Exclusives

Moldova halves grain-transit fees for Ukraine as its own farmers threaten protests. President Maia Sandu is defending the halved transit fees against her own farmers, arguing that a neighbor able to export and arm itself is worth more to Moldova than the risk to local grain prices.

India’s cooking-oil imports jump for festival season—but not war-hit sunflower. Indian refiners are stocking up for the festival season, but the war has left the world’s top sunflower supplier shut out of the boom.

Russia has thousands of tanks it can’t risk. One drone shield decides whether they roll. Russia has finally fielded a tank defense that can shoot down Ukrainian FPV drones. The problem is that Ukrainian crews can send more drones than the Arena-M can stop—and the first tanks carrying it have burned anyway.

Military

Russia launches "massive" attack on Ukrainian power plant as Kyiv braces for extremely difficult winter. The strike halted electricity generation at the plant as Moscow steps up attacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure ahead of the cold season.

Operation Hell-2: Azov says it burned 4,221 tons of Russian fuel in occupied Donetsk Oblast. The Ukrainian National Guard unit spent a month tracking Russian fuel tanks in occupied Donetsk Oblast before striking them.

“Chasing away vipers”: Ukrainian special forces retake Andriivka-Klevtsove, capture 30 Russian soldiers. The operation adds another settlement to Ukraine's gains in its eight-month Oleksandrivka counteroffensive, which Kyiv says has reclaimed 745 square kilometres.

Greek-run tanker carrying Russian oil hit off Russia's Black Sea coast, Bloomberg reports. The ship's manager reported no injuries or pollution. It was the first attack on a vessel calling at the CPC terminal in nearly three weeks.

Russia claims it downed a record 1,671 drones as fires burn across Moscow Oblast. A drone struck another Wildberries warehouse, but this one caused no major fire as others had in previous strikes.

Russian drone attacks on Ukraine's Danube ports hit recent high, Romania says. Drone debris reached Romania as Ukraine sought safer grain routes and Bucharest prepared cheaper defences against low-flying incursions.

Russia's latest strike on Ukraine's most important trade route: Togo-flagged civilian ship hit in Odesa. A Russian strike on Odesa Oblast port infrastructure damaged a civilian vessel and injured four people, three of them hospitalised.

Intelligence and technology

Russia could open northern front by February if it orders new mobilization, Ukraine intel says. Ukraine's military intelligence sees no preparations for a northern attack, but officials warn such a front could pull defenders from the east and south.

1.2 million weapons in a year: Inside Ukraine's Amazon-for-arms that ships to the frontline in 24 hours. Frontline units now pick from 1,181 products by 300 Ukrainian makers, and the fastest arrive within 24 hours.

HUR: Russia seeks rest of Donetsk Oblast, not a peace deal, by year-end. HUR's deputy chief says Russia cannot form new units without mobilization after battlefield losses exceeded contract recruitment in June and July.

New satellite imagery shows a caved-in roof at Russia's only Soyuz rocket-assembly plant. The imagery pins the damage to the building where crews wire the rockets' controls and electronics.

Why does Ukraine need a Bebradron-M drone with no warhead and only 2 kg of payload?. Ukraine has approved 413 new unmanned aerial systems for military use this year, most of them domestically produced.

The Ukrainian company behind MAUL, a robot that hits 70 km/h and survives flipping over, moves toward investment from an $81M US firm. AIDronesUA and US-based Empery Digital Inc. have signed an agreement to explore a strategic investment, with due diligence now underway.

International

NATO army bought Russian missiles and now it can't give them away. Israel and US lawmakers are stalling Türkiye's F-35 deal as its talks to offload a Russian S-400 to the UAE show no movement.

Russia warns UK of “consequences” over British-made drones in Ukraine's deep strikes. London vows to continue supporting Kyiv. Moscow accused London of deliberately escalating the war after reports that Ukrainian forces used UK-built drones to strike targets inside Russia, including oil refineries.

Blast marks Moldova's third airspace breach in nine days. Ukraine's Air Force reported that a Russian Banderol crossed the border, but Moldovan investigators could not conclusively identify the wreckage.

Kenya and South Africa went first, and now Ghana accuses Russia of luring Ghanaians into war. The methods drawing foreigners toward the front range from bogus contracts to political intrigue across Africa.

650 participants from 24 countries: Ukraine brings its battle-tested drone-defence experience to NATO's Baltic Trust 2026 exercise. For Ukraine, taking part as a valued contributor rather than an aid recipient marks its deepening integration with the alliance it seeks to join.

Humanitarian and social impact

Russia weaponizes Ukrainian children in occupied territories. Ukraine singles out those responsible. At a competition in May, children practised handling explosives and piloting drones across Russian-occupied Ukraine, according to HUR.

Two Russian missiles hit a post office and shops in Kharkiv Oblast, killing 10 people. The strike on a crowded crossroads in Pechenihy wounded 18 more and set a cafe and cars ablaze.

Medical tourism and IT can draw visitors back to Ukraine after the war, UN Tourism's chief told a Kyiv briefing. Her Kyiv visit, the first by a UN Tourism chief in a decade, came with a concrete deliverable: 500 online-academy scholarships, 200 of them for veterans.

He fought for Ukrainian independence until a Soviet chocolate-box bomb killed him. Now Ukraine plans to honour him permanently. Ukrainian leader Yevhen Konovalets' remains returned from Rotterdam after 88 years and are set for temporary reburial at Ukraine's National Military Memorial Cemetery.

Latvian public broadcaster opens new charity drive for Ukraine's wounded. Timed to Ukraine's 24 August Independence Day, a Latvian broadcaster's new drive aims to fund recovery for Ukrainian soldiers.

Political and legal developments

Russia jails 61-year-old Ukrainian for alleged Azov service, names no specific act. A Russian military court sentenced Hulak to five years and four months over an alleged connection to the Azov group.

World's largest crypto exchange helped Russia identify and jail a man who donated to Ukraine's army. Binance reportedly provided Russian authorities with personal data that helped lead to the arrest of a Russian IT specialist.

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