Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak and Deputy Foreign Minister Serhii Kyslytsia will join the Ukrainian delegation meeting with US President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in New York this week, an informed government source told Suspilne.
National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov reportedly will also participate in the meeting.
According to sources, the meeting’s agenda will continue agreements reached during the Ukrainian delegation’s visit to Washington and negotiations with US President’s special envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv. The discussions will separately address negative signals coming from the Russian side regarding a possible leaders’ meeting and the negotiation process overall.
US President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff previously announced he would meet with Ukrainian representatives in New York this week.
“I’m meeting with the Ukrainians this week. So I’ll meet with them this week in New York, and that’s an important signal that we talk to the Russians every day,” Witkoff said on Fox News’ “Special Report” program.
On 25 August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a meeting between Ukrainian and American teams at the end of the current week. The meeting will discuss possibilities for future negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
A majority of Germans now support Ukrainian territorial concessions to Russia in exchange for peace, according to a new poll, as diplomatic efforts continue amid ongoing military tensions.
The Forsa polling institute found that 52% of respondents believe “Ukraine should be ready to cede occupied territories to Russia if necessary to enable a peace agreement,” according to RTL/ntv-Trendbarometer data collected on 18-19 August from 1,002 respondents.
Support for territorial concessions varies significantly by political affiliation, according to the report. Among supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, 72% endorsed the idea. Conservative CDU/CSU supporters showed less enthusiasm at 43%, while Social Democrats registered 48% support.
The polling results emerge as diplomatic initiatives intensify. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy identified potential meeting locations for negotiations with Russia, mentioning Türkiye, Gulf states, and several European countries as possible venues for peace talks.
“From our side, everything will be maximally ready to end this war,” Zelenskyy said in his evening video address on 26 August, while emphasizing the need to maintain pressure on Moscow “to rid the Kremlin of delay tactics.”
Meanwhile, tensions between Washington and Moscow continue. US President Donald Trump criticized Russia following the latest attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, dismissing Moscow’s challenges to Zelenskyy’s legitimacy as posturing.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused Putin of employing “delay strategies” regarding peace efforts. Putin considers it appropriate to attach preconditions to a meeting with Zelenskyy that are “completely unacceptable” from Ukraine’s and its Western partners’ perspective, Merz told reporters in Berlin.
The Kremlin echoed these delays, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasizing that any high-level meetings require “good preparation to be effective.” Russian and Ukrainian delegation heads remain in contact, Peskov said, though he could not provide a timeline for potential talks.
On the battlefield, Russian forces continue advancing in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian military analysts reported Russian troops entered Dnipropetrowsk Oblast, marking territory in Zaporiske and Novoheorhijiwka as occupied. Ukrainian forces disputed complete Russian control, with the “Dnipro” army grouping stating they “stopped the advance of Russian forces and continue to control the village of Zaporiske.”
The conflict’s humanitarian impact persists, with over 100,000 consumers losing power across three Ukrainian regions following Russian attacks on energy facilities, Zelensky reported on social media platform X.
Ukraine has adjusted some wartime restrictions, lifting the exit ban for men aged 18-22. Prime Minister Julia Svyrydenko announced that “men between 18 and 22 can cross the border unhindered during martial law,” citing educational opportunities abroad and maintaining connections with compatriots overseas.
The polling data reflects shifting German public sentiment as the conflict approaches its third anniversary, with economic and diplomatic pressures mounting on all parties involved in the ongoing war.
Russia has submitted a peace proposal regarding Donetsk Oblast as part of efforts to end its war against Ukraine, according to Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy for the Middle East.
Speaking in a Fox News interview, Witkoff revealed the existence of the Russian proposal while defending Trump’s diplomatic efforts.
“The Russians have put a peace proposal on the table. It involves Donetsk. It may not be something that the Ukrainians can take,” Witkoff said.
The envoy did not specify the proposal’s details or submission date, but emphasized Trump’s role in advancing negotiations. “No one has done more than this president in narrowing the issues between these two countries and bringing the sides close to a deal,” Witkoff said.
When asked about responsibility for prolonging the war, Witkoff described both parties as challenging. “We’ve got two tough sides here. You heard the President say that he is disappointed in Russia in some respects, and he is also disappointed in the Ukrainians in some respects,” he said.
The disclosure comes after Trump announced reaching an agreement with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on territory exchange following their Alaska talks. Trump said that “President Zelenskyy has to agree” to the arrangement.
According to Bloomberg reports, Putin continues demanding Ukrainian troop withdrawal from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts entirely, while offering to freeze the front lines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected these demands.
Reuters previously outlined Russia’s war-ending conditions that Putin presented to Trump during their Alaska meeting on 17 August. Trump has warned of launching an “economic war” against Russia if it avoids negotiations.
Witkoff announced plans to meet with a Ukrainian delegation in New York this week as diplomatic efforts continue.
Trump reports indicate Putin wants immediate discussions on ending the war rather than merely pausing hostilities, with Trump believing this approach would be optimal.
The US continues supplying weapons to NATO allies currently providing military assistance to Ukraine, according to Trump’s statements.
Western countries are discussing a security guarantee system for Ukraine that could be implemented after a peace agreement is concluded, according to Financial Times sources.
The proposed defense structure consists of three distinct layers. The first line of defense would be a demilitarized zone on the border, possibly controlled by peacekeepers from a third country with agreement from both Kyiv and Moscow, sources told the publication.
Ukrainian forces, armed and trained by NATO, would form the second line of defense and provide the main defensive capability. The third line would consist of European deterrent forces deployed deeper in the country with logistical support from the United States.
Coalition of the Willing takes shape
Within the framework of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, Britain has proposed deploying Typhoon fighter jets in western Ukraine and a brigade of 3,000-5,000 military personnel to train the Ukrainian army, according to media reports. France, Canada and Australia could also send troops to western Ukraine.
Czech President Petr Pavel stated that his country “could be part of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine.” Lithuania has also declared its readiness to provide peacekeeping troops for a possible mission in Ukraine.
Bloomberg previously reported that approximately 10 countries are prepared to send their troops to Ukrainian territory after the war.
US position and skepticism
Washington emphasizes it has no intention of sending its troops to Ukrainian territory but is ready to provide intelligence, surveillance capabilities, and participate in developing Ukraine’s air defense system.
