News
- Man dies after Rosgvardia detention in Khabarovsk; forensic exam finds no injuriesA 56-year-old resident of Khabarovsk died on the spot after being detained by Rosgvardia officers on July 31; a forensic examination found no injuries that could have caused his death.
- Thai PM apologizes after murder of Russian siblings in PattayaThailand's prime minister personally oversaw the investigation into the murder of two Russian siblings in Pattaya and apologized for the incident, which he said damaged the country's image and trust in tourism.
- Three detained in Volgograd for posting photos of Wildberries warehouse firePolice in Volgograd detained three residents for filming and publishing photos and videos of a fire at a Wildberries warehouse that was attacked by Ukrainian drones.
- US to push Russia-Ukraine talks in coming weeksWashington will make new efforts in the coming weeks to restart negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a Fox News interview.
- Russian container ship sinks in Black Sea after Ukrainian drone attackA Russian container ship owned by the FESCO transport group sank in the Black Sea overnight after being struck by two Ukrainian naval drones, according to Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev.
- Russian container ship sinks in Black Sea after Ukrainian drone attackA Russian container ship sank in the Black Sea after being attacked by two Ukrainian drones, according to the head of state nuclear corporation Rosatom.
- Ukrainian drone attack sparks fire at Bashneft refinery in UfaA Ukrainian drone attack on Ufa on Saturday morning caused a fire at the Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim oil refinery, with two columns of black smoke rising over the plant.
- Russian ballistic strike on Kyiv kills nine, wounds dozensA Russian overnight ballistic missile attack on Kyiv killed nine people and wounded more than 30, including four children, officials said.
- Nine killed in Russian strike on Kyiv, children among woundedA Russian overnight strike on Kyiv killed nine people and wounded 30, including four children, Ukrainian authorities said.
- Russian missile strike on Kyiv kills nine, including childrenA Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv overnight killed nine people and wounded 28, including four children, Ukrainian authorities said.
- AI models from OpenAI and Anthropic escaped sandboxes and hacked external systemsOpenAI and Anthropic reported that their AI models broke out of closed test environments and acted independently on the open internet, hacking external systems.
- FIFA withdraws World Cup privatization plan after UEFA boycott threatFIFA President Gianni Infantino has withdrawn a proposal to create a commercial subsidiary to manage the World Cup and sell stakes to private investors, after UEFA and other confederations threatened a boycott.
- Zelensky's office asks Ukraine's prosecutor general to open case against LukashenkoUkraine's presidential office has asked the prosecutor general's office to consider opening a criminal case against Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko over his role in Russia's invasion.
- Wildberries says warehouse strikes are force majeure, won't compensate sellersWildberries founder Tatyana Kim said attacks on the marketplace's warehouses are force majeure, so lost goods will not be compensated under the law.
- Russian blogger Lerechek gets suspended sentence in $2.8M currency schemeA Moscow court sentenced blogger Valeria Chekalina, known as Lerechek, to five years suspended for illegal currency operations involving the transfer of 251.6 million rubles abroad.
- Woman killed in Volgograd drone attack, eight woundedA woman was killed and eight people were wounded in a drone attack on a residential building in Volgograd, the regional governor said.
- Zelensky asked Trump to let Kyiv use Starlink for deep strikes on RussiaUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Donald Trump at the White House on July 28 to persuade SpaceX owner Elon Musk to allow the Starlink satellite system to guide drones in strikes on targets deep inside Russia, The Atlantic reported, citing three officials familiar with the talks.
- Russia's Central Election Commission blocks Yabloko from St. Petersburg legislative ballotRussia's Central Election Commission rejected Yabloko's appeal against the St. Petersburg election commission's refusal to register the party's candidate list for the city legislative assembly elections.
- Russia seeks to seize 123 Jehovah's Witnesses properties in state asset claimRussia's Prosecutor General's Office has filed a lawsuit seeking to nationalize 123 real estate properties linked to Jehovah's Witnesses, with the first court hearing held on July 31.
- Thai police find five bodies at site named by suspect in killing of RussiansThai police found five bodies at a location identified by a suspect detained in connection with the killing of two Russian citizens, the Thai outlet Thairath reported.
- Russia imports gasoline from Morocco as refinery strikes bite — ReutersRussia has begun importing gasoline from Morocco, with a Panama-flagged tanker carrying about 30,000 tonnes of AI-92 fuel unloading in the Arctic port of Murmansk.
- Russian carriers to zero-rate Max messenger traffic, even without dataStarting August 1, Russia's four major mobile operators will stop counting traffic from the Max messenger toward subscribers' data plans, allowing use even when gigabytes run out.
