News
- US pressed Russia to free ex-Marine Robert Gilman as family fears he is dyingSecretary of State Marco Rubio raised the case of detained former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman during a July 23 meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Philippines, Reuters reported, citing sources.
- Trump refuses to send Ukraine Patriot missiles: 'We need the missiles ourselves'US President Donald Trump has declined Ukraine's request for additional Patriot air-defense interceptor missiles, saying America needs them for its own arsenal.
- Warehouse fire at Wildberries logistics hub after drone attack in YekaterinburgA fire broke out at a Wildberries logistics warehouse in Yekaterinburg following a drone attack, prompting the evacuation of 800 staff, with no casualties reported.
- Russian party leader calls for Yabloko to be declared 'undesirable' over anti-war stanceLiberal Democratic Party leader Leonid Slutsky has called for the Yabloko party to be declared an 'undesirable organization' due to its anti-war position.
- Ukraine says it struck Russian refinery, FSB patrol boats in CrimeaUkraine's Security Service said it carried out successful strikes on the Slavneft-YANOS refinery in Yaroslavl and on Russian FSB patrol boats in occupied Kerch.
- Navalnaya urges vote for Yabloko in State Duma electionYulia Navalnaya, widow of Alexei Navalny, called on Russians to vote for the anti-war Yabloko party in the State Duma election, calling it the only legal way to protest the Kremlin.
- Putin clears way for privatization of Russia's largest airport, SheremetyevoPresident Vladimir Putin has signed a decree removing Sheremetyevo International Airport from the list of strategic enterprises, lifting the main legal barrier to the sale of the state's 30.43% stake.
- Russia declares Yulia Navalnaya's Human Rights Foundation 'undesirable'Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated the US-based Human Rights Foundation, chaired by Yulia Navalnaya, as an 'undesirable' organization.
- Zaluzhnyi: NATO must change before Ukraine can joinUkraine's ambassador to the UK, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said NATO must adopt new standards and a new doctrine before Ukraine can join the alliance.
- Russian general buried in Moscow after Moscow restaurant blastMajor General Valery Plokhotnyuk was buried on August 5 at Moscow's Troekurovskoye Cemetery, with his death linked by some sources to the bombing of the Balzi Rossi restaurant.
- Russian 'Kolobok' release sparks rating revolt over Spider-Man delayRussian audiences bombarded the new 'Last Hero: Kolobok' film with low ratings on Kinopoisk and Kinoafisha, pushing its score to 1.1, in protest over the delayed release of 'Spider-Man: New Day'.
- Sweden's top court orders transfer of 'shadow fleet' ship Caffa to UkraineSweden's Supreme Court has ruled that the cargo vessel Caffa, detained in March off the country's southern coast, be handed over to Ukraine.
- Exiled opposition figures launch campaign backing Yabloko as vote against warA group of exiled Russian opposition politicians, journalists, and activists has launched a campaign urging voters to support the liberal Yabloko party in September's parliamentary elections as a legal way to say no to the war in Ukraine.
- Prosecutors seek suspended sentence for ex-Popcorn Books chief in queer literature caseRussian prosecutors asked a Moscow court to sentence former Popcorn Books editor-in-chief Dmitry Protopopov to four years in prison, suspended, over the sale of LGBTQ-themed books.
- Tyumen water utility threatens to cut supply to residents complaining of fecal smellA Tyumen water utility spokeswoman criticized residents over water quality complaints and threatened to halt operations, leaving 40% of the city without water.
- Buryatia court sentences journalist Vasilisa Shishkina to 12 years for treasonA court in Russia's Buryatia region sentenced journalist Vasilisa Shishkina to 12 years in a penal colony on treason charges, her lawyer said.
- German intelligence foiled alleged plot to kill drone maker CEOGerman security services prevented a suspected assassination attempt on Stefan Thumann, head of defense company Donaustahl, according to a document from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
- Massive internet outage hits Russia: Yandex, Telegram, banks and marketplaces downA large-scale internet outage disrupted major Russian online services, including Yandex, Telegram, and leading marketplaces, on Tuesday afternoon.
- 21 Wildberries warehouses hit by drones in a month; marketplace won't compensate sellersAt least 21 Wildberries logistics facilities in Russia and annexed Crimea have been struck by Ukrainian drones since mid-July, causing fires, deaths, and billions in losses, but the marketplace is refusing to compensate sellers, citing force majeure.
- UK sanctions Ozon Bank, RosEximbank and six vessels in new Russia packageBritain added 19 entries to its Russia sanctions list, including Ozon Bank, RosEximbank and six ships, targeting the financial sector and LNG transport.