However, part of US President Donald Trump’s administration remains skeptical about possible guarantees, fearing the United States could be drawn into a new conflict.
Russian opposition
Russia opposes the deployment of any Western forces. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that negotiations on security guarantees without Moscow are “a road to nowhere.”
According to Lavrov, the security guarantees discussed between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in 2022 are “a very good example” of what the Kremlin would approve.
The security guarantee discussions for Kyiv have become more active following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with US President Donald Trump and European colleagues in Washington.
An explosion occurred on 26 August at the main Ryazan-Moscow oil pipeline in Russia’s Ryazan Oblast, halting fuel supplies to the Russian capital for an indefinite period, Hromadske reported, citing an informed source.
The blast happened near the village of Bozhatkovo, according to the outlet’s source. “After a strong explosion on the oil pipeline, a major fire broke out,” the source told Hromadske. Emergency responders arrived at the explosion site several hours later to address the consequences.
The incident has temporarily suspended oil product transportation to Moscow for an unspecified duration. Transneft company representatives are calculating the damage, the source reported.
The pipeline has served a specific military purpose since 2018, when it was repurposed by Transneft to supply automotive gasoline for the Russian army, according to Hromadske’s source.
The Ryazan-Moscow pipeline represents one of the primary sources of petroleum product supplies to Russia’s capital. The explosion’s timing and location have disrupted this critical supply route at a time when fuel logistics remain essential for Moscow’s operations.
Ukrainian serviceman Stanislav Panchenko, who returned from Russian captivity during a prisoner exchange on 14 August, came home with a feline companion – his cat Myshko, Suspilne Poltava reported.
Panchenko joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2017 at age 18. He was captured by Russian forces in 2019 and spent seven years in captivity. Initially held at Donetsk Pre-trial Detention Center No. 5, he was later transferred to Colony 32 following a “trial.” Russian authorities accused him of “terrorism” and “illegal seizure of power,” sentencing him to 17 years imprisonment.
The soldier found the cat while serving his sentence in the penal colony. According to Panchenko’s mother, her son formed a bond with the animal during his imprisonment.
“He had a cat in the colony, where he was held. Whether someone brought it to him, or where he got it, or found it somewhere on the colony grounds while it was still small. But he brought it home with him,” the woman told reporters. “He said: ‘When you come – take the cat, because if I lose it, it will be unpleasant.'”
Panchenko described how the cat came to live in the prison barracks. “I couldn’t leave Myshko – in the colony he faced the fate of a stray. And this was already our, you could say, domestic cat. This kitten was brought to our barracks by our ‘head of household’ when it was tiny. The kitten looked to be about two weeks old,” he said.
“If this kitten had been ‘deported’ beyond the fence, it wouldn’t have survived on its own. In general, the ‘head of household’ took pity on it. And we nursed it – fed it, it slept with us,” the former prisoner explained.
Panchenko spent his captivity undergoing what he called rehabilitation, staying only three days in a hospital upon return. He described Myshko as intelligent and gentle.
The 14 August prisoner exchange freed 33 defenders and 51 civilians from Russian captivity, according to Ukrainian authorities. The released Ukrainians had been detained in temporarily occupied territories before the full-scale invasion and illegally sentenced to lengthy prison terms ranging from 10 to 18 years. One of the released prisoners had been held for 4,013 days, captured in Donetsk Oblast in 2014.
Ukrainian citizens living in Poland contributed approximately PLN 18.7 billion ($5 bn) to the Polish budget in 2024 through taxes and insurance contributions, according to an analysis by TVN24.
The contribution came as President Karol Nawrocki vetoed an extension of temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees.
According to data from the Office for Foreigners, as of February 2025, 1.55 million Ukrainian citizens held valid residence permits in Poland, though the actual number including those with unregulated status may be higher. The majority – 993,000 people – benefit from temporary protection under the law that Nawrocki recently vetoed, meaning this protection will expire on 30 September 2025.
The Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK) estimated that Ukrainian migrants increased Polish budget revenues by approximately PLN 15.1 billion ($4 bn) in 2024 alone through personal income tax, corporate income tax, VAT, and pension, disability, and health insurance contributions.
“15 billion ($4 bn) PLN and 2.7% GDP growth in 2024 – does that tell you anything, Mr. Karol Nawrocki? That’s how much the hard-working Ukrainian women and men contributed to our economy. We gave them PLN 2.8 billion in the form of 800 plus. I leave the math to you,” wrote Senate Deputy Speaker Magdalena Biejat on platform X.
The Ministry of Finance data shows that between 2022 and 2024, revenues from PIT and VAT taxes from Ukrainian citizens totaled almost PLN 5 billion. Corporate income tax from Ukrainian companies reached PLN 11.9 million ($3.2 bn) over the three-year period, according to estimates provided to Demagog portal.
The Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) reported that Ukrainians contributed PLN 12.8 billion ($3.4 bn) in social insurance contributions (pension, disability, sickness, accident) in 2024, plus PLN 3.5 billion ($950 mn) in health insurance contributions. As of the end of July 2025, 825,000 Ukrainian citizens were registered for pension and disability insurance.
BGK’s report notes significant differences between pre-war and post-2022 Ukrainian migration. Between 2014-2021, approximately 1.35 million Ukrainian immigrants came to Poland primarily seeking employment, with over 90% being working-age and employed. The post-2022 wave consists of war refugees with different demographics: 42% women over 18, 19% men over 18, and 39% children.
National Bank of Poland data indicates that 78% of adult Ukrainians living in Poland were employed between May and July 2024. Among pre-war migrants, this figure reaches 93%, while OECD data shows 71% employment among Ukrainian refugees in 2023.
Ukrainians work primarily in industry (22% of refugees, 25% of pre-war immigrants), trade (12 and 13% respectively), with refugees more commonly employed in hospitality, gastronomy, education and culture sectors.
According to the Central Registration and Information on Business Activity (CEIDG), Ukrainians established 77,700 sole proprietorships in Poland between 2022-2024. Deloitte analysts calculated that Ukrainians generated an additional 2.7% of Polish GDP in 2024, equivalent to nearly PLN 99 billion ($27 bn). Experts project this contribution will increase to 3.2% of GDP by 2030.
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with a Ukrainian delegation in New York this week, he announced in a Fox News interview.
