News
- Zelensky warns airlines: Russian airspace 'will de facto be closing'Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned airlines and insurers that Russian airspace is becoming 'completely unsafe' as drones will increasingly appear in Russian skies.
- Russia drops murder case against all four suspects in killing of 'master of Vyborg'Russian investigators have dropped murder and illegal weapons charges against all four defendants in the killing of Alexander Petrov, a municipal deputy in the Leningrad region, and released them from custody.
- Russia's Civic Chamber bars observers from assessing elections before results are officialRussia's Civic Chamber has adopted a new code of ethics barring its election observers from commenting on the conduct of voting until results are officially certified.
- Poland calls fire at drone plant for Ukraine sabotagePoland's National Prosecutor's Office has classified a fire at a defense plant that makes drone components for Ukraine as sabotage carried out on the orders of foreign intelligence services.
- US firm takes over Venezuela oil fields once run by Russia, ChinaAmerican oil company North American Blue Energy Partners will take over 17 oil fields in Venezuela, including five previously developed by China and one by Russia, according to two US officials.
- Police in Veliky Novgorod break up Yabloko picket after bomb threat at marketPolice in Veliky Novgorod halted a picket by the local Yabloko party after a bomb threat was reported at the Central Market, where the protest was taking place.
- Russian officer who rescued kidnapped child faces treason trialA Moscow court has begun hearing the treason case against Ivan Semenikhin, an Interior Ministry detective who previously investigated crimes against children and helped rescue a kidnapped seven-year-old boy.
- Russian veteran tells schoolchildren to study Kalashnikov so world speaks RussianA Russian veteran told schoolchildren at a Krasnoyarsk lyceum to study the Kalashnikov rifle so that the world would speak Russian, echoing a quote attributed to Vladimir Zhirinovsky.
- NATO, EU press Spain and Greece to hand over Patriot missiles to UkraineNATO and EU countries are demanding that Spain and Greece transfer Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine, according to Bloomberg.
- Hackers breach donor emails of Russian independent media charity projectsHackers gained access to the payment accounts of two charity projects run by Russian independent media outlets, exposing donor email addresses and partial card data.
- Kazakhstan to require paid e-permits for visa-free visitors, including RussiansKazakhstan will make paid electronic entry permits mandatory for visa-free foreign visitors starting Nov. 1, a requirement that will extend to Russians by the end of the month.
- Ruble hits multi-month lows as drone attacks disrupt exportsThe Russian ruble fell to its weakest level since the start of the year, with the dollar reaching 86.85 rubles on the over-the-counter market.
- UK doubles maximum fine for Russia sanctions evasion to 100% of violation valueBritain has doubled the maximum fine for breaching sanctions against Russia, allowing penalties of up to 100% of the assessed violation value, the country's Treasury said.
- Russia convicts more people for treason in six months than in all pre-war yearsRussian courts handed down 273 guilty verdicts for treason and espionage in the first half of 2026, more than in the entire period from 1997 to the start of the full-scale war.
- Mass bomb threats hit Russian schools, hospitals; Moscow museums evacuatedLeningrad region governor says region under 'information terrorist attack' as bomb threats flood dozens of schools, hospitals and other social facilities.
- Russian schoolgirl attacks physics teacher with knife and pepper sprayA seventh-grade student attacked a physics teacher at School No. 2 in Kansk, spraying pepper spray in her face and attempting to stab her, according to local reports.
- Russian schools to teach new 'DNA of Russia' subject, boost military training hoursRussian schools will introduce a new mandatory subject called 'DNA of Russia' and increase military training hours to 50% of the OBZR course starting September 1.
- Overnight strike on Kyiv kills nine, including six railway workersA Russian overnight strike on Kyiv and the surrounding region killed nine people, including six employees of the national railway company, Ukrainian officials said.
- Ukrainian drones hit Russian port, residential building in Samara regionUkrainian drones struck the Leningrad and Samara regions overnight, causing a fire at the Ust-Luga port and damaging a residential building in Novokuibyshevsk, local governors said.
- Russia approves 5G rollout on frequencies operators rejected as unprofitableRussia's State Commission on Radio Frequencies approved 5G rollout conditions, granting operators free spectrum in the 4.63–4.99 GHz band they had previously called uneconomical.
