News
- 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.
- US-born farmer 'Cheerful Milkman' says family not being expelled from RussiaJustas Walker, a US-born farmer known as the 'Cheerful Milkman,' said his family will not be expelled from Russia, citing a migration service meeting.
- Russia's central bank urges lenders to restructure loans of businesses hit by Wildberries warehouse attacksRussia's central bank has recommended that lenders approve restructuring requests from small and medium-sized businesses affected by attacks on logistics centers, including Wildberries warehouses.
- Ukrainian drones strike S-400 position near 'Putin's palace' in GelendzhikUkrainian drones hit an S-400 air defense position near the so-called 'Putin's palace' on the Black Sea coast, according to the commander of Ukraine's unmanned systems forces.
- Kamchatka to lose all internet for up to four days during cable repairAll internet access in Russia's Kamchatka region will be switched off from the night of August 12 for up to four days to repair an underwater fiber-optic cable, the regional government said.
- Russia's Rodina party seeks to bar Yabloko from Duma electionsRussia's Supreme Court has begun hearing a lawsuit seeking to remove the liberal Yabloko party from the State Duma ballot, filed by the nationalist Rodina party.
- Russian publishers halt Wildberries shipments after drone attacks on warehousesAt least seven Russian book publishers have suspended deliveries to the Wildberries marketplace following Ukrainian drone strikes on its warehouses, Kommersant reported.
- Ukrainian drones strike Russian petrochemical plant, killing 10A mass drone attack on the Russian city of Nizhnekamsk killed at least 10 people and likely targeted one of Europe's largest petrochemical complexes, according to preliminary reports.
- 456 Ukrainian drones hit 16 Russian regions, refinery fire reported in TatarstanRussia's Defense Ministry said air defenses intercepted 456 Ukrainian drones overnight across 16 regions and annexed Crimea, while Ukrainian channels reported a fire at an oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk.
- Moldova finds combat drone wreckage near Ukraine borderA combat drone crashed near the Moldovan village of Crocmaz, close to the Ukrainian border, sparking a fire and damaging several farmsteads.
- French authorities order Russian journalist Irina Ananina to leave countryFrench authorities have refused to grant a residence permit to Irina Ananina, a journalist for the Russian-language outlet Vot Tak, and ordered her to leave the country.
- Saratov Yabloko deputy chair threatened with murder, told to quit raceKirill Rumyantsev, deputy chair of the Yabloko party in Saratov and a State Duma candidate, said he and his family have received death threats demanding he withdraw from the election.
- Russia and Syria agree to turn military bases into joint training centersRussia and Syria signed a memorandum to reorganize Russia's military presence, placing the Hmeimim airbase and Tartus naval facility under joint training center status.
- US clears Turkey to send Ukraine 70 ATACMS missiles and 12 M270 launchersThe US State Department has notified Congress of its intent to authorize the transfer to Ukraine of a large batch of American-made weapons currently held by Turkey, including 70 ATACMS ballistic missiles and 12 M270 MLRS launchers.
- Moscow court arrests current and former CEOs of drone maker Drone SolutionsA Moscow court arrested the current and former general directors of drone manufacturer Drone Solutions on fraud charges on August 8.
- Bulgaria summons Ukraine's envoy after drone blast near gas pipelineBulgaria's Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine's ambassador over a drone that exploded near a compressor station of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline on August 8.
- Kyiv police detain Telegram chat admin after Ukraine protests; chat deletedKyiv police detained Vitalii Kamka, an administrator of a Telegram chat about protests against the dismissal of Ukraine's defense minister, after which the chat was deleted.
- New Siberian city spruced up ahead of possible Putin visitWorkers in Novosibirsk are urgently repairing roads, sidewalks and facades in the city center ahead of a possible visit by President Vladimir Putin, local media report.
- Russian strikes on Kharkiv and Odesa kill two, wound more than 30Russian forces struck Kharkiv and Odesa overnight, killing two men and wounding at least 29 people, local officials said.
- Ukrainian drones strike Belgorod and Novorossiysk, wounding 13 including two childrenUkrainian drones attacked Belgorod and Novorossiysk overnight on August 9, wounding 13 people including two children, with a four-year-old boy hospitalized with shrapnel wounds to the chest.