Witkoff said that the upcoming meeting with the Ukrainian side “is a big signal.” The envoy revealed he communicates daily with the Russian side and expressed hope that a bilateral meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin could take place soon.
Regarding the Kremlin leader, Witkoff said that during his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Alaska, Putin told him he “wants peace.” The envoy expressed hope that Moscow “will stick to that.”
“A peace agreement regarding the settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian war is already on the table,” Witkoff said, according to Fox News.
The announcement comes after Witkoff previously met with Ukraine’s security advisors. President Zelenskyy described that conversation as lengthy and highly detailed.
Russian forces killed an 81-year-old woman and wounded three other civilians during morning attacks on Kherson on 27 August, according to the Kherson Regional Military Administration and Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
Artillery strikes hit the Dniprovskyi district at approximately 5:00 am, the Kherson Regional Military Administration reports. “Russian military forces shelled the Dniprovskyi district of Kherson with artillery. A woman born in 1972 who was at home came under enemy fire,” authorities stated.
The woman sustained blast injuries and multiple burns across her body and was hospitalized. The prosecutor’s office later confirmed that the artillery attack killed an 81-year-old woman.
Around 6:30 am, Russian forces launched a drone attack on central Kherson, injuring a 67-year-old resident. The man suffered concussion, shrapnel wounds to his temple, blast trauma, and closed traumatic brain injury. Medical personnel transported him to hospital in moderate-to-severe condition.
A third victim, a 56-year-old man, later sought medical treatment following the drone strike in central Kherson. Doctors diagnosed him with blast trauma, concussion, and facial shrapnel wounds, according to the regional prosecutor’s office.
European Commission spokesperson Marcus Lammert said on 26 August in Brussels that while EU member states must provide Ukrainian refugees with temporary protection, the level of social benefits and medical assistance remains at each country’s discretion.
“Regarding social payments and medical payments. The level of social and family benefits differs from one member state to another,” Lammert said during the press briefing, according to European Pravda.
The spokesperson explained that according to EU directive, “member states must ensure, if beneficiaries do not have sufficient own resources, to provide persons enjoying temporary protection with the necessary assistance in the field of social welfare, medical assistance and means of subsistence.”
However, Lammert noted a crucial limitation: “The temporary protection directive does not provide for amounts or a minimum threshold of social assistance. Its level remains at the discretion of member states.”
“The necessary assistance is provided by the directive, but a threshold or minimum threshold is not provided. That’s what I can say,” he added.
The clarification comes as Poland prepares legislative changes affecting Ukrainian refugees. President Karol Nawrocki’s new bill would restrict aid to Ukrainians, limiting access to services and healthcare only to those citizens who work and pay contributions in Poland.
On 25 August, President Nawrocki vetoed the new version of the law on assistance to Ukrainian citizens. He simultaneously announced a legislative initiative that would equate “Bandera symbols” with Nazi and Communist symbols in Poland’s Criminal Code.
Ukraine has warned Poland about intentions to “react” if the Sejm bans red-and-black symbolism.
Despite these tensions, the EU reaffirmed its commitment to Ukrainian refugees.
“Member states adopted the extension of temporary protection at the Home Affairs Council in July until 2027. By doing so, the EU strengthens its unwavering commitment to support Ukraine as long as it takes,” Lammert said.
The temporary protection directive requires EU countries to provide basic living conditions and medical care for Ukrainian refugees, but sets no minimum financial standards, leaving individual nations to determine benefit amounts and scope of medical assistance.
A local farmer discovered pieces of an attack drone on 25 August around 3 PM in a field in Koruste village, Elva parish, Tartu County, according to Kaitsepolitsei (Estonian Security Police) Director General Margo Palloson.
The incident site also revealed an explosion crater, though no injuries occurred.
“Subsequently, all necessary procedures were initiated,” Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said.
The Security Police launched an investigation in cooperation with the prosecutor’s office to clarify the circumstances. Emergency services responded to the incident.
Palloson said the Security Police believes the drone came down on Estonian territory on early morning of 24 August.
“We have reason to believe that this may be a Ukrainian drone that was targeted at Russian inland objects, but which Russia diverted from its course with its GPS jamming and other electronic warfare means, and it veered into Estonian airspace. Currently, nothing indicates that this could be a Russian drone,” Palloson explained.
The Security Police chief said this was a military drone carrying explosives that detonated. Had it fallen on a residential building, Palloson said, the drone could have caused extensive damage.
Palloson indicated the drone may have entered Estonian airspace from either Russian or Latvian airspace, which is currently under investigation.
Pevkur attributed the drone debris discovery primarily to Russia’s continued war in Ukraine and Ukraine’s self-defense efforts.
Defense Intelligence Service Chief Ants Kiviselg, commenting more broadly on the incident, said Russia’s GPS jamming is directed at protecting Russian strategic objects and is not aimed directly at Estonia or other NATO allies. Kiviselg emphasized that the threat level in Estonia has not changed.
Pevkur revealed Estonia has begun procuring new types of radars that detect low-flying objects. “Is it possible to create general coverage with this? Theoretically yes, depending on how much resource we deploy there. Our capability will become significantly better. Whether it will have 100% coverage, time will tell. At the same time, the Ukraine war shows that there is no 100% coverage anywhere,” Pevkur said.
Pevkur said he also communicated with Ukraine’s defense minister on 25 August.
On the morning of 24 August, the Police and Border Guard Board tracked a drone flying over Lake Peipus, which later crashed into the lake on Russian territory.
Saturday and early Sunday morning saw active drone movement in Russia’s Leningrad Oblast, when Ukraine attacked Russian-based objects with drones. The drones targeted both objects in St. Petersburg and the Ust-Luga port oil terminal near the Estonian border.
The analytical project DeepState reported on 26 August that Russian forces have occupied the villages of Zaporizke and Novogeorgiyivka in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, marking the first occupied settlements in the region.
According to DeepState analysts, Russian troops established control over the two villages, while Russian forces also advanced near Shevchenko, Bila Gora, and in Oleksandro-Shultyne.
The occupied villages lie at the junction of Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts’ borders. They became the first settlements in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to fall under Russian army control.
This development contradicts earlier intelligence assessments. NATO member countries’ reconnaissance data suggested Russia was not planning a major offensive in either Sumy or Dnipropetrovsk oblasts of Ukraine.