- Court pauses Larisa Dolina lawsuit as fraud defendant joins war in UkraineA Moscow court suspended singer Larisa Dolina's damages lawsuit against Dmitry Leontyev after he signed a contract with the Defense Ministry and went to fight in Ukraine.
- Russian strike destroys Kyiv drone plant owned by US company Terminal AutonomyA Russian air attack on Kyiv destroyed a factory owned by US drone maker Terminal Autonomy, a source close to the plant told The Guardian.
- Men in civilian clothes abduct men in Penza region, relatives rescue them 86 km from homeIn the Penza region, men are being taken away by unidentified civilians using vehicles provided by local officials, according to the outlet Agentstvo.
- Russian blogger Sonya Marmeladova gets 3 years suspended for paid porn chatsA Moscow court sentenced blogger Sofya Vershinina, known as Sonya Marmeladova, to three years in prison, suspended, after convicting her of distributing pornographic materials online.
- Trump casts doubt on Patriot missile license for UkraineUS President Donald Trump said he is not sure Washington will grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missiles, calling the weapon 'absolutely exceptional' and saying the issue is still under review.
- Ukrainian drones hit Wildberries warehouses in Volgograd and Tatarstan, five injured in VolgogradUkrainian drones struck Wildberries warehouses in Volgograd and Tatarstan, injuring five people in Volgograd, as Russia reported shooting down 371 drones overnight.
- Rosneft halts Ryazan refinery for 2–3 weeks after drone attackRosneft has halted oil processing at its Ryazan refinery, one of Russia's largest, following a drone attack on July 29, with restoration expected to take two to three weeks, Reuters reported citing two industry sources.
- Zelensky says North Korean missile killed three children in Kryvyi Rih strikeA ballistic missile produced in North Korea destroyed a family home in the Dnipropetrovsk region, killing at least five people including three children, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
- Kazakhstan in talks to process Russian oil and ship fuel back to RussiaKazakhstan is discussing with Russia the possibility of processing Russian crude at Kazakh refineries and selling some of the resulting fuel back to Russia, Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry told Reuters.
- Ukrainian version of new Spider-Man film cuts scene with Russian singer Monetochka's songThe Ukrainian release of the latest Spider-Man film removed a three-second scene featuring a song by Russian singer Monetochka, following a viewer complaint.
- Russia's tax service demands unemployed explain how they bought luxury homes, cars, yachtsRussia's Federal Tax Service has begun sending letters to able-bodied unemployed citizens who make large purchases, demanding they explain the source of their income.
- Russia extends gasoline export ban through January 2027The Russian government has extended its ban on gasoline and diesel exports until January 31, 2027, citing the need to stabilize the domestic fuel market.
- Ukrainian drone strikes knock out 45% of Russia's oil refining capacity, FT analysis findsA Financial Times investigation using satellite imagery and thermal data found that Ukrainian long-range drone attacks have disabled 45% of Russia's nominal oil refining capacity, with only 8 of 26 hit refineries fully operational as of late July.
- Russian courts to hire law students without degrees amid staffing crisisRussia's government commission has backed a Supreme Court proposal to allow courts to hire law students and college graduates for positions that currently require a university degree, as the judiciary faces a severe personnel shortage.
- Pavel Durov placed on Russia's list of terrorists and extremistsRussia's financial monitoring service has added Telegram founder Pavel Durov to its register of terrorists and extremists, marking the first time the creator of the messaging app has been designated under anti-terrorism legislation.
- Russian rights groups report record inquiries amid renewed mobilization fearsRussian human rights projects say they are receiving a record number of inquiries from citizens seeking advice on how to avoid a possible new wave of mobilization.
- Russians buy 10% less clothing and footwear, turn to second-hand storesThe number of clothing and footwear purchases in Russia fell 10% in January–May 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, with some segments seeing declines of up to 15%, according to data from analytics firms Kloto Consulting and TrendVision.
- Ukrainian drones strike Wildberries warehouses, Taman port, and oil terminalsUkrainian drones attacked a Wildberries warehouse in Penza Oblast, the port of Taman in Krasnodar Krai, and oil terminals, causing fires and injuries.
- Drone attacks on two tankers halt oil loading at Russian Black Sea terminalThe Caspian Pipeline Consortium suspended oil loading at its Black Sea terminal after drones struck two tankers near Novorossiysk, one of which caught fire.
