News
- Putin makes first visit to Kuril Islands; Japan protestsRussian President Vladimir Putin visited the Kuril Islands for the first time, prompting Japan to lodge a 'resolute protest' over the disputed territory.
- Zelensky: 5% of US Patriot missiles would let Ukraine survive winterUkraine received 2.5 times fewer Patriot interceptor missiles this year than in 2025, and if the US sold Kyiv just 5% of its stockpile, it would be enough to survive the winter, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
- Ukrainian drones strike Gazprom refinery and Wildberries hub in BashkortostanUkrainian drones attacked the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat refinery and a Wildberries logistics center in Bashkortostan, causing fires and injuring two people.
- Russian-held Sevastopol loses power after Ukrainian drone attack on energy infrastructureRussian-installed Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said the city temporarily lost electricity after Ukrainian drones struck energy infrastructure.
- Ukrainian drones strike Bashkortostan, sparking fire at Salavat industrial zone and Wildberries warehouseUkrainian drones attacked Bashkortostan, causing a fire in the industrial zone of Salavat and at a Wildberries warehouse, with no reported casualties.
- Russia's GDP grows 1.3% in Q2 despite drone strikes and high ratesRussia's GDP grew 1.3% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2025, rebounding from a 0.2% contraction in the first quarter, according to preliminary data from Rosstat.
- Screenwriter Pavel Tetersky leaves Russia after arrest, home searchScreenwriter Pavel Tetersky has left Russia after being released from a detention center, his lawyer said, following a 12-day administrative arrest and a home search he says was conducted on fabricated grounds.
- Lipetsk region becomes first in Russia to bring back odd-even fuel salesThe Lipetsk region will reintroduce odd-even gasoline sales at filling stations from August 13, becoming the first Russian region to restore the system after it was lifted.
- Romania destroys two Russian Gerbera drones near Black Sea gas fieldRomanian military divers destroyed two Russian-made Gerbera drones found in the country's Black Sea exclusive economic zone near the Neptun Deep gas field, about 90 nautical miles from the port of Constanta.
- Oil from shadow-fleet tanker Caroline Bezengi reaches Oman's coastOil leaking from the grounded shadow-fleet tanker Caroline Bezengi has reached Oman's mainland coast, according to the International Maritime Organization.
- Russian drone operators' gathering postponed over alleged threat of strike with 'bio-drones'Organizers of the all-Russian combat drone operators' gathering 'Dronnitsa-2026' postponed the event scheduled for August 29-30 in Veliky Novgorod indefinitely, citing intelligence about a planned combined attack.
- Siberian farmers' pigs seized and culled as officials withhold disease nameAuthorities in Russia's Tyumen region are confiscating and killing pigs from farmers without disclosing the disease, prompting speculation about African swine fever.
- The Economist: Kadyrov avoids sacrificing Chechens for 'Russian world'A source close to Chechnya's leadership told The Economist that Moscow's interests in Ukraine are 'infinitely distant' from the republic's own, and that Ramzan Kadyrov, despite public support for the war, is reluctant to sacrifice his people for the 'Russian world'.
- Drone strike halts oil refining at Russia's Orsk plantRussia's Orsk refinery halted oil processing on Aug. 11 after a fire caused by a drone attack, Reuters reported, citing two industry sources.
- First Indian gasoline shipment arrives in RussiaThe first shipment of gasoline from India has arrived in Russia, according to Bloomberg, citing data from the vessel-tracking service Kpler.
- Russian businesses boost anti-drone purchases 6.6-fold after warehouse strikesCommercial purchases of anti-drone systems in Russia rose 6.6-fold year-on-year in January-June 2026, reaching 441.3 million rubles, according to tender analytics.
- Yandex Pay and Ozon Bank apps vanish from stores after EU sanctionsYandex Pay and Ozon Bank apps have been removed from Apple and Google app stores following EU and UK sanctions.
- Russian textbook asks students in occupied Ukraine to prove 'SVO' fighters match WWII heroesA new Russian state textbook for occupied Ukrainian territories instructs students to argue that fighters in the 'special military operation' are worthy of comparison to World War II heroes.
- St Petersburg university lecturer arrested over 3,500-ruble donations to Navalny projectsRussian authorities arrested Igor Zaitsev, a 58-year-old associate professor at the European University in St Petersburg, on charges of financing terrorism over seven donations totaling 3,500 rubles to projects of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
- Priests to be assigned to women's clinics in Russia's ChuvashiaIn Russia's Chuvashia region, priests and mercy sisters will be assigned to every women's clinic in Cheboksary and Novocheboksarsk to counsel women seeking abortion referrals.