- At least 77 Russian conscripts killed in Kursk border incursion, 30 missingAt least 77 Russian conscripts were killed and 30 remain missing in the Kursk border zone during the 2024 Ukrainian incursion, according to a new investigation.
- Faulty fuel sidelines 12 garbage trucks, triggering waste crisis in Russian cityTwelve of 22 garbage trucks in the Dagestani city of Kaspiysk broke down nearly simultaneously after being filled with substandard fuel, leaving trash bins overflowing for about a week.
- Russian Lieutenant General Buried in Moscow After Death Under Undisclosed CircumstancesLieutenant General Igor Erusalimov, 53, was buried in Moscow on August 5, with the cause and date of his death unknown.
- Air travel between Moscow and St. Petersburg drops 18% as airport closures biteAirlines carried about 1.6 million passengers between Moscow and St. Petersburg in the first half of this year, down 18% from the same period last year, Kommersant reported, citing industry sources.
- Governor reports 'most massive' drone attack on Yaroslavl region; fire at refineryUkrainian drones struck the Yaroslavl region overnight, with 88 shot down and a fire reported at a major refinery, the governor said.
- Lithuanian citizen sentenced to 13.5 years in Russian spy caseA Lithuanian citizen has been sentenced to 13 years and six months in a strict-regime colony after a Russian court found him guilty of espionage.
- Russia allows return of Euro-2 gasoline banned for over a decadeRussia's government has permitted the production, import, and sale of Euro-2 to Euro-4 gasoline until July 2027, reversing a ban that had been in place since 2013.
- Russia allows sale of Euro-2 and Euro-3 gasoline until 2027The Russian government has permitted the production, import and sale of Euro-2, Euro-3 and Euro-4 gasoline until July 1, 2027, a class of fuel banned in the country since 2013.
- Satellite spots 80 sq km oil slick off Russia's Taman portA satellite image shows an oil slick covering at least 80 square kilometers in the Black Sea off the port of Taman in Russia's Krasnodar region.
- Penza governor suggests putting dead Ukrainian soldiers' IDs on museum floor for visitors to walk onPenza region governor Oleg Melnichenko proposed placing identity documents and patches of killed Ukrainian soldiers on the floor of a local war museum so visitors would walk over them.
- ICE detains over 50 spouses and parents of U.S. troops; at least 7 deportedU.S. immigration police have detained more than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty service members since President Donald Trump began his second term, with at least seven deported, according to an Associated Press investigation.
- Ex-European officials held secret talks with Russia in Vienna on Ukraine peace termsFormer British, French, and German officials met secretly in Vienna in July with a Russian representative to discuss potential terms for peace negotiations and ending the war in Ukraine, Bloomberg reported.
- Russian party asks prosecutors to probe Yabloko over anti-war stance after ballot slotThe leader of A Just Russia has asked Russia's top prosecutor and justice ministry to investigate the Yabloko party over its anti-war position, a day after Yabloko secured a spot on the State Duma ballot.
- Ukraine says Russia plans to deploy North Korean missile unit in Voronezh regionRussia plans to deploy a missile unit staffed by North Korean military personnel in the Voronezh region, a Ukrainian intelligence official said.
- Sobyanin calls calls to put Russia's economy on war footing 'worthless'Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin dismissed proposals to shift Russia's economy to a war footing as 'worthless' and coming from people who do not understand the subject.
- St. Petersburg lawmakers purge social media ahead of electionsSt. Petersburg deputies began mass-deleting or renaming their VKontakte pages and Telegram channels on the evening of August 4, the outlet Rotonda reported.
- Fire breaks out at Roscosmos' main research center in KorolyovA fire broke out at a building on the grounds of the Central Research Institute of Machine Building (TsNIIMash), Roscosmos' main research center, in the Moscow suburb of Korolyov.
- Ukraine's 40-day 'influence operation' hit refineries, warehouses and warships — but talks never startedUkraine's 40-day 'influence operation' against Russia struck at least 25 oil refineries and 20 Wildberries warehouses, knocking out a third of Russian refining capacity, but peace talks never began.
- Russia's Central Election Commission assigns No. 1 ballot spot to United Russia, Yabloko gets No. 2Russia's Central Election Commission has determined the order of parties on the ballot for the State Duma elections, with United Russia drawing the first position and Yabloko the second.
- Russian strike on Kyiv kills 17, hits civilian logistics hubsA Russian overnight attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region killed 17 people and wounded 44, Ukrainian officials said, with strikes hitting civilian logistics centers.