- Russia allows gas stations to sell lower-grade Euro-2, Euro-3 and Euro-4 fuelRussia's government has authorized gas stations to sell Euro-2, Euro-3 and Euro-4 gasoline and diesel from September 1 until June 30, 2027, a measure the Energy Ministry calls temporary.
- Courts in three regions remove Yabloko candidates from State Duma raceCourts in Tatarstan, Tula and Bashkortostan have removed three Yabloko candidates from the State Duma election over foreign securities and alleged extremist symbols.
- Thailand halves visa-free stay for Russians to 30 daysThailand will cut the visa-free stay for Russian citizens from 60 to 30 days starting September 15, revoking a rule in place since 2024.
- Putin expands FSO headquarters staff for fourth time since start of warRussian President Vladimir Putin has increased the maximum staffing of the Federal Protective Service's central apparatus from 785 to 812 personnel, marking the fourth expansion since the start of the war.
- Moscow builds drone shield around power substationMetal structures, likely intended to protect against drones, are being erected around an electricity substation in Moscow.
- EU naval mission boards tanker suspected of carrying Russian oilEU naval forces boarded the MV SUN in the Mediterranean on August 30 over suspected flag fraud and illegal oil transport linked to Russia's shadow fleet.
- Polish drone factory fire: police seek balaclava-clad suspectA fire broke out overnight at a Polish plant producing drone components for Ukraine, and authorities are searching for a person seen on surveillance cameras near the site shortly before the blaze.
- Communist candidate in Buryatia airs TV ads asking when 'SVO' will endA Communist Party candidate for Russia's State Duma in Buryatia has aired TV ads featuring voters asking when the war in Ukraine will end and why the internet is being blocked.
- Deaf-mute ninth-grader killed in attack on Ozon warehouse in BelgorodA 16-year-old deaf-mute ninth-grader was killed during a missile attack on an Ozon warehouse in Belgorod, according to relatives.
- Finnish court cuts neo-Nazi commander's life sentence to 12.5 yearsA Finnish appeals court reduced the life sentence of Russian neo-Nazi commander Yan Petrovsky to 12 years and 6 months, convicting him of three war crimes in Ukraine.
- Sber sees 15% drop in Russian marketplace spending after drone strikes on warehousesSpending by Russians on online marketplaces has fallen 15% over the past month and a half, Sberbank's chief financial officer said, citing the first signs of a slowdown in consumer spending.
- Russia moves to wall off 'white list' sites from VPN-masked contentRussia's Digital Development Ministry has asked hosting and CDN providers to isolate IP addresses of 'white list' sites into separate subnets to block VPN-related content that hides behind approved resources.
- Musk ready to allow Ukraine Starlink drone strikes on Russia, awaits White House decisionElon Musk told former Ukrainian defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov he is ready to allow Ukraine to use Starlink-equipped drones for strikes on targets inside Russia, but said the final decision rests with the White House.
- The Economist: Putin told confidants 'They will hang me' as he prepares escalationRussian President Vladimir Putin has told confidants "They will hang me" over the prospect of ending the war in Ukraine without capturing all of Donbas, The Economist reported, citing an informed source.
- Tatarstan election commission moves to remove Yabloko candidate over frozen sharesTatarstan's election commission filed a lawsuit to cancel the registration of Yabloko party candidate Airat Gumerbaev for the State Duma election over his holdings in foreign companies.
- Ukrainian drones strike Yekaterinburg, damaging residential building and Wildberries warehouseUkrainian drones attacked the Sverdlovsk region, causing fires in residential buildings and a logistics center, the regional governor said.
- Russia drops murder case against 'Putin's friend' Ilya Traber, grants rehabilitationRussia's Investigative Committee has dropped the murder case against St. Petersburg businessman Ilya Traber, clearing him of any involvement and granting him the right to rehabilitation.
- Ukrainian missile strike hits Belgorod thermal plant and Ozon warehouses, injuring severalA Ukrainian missile strike on Belgorod on August 30 damaged the city's thermal power plant and two Ozon-leased warehouses, causing fires and injuries, according to local reports.
- Russian lawyer forced to run in jail after refusing to fight in UkraineA jailed Russian lawyer says he was forced to run as punishment after refusing to sign a military contract and go to war in Ukraine.