Russian forces had repeatedly claimed incursions into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, but the Ukrainian General Staff consistently denied these assertions. Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kyrylo Budanov previously assured that the city of Dnipro faced only threats from Russian missile and drone attacks, with combat operations occurring solely along Dnipropetrovsk Oblast’s perimeters.
The General Staff reported on 2 July that the settlement of Dachne in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast had not been captured by Russians, as claimed by RF propagandists, and remained under Armed Forces control.
DeepState reported on 5 July that the Russian forces had occupied the settlements of Zeleny Kut and Novoukrayinka near the administrative border between Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk oblasts and was attempting to advance further.
On 11 August, the DeepState analytical center reported that Russian forces had intensified their advance toward Dobropillya over recent days, particularly attempting to establish positions near the Dobropillya-Kramatorsk highway. The “Dnipro” operational-strategic group added that Russian forces were infiltrating in small groups past the first line of Ukrainian positions in this direction.
Germany has committed to providing €9 billion ($10 bn) in annual support to Ukraine over the coming years, German Finance Minister and Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil announced during a meeting with Ukraine’s president.
“As finance minister, I emphasized, and this was also agreed by the Federal Government, that we commit to supporting Ukraine in the coming years, spending 9 billion euros annually,” Klingbeil said.
The German finance minister held separate discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart Serhiy Marchenko to address Ukraine’s financial resource requirements for 2026.
Marchenko revealed that Germany’s direct budget assistance to Ukraine has reached €1.6 billion ($1.9 bn) since early 2022. The Ukrainian minister highlighted additional German contributions through European Union mechanisms.
“Also significant is the support by the German government of the EU’s Ukraine Facility instrument, within which €22.6 billion ($26.2 bn) has already been attracted to the state budget, and the ERA mechanism — we received €9 billion ($10 bn) from the EU,” Marchenko wrote.
Germany’s financial commitment extends beyond budget support to military assistance. The country previously announced it would finance a $500 million package of military equipment and ammunition from the United States for Ukraine. Additionally, Germany and Norway will jointly fund two Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine.
The €9 billion ($10 bn) annual pledge represents a substantial increase from current direct budget assistance levels, signaling Germany’s long-term commitment to supporting Ukraine’s financial stability.
The 30th gathering will be conducted in an offline format in the British capital, though the agenda remains undisclosed pending ongoing consultations.
“Through consultations regarding the agenda, I cannot comment on this topic right now,” the German defence ministry press secretary told Suspilne.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal had previously indicated that the next Ramstein meeting would occur in September without specifying an exact date. He noted that the United Kingdom was handling preparation and organization of the event.
The announcement comes following the 29th Contact Group meeting on 21 July, which took place online under joint German and British leadership. During that session, Shmyhal stated that Ukraine requires $6 billion to address weapons production gaps in 2025.
The Ramstein format brings together international partners to coordinate military assistance for Ukraine’s defence efforts
President Donald Trump offered a blunt assessment of why Russian leader Vladimir Putin remains reluctant to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, telling journalists at a press conference that Putin simply “doesn’t like him.”
The president’s remarks came during questions about the ongoing diplomatic impasse between Moscow and Kyiv. When pressed by reporters on Putin’s unwillingness to engage directly with the Ukrainian leader, Trump delivered his direct response.
Trump also disclosed details of his recent conversations with the Kremlin leader, revealing discussions that ranged across nuclear weapons policy and arms control measures. “Missiles, nuclear – we’re talking about a lot of different things. We’re talking about limiting nuclear weapons, we’ll get China into that,” Trump said, according to the press conference.
The president outlined the current nuclear weapons hierarchy, stating that “we have the most, Russia has the second most, and China has third, but China is way behind.” However, he warned that Beijing’s nuclear capabilities could expand rapidly, predicting that “they’ll catch us in five years.”
Trump’s comments on Putin and Zelenskyy came alongside criticism of his predecessor’s Ukraine policy. The president previously criticized Joe Biden for restricting Ukraine’s ability to conduct strikes against Russian territory, arguing that such limitations “took away Kyiv’s chance of winning the war.”
The president’s diplomatic discussions with Putin appear to encompass broader strategic concerns beyond the immediate Ukraine conflict, with nuclear arms control emerging as a central theme in their exchanges.
A powerful windstorm destroyed the Ukrainian art installation “Black Cloud” at the annual Burning Man festival in the United States, just hours after its completion.
The 7-ton, 30-meter-long structure, designed as a visualization of the threat of a coming world war, stood for less than a day.
“Today was the first and last day of ‘Black Cloud,'”wrote the installation’s producer and volunteer Vitaliy Deynega on social media.
The Ukrainian team spent the entire night assembling the installation. After 11 hours of work, they completed the structure and began receiving initial reactions, which Deynega described as “more than inspiring.”
“I was confident in the success of this work from the very beginning. And I wasn’t wrong: people came from all corners of the desert to see one of the largest and strangest objects that grew overnight,” Deynega said. “The installation definitely didn’t leave anyone indifferent. This was supposed to be a success no less than our last year’s work – I’m Fine. But then came the apocalypse.”
According to Deynega, a sudden powerful wind arose after 5:30 PM the same day, completely destroying the installation. Despite calculations showing the structure should have withstood such weather conditions, the storm proved too powerful.
“Despite the fact that on paper and according to calculations it should have withstood even such a storm, it turned out differently. It held the wind for the first 15 minutes, and then it was torn in the middle, the storm flew inside and destroyed it completely,” the producer explained.
Deynega drew parallels between the installation’s destruction and his personal experience of war, stating: “The last time I had such a feeling was exactly three and a half years ago, when I woke up to the first explosions and sirens and realized that external circumstances of insurmountable force decided to make adjustments to life.”
The installation was scheduled to remain at the festival for nine days. The destruction also affected planned European tour dates, with locations and dates already confirmed, according to the producer.
The “Black Cloud” installation was first presented in Kyiv at the square near St. Sophia’s Cathedral. Ukrainian artist Oleksiy Say created the construction, which weighed seven tons and measured 30 meters in length.
In comments to Ukrainska Pravda Culture project creators explained that the installation aimed to communicate with the outside world about the coming world war, which the artist believes has already begun.