- Putin merges Russian army rear services under one commander, reshuffles top generalsVladimir Putin on August 5 announced a reorganization of Russian military logistics, placing all rear services under a single commander and replacing the heads of two army groupings fighting in Ukraine.
- Russian strike destroys Rozetka warehouse near Kyiv, company says attacks targetedA Russian strike destroyed the largest warehouse of Ukrainian marketplace Rozetka in Brovary near Kyiv, with three ballistic missiles hitting the facility, the company's co-founder said.
- Drone maker Vladimir Tkachuk wounded in car blast near YekaterinburgVladimir Tkachuk, head of Uraldronzavod and creator of the Upyr FPV drone, was hospitalized in critical condition after his Mercedes exploded in Bolshoi Istok near Yekaterinburg.
- Russian ex-lawmaker freed in court after sentence time servedA Moscow court sentenced former municipal deputy Ketevan Kharaidze to four years in a penal colony for fraud but released her in the courtroom, crediting time spent in pre-trial detention.
- Only a third of mobile internet sessions in Central Russia run without restrictionsIn July, only 30.5% of mobile internet sessions in Russia's Central Federal District ran without restrictions, with most users limited to a government-approved 'white list' of resources.
- Russian activist faces terror charges over 'The Internationale' videoRussian police detained activist Olga Archibasova at Novosibirsk airport and opened a criminal case against her for justifying terrorism over a video featuring the revolutionary anthem 'The Internationale'.
- Former European and Russian officials held secret Ukraine peace talks in ViennaFormer British, German and French officials met a Russian representative in Vienna for informal talks on Ukraine, Bloomberg reported.
- Ukrainian drones hit Bashneft refinery in Ufa for third time in a weekUkrainian drones attacked a Bashneft oil refinery in Ufa overnight Wednesday, sparking a fire, the third such strike in a week.
- Ukrainian drones strike Wildberries warehouse in Tula region, sparking massive fireUkrainian drones attacked a Wildberries sorting center in the Tula region overnight, causing a large fire at the logistics hub in Aleksin.
- 15 dead in Russian night strike on Kyiv, ammonia leak at industrial siteRussian forces launched a massive overnight strike on Kyiv and the surrounding region, killing 15 people and causing an ammonia leak at an industrial enterprise, Ukraine's emergency service said.
- Ukraine holds prisoners from 51 countries who fought for RussiaUkraine's ombudsman says prisoners of war include citizens of 51 countries who fought on Russia's side.
- Russia blocks dozens of VPN hosting providers in one of largest crackdownsRussian authorities blocked IP addresses belonging to more than 20 major hosting providers in one of the largest VPN crackdowns in the country's history.
- Putin expands pool of convicts eligible to sign military contractsRussian President Vladimir Putin has signed amendments expanding the list of convicted and suspected individuals allowed to sign contracts with the Defense Ministry during mobilization, martial law, or wartime.
- Ex-GITIS rector under probe over alleged abuse of office, salary overpaymentsGrigory Zaslavsky, former rector of the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS), is being investigated by the Interior Ministry over possible abuse of office and unjustified salary payments.
- Russian court sentences founder of 'Yastreb' private military company to 18 years for murder and fraudA Russian court sentenced Alexei Marushchenko, founder of the private military company 'Yastreb', to 18 years in a strict-regime colony for organizing a murder, kidnapping, and defrauding contract soldiers.
- Boris Nadezhdin's autobiography pulled from Russian stores and marketplacesBoris Nadezhdin's autobiography has been removed from sale at major Russian retailers and online marketplaces, including LitRes, Ozon, and Wildberries.
- Russia bans EU poultry transit over alleged fake German certificatesRussia's agricultural watchdog will ban transit of EU-produced poultry meat and offal through Russian territory starting August 5, citing a case of illegal shipment with falsified veterinary certificates.
- Putin signs Russia's first crypto law, keeps ban on crypto paymentsRussian President Vladimir Putin signed the country's first comprehensive cryptocurrency regulation, recognizing digital assets as property but maintaining a ban on using them to pay for goods and services.
- Putin signs law restricting Russians convicted in absentia abroadRussian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law imposing restrictions on Russians living abroad who were convicted in absentia in criminal or administrative cases.
- Iran says it canceled strikes on Ukraine after Kyiv's 'apology' — no public confirmationIran's military adviser says Tehran scrapped plans to hit three Ukrainian targets after Kyiv apologized for an incident involving an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea, but neither side has publicly confirmed the apology.