones de euros) los perjuicios económicos causados. En total, Ucrania ha provocado incendios y la destrucción de al menos 14 centros logísticos de la empresa. El presidente ucraniano, Volodímir Zelenski, justifica los ataques ucranianos a Wildberries, que comenzaron a mediados de julio, con el argumento de que la compañía rusa almacena suministros militares y componentes para drones. 13 muertos en ataques ucranianos Además del almacén del 'Amazon ruso', Ucrania ha lanzado un ataque masivo contra otras zonas de la región de Moscú y el sur de Rusia, dejando al menos siete personas muertas en la madrugada. Este lunes, el último ataque ucraniano ha matado a seis personas y herido otras cuatro, entre ellas un niño de 14 años, en la región fronteriza rusa de Bélgorod, según ha informado el gobernador interino Alexander Shuváyev en la aplicación de mensajería Telegram. Por su parte, el gobernador de la región de Rostov, Yuri Sliusar, confirmó el domingo la muerte de dos civiles en el bombardeo nocturno con drones de ala fija y misiles, que causaron destrozos en viviendas particulares, infraestructuras y fábricas. En total, las defensas antiaéreas derribaron más de 150 drones en nueve distritos de esa región meridional, que limita con el Donbás y está bañada por el mar de Azov. Mientras, en la región de Moscú, falleció un hombre de 83 años al caer un dron sobre su casa, según el gobernador, Andréi Vorobiov. El funcionario aseguró que este ha sido uno de los ataques más masivos contra su región de los últimos tiempos, ya que las baterías antiaéreas abatieron 187 drones, que también dejaron otros tres heridos. A su vez, otra persona murió y nueve resultaron heridas cuando fue alcanzado un autobús de trabajadores de una empresa en la región fronteriza de Bélgorod, según informó Shuváyev, que acusó a Kiev de terrorismo. En total, según el parte de guerra matutino, las defensas antiaéreas rusas derribaron desde la tarde del sábado 822 drones sobre los cielos de 16 regiones, la anexionada península de Crimea y las aguas de los mares Negro y Azov. Según las autoridades rusas, al menos 201 civiles murieron en julio debido a los ataques ucranianos, en su mayoría con drones, contra territorio ruso y las regiones ucranianas ocupadas por Moscú. Rusia tampoco detiene sus ataques Por su parte, un ataque ruso nocturno contra una planta de ArcelorMittal en Krivi Rig, la ciudad natal de Zelenski, dejó al menos dos muertos y otras 13 resultaron heridas. La empresa indicó que resultaron dañadas las principales instalaciones de producción energética y de altos hornos, y los procesos productivos de la planta se han detenido parcialmente hasta que especialistas evalúen el alcance de los perjuicios y las posibilidades y los plazos para la recuperación de la actividad. En otros lugares de la región de Dnipropetrovsk, en Nikopol, fueron atacados el centro del distrito y las comunidades de Marganets, Mirove, Pokrovske y Chervonohrihorivka. En el ataque resultaron dañadas infraestructuras, una empresa, un edificio residencial de varias plantas y una vivienda particular. Además, el Ejército ruso alcanzó dos factorías militares en Kiev, una que fabricaba componentes para misiles y otra de piezas para drones de asalto, según informó el Ministerio de Defensa de Rusia. Se trata de Fire Point, una empresa privada ucraniana creada al comienzo de la guerra que fabrica componentes, además de la carga explosiva y los propulsores de combustible sólido para los misiles de crucero Flamingo, señala la nota castrense. Según el parte de guerra, en el ataque los rusos también golpearon la empresa ucraniana Ukrdefense, que produce elementos de drones de ataque como Khrush y Garpiya. En la misma jornada, el Ejército ruso lanzó drones con los que alcanzó un buque mercante con cargamento militar destinado al Ejército ucraniano en el puerto de Odesa (mar Negro). Rusia, que ha intensificado sus bombardeos desde que Kiev lanzara a finales de julio su campaña de ataques masivos contra la retaguardia enemiga, descartó esta semana un posible alto el fuego o tregua hasta lograr un arreglo "fiable y duradero" al conflicto.

The Ukrainian capital Kyiv and the surrounding areas were hit by a wide Russian missile attack at dawn on Thursday, killing at least 13 people and injuring 33 others, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Victims in residential areas and a children's hospital Klitschko explained that the bombardment targeted residential areas and warehouses, and damaged residential buildings, a medical facility, and an educational institution. In the Solomianskyi district west of central Kyiv, a direct hit on a children's hospital shattered windows and left parked cars burned. At least two residential buildings in the same area were also damaged. Napalm-like waves of missiles and drones... use of supersonic weapons Multiple explosions were heard in central Kyiv around midnight on Wednesday, earlier than the typical time of Russian strikes, followed by another wave of attacks at dawn on Thursday. The Ukrainian Air Forces announced that during the night attack Russia launched dozens of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and supersonic missiles, along with 168 drones. The arsenal included Kh-47M2 Kinzhal and Zircon supersonic missiles, as well as ballistic missiles Iskander and KN-23, and Shahed drones. In the Kyiv region, Governor Tymor Tkachanko reported one person killed and another wounded in the Provariy district, noting damage to an industrial facility and a fire that firefighters were working to extinguish. The Air Forces also warned of Russian Kalibr missiles passing over the village of Kajarlyk toward the capital. Zelenskiy calls for international response... and mutual escalation Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the international community to respond to the attacks, saying on social media: “While Moscow invests in ballistic missiles and escalation, these strikes are not always met with the international response they deserve. As long as Ukraine does not have sufficient anti-ballistic missile defenses, Russia will not take peace seriously.” By contrast, Russia reported a major drone attack on the Moscow region, with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stating that 250 drones flew toward the area on Wednesday night, most of which were destroyed away from the capital. Ukrainian prosecutors also announced four people killed in a drone attack on a bus in Kherson, and two officers killed with 20 others injured in an attack on a police headquarters with a Ponderol drone missile in Jytomyr. Polish and Romanian air defenses on high alert Amid the escalation, the Polish military leadership announced mobilizing aircraft and activating air defenses to protect its air border with Ukraine. In Romania, radar detected aerial targets near the Ukrainian border, prompting two Spanish jets to be dispatched as part of NATO missions and a Romanian helicopter. The Romanian Defense Ministry confirmed a drone entered Romanian airspace near Galati before crashing in an unpopulated area of Tulcea County. Fuel crisis in Russia and a corruption scandal in Kyiv Ukraine continues its retaliatory strikes deep into Russia. Attacks on oil refineries and storage facilities have caused gasoline shortages inside Russia, forcing Moscow to import refined petroleum products from India and East Asia, a notable shift after India was one of the largest buyers of Russian oil. Domestically, Zelenskiy faces new pressure after firing his top aide Irina Vereshchuk amid investigations into allegations of money laundering. The National Integrity Authority (NAO) announced an investigation into a conspiracy involving high-ranking officials from the presidential office as part of a broad corruption scandal that has seen officials dismissed and arrested in recent months.