- Zelensky visits Belgrade as Serbia again refuses to condemn Russia or impose sanctionsUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, but Serbia again declined to condemn Russian aggression or join sanctions against Moscow.
- Russia opens criminal case over threats to 'Kolobok' filmmakers after online backlashRussian investigators have opened a criminal case over death threats and arson promises against the creators of the film 'The Last Hero. Kolobok' following a wave of online criticism.
- Turkey quietly restricts Dardanelles transits for Black Sea shipping after attacksTurkey has begun restricting commercial vessel transits through the Dardanelles Strait to Black Sea ports, including Novorossiysk, following a series of attacks on civilian ships, Bloomberg reported.
- Drone that slipped past NATO radars explodes near Bulgarian gas linkAn unidentified drone flew into Bulgaria from Romania and exploded near the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline on August 8, evading radar detection by both countries and NATO.
- Ukraine says it struck 12 Russian 'shadow fleet' ships and a Black Sea observation towerUkraine's Unmanned Systems Forces said it hit 12 vessels it considers part of Russia's 'shadow fleet' in the Black and Azov Seas between August 1 and 8.
- Zelensky says US will ship Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine monthlyUkraine and the United States have agreed on monthly deliveries of interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a joint press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade.
- Russia drops case against police who broke teacher's armRussian investigators closed the criminal case against two police officers who broke a Ryazan teacher's arm during a mistaken arrest, citing lack of evidence of a crime.
- Judge who banned Memorial to hear Kremlin party's suit against YablokoA Russian Supreme Court judge who declared the human rights group Memorial extremist will hear a pro-Kremlin party's lawsuit seeking to remove Yabloko from the State Duma election ballot.
- Ukraine says drones hit 218 Russian vessels in a monthUkraine's unmanned systems commander Robert Brovdi said Ukrainian drones struck 218 vessels in the Black and Azov seas over the past month.
- Russian official says road to Crimea 'more or less restored' as analyst counts 167 trucks hit in six daysDeputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said traffic on the 'Novorossiya' highway to Crimea has 'more or less recovered,' while an OSINT analyst counted 167 trucks struck by Ukrainian drones in the first six days of August.
- Chinese PhD student at RUDN arrested in Moscow on espionage chargesA 42-year-old Chinese doctoral student at RUDN University was sent to pretrial detention in Moscow in April on espionage charges, according to Mediazona.
- Third relative of Russian aerospace chief dies after Moscow restaurant blastA 30-year-old relative of Russian Aerospace Forces commander Alexander Chaiko died three days after a blast at a Moscow restaurant, bringing the death toll among his family and associates to at least three.
- Ukrainian drone strikes set two Russian oil refineries ablazeOvernight Ukrainian drone attacks sparked fires at two Russian oil refineries, in the Krasnodar region and Samara region, as Moscow reported intercepting hundreds of drones.
- Russian strike on Kyiv region kills three, including four-year-old childA Russian combined missile and drone attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region killed three people, including a four-year-old child, Ukrainian authorities said.
- Sales of military goods on Wildberries drop 20–40% after Ukrainian drone strikes on warehousesSales of military and dual-use goods on Russia's Wildberries marketplace fell by 20–40% in late July after Ukrainian drone attacks on its logistics centers, according to an analysis by the independent outlet Verstka.
- Musk refuses to let Ukraine use Starlink for deep strikesElon Musk has declined to allow Ukraine to use Starlink for targeting Russian missile launchers, according to The Atlantic.
- Chechen leader's 20-year-old son awarded 'Hero of the Republic' titleAkhmat Kadyrov, the 20-year-old son of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, has been awarded the title 'Hero of the Chechen Republic'.
- Daughter of Russia's mobilization chief helps clients dodge the draft for moneyA Moscow law firm where the daughter of the general in charge of Russia's mobilization works advertises help with draft deferrals and leaving the country, Meduza reported.
- Russia opens criminal case against journalist Katerina Gordeeva over 'fakes' about armyRussia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case against journalist Katerina Gordeeva on charges of spreading 'deliberately false information' about the Russian military in Ukraine.