- 1,700 Kuzbass miners go nearly a year without pay, appeal to State Duma candidatesMore than 1,700 miners at two Kuzbass mines have not received wages since October 2025 and have appealed to State Duma candidates to intervene.
- Car bomb targets deputy head of Yelenovka prison in DonetskA car belonging to the first deputy head of the Yelenovka penal colony in occupied Donetsk was blown up overnight on August 29, Ukrainian media reported, citing sources in Ukrainian intelligence services.
- Death toll in strike on warehouse near Bucha rises to 38, day of mourning declaredThe death toll from a Russian drone strike on an ammunition warehouse in the village of Myla near Bucha has risen to 38, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
- Russia says it is preparing massive strikes on Ukraine's energy gridRussia's Defense Ministry announced it has begun preparations for massive strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, without specifying timing or targets.
- Russia says it downed 494 drones overnight as fire reported at Kirishi refineryRussia's Defense Ministry said air defenses intercepted and destroyed 494 Ukrainian drones overnight, while the governor of the Leningrad region reported a fire in the industrial zone of Kirishi.
- Putin: explain war to children via killer whales tearing apart polar bearsVladimir Putin suggested teachers explain the reasons for the war in Ukraine to children using the example of killer whales attacking polar bears.
- Russian prosecutor warns Yabloko over 'peace' campaign videoA prosecutor in Veliky Novgorod issued a warning to the regional Yabloko party leadership over an election ad calling for peace, citing alleged incitement of social discord and discrediting of the Russian army.
- Russia extends diesel export ban through September 30Russia's government has extended its ban on diesel exports for another month, until September 30, citing the need to maintain stability on the domestic fuel market.
- Russian lawmaker calls citizens fleeing mobilization rumors 'unneeded'A Russian State Duma defense committee member said Russians leaving the country over mobilization rumors are "not needed" by Russia.
- Russian army losses outpace recruitment by 6,000 a monthRussian military casualties exceed new recruits by about 6,000 people per month, according to Western officials cited by The Guardian.
- Yekaterinburg electronics maker freezes laptop plant, pivots to school drone simulatorsLIGA Group, a Yekaterinburg electronics maker, has halted construction of a laptop, tablet and all-in-one PC factory and will instead develop drone-training simulators for schools.
- Canada removes Anatoly Chubais from sanctions listCanada has removed former Russian official and top manager Anatoly Chubais from its sanctions list, lifting an asset freeze and entry ban imposed in June 2025.
- Russian strikes hit Kyiv and Mykolaiv; ammunition depot blast near Bucha kills and injures dozensRussian forces launched overnight strikes on Kyiv and Mykolaiv, while a massive fire and explosions at an ammunition depot near Bucha killed and injured residents.
- Seven injured in drone attack on Russia's Rostov region, including two childrenSeven people, including two children, were injured in a drone attack on Russia's Rostov region, with one child in serious condition, the regional governor said.
- Zelensky sets target of 1,000 long-range drones a day on RussiaUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has tasked the military with launching 1,000 long-range drones at Russia per day, up from the current average of about 300.
- Wife of Russian artist arrested for refusing to unlock phoneElena Morgunova, wife of artist and activist Pavel Krissevich, was arrested for 10 days in Russia's Ryazan region after refusing to unlock her phone for police.
- Rostov region declares emergency as grain piles up with ports shutThe Rostov region has introduced a state of emergency because the halt of port operations and cargo shipping in the Azov-Black Sea basin has left agricultural producers unable to export their harvest.
- Fuel returns to Nizhny Novgorod gas stations as Putin visitsMost gas stations in Nizhny Novgorod have fuel again as President Vladimir Putin visits the city, after a week of shortages.
- Kaliningrad court removes Yabloko from regional election ballotA Kaliningrad court has annulled the registration of the Yabloko party list for regional legislative elections following a lawsuit filed by the Communists of Russia party.
- Russian prosecutors seek to nationalize last 45% of St. Petersburg oil terminalRussia's Prosecutor General's Office has filed a lawsuit demanding the seizure of the remaining 45% of shares in the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal from its co-owners, the Vasilyev family.
- Russia designates Montenegro university founded by exiled Shaninka professors as 'undesirable'Russia's Justice Ministry has added the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences (FLAS), a Montenegro-based university founded by former professors of Moscow's Shaninka, to its register of 'undesirable' organizations.