Thursday, 7 Rabiʽ al-Awwal 1448 AH - August 20, 2026 | English Français عربي Shahid Programs: our latest episodes online World News Ukraine: 12 killed as Russian missile strikes hit by ballistic missiles 5 hours ago ! آثار هجوم صاروخي روسي في منطقة كييف. رويترز A A A Ukrainian authorities said Russian missile strikes killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 30 others in Kyiv early Thursday, and also damaged buildings and caused power outages in parts of the Ukrainian capital. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who called for Friday to be declared a day of mourning, said a fire broke out in a nine-story residential building in the Solomianskyi district of the capital, destroying upper floors and killing seven people. Klitschko also said via Telegram that damage was inflicted in two other areas, and non-residential facilities, warehouses, a children's hospital and a school were struck. The Ukrainian electricity operator DTEK said it had restored power to more than half of the approximately 90,000 homes that had lost electricity in the capital after the attack. Russia has intensified air strikes on Ukraine in recent months, in an effort to exploit a severe shortfall in interceptor missiles in its smaller neighbor to shoot down ballistic missiles. The Russian Defense Ministry said Moscow carried out air strikes with missiles and drones on Kyiv and the surrounding region, targeting facilities that produce drone components, a military warehouse, a logistics center, and other targets. A Reuters witness said they heard more than ten explosions. Diplomatic efforts have so far failed to reach a lasting ceasefire in the war, which began with a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Source: Reuters World news more Most read

Be informed. Be challenged. Be inspired. Pechenihy, UkraineReuters A Russian missile attack killed 10 people on Tuesday in a village in Ukraine’s north-eastern Kharkiv region, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, adding that Kyiv would respond. There was no immediate comment from Russia on the attack, which also injured at least 18 people, according to the Regional Governor. A building burns after Russian drone strikes in the town of Pechenihy, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on 18th August, 2026. Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kharkiv region/Handout via Reuters “This morning the Russians launched a brutal attack on a busy intersection in Pechenihy, Kharkiv region – a location with a post office and stores, surrounded only by residential buildings,” Zelenskiy said on X. “We will definitely respond to this Russian strike,” he added. Reuters video from Pechenihy showed several covered bodies lying on the ground, burnt-out cars and damaged buildings. Russia has intensified its air attacks on Ukraine over the summer, trying to exploit its smaller neighbour’s critical shortage of interceptors to down ballistic missiles. The United Nations said last week that civilian casualties from the war in Ukraine had risen by nearly a third month-on-month in July. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said on X it was gathering information about the attack in Pechenihy and its impact on civilians. Ukraine has also increased its attacks on Russia, targeting oil facilities and logistics infrastructure to try to undermine Moscow’s ability to wage war. On Tuesday, Moscow’s mayor said Ukraine had launched 620 drones at the Russian capital and surrounding areas, in one of Kyiv’s biggest air assaults on the region. Both Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians in their attacks. The strike on Pechenihy village injured at least 18 people and damaged 10 private buildings, a cafe, a post office, five stores and 15 cars, the governor of the surrounding region, Oleh Syniehubov, said on the Telegram messaging app. According to preliminary information, Russia used two small Banderol cruise missiles in the attack, the office of Ukraine’s Prosecutor General said. A local official told public broadcaster Suspilne that the strikes had hit the central part of the village, where the cafe, post office and shops are located. – With reporting by ANNA PRUCHNICKA in Gdansk, Poland Sight+ is a new benefits program we’ve launched to reward people who have supported us with annual donations of $26 or more. To find out more about Sight+ and how you can support the work of Sight, head to ourSight+ page. TAKE PART IN THE SIGHT READER SURVEY! We’re interested to find out more about you, our readers, as we improve and expand our coverage and so we’re asking all of our readers to take this survey (it’ll only take a couple of minutes). To take part in the survey, simply follow this link… Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked* Comment* Name* Email* Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. © Copyright | Sight Magazine Website by Clever Digital

Ukraine says Russia fired North Korean missiles in deadly attack ‘The city was struck with North Korean ballistic missiles, Zircons,’ President Zelensky said of the strike on Zaporizhzhia that killed 7 Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least 10 people overnight and wounded dozens, Kyiv said on Tuesday, accusing Moscow of launching North Korean missiles in the raid. The allegation comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned – without providing evidence – that Moscow was receiving more ballistic projectiles and troops from its ally Pyongyang. Russia has turned to North Korea for support throughout its four-and-a-half-year invasion. Earlier in the war, Pyongyang dispatched thousands of troops to help Russia fight back a Ukrainian counter-attack into its western Kursk region. And intelligence from the West, Kyiv and Seoul, has long accused North Korea of supplying weapons to Russia. Zelensky said on Tuesday that Ukraine had turned over proposals to US negotiators for a plan to end the war with Russia. “We have conveyed our proposals to the American side,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

Ukraine vows to respond after Russian strike kills 10 in northeast region Officials say the rocket strike on Pechenihy, a village about 40km from the Russian border, hit a busy intersection and 17 others were wounded A Russian attack on a village in the Kharkiv region of northeast Ukraine killed 10 people, Kyiv said on Tuesday, vowing to respond. The strike comes amid a surge in civilian deaths in the four-and-a-half-year war. Russian forces “carried out a rocket strike on Pechenihy”, a village around 40km (25 miles) from the Russian border, Kharkiv regional governor Oleg Synegubov said on social media. “According to preliminary information, 10 people were killed,” he added, with 17 people wounded. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that the strike hit a busy intersection, “a location with a post office and stores, surrounded only by residential buildings”. Images from the site of the attack posted by the Ukrainian emergency services showed rescuers working at the scene, carrying people to safety amid destroyed buildings, smouldering rubble and cars on fire or reduced to charred shells.