“Unfortunately, I am convinced: war in the world will only grow. There are many reasons for this – from unresolved global problems to the latest technologies that every country seeks to use to solve its own long-standing ambitions,” Deynega said. “And if, or rather when, a new wave of wars begins – Black Cloud can become a cult work that is ahead of its time.”
Ukrainian veterans completed the 6.5-kilometer Bosphorus swim from Asia to Europe on Independence Day, with two participants who had amputated limbs finishing among the 2,800 competitors, the Superhumans center reported.
The Superhuman Centre is a rehabilitation center where wounded soldiers are treated. Opened in 2023, the facility offers reconstructive surgery, hearing restoration, psychological support, and rehabilitation. It also operates its own prosthetics lab, which tailors customized prostheses from scratch to meet each patient’s needs.
Pavlo, who lost his leg in a mine explosion, completed the swim in 1 hour and 23 minutes. Triathlete Oleh, who survived combat and two concussions, finished in 1 hour and 24 minutes. Oleksandr, whose leg was amputated above the knee, completed the distance in 1 hour and 30 minutes. In April, Oleksandr also climbed to Everest base camp.
The veterans deliberately did not disclose their disabilities during registration, according to Superhumans. The center explains this decision was driven by principle – the Ukrainians wanted to compete on equal terms with able-bodied participants.
“They could have been disqualified even a day before the start, and now we admire their results!” the center stated.
The Bosphorus cross-continental swim attracts thousands of participants annually, with swimmers crossing the strait that divides Europe and Asia in Istanbul, Türkiye.
Ukrainian forces have demonstrated the capabilities of the PROTECTOR, the country’s largest ground robotic complex developed by “Ukrainian Armored Vehicles,” according to footage released by Army TV.
The unmanned ground vehicle operates as a full-sized automobile without steering wheel, pedals, or driver, controlled remotely by an operator. Built on an off-road vehicle platform, the system can transport cargo up to 700 kilograms and tow trailers.
Anastasia Oleshchuk, a specialist in unmanned systems development projects, described an experiment where PROTECTOR successfully pulled a trailer carrying a three-ton vehicle. “The complex handled this task perfectly,” Oleshchuk said.
The cargo compartment can simultaneously accommodate three wounded soldiers in lying position. Future modifications may include combat modules such as machine guns or grenade launchers.
The system features three communication types and two antennas. “Currently, the left one is a mockup, but we can install an antenna for other technologies in the future,” Oleshchuk explained. “We’ve planned one option for countering electronic warfare – switching between our three communication systems, from one to another, thus resisting EW.”
The right antenna connects to the control panel, providing communication range of 7 kilometers on average terrain and up to 12 kilometers on open ground. The control panel mirrors conventional vehicle controls, and the system includes a Starlink antenna as an additional communication method.
PROTECTOR operates on a 3-liter diesel engine producing 190 horsepower, delivering a range of 400-500 kilometers – significantly exceeding other developments. Maximum speed reaches 45 kilometers per hour.
A red emergency button on the chassis allows instant disconnection of all drone electrical systems. Day and night cameras are installed on the vehicle.
Serial production has begun, with deployment to frontline forces expected soon, according to Army TV reports.
The Ministry of Defense previously codified PROTECTOR and approved it for use by the Defense Forces. The system received RunFlat technology wheels, enabling continued movement after damage.
Ukrainian company Ukrspetsconsalting has delivered its directional electronic warfare station Veres-2 to several brigades of Ukraine’s Defense Forces, Defense Express reported.
The system targets commercial drones carrying explosive payloads, specifically Mavik and Autel UAVs used by enemy forces. One brigade confirmed the system’s operational deployment.
“This complex is an effective means of countering UAVs of the Mavik and Autel type that carry combat charges. The capabilities of ‘Veres-2’ exceed the indicators of other available directional action means with the same operating frequency ranges,” according to the report.
The electronic warfare station disrupts Russian drone missions at distances ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 meters, according to military units using the equipment. Defense Forces currently deploy Veres-2 on the Zaporizhzhia and Pokrovsk directions.
Ukrspetsconsalting developed the 20-kilogram system using proprietary software and internally manufactured modules. The compact design allows for battlefield mobility while maintaining jamming effectiveness across multiple frequency ranges.
Veres-2 operates across five frequency bands: 1160-1280 MHz, 1560-1630 MHz, 2400-2500 MHz, 5160-5280 MHz, and 5725-5850 MHz. This coverage disrupts radio navigation systems including GPS, Galileo, Glonass, and BeiDou satellites that guide drone operations.
The system blocks control channels and video feeds on 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz frequencies commonly used by commercial drones. However, low-frequency FPV drones operating below 1160 Hz remain outside the system’s jamming capabilities.
Remote control features allow operators to select frequency ranges, adjust power output, modify signal polarization, and activate the device from a distance. The built-in battery provides 60 minutes of operation, while continuous power supply enables indefinite use when connected to electrical networks.
The deployment comes as Ukraine’s military receives additional electronic warfare capabilities. Intellias previously committed to providing “Khartia” with five electronic reconnaissance complexes worth 2 million hryvnias for identifying enemy positions through radio-electronic surveillance.
Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár warned that Ukrainian attacks on the Druzhba oil pipeline could backfire against Ukraine itself, potentially cutting off diesel supplies that account for 10% of the country’s monthly fuel consumption.
Speaking on political program Politika 24 on 24 August, Blanár revealed he had discussed the issue by phone with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha. The Slovak minister emphasized that the Slovnaft refinery, which processes Russian oil transported through the pipeline, serves as a major diesel supplier to Ukraine.
“We understand that this is difficult for Ukraine, but this infrastructure is very important for us, especially when we see that Ukraine itself is harming its own interests because it risks not having enough fuel on its side,” Blanár stated. “Our national interest is to protect these supplies, and therefore we communicate openly with the Ukrainian side.”
The minister said Sybiha acknowledged this information and would communicate it further within the Ukrainian government.
Blanár announced he would continue discussions on the European level and in a video call with Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister scheduled for 25 August.
The Slovak Foreign Minister referenced a January European Union statement defining energy supply infrastructure integrity as “indivisible” for the bloc. The statement called on all third parties, including Ukraine and Russia, to respect this principle, with the European Commission pledging to take measures if violations occur.