- AI-generated bank ad spliced into Russian pirated copy of Spider-Man filmA pirated Russian-dubbed version of the new Spider-Man film on Rutube includes an AI-generated advertisement for UralSib bank inserted mid-movie, Ksenia Sobchak reported.
- Rodina Party asks Supreme Court to remove Yabloko from Duma ballotThe Rodina party has filed a lawsuit with Russia's Supreme Court demanding that the registration of the Yabloko party's federal list for the State Duma elections be annulled.
- Russia imports fuel from South Korea for first time amid refinery crisisRussia has for the first time imported petroleum products from South Korea, with about 30,000 metric tons shipped from the port of Ulsan to Russia's Far East in late July, according to ship-tracking data and trade sources cited by Reuters.
- Russian elite fears FSB is out of control and now the country's top powerRussia's elite fears the Federal Security Service (FSB) has slipped out of control and become the country's dominant force, Bloomberg reported, citing sources close to the Kremlin.
- Wildberries tests partner hubs for storage after drone attacks on warehousesWildberries' parent company RWB has begun testing a partner program allowing property owners to open storage hubs for marketplace sellers' goods.
- Russia moves to expel American farmer known as the 'cheerful milkman'Russian authorities plan to revoke the residence permit of American farmer Justas Walker, who has lived in Russia since 1994, and expel him along with his family, he said.
- North Korea earned $22 billion from Russia during Ukraine warNorth Korea earned $22 billion in foreign revenue from 2022 to 2025, nearly four times more than in the previous four years, with most of the money coming from arms sales to Russia.
- Support for Ukraine war in Russia falls to record low of 50%Only 50% of Russians in July called the war in Ukraine successful, the lowest level since measurements began, according to the Levada Center.
- Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan sign collective defense pactSaudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a collective defense pact in Mecca, pledging to treat an attack on any of the three states as an attack on all.
- Russia proposes banning SMS codes for children's social media loginsRussia's Digital Development Ministry has proposed barring mobile operators from sending SMS authentication codes to children's SIM cards for logging into social networks and messengers, with exceptions only for state information systems.
- Ukrainian sea drones strike Yalta port, sparking fire and evacuationUkrainian forces attacked Yalta with sea drones on the morning of July 31, causing a fire near the port and prompting authorities to evacuate the city's central embankment.
- Lithuania: Russia may use captured Ukrainian drones to strike Baltic infrastructureLithuania's defense minister warned that Russia is considering strikes on critical infrastructure in the Baltics using captured Ukrainian drones in a possible false-flag operation.
- Russian drone strikes market in Sumy region, wounding 13Russian forces attacked people at a market in the Sumy region with drones, wounding 13 people, according to local reports.
- Rodina files lawsuit to remove Yabloko from State Duma electionThe Rodina party has filed a lawsuit with Russia's Supreme Court seeking to remove the Yabloko party from the State Duma election ballot.
- Yabloko distances itself from exiled supporters' campaign ahead of State Duma voteYabloko party leader Nikolai Rybakov said the party has no ties to a campaign launched by exiled politicians and activists urging Russians to vote for the party in September's State Duma elections.
- FSB detains over 20 crypto exchange workers in Moscow City, accuses them of aiding fraudstersRussia's Federal Security Service said it detained more than 20 employees of unregistered cryptocurrency exchange points in the Moscow City business district and shut down nine exchangers, accusing them of helping fraudsters funnel money to Ukraine.
- US intelligence sees possible limited Russian attack on NATO state by 2029US intelligence assesses that Russia could launch a limited attack on a NATO member state between autumn 2026 and 2029, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing new intelligence reports.
- Wildberries adds drone attacks to seller insurance, raising rates 40%Wildberries has expanded its voluntary seller insurance to cover damage from terrorist attacks, sabotage, and drone strikes, while raising rates by 40%.
- Russia to let regions spend road-repair funds on drone defensesRussia's Transport Ministry has drafted changes allowing road-repair and maintenance budgets to cover anti-drone protective structures, a response to repeated Ukrainian drone attacks on transport infrastructure.
- 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.