Spanish foreign minister urges migrant to 'not risk their lives' again, says 'every last person' will be returned to Morocco Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares visited Ceuta earlier today, as he insisted that Madrid had it all under control despite “the most unique and complex” border arrangements there. He said Spain was in direct dialogue with the Moroccan authorities on how to prevent another border crisis. He also directly addressed migrants considering another attempt at crossing the border, telling them to “not risk their lives, their money or their futures by an endeavour that is doomed to fail.” Any migrants crossing irregularly will not be able to reach the mainland Europe or stay in Ceuta, he said. Albares picked up “online disinformation” on social media with a “false” interpretation of a recent court ruling, stressing that his ministry’s website sets out clearly that “entering Ceuta or Melilla does not grant anyone the right to remain” and “every last person” crossing the border will be returned to their place of origin. “No one has left the city for the mainland, nor can they, precisely for the reasons I explained regarding this double control border filter, and that the diplomatic work we are doing with Morocco is for the return of all those who have entered irregularly. Everything else is fake news, self-serving rumors,” he stressed, But Ceuta’s conservative president Juan Jesús Vivas told reporters after meeting Albares that up to 10,000 people still remained in the city, a situation which he calls “unsustainable.” He welcomed Albares’s commitment to return all people to Morocco, but lamented there was no guaranteed timeline for that to happen. The commission also got repeatedly asked about what it can do to counter further disinformation similar to what triggered a run on the Spanish border with Morocco in Ceuta. A spokesperson said the bloc could offer further support to Spain if requested, but that has not happened yet. But he added that the platforms are working on their crisis protocols with an ad hoc escalation and cooperation mechanism in place to deal with what’s being posted online. “We’ll continue to be vigilant in our work with our agencies and the platforms to stifle criminal networks selling false promises at the cost of lives,” they added. Opposition ban shows Russia 'is afraid' of dissenting voices, EU says The European Commission is now giving its regular midday briefing. EU foreign spokesperson Anitta Hipper offered the commission’s response to the Yabloko party’s ban in Russia (11:34). “So from what we have seen is that this is another testimony of Russia’s action against the fundamental freedoms and the continued pressure on opposition figures. This basically shows that Russia is afraid because they truly need to eliminate any dissenting voices. By silencing the political opposition, Kremlin is also removing any domestic voice that has been critical of its unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine. I would say this comes as a surprise, but it’s not.” Latvia finds tunnel under Belarus border as concern grows over irregular migration attempts Latvia said on Tuesday a tunnel had been discovered under the border with Belarus and announced plans to combat networks that it says are helping a growing number of migrants cross the frontier illegally, Reuters reported. Latvian soldiers last month used teargas and fired a warning shot to stop migrants trying to enter from Belarus, which shares a 173-km (107-mile) border with European Union member state Latvia. “The protection of Latvia’s eastern border will be strengthened, with closer cooperation between the Border Guard, State Police, National Armed Forces and security services, and more intensive use of drones for early detection and detention of illegal migrants,” interior minister Jānis Dombrava told a joint press conference with prime minister Andris Kulbergs. European nations have expressed concern over unregulated migration in recent weeks following an inflow of tens of thousands of people from Morocco to the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, although most of those migrants have since left, Reuters said. Lithuania said in July it had also found a tunnel that migrants were using to enter from Belarus. Poland and the Baltics have long accused Belarus of weaponising irregular migration to test their borders. Russia bans voting against the war - Ukraine war briefing Warren Murray Meanwhile, Russia has banned voting against the war in September’s elections. The supreme court upheld a suit brought by a small pro-Kremlin nationalist party, Roblina, and stripped voters opposed to the war of their last option on the ballot:Yabloko, the country’s only remaining anti-war party. The court banned Yabloko’s entire list of federal election candidates from standing for the State Duma of Russia’s parliament. With most of Vladimir Putin’s opponents jailed, exiled or dead, Yabloko is the only liberal party still operating in Russia. Voting options other than Putin’s de facto party, the ruling United Russia, are only tolerated if they are too weak to win; give their backing to the Kremlin; or serve as “spoilers” that draw votes away from anyone who might pose a threat to the regime. About a hundred supporters, mostly young people, gathered outside the courthouse chanting “Shame! Shame!” after the ruling was delivered. Like the Duma, the supreme court routinely rubber-stamps the Kremlin’s wishes. Addressing protesters, Yabloko leader Nikolay Rybakov said the party would appeal against the decision. In an interview with Agence France-Presse on the weekend, Rybakov said about 40 party activists were facing prosecution for opposing the war. The party’s deputy leader, Maxim Kruglov, was jailed for seven years in June over social media posts, while Rybakov was fined and barred from elections for posting a photo of Alexei Navalny. Independent polls show most Russians favour peace negotiations with Kyiv. UK's Europe minister to speak with Irish counterpart as part of EU reset plans Lisa O’Carroll Senior correspondent The UK’s new European relations minister Hamish Falconer will talk with Ireland’s Europe minister today, a key step to refresh talks over Britain’s post-Brexit relations with the bloc. Ireland holds the rotating presidency of the EU and has a key role in influencing the pace and direction of political agreements on all issues that come up in the last six months of 2026. Falconer and Thomas Byrne are due to talk by phone in the afternoon. UK-EU relations have already been made a priority for Ireland’s presidency. Romania could shut down second reactor in nuclear power plant as Danube levels continue to fall In other news, Romania’s nuclear power plant at Cernavodă could shut down a second reactor in the next 48 hours as falling water levels on the Danube make it increasingly difficult for cooling pumps to operate safely, local media have reported. The plant’s first reactor had to close in late July. The government has insisted there will be no need for energy rationing, but imports will have to rise to meet demand. The move could come despite efforts to divert cooling water to the plant, which included a controlled explosion on the river last week. Ukraine's drone forces hit Russian military base, oil refinery overnight Ukraine’s drone forces issued an update on their strikes overnight. They confirmed hitting a military base in Voronezh, an oil refinery in Orsk, a cargo ship in the Black Sea and energy facilities in the temporarily occupied Russian territories, the army said in a statement. For what it’s worth, Russia’s defence ministry said its overnight strikes targeted military-related transport and logistics centres in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and on a major iron and steelworks it said was helping Ukraine’s war effort in Zaporizhzhia. The ministry said it had hit the Nova Poshta sorting complex in Kyiv which it said handled the storage and distribution of dual-use goods, including components for the production of long- and medium-range drones, as well as robotic systems and electronic warfare equipment, Reuters reported. It said it had also struck the Kyiv-3 transport and logistics centre which it described as a large warehouse complex which it said stored attack drones, ground control stations and their components. Morning opening: Russia strikes Ukraine with North Korean missiles, Zelenskyy says Jakub Krupa Overnight Russian attacks on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least six people and injured 20, officials said. Another six people were killed and 16 injured in attacks on Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk, Reuters reported. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Zaporizhzhia “was struck with North Korean ballistic missiles, Zircons, and guided aerial bombs.” “It was a vicious attack, calculated to inflict maximum damage specifically on civilian infrastructure,” he said. “Every step Russia takes – increasing ballistic missile production, bringing in North Korean equipment, preparing for mobilisation – all of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation. And the world needs to respond now, not wait.” Meanwhile, Ukraine continued its drone strikes deep inside Russia with one person dead and two injured after an attack on Voronezh region, where falling debris triggered fires at a Wildberries logistics warehouse. The company later said that the fire at the facility had been extinguished, that goods had not been damaged and that deliveries had been rerouted to other warehouses, Reuters said. Elsewhere, the Hungarian parliament set to choose a new president in a further break with Orbán-era of the past two decades.András Baka, a former president of the Supreme Court and a judge on the European court of human rights, is expected to be confirmed in the largely ceremonial post later today. And temperatures are rising again in western Europe as Spain and France are about to enter the fifth heatwave of the summer with temperatures up to 38C. Lots to write about. It’s Tuesday, 11 August 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