On Friday, Slovakia and Hungary sent a joint letter to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen, demanding immediate action to ensure energy supply security commitments to EU member states are honored.
“I don’t want to escalate this situation with my statements today. First and foremost, I call for a pragmatic approach,” Blanár said. “Even though I know this is painful for Ukraine, because a few days ago one significant refinery that supplies Ukraine with products was bombed. But it is necessary that we protect our interests.”
The minister expressed hope that US President Donald Trump’s initiative could lead to peace negotiations and end the war in Ukraine. He noted that attacks on energy infrastructure from both sides have increased despite ongoing peace talks.
“We perceive that these attacks, despite ongoing peace negotiations, are increasing and have an impact on critical infrastructure on which we depend as the Slovak Republic, as well as Hungary,” Blanár explained.
According to reports from Ukrainian outlet Teraz and hromadske, the controversy stems from three separate Ukrainian drone attacks on the Druzhba pipeline’s distribution stations in Russia’s Bryansk Oblast.
The first attack occurred on 13 August, when Hungary accused Ukraine of targeting a distribution station that plays a “key role” in Hungary’s energy security. A hromadske intelligence source confirmed the strike caused a fire at a facility involved in supplying Russia’s military-industrial complex.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto reported a second attack on 18 August, which disrupted oil supplies for one day. A third attack on 22 August again halted Russian oil deliveries through the pipeline.
The Druzhba pipeline carries Russian crude oil to Slovakia and Hungary, both EU members that have maintained exemptions from broader European sanctions on Russian energy imports. The pipeline supplies the Slovnaft refinery, which then processes the crude into various petroleum products, including the diesel fuel that Ukraine imports.
Hungary and Slovakia’s joint appeal to EU leadership represents an escalation in diplomatic pressure over the pipeline attacks. Both countries argue that Ukraine’s targeting of the infrastructure violates EU principles while simultaneously undermining Ukraine’s own energy security needs.
Canada will provide $500 million for the procurement of American weapons destined for Ukraine, according to Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal.
The minister disclosed discussions with Canadian Defense Minister David McGinty regarding expanded industrial cooperation, including investments for joint drone production with Ukraine.
The defense official expressed gratitude to Canada for what he characterized as systematic support that “strengthens Ukraine and our defenders.”
The announcement builds on earlier commitments from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who stated in September 2025 that Ukraine would receive drones, ammunition, and armored vehicles worth over $1 billion from Canada.
Carney pledged his country would provide “tens of millions” for emergency medical assistance, bomb shelter construction, and strengthening local democracy in Ukraine through anti-cyber attack support.
The funding package represents part of Canada’s broader military assistance program to Ukraine, combining direct weapons procurement with industrial partnership initiatives designed to boost Ukraine’s domestic defense capabilities.
German Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil arrived in Ukraine’s capital on 25 August for an unannounced visit, delivering a direct message to Russian President Vladimir Putin about Germany’s unwavering support for Ukraine.
“Putin should have no illusions that Germany’s support for Ukraine could crumble,” Klingbeil said upon his arrival in Kyiv, according to Reuters. “On the contrary: We remain Ukraine’s second-largest supporter worldwide and the largest in Europe.”
The Social Democratic Party leader, whose party serves as the junior partner in Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative-led coalition government, emphasized Germany’s commitment to Ukraine. “Ukraine can continue to rely on Germany,” Klingbeil stated.
Germany has provided 50.5 billion euros ($59.18 billion) in support to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022, according to Klingbeil’s ministry.
The visit comes as international discussions intensify around potential peace negotiations for what Klingbeil described as “Europe’s deadliest war in 80 years.” Klingbeil called on Putin to demonstrate interest in a peace process but outlined specific conditions for any settlement.
“Ukraine needed to be involved in the talks and there needed to be a ceasefire and reliable security guarantees for a lasting peace,” Klingbeil said. “To this end, we are coordinating closely internationally.”
The German official’s visit coincides with growing international debate over security arrangements for Ukraine following any potential peace deal. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have both supported troop deployments as part of a coalition framework, while Chancellor Merz has signaled openness to German participation despite anticipated political opposition.
President Donald Trump’s pressure for a quick resolution to the conflict has raised concerns in Kyiv and among its allies about potential forced agreements favoring Russian terms, Reuters reports.
The unannounced nature of Klingbeil’s visit underscores Germany’s diplomatic engagement at a critical juncture in the war.
Sumy State University has lost a total of 60,000 books following two separate Russian strikes on its facilities, with the most recent attack on 18 August destroying 15,000 volumes in the library of the burned-down “N” building, Suspilne Sumy reported.
The latest casualties were “the newest books purchased over the last 5-6 years,” according to the director of the library in the destroyed “N” building, as quoted by the regional broadcaster.
During the night of 17-18 August, Russian forces targeted Sumy State University with missiles and drones. The strikes damaged the main building and completely burned down the newer facility.
“It (the new building or ‘N’ building) stood neglected for a long time, and seven years ago we restored the auditoriums, lecture halls and created a center for collective equipment use. Now we will have to relocate to another location. The most valuable equipment? The most expensive is a diffractometer worth five million hryvnias. All equipment here is worth about twenty million,” said first-category engineer Olena Tkachenko in comments to Suspilne.
The destroyed “N” building housed one of the university’s libraries, where 15,000 book copies were lost to fire.
This follows an earlier Russian strike on April 13 that hit Sumy’s historic center, killing 35 people. That attack damaged one of the university’s buildings and the Congress Center, where another 45,000 books were destroyed.
The combined losses from both attacks total 60,000 book volumes, according to Suspilne Sumy.
Only 17.3% of Poles support including Polish soldiers in potential peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, according to a new SW Research poll for rp.pl.
The survey found 61.1% of respondents opposed Polish participation in any international mission to Ukraine, while 21.6% expressed no opinion on the issue.
The polling comes as international discussions intensify around post-war security guarantees for Ukraine. France and Britain proposed deploying approximately 30,000 peacekeeping troops to Ukraine after the war’s conclusion in early 2025, aimed at preventing renewed Russian aggression.
“Polish presence in a potential peacekeeping mission is opposed somewhat more by men (64%) than women (59%),”said Wiktoria Maruszczak, senior project manager at SW Research. “More often than others, such views are expressed by the youngest respondents (69%) and people from cities with no more than 20,000 inhabitants (70%).”