- Lawyers get four years for promising to remove blogger from 'blacklists'A Moscow court sentenced lawyer Alisa Volkova and tax attorney Olga Goltseva to four years in prison each for defrauding blogger Alexandra Mitroshina of about 41 million rubles by promising to remove her from Interpol and presidential administration blacklists.
- Putin threatens to seize EU ships worldwide in response to tanker detentionsPresident Vladimir Putin has threatened a 'mirror response' to European detentions of Russian cargo ships, saying Moscow could seize vessels anywhere in the world, including in the Pacific Fleet's area of responsibility.
- Russia's Supreme Court removes Yabloko party from State Duma ballotRussia's Supreme Court on August 10 annulled the registration of the Yabloko party's federal list for the State Duma elections, prompting the party to file an appeal.
- Russian strikes kill two in Kherson, hit Odesa and ZaporizhzhiaRussian forces struck residential areas in Kherson overnight, killing two people, as attacks also hit Odesa and Zaporizhzhia.
- Spotify to label AI-generated artists with 'AI Persona' badge, remove from recommendationsStarting mid-September, Spotify will add an 'AI Persona' badge to profiles of artists whose public identity is suspected to be AI-generated, and will exclude their music from recommendations.
- US asked Ukraine to stop strikes on Kazakh oil tankersUS Vice President JD Vance asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to halt attacks on oil tankers near the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal in Novorossiysk, according to the Financial Times.
- Lamborghini crashes into Yekaterinburg home; reports say billionaire's son was drivingA Lamborghini crashed into a residential building in Yekaterinburg on the evening of August 11, and Russian media reported that the driver was the son of billionaire Igor Altushkin.
- Child killed in massive Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Krasnodar regionAn eight-year-old child was killed and eight people were wounded in a mass drone attack on Russia's Krasnodar region, with a fire breaking out at a port facility in Novorossiysk.
- Russia's Supreme Court bars Yabloko party from Duma electionRussia's Supreme Court on August 10 removed the liberal Yabloko party from the State Duma election ballot, ruling on a lawsuit filed by the pro-Kremlin Rodina party.
- Russian schools in occupied Ukraine to use history textbooks edited by MedinskyRussia's Education Ministry has approved history textbooks for occupied Ukrainian territories, edited by former culture minister Vladimir Medinsky, covering the regions' 'return to Russia.'
- Rotenberg family firm takes over Russia's largest port fuel supplierRoskhim, whose board is chaired by Igor Rotenberg, has taken management of the Transbunker group, Russia's largest supplier of fuel to ports.
- Zelensky says Russia plans two mobilization waves after Duma electionsUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is preparing two waves of mobilization after its parliamentary elections, citing intelligence reports.
- Russia's budget deficit hits 6.5 trillion rubles in seven months, nearly double annual planRussia's federal budget deficit reached 6.455 trillion rubles in January–July, already 70.5% above the full-year target set in the 2026 budget law.
- Putin greets children at empty gas station with price board switched offVladimir Putin stopped his motorcade in Novosibirsk to greet a crowd of mostly children gathered by a roadside gas station that had no fuel and its price display turned off.
- Moscow police beat teenager after AI face recognition errorTwo Moscow police officers beat and detained a 15-year-old schoolboy in early May after an AI face recognition system falsely matched him with a wanted person.
- Russia sent female prisoners to war as medics; some say they were rapedRussia's Defense Ministry has been recruiting female prisoners for military service in Ukraine since 2024, with some reporting sexual violence and extortion.
- Sochi officials ask residents to avoid driving as fuel shortage hits third daySochi's administration urged residents and visitors to avoid driving personal cars to ease pressure on gas stations, citing 'logistical disruptions' and 'panic buying' after a meeting on the fuel shortage.
- Yandex's Alice AI tells users to ditch its own Max messenger for Telegram or SignalYandex's Alice neural network, built into the Max messenger, is advising users to switch to Telegram, Signal, or WhatsApp instead, citing security flaws.
- Man with beer taken from bench to Russian army recruitment point, forced to sign contractA 31-year-old man from Omsk was seized from a park bench while drinking beer and taken to a military recruitment point, where he was pressured into signing a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry, his relatives said.
- Ukraine stops reporting intercepted missiles amid interceptor shortage — BloombergUkraine's General Staff has stopped publishing data on intercepted Russian missiles, citing security concerns and a shortage of interceptor missiles, Bloomberg reports.