A heavy Russian missile and drone bombardment has killed at least 15 people in and around Kyiv in one of the most intense aerial attacks on Ukraine’s capital since the start of the war. Vitali Klitschko, the city’s mayor, said homes, a school and a children’s medical centre were among the buildings damaged overnight in an attack that began at about midnight and was continuing into the early afternoon. Fifteen people were reported killed in the city, Klitschko said, while other authorities said 33 had been injured. The Ukraine president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said: “It was a massive attack – the Russians had been preparing for a long time, combining different types of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, aiming to cause as much damage as possible to civilian infrastructure.” Explosions could be clearly heard from the city centre within minutes of the first warning at 11.51pm on Wednesday, earlier than the normal timing of Russian missile strikes. A further wave of attacks followed after 6am on Thursday, and drone threats continued throughout the morning. Ukraine’s air force said Russia had launched dozens of ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles and 168 drones in the overnight attack. Later it reported shooting down 41 out of 46 cruise missiles and 145 drones, although none of an unspecified number of high-speed ballistic missiles were intercepted. A shortage of Patriot interceptors means that Ukraine is struggling to defend itself from attack from high-speed ballistics, which can arrive within minutes of an air raid warning. Earlier this month the air force decided to stop announcing how many ballistics had been launched, citing security concerns. Eight people were reported killed in the Solomianskyi district to the west of the centre of the capital. A multistorey apartment building in a residential area was struck and flats on the top floor destroyed, killing two, rescuers said. An empty building, sometimes used informally as a shelter, in the middle of a car park was destroyed in a strike at around midnight. Nobody was reported killed though several cars were burnt out and bricks from the building scattered several metres across the open space nearby. Oleksandr, a car park attendant, was on duty at the time of the attack and escaped with light injuries. The next morning, still shocked, covered in cuts, his shorts torn into strips, he waited by his destroyed booth and said he could not remember what had happened to him immediately after the blast. Andriy, 57, a driver, said he first heard an explosion close by and was in his vehicle when the strike on the building in the car park took place. He said he believed his life was saved by the tinted plastic sheeting he had stuck on to his car windows. “I was only scratched on the back of my head,” he added. There was no sign of any military or industrial activity in the local area. The car park was used by residents of the nearby apartment blocks, and the non-residential buildings largely disused. Zelenskyy urged a global response to the attacks. “While Moscow is investing in ballistic missiles and escalation, such strikes do not always receive the response they should. And as long as Ukraine does not have enough anti-ballistic defence, Russia will not consider peace seriously,” Zelenskyy said on social media. An attack in Brovary district in the wider Kyiv region killed one man and wounded another, said the regional governor, Tymur Tkachenko. “One industrial facility has been damaged. All relevant services are on site, working to extinguish the fire,” he said. Warehouses in Boryspil, east of Kyiv, were also attacked, including a facility operated by the Ukrainian Red Cross, Ukraine’s prime minister, Sergiy Koretsky, said. Both sides have been escalating long-range attacks while air defences remain short. Ukraine has attacked oil refineries and warehouses close to Moscow using newly developed cruise missiles and drones, while Russia has stepped up its attacks on Kyiv, making heavy use of hard ballistics The Ukrainian air force said Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic missiles were used in the attack, as well as Iskander and North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles, sea launched Kalibr cruise missiles and Shahed drones. Ukraine’s air force had earlier warned of Russian Kalibr missiles passing over the regional village of Kaharlyk and heading towards the capital. Eight of the missiles had been launched from warships in the Black Sea, though all were shot down. Romania’s defence ministry said radar systems detected aerial targets near the Ukrainian border overnight, prompting the scrambling of two Spanish fighter jets deployed on Nato missions and a Romanian air force helicopter. The ministry said a drone entered Romanian airspace near Galați before crashing in an unpopulated area in Tulcea county. Poland’s military command said it had mobilised aircraft and activated air defences aimed at protecting Polish airspace, particularly in areas bordering Ukraine. Russia also reported a large Ukrainian drone attack. Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said 250 drones had flown toward the Moscow region between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, and that most had been destroyed at a significant distance from the capital itself. Moscow confirmed on Wednesday that Russia was having to import refined petroleum products to try to stabilise supply following Ukraine’s attacks on its refineries. The Reuters news agency used industry contacts and market data to establish that a tanker from India had recently arrived and unloaded, while supplies were also being sourced from east Asia.

Ukraine’s recently dismissed former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has called for a wartime presidential election in the most direct political challenge to Volodymyr Zelenskyy since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. The politician, whose abrupt sacking last month triggered a wave of protests, said that Ukraine had to “restore a full democratic process even amid a prolonged war” in a video address released online late on Tuesday evening. “Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia. We are fighting precisely because we want to remain a free European state,” Fedorov said in his nine-minute speech. Though he did not mention Zelenskyy by name, Fedorov implied the current president presided over a poorly functioning state that was struggling to tackle corruption despite the national emergency. “People cannot endlessly live in a state where they do not understand why certain decisions are made. Why some reforms move forward while others are blocked,” Fedorov said, arguing that Ukraine could fight a war and hold a national poll. “It is particularly dangerous when society develops the feeling that the main criterion for an appointment is not professionalism, results or the ability to transform the country, but personal loyalty to the system,” he said. Elections have been suspended in Ukraine since martial law was imposed at the start of the full-scale invasion by Russia. Zelenskyy’s five-year term ended in May 2024 but there has been little desire in Ukraine to hold a contest while war continues. The US president, Donald Trump, has previously demanded that Ukraine hold an election, though his once-fraught relationship with Zelenskyy has gradually improved over the past year as Kyiv has shown it can hold its own on the battlefield. Fedorov, 35, was Ukraine’s digital minister from 2019 until January, fronting the country’s wartime adoption of drones, before briefly serving in what was considered to be a successful stint as defence minister until July. But he was suddenly dropped by Zelenskyy in a government reshuffle after a falling out with military commander Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi. Street protests followed, leading to the sacking of Syrskyi, but there was no sign Fedorov would be reinstated. On Tuesday Zelenskyy formally nominated Yevhen Khmara, the acting defence minister, to take the post permanently. Khmara’s nomination has to be confirmed by Ukraine’s parliament, and a vote is expected to take place on Wednesday. Artem Bronzhukov, a Ukrainian political analyst, questioned whether it would be practical to hold elections given that Russian bombing was continuing. “Today there is no clear understanding of how to ensure people’s safety in the context of a full-scale war,” he said. There was, he added, “a fairly deep-rooted view within Ukrainian society” that elections are necessary but only after the hot phase of the war ends – and that the country remained “a warring democracy – confirmed precisely by the protests taking place after Fedorov’s resignation from the government”. Protests had been taking place nightly in a square below the presidential office in the heart of Kyiv, but the numbers attending had been dwindling. However, the campaign was relaunched in a special rally on Sunday night that attracted about 2,000 people with regular chants of “Fedorov, Fedorov, Fedorov …” Polling conducted at the turn of the month reported the ex-minister would come third in the first round of a presidential election with 13.1%, behind Zelenskyy on 22.3% and the former head of the armed forces, who is now Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, on 21.4%. The same polling, conducted by the Socis Centre for Social Research, also concluded that Zelenskyy would then be defeated in the run-off election by both Fedorov and Zaluzhnyi. Ukraine uses a two-stage voting system. If Ukraine were to hold an election, it would have to contend with the fact that millions have been exiled and displaced since the start of the war, and that more than 1 million are serving in the armed forces, many on the frontline. About a fifth of the country’s territory is also under Russian occupation.

Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov on Aug. 18 called for Ukraine to find a way to restore a full democratic process even as the war continues, arguing that Russia should not be allowed to determine when Ukrainians can elect their government. In a video address, Fedorov said Ukraine needs a "legal, safe, and realistic mechanism" for holding elections during a prolonged war while ensuring voting rights for military personnel, Ukrainians abroad, and people living in front-line regions. "We must not let (Russian President Vladimir) Putin decide when Ukrainians can choose their government," Fedorov said, adding that democracy is "part of what we are fighting for today." Fedorov argued that elections are not simply about casting ballots but provide an opportunity for citizens to assess those in power and decide whether they continue to have their trust. "Democracy is not a peacetime luxury. Democracy is part of what we are fighting for today," he said, arguing that Ukraine must demonstrate that it can simultaneously wage war and remain a democratic state. Fedorov also called for greater government accountability, arguing that officials entrusted with authority, public funds, or government positions should be required to demonstrate results and explain their decisions to the public. He criticized corruption and bureaucratic inefficiency during wartime, arguing that misused defense funds can directly affect Ukraine's ability to fight by depriving troops of drones, ammunition, electronic warfare systems, vehicles, and other equipment. "Power must mean responsibility," Fedorov said. "If you received authority — be accountable for the result. If you received a budget — show what was accomplished. If you received a position — explain what you achieved." He also argued that the government must communicate more openly with Ukrainians, saying that the extraordinary trust granted to authorities during wartime does not give them "a license to act without explanation." "People do not demand that the state never make mistakes," Fedorov said. "But they have a right to the truth." Fedorov's remarks came hours after Zelensky formally nominated acting Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara to take up the post in a permanent capacity, following months of protests calling for Fedorov's reinstatement. Khmara's nomination must be approved by parliament, with a confirmation vote expected as early as Aug. 19. Khmara is an SBU veteran who previously commanded the agency's Alpha Special Operations Center, overseeing Ukraine's campaign of long-range drone strikes against Russia. He also led the operation to liberate Snake Island in 2022 and was appointed as the acting head of the agency in January 2026 after Vasyl Maliuk stepped down. Zelensky dismissed Fedorov during a government reshuffle earlier this year, a decision that sparked nationwide protests. Fedorov has since rejected other government positions offered by the president, primarily focused on strengthening Ukraine's military technology sector, maintaining that he would only return as defense minister. Fedorov was regarded as one of the government's most popular ministers and was praised for his reforms and efforts to expand Ukraine's drone capabilities.

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated. - At least eight people have been killed and eight others injured, including three children, in Kyiv amid the latest Russian attack - A further four people were killed and 13 injured in the surrounding oblast - Ballistic missiles targeted Kyiv as air raid sirens sound for the third time since late on Aug. 31 - Six of the dead were employees of Ukrainian Railways - Dozens of explosions rocked the city within the span of 15 minutes, starting at around 2:23 a.m. local time - Drone attacks continued through the morning At least 12 people were killed and 21 others injured in Kyiv and the surrounding oblast overnight on Sept. 1, as Russia launched a ballistic missile attack amid a days-long drone barrage against the capital. Officials reported that at least eight people were killed and eight others injured in the capital, while four were killed and 13 injured in Kyiv Oblast. Six of those killed were Ukrainian Railways employees who died when a ballistic missile hit a "depot and other railway facilities," Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, Chairman of the Board of Ukrainian Railways, said in a post on social media. "Russia always plans its strikes in a way designed to cause maximum destruction to people’s lives, and it succeeds only when there are not enough air defense systems," President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Zelensky added that nearly 350 emergency workers were involved in responding to the aftermath of the attack in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast alone. Kyiv and Odesa oblasts were the primary targets, according to the Air Force. Russia launched ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as 218 drones, around a third of which were jet-powered. Ukraine's air defenses intercepted or suppressed 199 drones or missiles, including five ballistic missiles, five Kalibr cruise missiles, two S8000 Banderol missiles, and 187 drones. Strikes were recorded at 28 locations across the country, while debris from intercepted targets fell at 10 others. Earlier on Aug. 31, Kyiv faced its fifth day in a row of nonstop Russian jet-powered drone attacks, while Russian strikes in other regions killed at least seven people and injured another 45 over the past day, authorities said. Russia resumes attacks As nightfall began on Sept. 1, Ukraine's air defenses were engaged in Kyiv's city center for the sixth straight day as several Russian drones were downed over the city, Kyiv Independent reporters said. Fires were recorded throughout the city as Russia's attack on Kyiv continued, Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said at 9:30 p.m. local time. A blaze broke out in the city's Darnytskyi district as a result of a downed drone, in the Solomyanskyi district a wooded area caught fire, and in the Holosiivskyi district drone debris was found at two different locations. A "very loud" explosion then rocked Kyiv's city center at around 10:17 p.m., Kyiv Independent Deputy Chief Editor Toma Istomina said. The Kyiv City Military Administration cleared the air raid alert later at 10:27 p.m. local time after it began hours earlier at 7:46 p.m. Russia deploys missiles Another alert was declared at 11:32 p.m. and then cleared at 12:15 a.m. the next day, with another alert following at 2:10 a.m. local time as Ukraine's Air Force warned Kyiv was targeted by several missiles. Amid the casualty count, four people, including two children in the Solomyanskyi district, were injured in the Russian attack, the military administration reported. Dozens of explosions then rocked Kyiv from 2:23 a.m. through 2:34 a.m. shortly after the latest alert was declared, Istomina said. "This is the biggest missile attack on Kyiv in a while," Editor-in-Chief Olga Rudenko said as explosions continued to rock the city. At least seven people were killed "at two locations" in the Darnytskyi district of the city, and one person killed in the Holosiivskyi district after a "non-residential" building was struck, Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported. "The ballistic strike took the lives of 7 people, 6 of whom are our employees," Pertsovskyi said, adding: "Dozens managed to escape to shelters, we are helping them recover." At around 10 a.m., a drone fell in an open area near a five-story residential building in Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi District, while a fire broke out on the 14th and 15th floors of a 16-story residential building in the Podilskyi District, Klitschko said, later adding that three people were injured. Kyiv Oblast Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko reported that a five-story residential building and an unspecified "enterprise" was damaged in the attack in Boryspil, located in Kyiv Oblast, just outside the capital. Recent days in Kyiv Kyiv has recorded a record number of air raid alerts over the past week as Russia shifts its strategy to launching jet-powered drones in near-hourly attacks rather than its usual massive overnight barrages of ballistic and cruise missiles preceded by waves of drones. On Aug. 28, the capital recorded 13 alerts, the highest number since Russia launched its full-scale invasion against Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 30 that around 800 Russian jet-powered drones were launched over the first four days of prolonged attacks. Russia is increasingly using jet-powered drones, which can travel up to 600 kilometers per hour, more than three times faster than piston-powered Shaheds. "Right now, Russia’s tactic is to wear down Ukraine and Ukrainians – first and foremost, our people," Zelensky said in his evening address on Aug. 28. As Ukraine continues to search for effective defense against the jet-powered drones, Ukraine's new Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara told reporters on Aug. 29 that Ukraine has tested four potential interceptors against Russian jet-powered Shahed drones.