The concept has since evolved toward smaller reassurance forces that would station away from the demarcation line between Russian and Ukrainian forces, providing logistical and training support to the Ukrainian army. Britain has additionally signaled readiness to deploy fighter jets to protect Ukrainian airspace.
Poland has consistently declared it will not send soldiers to Ukraine, with the Polish government stating that the Polish army’s task is ensuring security of NATO’s eastern flank. However, Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed readiness to provide logistical support for any potential mission over the Dnieper.
Following an 18 August White House summit where Donald Trump announced that Russia agreed to security guarantees for Ukraine, Bloomberg reported that approximately 10 countries are prepared to send soldiers to the Dnipro Oblast. Trump indicated the United States does not intend to deploy troops to Ukraine, though he mentioned in a Fox News interview that the US could provide unspecified “air support” for the entire operation.
Russia consistently rejects the possibility of NATO country troops appearing in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin reportedly presented demands during his meeting with Trump in Alaska that no NATO forces be stationed in Ukraine, alongside requiring Ukrainian withdrawal from still-controlled parts of Donbas and Ukraine’s abandonment of NATO membership aspirations.
Regarding peace guarantees, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested returning to proposals from spring 2022. Moscow then proposed that UN Security Council member countries guarantee Ukraine’s security. Under this scenario, Ukraine would remain a neutral state, and if attacked, all guarantor countries would need unanimous consent to provide military assistance—effectively giving Russia veto power over military aid to Ukraine. Kyiv rejected this proposal.
The SW Research poll found the strongest support for Polish peacekeeping participation among respondents with basic vocational education, at 27%.
Italy’s ambassador to France, Emanuela D’Alessandro, was summoned to the French Foreign Ministry on 21 August, following what Paris deemed “unacceptable” remarks by Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini toward Emmanuel Macron, France Inter and Radio France’s international desk reported on 22 August.
During a speech on 20 August, Salvini criticized the French president over his support for the idea of sending troops to Ukraine.
“Italian soldiers in Ukraine? Absolutely not. If Emmanuel Macron wants it, let him go himself. Put on a helmet, take a rifle and go to Ukraine yourself,” the Italian vice-premier said.
According to a diplomatic source contacted by France Inter, during the ambassador’s summoning to the Quai d’Orsay, “she was reminded that these remarks went against the climate of confidence and the historical relationship between our two countries.” The source said these statements undermine “recent bilateral developments, which have highlighted strong convergences between the two countries, particularly regarding unwavering support for Ukraine.”
Neither Italian diplomacy nor the services of Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wished to comment when contacted by Radio France’s international desk on 22 August.
This marks the second time Salvini, who maintains close ties with Marine Le Pen, has verbally attacked Macron over Ukraine support. On 7 March 2025, during a trip to Milan, he called the French president “crazy,” accusing him of pushing Europe toward war with Russia.
The diplomatic incident occurs amid broader discussions about security guarantees for Ukraine. US Special Representative Steve Witkoff said that during a meeting in Alaska, Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump agreed on “reliable security guarantees” for Ukraine, including protection analogous to NATO’s Article 5.
Following these developments, a “coalition of the willing” has expressed readiness to play a role in providing security guarantees for Ukraine by deploying military contingents on its territory. However, the nature of US support remains unclear. The White House has said Washington “can certainly help coordinate and possibly provide other means of security guarantees.”
Trump emphasized that the US would not send its military personnel but did not rule out assistance with “air transport” for allies. The Wall Street Journal reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will head a working group of national security advisors and NATO representatives to develop a security guarantee project for Ukraine.
China has signaled its willingness to participate in peacekeeping troops for Ukraine, according to Welt am Sonntag’s exclusive report citing EU diplomats who referenced Chinese government circles.
The Beijing government would only deploy forces “if the peacekeepers were deployed on the basis of a United Nations (UN) mandate,” the diplomats emphasized.
The Chinese proposal has generated mixed reactions in Brussels. On one hand, involving countries from the Global South like China could increase acceptance for stationing foreign troops to monitor peace. However, concerns persist about Beijing’s true intentions.
“There is also the danger that China mainly wants to spy in Ukraine and in case of conflict would take a clearly pro-Russian position instead of a neutral one,” said a senior EU diplomat familiar with current deliberations.
The diplomatic landscape remains complicated by the fact that most EU countries show limited enthusiasm for equipping potential peacekeeping forces with UN mandates beforehand, though Italy has been actively advocating for this approach for months.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had excluded any agreement on Wednesday without Russian and possibly Chinese participation in discussions about Western-sought security guarantees for Ukraine, including peacekeepers. “The West understands very well that serious discussion about security guarantees without the Russian Federation is utopia,” Lavrov said.
This contradicted US President Trump, who after a phone call with Russian leader Putin on 19 August said he did not believe European security guarantees would be a problem for the Kremlin chief.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected Lavrov’s demands for Chinese participation. “We need security guarantees only from those countries that are ready to help us,” he said.
Beijing has supported Moscow since the beginning of the Ukraine war through billion-dollar oil purchases and delivery of electronic components for precision weapons manufacturing. Both countries maintain what they describe as a “limitless” partnership.
Broad security framework beyond military support
Western security guarantees for Ukraine encompass a broad spectrum beyond military assistance in case of attack, similar to NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense clause. This emerges from the G-7 declaration of mid-July 2023 and the “Joint Security Commitments between the EU and Ukraine” from late July 2024.
Security guarantees include training Ukrainian forces, weapons deliveries, defense industry development assistance, intelligence information, sanctions, economic cooperation, and Ukraine’s gradual EU accession.
Peacekeeping monitoring through modern technology
Senior EU diplomats indicated that ceasefire monitoring could rely primarily on drones rather than traditional frontline deployment. The response to ceasefire violations would need definition in any mandate. One option mirrors the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) monitoring of the Minsk Agreements after the 2014 Crimea annexation, where violations were only registered and reported.
Alternatively, mandates could authorize soldiers to intervene during conflicts.
NATO awaits US troop withdrawal plans
Brussels NATO headquarters awaits American troop withdrawal plans from Europe with high tension. Originally expected in early September through Defense Department Undersecretary Elbridge A. Colby’s presentation, the timeline has shifted to post-Russian-Belarusian “Sapad” exercise in mid-September.