- Russia's central bank allows trading in Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT on exchangesRussia's central bank has added Bitcoin, Ethereum and Tether USDT to the list of cryptocurrencies allowed for public trading on exchanges.
- Co-founder of Echo of Petersburg radio dies after beating near MoscowSergei Nedovodin, a co-founder and former executive director of the St. Petersburg radio station Echo of Petersburg, died in intensive care without regaining consciousness after being beaten by neighbors in the Moscow suburb of Vidnoye.
- Russian inmate gets life sentence for collecting data on prison staffA convict from Karachay-Cherkessia was sentenced to life in prison for gathering information about prison staff and inmates willing to fight for Russia, and passing it to a designated terrorist group.
- Drone strike on Wildberries warehouse near Voronezh kills oneA 49-year-old man was killed and two others wounded when drone debris fell on a Wildberries logistics center in Russia's Voronezh region, as Ukrainian drones also hit an oil refinery in Orsk.
- Novosibirsk residents told to stay indoors, close windows during Putin visitAuthorities in Novosibirsk advised residents to refrain from going outside and to stay away from windows while President Vladimir Putin's motorcade passed through the city during his visit on August 11.
- Ukrainian drones hit Orsk refinery, fire reported at key plantA fire broke out at the Orsk oil refinery in Russia's Orenburg region after Ukrainian drones attacked the area, with authorities temporarily restricting flights at the local airport.
- Fire hits Rosneft's Komsomolsk refinery, key fuel supplier for Russia's Far EastA fire broke out at Rosneft's Komsomolsk oil refinery in Russia's Khabarovsk region, though the plant said it was extinguished with no casualties and production continuing at full capacity.
- Drone strike on Wildberries warehouse in Voronezh region kills oneA Ukrainian drone attack on a Wildberries logistics complex in Russia's Voronezh region killed one person and injured two others, with fires still burning across tens of thousands of square meters.
- Russia's Supreme Court removes Yabloko party from Duma election ballotRussia's Supreme Court on August 10 upheld a lawsuit by the Rodina party to strike the liberal Yabloko party from the State Duma election ballot, a decision Yabloko says it will appeal.
- Russia opens treason cases over photos of soldiers' gravesRussian authorities have begun prosecuting people for photographing graves of soldiers killed in Ukraine, with at least two cases reaching courts in recent weeks.
- Russia's Supreme Court removes Yabloko from Duma election ballotRussia's Supreme Court on Monday revoked the registration of the liberal Yabloko party's federal list for the State Duma elections, siding with a lawsuit filed by the nationalist Rodina party.
- Russia's Supreme Court removes Yabloko party from State Duma electionRussia's Supreme Court has annulled the registration of the Yabloko party's federal list for the State Duma election, following a lawsuit filed by the pro-Kremlin Rodina party.
- Ukrainian grain exports could halve as Russian strikes and Danube drought choke portsUkrainian grain exports could fall by more than half this season as Russian air strikes cripple Black Sea ports and a record drought on the Danube disrupts the backup route through Romania.
- At least 20 of 117 Russian diplomats in Austria linked to intelligence agencies, investigation findsAn investigation by the outlet Agentstvo found that at least 20 of 117 Russian diplomats officially listed in Austria have ties to Russian intelligence agencies.
- Prosecutor backs bid to remove Yabloko from Russian parliamentary electionRussia's prosecutor general's office has supported a lawsuit seeking to strike the liberal Yabloko party from the State Duma ballot, as the Supreme Court hears arguments over alleged foreign funding and other violations.
- Kremlin sets regions target of 409,000 new contract soldiers by year-endThe Kremlin and Defense Ministry have ordered Russian regions to recruit 409,000 contract soldiers by the end of the year, according to the Financial Times.
- Russian election commission backs bid to remove Yabloko over copyright breachRussia's Central Election Commission backed a lawsuit seeking to remove the liberal Yabloko party from the State Duma ballot, citing a copyright violation in a quote from a Soviet-era song.
- Russian guided bombs hit Zaporizhzhia, wounding 24 including two childrenRussian guided bombs struck Zaporizhzhia on August 10, wounding 24 people including two children, the regional governor said.
- Missing Ukrainian teen from occupied Krynky found fighting for RussiaA Ukrainian teenager from the occupied village of Krynky in the Kherson region, who had been listed as missing, was found serving in the Russian army.
- Ukrainian drones hit Sibur petrochemical plant in Tyumen regionUkrainian drones struck a Sibur petrochemical complex in the Tyumen region, causing a fire at the site, with no casualties reported.