Zelenskyy showed the aftermath of the Russian strike on Pechenihy (Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyyrespondedto a Russian strike on the village of Pechenihy in Kharkiv Oblast, which killed at least 10 people and wounded 17 on Aug. 18. He stressed that Russia struck a busy intersection where a post office and shops are located, surrounded only by residential buildings. Rescuers have extinguished the fire, and all emergency and response services continue working at the scene. "We will definitely respond to this Russian strike," the president said. “And it is equally important that our partners also complement our just kinetic responses with their own actions to put pressure on Russia and support Ukraine.” According to the Prosecutor General's Office, Russian forces struck the village at 8:40 a.m. with two small cruise missiles of the Banderol type. The Kharkiv regional prosecutor's office has opened a pre-trial investigation into a war crime that resulted in deaths (Part 2, Article 438 of Ukraine's Criminal Code). The strike damaged 10 houses, a cafe, a post office, a shop, and at least seven vehicles, the regional authorities said. The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues. Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them. For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy.But we cannot do it alone. Please considersupporting us on Patreonfor just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended. Thank you. Follow us onTwitter,FacebookandGoogle News Теги:Volodymyr ZelenskyyKharkiv Oblastfatalitiescivilian casualtiesdamage

Supported by Ukraine’s Ex-Defense Minister Calls for Election, Cementing Break With Zelensky Mykhailo Fedorov, a popular young leader who was fired last month, said Russia should not be allowed to dictate when Ukrainians can choose their next government. Ukraine’s popular former defense minister has called for wartime elections in Ukraine, setting up a potential confrontation with President Volodymyr Zelensky, the man who fired him last month. After Russia invaded in February 2022, elections in Ukraine were suspended under martial law. Opposing political parties and some Ukrainians have grumbled about Mr. Zelensky’s hold on power, which has extended for more than seven years, but rallied behind him because of the war. The first major crack in that largely unified front appeared on Tuesday evening, when the former defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, whose firing prompted sustained protests against Mr. Zelensky, posted a nine-minute video on social media. In it, Mr. Fedorov argued that Ukraine was facing a systemic crisis of governance. Ukrainians, Mr. Fedorov said, need to be able to exercise their democratic rights despite the war with Russia. He did not directly put himself forward as a candidate to succeed Mr. Zelensky. But the video of Mr. Fedorov, dressed in a black military-style shirt, dramatically spotlighted at a wooden desk, had the feel of a campaign declaration. “Can Russia effectively be given the right to dictate when Ukrainians can choose their government again?” Mr. Fedorov said. “I am convinced that the answer is no. Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia. We are fighting precisely because we want to remain a free European state.” Related Content Advertisement

At least 12 people, including an Indian, were killed after Russia launched a massive aerial assault across Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian authorities said on Tuesday. More than a dozen people were also wounded, including three children. The attack, which began at around 6pm on Monday, involved ballistic, cruise and anti-radar missiles, along with 218 drones and decoys, according to Ukraine’s air force. Around a third of the drones were reportedly jet-powered. The Kyiv and Odesa regions were the main targets of the assault, which marked the sixth consecutive day of Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said residential buildings and civilian infrastructure were damaged in several areas. “Overall, 12 people were killed, among them an Indian citizen, and dozens more were injured in the attack.” Zelenskyy said seven people were killed in a strike on a railway depot in Kyiv, while authorities reported another death in the city’s Holosiivskyi district after a non-residential building was hit and caught fire. A drone also struck a residential building in the Solomianskyi district, where emergency workers rescued a man and freed a woman trapped under rubble. In the wider Kyiv region, three people were killed and 12 wounded. In Boryspil, several buildings and vehicles were damaged, while emergency crews evacuated 48 people and rescued two people from beneath the rubble. Odesa also came under heavy attack, with residential buildings and civilian infrastructure damaged. A sewing factory caught fire, while Russian forces also struck the Orlivka international ferry crossing on the border with Romania. Ukraine’s air force said its forces destroyed or suppressed 199 aerial targets, including five ballistic missiles and 187 drones. Missile and drone strikes were recorded at 28 locations, while debris from intercepted targets fell at another 10 sites. Zelenskyy said the attacks showed the need for stronger air defences, adding: “Russia always plans its strikes specifically to cause as much destruction to people’s lives as possible, and it succeeds only when air defense capabilities are insufficient.”

Democracy Dies in Darkness By David L. Stern and Anastacia Galouchka KYIV — As Ukraine confronted a serious fissure in national unity — set off on Wednesday when the country’s popular former defense minister demanded wartime elections — Russia bombarded Kyiv with an hours-long barrage of missiles and drones overnight, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more. 18Comments Related Articles Catherine Belton Russia closes window for dissent as Ukraine’s attacks stir public dismay July 28, 2026 David Stern , Steve Hendrix and Serhii Korolchuk Why is Zelensky firing top leaders as Ukraine’s outlook improves? July 22, 2026 David Stern and Anastacia Galouchka Defense minister dismissed by Zelensky demands elections in Ukraine August 19, 2026 David Stern , Catherine Belton and Kostiantyn Khudov Russia rocks Ukrainian capital with massive assault, killing at least 30 July 2, 2026 Catherine Belton Russia presses demands, and faces pressure, as Ukraine talks move to Geneva February 17, 2026 David Stern After Trump criticism, Zelensky says he’s ready to hold elections December 10, 2025 View 3 more storiesView 3 more stories 5.61.5 !pixel Already have an account? Sign in FLASH SALE Two ways to read this article: Create an account Free Access this article SALE Subscribe £1every four weeks for the first year Unlimited access to all articles * 24/7 live news updates Subscribe The Washington Post cares about your privacy For this app, we and our processors store and/or access information on your device, such as SDKs to process personal data. You may accept or reject non-essential technologies for the purposes below or manage your choices by clicking below. If you click “I accept,” we also process the profile information you provide and your interactions with our surveys and other interactive content for personalized advertising. If you are an EU, Swiss, or UK resident and you do not accept, we will process SDKs, cookies and associated data for strictly necessary purposes and process non-cookie data as set forth in our Privacy Policy (consistent with law and, if applicable, other choices you have made). The language regarding partners below also refers to data processing on our Website, which includes more partners and additional data processing than this app. We and our 114 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting I Accept enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under we and our partners process data to provide. Selecting Reject All or withdrawing your consent will disable them. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the Manage Preferences link on the bottom of the webpage. Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy. We and our partners process cookie data to provide: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content. Use profiles to select personalised content. Measure advertising performance. Measure content performance. Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources. Develop and improve services. Store and/or access information on a device. Use limited data to select content. Use limited data to select advertising. List of Partners (vendors) I Accept Reject All Show Purposes