- Accomplice in bombing that killed ArBat battalion founder gets 22 yearsA Russian military court sentenced Varazh Manukyan to 22 years in prison for his role in a February bombing at a Moscow luxury residential complex that killed the founder of the pro-Russian Armenian ArBat battalion and another man.
- Russia's top asset-seizure prosecutor fired after Domodedovo airport sold for 7% of state valuationSergei Bochkarev, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office's lead specialist in asset confiscation, has been dismissed following a wave of nationalizations that saw the Domodedovo airport sell at auction for less than 7% of the state's valuation.
- Lavrov says Putin's rise to power was 'help from above'Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Vladimir Putin's assumption of power was 'help from above,' describing the transfer of authority from Boris Yeltsin as a 'historic turn' proving Russia is 'marked by God.'
- Polish military finds crater and debris after suspected Russian cruise missile violates NATO airspaceA Russian Kh-101 cruise missile likely crossed into Polish airspace during a massive overnight attack on Ukraine, leaving a 10-meter crater and debris near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia, Polish and Ukrainian officials said.
- Ukrainian drones hit Wildberries warehouse in Perm region, third in a dayUkrainian drones struck a Wildberries logistics center in the Perm region, the third attack on the online retailer's warehouses in a single day, independent media reported.
- Russia wants to force foreign websites to register Russians only by phone numberRussia's Ministry of Digital Development has proposed amendments requiring foreign websites and apps to authorize users in Russia solely by phone number, as part of a new anti-fraud package.
- Ukraine launches raids on over 100 military enlistment offices in 'Honest Draft' operationUkrainian investigators and military command raided more than 100 military enlistment offices across the country as part of an anti-corruption operation called 'Honest Draft.'
- Russia strikes Ukraine with 74 missiles and 284 drones, killing eightRussian forces launched a massive overnight attack on Ukraine on July 30, firing 74 missiles and 284 drones, killing eight people, including three children from one family, Ukrainian officials said.
- Poland scrambles F-16 after unidentified object enters airspace during Russian strike on UkrainePoland activated air defenses and scrambled fighter jets overnight after a Russian missile attack on Ukraine, with an unidentified object entering Polish airspace and later crashing in Lublin province.
- Ukraine loses fourth F-16 fighter; pilot ejects, survivesUkraine lost a fourth F-16 fighter jet on July 29 when the aircraft crashed during a combat mission to intercept Russian aerial targets; the pilot ejected and was hospitalized for observation.
- Ukrainian drones strike Wildberries warehouses in Penza region and Udmurtia, one injuredUkrainian drones attacked Wildberries warehouses in Russia's Penza region and Udmurtia, injuring one person and forcing the evacuation of about 200 employees.
- Russian strike kills six members of one family in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk regionA Russian missile strike on a private home in the village of Radushne, Kryvyi Rih district, killed six members of a single large family, including three children, as part of a massive overnight attack across Ukraine that left at least eight dead and dozens wounded.
- Russian missile strike kills seven in Ukraine, including three childrenA Russian ballistic missile hit a private home in the village of Radushne near Kryvyi Rih, killing six people including three children, while a separate attack in Kyiv killed one person.
- Ukrainian drones hit Wildberries warehouses in Penza region and Udmurtia, sparking firesUkrainian drones struck Wildberries logistics centers in Penza region and Udmurtia, causing fires and the evacuation of hundreds of workers.
- Ex-Belgorod deputy governors get 19 and 20 years for embezzling on 'dragon's teeth' fortificationsA Moscow court sentenced two former deputy governors of Belgorod region to 19 and 20 years in prison for embezzling more than 1.7 billion rubles during construction of concrete anti-tank barriers, known as 'dragon's teeth,' along the border with Ukraine.
- KakaoTalk and BiP, Telegram replacements in Russia, suffer outagesUsers of South Korean messenger KakaoTalk and Turkish messenger BiP, which gained popularity in Russia after Telegram was throttled, reported service disruptions for a second day.
- Police detain 14 after residents block ferry to Russia's Lake Baikal island OlkhonPolice in Russia's Irkutsk region detained 14 people after residents of Olkhon, the only inhabited island on Lake Baikal, blocked a ferry crossing to protest changes to priority boarding rules.
- Russia's top film and architecture schools recruit students for war in exchange for free tuitionRussia's Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) and the Moscow Architectural Institute (MARCHI) have begun recruiting applicants and students for military service, offering free education and benefits in return.
- Russian lawmaker who urged public not to buy Telegram Premium is himself a paid userAndrei Svintsov, a deputy who publicly advised Russians against purchasing Telegram Premium subscriptions, has been revealed as an active paid user of the messaging service.