Aug. 18 (UPI) --A strike by Russian forces on a rural community inUkraine's northeastern Kharkiv province on Tuesday morning killed at least 10 people and injured eight others, authorities said. Kharkiv Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said ina post onlinethat a missile hit a residential area of the small town of Pechenihy, 30 miles southeast of Kharkiv. "This morning, the Russians brutally struck a crowded intersection in Pechenihy, where the post office and shops are located, and around where there are only residential buildings. "Many people are injured, they are being provided with all necessary medical assistance. Rescuers have already extinguished the fire, all emergency and operational services continue to work at the scene. All the circumstances of this tragedy are being clarified," wrote Syniehubov. Syniehubov said 10 private houses, a cafe, a post office, a shop and at least seven cars were also damaged in the attack. Meanwhile, Ukraine continued to send swarms of attack drones into Russia overnight for a third straight day, hitting and damaging a warehouse outside of Moscow belonging to Russiane-commerce giant Wildberriesand setting ablaze an aluminum plant in Filimonovo, 40 miles northwest of Moscow. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said620 Ukrainian dronesapproached Moscow and the Moscow Region between Monday evening and 5 a.m. local time on Tuesday, of which 180 were downed by air defenses, causing some indirect damage on the ground. "Emergency services are working at the sites where debris fell," said Sobyanin. The state-run TASS news agency said that by its calculations the attack was the largest in two year, eclipsing an attack overnight Saturday that saw 600 drones bear down on the Russian capital, of which 201 were destroyed in the air. Read MoreRussia warns Britain of 'consequences' of supplying drones to UkraineAt least 10 killed, 7 injured as Ukraine, Russia trade attacks overnightRussia: Overnight Ukrainian drone attack was biggest so far

250 Ukrainian drones launched an attack on Moscow; Russia responded with heavy fire. (Dan Tri newspaper) - Russia and Ukraine continue to carry out attacks against each other's territory, including targets in the capitals Moscow and Kyiv. Báo Dân trí•20/08/2026 It was confirmed by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin that 250 drones flew toward the Moscow region from the night of August 19 to the morning of August 20. Russia claims to have intercepted the majority of the drones while they were still far from the city center. Sobyanin stated: '250 drones flew toward the Moscow region; the vast majority were destroyed in locations far from the center.' Early this morning, Ukrainian drones attacked a oil refinery in the Republic of Tatarstan and an oil reception facility in the Krasnodar region. It is believed that Ukrainian drones targeted the TANEKO oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk. Photos and videos posted on social media show long-range drones attacking the refinery at night. In another part of Russia, a Tamafintgaz oil depot in the Krasnodar region also came under attack. NASA's FIRMS satellite monitoring system recorded a fire at the depot. The TANEKO oil refinery had previously been attacked by Ukrainian forces on August 10. The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the attack on the facility and also reported a fire there. You might also like: TANIKO is a large oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk, about 1,200 kilometers from Ukraine, with processing capacity of more than 17 million tons of oil per year. Ukraine has targeted Ukraine's oil infrastructure in Nizhnekamsk on several occasions. Ukrainian forces attacked the Ty-Info NK refinery in July, while the nearby Nizhnekamskneftekhim petrochemical plant was hit in May and June. The oil depot 'Tamanneftegaz', a major Russian oil export facility in the Black Sea region, has been attacked by Ukrainian forces. In June, the Ukrainian General Staff reported damage to three oil storage tanks, a pipeline, and transportation infrastructure at the site. Ukraine regularly launches attacks on military infrastructure deep inside Russian territory and in areas under Russian control. These attacks aim to undermine Moscow’s ability to sustain its war campaign in Ukraine. In recent months, Ukraine has intensified long-range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, targeting refineries and other energy facilities that Kyiv says help fund and supply Moscow’s war effort. In response to Ukrainian attacks, Russia has also carried out repeated airstrikes on targets inside Ukrainian territory, including Kyiv. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Russia launched a wide-range missile and drone assault early this morning, targeting residential areas and storage facilities in Kyiv. Military authorities in Kyiv reported damage to a medical facility and an educational institution, and a series of powerful explosions was heard in Kyiv and surrounding cities. The Ukrainian Air Force had previously warned of Russian Kalibr missiles near the village of Kajarlyk in Kyiv. You might also like: The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed it targeted facilities manufacturing drone components, a military depot, and a logistics center in its airstrike on Ukraine. The attacks also prompted security measures in neighboring countries to Ukraine, which are NATO members. Polish authorities announced they deployed fighter jets and activated air defense systems to protect Polish airspace, especially in border areas with Ukraine. Romania's Ministry of Defense said radar systems tracked aerial targets near the Ukrainian border during the night. Two Spanish fighter jets (on a NATO-assigned mission) and a Romanian Air Force helicopter were quickly deployed to respond to the situation.

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov calls for elections. Fedorov urged holding elections despite the ongoing conflict with Russia. Báo Khoa học và Đời sống•19/08/2026. Associated Press reports that former Ukrainian defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for elections on August 18 amid the ongoing conflict with Russia, stressing that Ukraine faces a governance crisis. Fedorov’s call for elections came in a video speech published on YouTube, following his dismissal in July 2026. "We must find a legal, secure, and practical mechanism that allows Ukraine to restore its full democratic process even in the context of a prolonged war," Fedorov said. Fedorov noted that Ukraine faces a structural crisis in its governing system, pointing out that the current system tends to protect itself and resist change. He also condemned corruption among officials, without naming anyone specifically, arguing that it has weakened Ukraine’s fighting capacity. You might also like: The former minister once stated that he believed one reason for his dismissal was the restructuring of the Defense Ministry’s procurement system, which he led and which oversaw the purchase of equipment worth billions of dollars. Fedorov delivered his speech just hours after the Ukrainian parliament received a proposal from President Zelenskiy to nominate Yevgeniy Khmara as the new defense minister, according to Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk’s Facebook post on August 18. Over the past month, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Kyiv to support former Defense Minister Fedorov after his sudden dismissal. Fedorov’s move could become the biggest domestic challenge facing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy since the outbreak of the conflict with Russia in February 2022. The Office of the President has not commented on Fedorov’s remarks. You might also like: Ukrainian law bans elections while the country remains under martial law, which came into effect on February 24, 2022. >>> We invite readers to watch the video: Russia keeps channels of communication open regarding the Ukrainian conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed retaliation on Tuesday after Russia launched a “brutal attack” in his country. A Russian missile killed ten people and injured more than a dozen in a village in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. Zelensky described the area as “surrounded only by residential buildings” and posted photos of the damage on his social media. Russia’s strike on Ukraine comes amid a reported uptick in attacks against civilian locations. Private houses, a post office, and retail shopping locations were all reportedly damaged in the attack. Zelensky posted about the Russian strike on social media on Tuesday morning. “This morning, the Russians launched a brutal attack on a busy intersection in Pechenihy, Kharkiv region – a location with a post office and stores, surrounded only by residential buildings,” Zelensky wrote. “As of now, 10 people have been reported killed,” he said. “My condolences to their families and loved ones. Many people have been injured and are receiving all necessary medical care. First responders have already extinguished the fire, and all emergency and response services continue working at the site. All the circumstances of this tragedy are being established.” Zelensky criticized Russia for continuing to strike known civilian locations and vowed retaliation. He also called on allies to take action against Russia to hamper the country’s ability to continue carrying out military strikes. He urged Ukraine’s “partners” to apply “pressure” on Russia. “We will definitely respond to this Russian strike,” Zelensky said. “And it is equally important that our partners also complement our just kinetic responses with their own actions to put pressure on Russia and support Ukraine.” Russia’s attack comes after Ukraine launched one of its largest drone strikes of the war over the weekend, launching over 600 drones at Russia. Russian air defenses reportedly shot down over 200 Ukrainian drones between Saturday night and Sunday morning. “Tonight and in the morning, air defense and electronic warfare forces were repelling a large-scale drone attack on the Moscow region,” said Moscow region Governor Andrey Vorobyov in a post on the messaging service Telegram. Several people were wounded in the Ukraine drone strikes, and multiple buildings were damaged, according to Russian media reports.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia pounded the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and the surrounding region with scores of missiles and drones in a nighttime aerial attack that lasted for hours and killed at least 16 people, officials said Thursday. Moscow's forces have in recent months intensified their ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, exploiting Ukraine's chronic shortage of U.S.-made Patriot air defense interceptors, the sole weapon in its arsenal able to shoot down the missiles. Such large-scale Russian missile strikes have become a regular occurrence this summer. Just over two weeks ago, a Russian attack on Kyiv and its surrounding region killed 17 people, and nine were killed in the city two days before that. The United Nations said last week that Kyiv was also one of the hardest hit cities in Ukraine in July, with at least 54 civilians killed and 202 injured. At the same time, Ukraine has shifted the war onto Russian soil through long-range drone strikes on oil facilities that have caused fuel shortages across the country. It has also unsettled the Russian public by striking warehouses of Wildberries, the country’s biggest online retailer. Zelenskyy repeats his appeals for more air defense President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pleaded for countries to send more Patriot interceptors for defense, but international stockpiles are low amid the Iran war and Kyiv's more than four-year fight against Russia's all-out invasion. Russia's overnight barrage also included cruise missiles and jet-powered drones that further strain air defenses, the Ukrainian air force said. Explosions boomed across Kyiv in the dark, but the air force said hits were recorded at 28 locations across the country. Emergency services said 15 people were killed in the capital, with another death in the wider Kyiv region. About 40 people were wounded, Zelenskyy said, as air raid warnings lasted until after dawn. More than 38,000 people, including over 2,000 children, sheltered in Kyiv’s subway stations overnight, the system's operator said. “It was a massive attack,” Zelenskyy said on social media, adding that Russia “had been preparing (it) for a long time, combining different types of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, aiming to cause as much damage as possible to civilian infrastructure." The Russian Defense Ministry said it struck a Kyiv industrial site manufacturing components for Flamingo cruise missiles. Sites involved in the production and storage of drones, an ammunition depot and a logistics center were also hit, it said. Ukraine says it struck more Russian oil facilities Russia and Ukraine have battered each other with drones and missiles as their armies struggle to gain the upper hand on the 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front line, where huge numbers of drones are pinning down troops. Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces struck an oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk, in Russia’s Tatarstan region, starting a fire, and the Tamanneftegaz oil terminal in Volna, in Russia’s Krasnodar region, where there was also a blaze. Ukraine has hit both facilities in recent months as part of its campaign to disrupt Russia’s vital oil industry. Tatarstan leader Rustam Minnikhanov confirmed there had been a “massive attack” in the region, state news agency Tass reported, citing his press service. Many of the drones targeted Nizhnekamsk’s Zakamsk economic area, disrupting production at industrial sites and damaging residential buildings, Tass quoted him as saying. The Russian Defense Ministry said air defenses shot down 726 drones overnight over a number of Russian regions, annexed Crimea and the Black and Azov seas, in one of Ukraine's biggest aerial attacks of the war. Ukraine's neighbors are on alert Russia’s relentless onslaught has spooked other European countries, especially those bordering Ukraine, which fear spreading attacks from Moscow. Amid the attack on Kyiv, the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command activated its military aviation operations, ground-based air defense systems and radar reconnaissance. Polish and other NATO military aircraft were deployed to monitor its airspace, Polish news agency PAP reported. Romania’s Defense Ministry said that an unidentified drone crashed and burned in an uninhabited area near the Ukrainian border. Two Spanish F-18 jets, deployed on a policing mission in Romania, were scrambled after 2 a.m. local time to monitor a group of “air targets” near the border, the ministry said. In addition, two Romanian F-16 fighter jets were deployed to destroy a naval drone seen near a major Black Sea gas project, Romania’s acting Defense Minister Radu Miruta said. Moldova’s Defense Ministry also said its airspace was breached by at least one drone. Russia “is increasingly testing the resolve of NATO and its partners, violating the sovereignty of neighboring states and deliberately expanding the risks posed by its war far beyond Ukraine," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on social media. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saw a broad threat to the European Union. “An escalating campaign of threats is underway, unsettling our citizens and seeking to divide our Union,” she said on X. Explosions shatter windows and screams fill the air Russia's overnight strikes hit 12 locations across Kyiv’s Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts, damaging 30 apartment blocks, a school, a children’s hospital and a kindergarten, Zelenskyy said. Larysa Bondaruk, 60, sat on the ground, holding her cat, Chanel, which had been rescued by firefighters. With tears in her eyes, she said her neighbor’s grandson had been trapped by the rubble and died. Her apartment was badly damaged. “A rocket hit the roof. It was incredibly loud. Immediately, debris and doors were blown out. There were columns of smoke, columns of fire, screams, crying and despair,” she said. “Two people were killed in our building, but the rescuers responded quickly and professionally. I am grateful to them for that.” In Solomianskyi district, the top two floors of a nine-story residential building were destroyed and fires broke out on other floors. People were also trapped in two residential buildings and a school shelter. ___ AP reporters Vasilisa Stepanenko and Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin and Stephen McGrath in Leamington Spa, England, contributed. ___ Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.