NATO circles expect Washington to withdraw “40,000 to 70,000 of the total up to 100,000 soldiers” from Europe. Some US units would subsequently be deployed for border security or maintaining public safety in cities within US territory.
The Alliance’s political guidance for NATO defense planning may require earlier adjustment than the originally planned 2027 timeline, potentially creating new tasks for the German military.
European Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius expressed renewed confidence in EU member states’ willingness to use the new €150 billion ($176 bn) SAFE loan instrument for investments in Ukraine’s defence industry, Radio Svoboda reported on 23 August.
“Quite soon we will announce how many EU member countries are requesting these loans from the €150 billion ($176 bn) fund. We see quite significant interest. And later, possibly in November, we will announce how much of these loans will be used for Ukraine,” Kubilius told journalists in Brussels.
The commissioner said that some countries have already indicated they will use the loans for Ukraine, though “we don’t have clear figures yet.”
Kubilius’s optimism marks a shift from his earlier concerns expressed in spring, when he called on countries to invest in Ukraine’s defence sector but worried about the lack of stated intentions to take loans specifically for Ukrainian procurement.
“Now I am much more optimistic,” the European Commissioner told Radio Svoboda’s correspondent.
When asked about EU countries’ readiness to finance $90 billion in American weapons purchases – as President Zelenskyy claimed after Washington negotiations – Kubilius declined to comment directly. However, he called those talks important and noted that “Putin is nervous, he is trying to discredit that meeting.”
“I see much stronger and more united actions from the EU together with the Americans,” the official said.
Kubilius emphasized that European defence industry shows greater interest in Ukrainian defence manufacturing than vice versa.
“Ukrainian defence industry is remarkable for its achievements. And I think many European countries, business industries have considerable interest in strengthening their integration,” he said.
The commissioner cited early cooperation initiatives including BraveTech EU and EDIP (European Defence Industry Programme) – EU programs proposed by the European Commission for financial support, strengthening and stimulating cooperation in the defence industry between the European Union and Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy identified domestic weapons production as one of the security guarantee components for Ukraine.
An explosion in the occupied village of Kalynove in Luhansk Oblast on 22 August killed Russian military personnel and destroyed ammunition, according to Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate.
The detonation occurred in the yard of a house where six Russian soldiers were stationed with their military transport, the intelligence agency reported.
Ukraine’s military intelligence reported that in 2022, these soldiers “participated in committing war crimes in Bucha” in the Kyiv Oblast.
Bucha remained under occupation for 33 days. After liberation, Ukrainian military personnel discovered evidence of mass killings by Russian occupying forces.
The Russian unit was operating as a mobile air defense group to provide cover from aerial attacks for a Russian military repair base located near the house, according to the Main Intelligence Directorate.
The explosion destroyed two Russian pickup trucks equipped with machine guns and a UAZ “loaf” van loaded with ammunition. Three Russian troops were killed, while two more suffered severe injuries classified as “300” – military terminology for wounded requiring evacuation.
The Main Intelligence Directorate did not claim responsibility for the explosion in its statement.
The incident occurred in Kalynove village, part of the Kadiivka city community in the Alchevsk district of Luhansk Oblast, which remains under Russian occupation since 2022.
Major Serhii Bondar, a MiG-29 fighter pilot, died during a landing approach after completing a combat mission on the night of 23 August, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.
“During the landing approach, MiG-29 fighter pilot Major Bondar Serhii Viktorovych, born in 1979, died,” the Air Force reported. The causes and circumstances of the crash are currently being investigated.
Bondar served as deputy squadron commander with the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade “Ghost of Kyiv,” according to the Air Command “Center.” The pilot was born in 1979 in Kropyvnytskyi, where he lived with his family: wife, son, and daughter.
The pilot graduated from the Kharkiv Institute of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2000.
“He dedicated his entire life to aviation, although he had a break in military service. He worked as a lecturer at the National Aviation University,” the 40th Brigade reported on Facebook.
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Bondar returned to military service without hesitation, joining the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade and restoring his flight skills on L-39 and MiG-29 aircraft.
“It was on MiG-29 fighters that he carried out daily combat work to protect Ukraine’s airspace: successfully destroying enemy air targets and conducting missile and bomb strikes on occupier positions, their headquarters and equipment concentrations on various front directions,” his colleagues said.
They described Bondar as a balanced and professional pilot, “a person with a big heart and boundless life optimism, humor, sincerity and mutual support for those close to him.”
Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, head of NATO’s Military Committee, says discussions about deploying foreign military contingents in Ukraine remain premature, despite ongoing European diplomatic efforts to secure post-war security guarantees.
European officials have been discussing plans to deploy British and French troops to Ukraine as part of a peace agreement, with approximately 10 countries reportedly ready to provide military personnel. German Bundeswehr union leader Andre Wüstner believes an effective peacekeeping mission in Ukraine would require deploying tens of thousands of troops for an extended period.
“We have absolutely not talked about it in NATO, not even mentioned it,” Cavo Dragone told Corriere della Sera during his visit to Kiev alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
The Italian admiral emphasized that potential foreign troop presence “is part of international politics and negotiations with Moscow,” but NATO itself has not engaged in such discussions. “We know that the issue of contingents has been touched upon by individual nations, perhaps at a bilateral level. But, I repeat, it remains embryonic,” he said.
Military aid continues despite stalled peace talks
NATO countries have provided 99% of all military aid to Ukraine, totaling $50 billion in 2024 and already reaching $33 billion since January 2025, according to Cavo Dragone. The alliance expects to match last year’s figures by year-end.
The admiral revealed details of the newly created PURL (Prioritized Ukrainian Requirement List), developed in collaboration with President Trump and his advisors. “This list is produced by Ukrainians based on their actual military needs in the field,” Cavo Dragone explained. The list gets validated by General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s European commander, before the United States rapidly delivers the requested military materials.
Three PURL packages worth approximately $500 million each have been funded: the Netherlands financed the first in early August, Denmark, Finland and Sweden covered the second, while Germany paid for the third mid-month. The weapons primarily include air defense systems against missiles and drones, plus ammunition of various calibers.
Key questions remain unanswered
Cavo Dragone outlined critical unresolved issues surrounding potential peacekeeping forces: “On the ground, who decides if Russians or Ukrainians have violated agreements? Who develops rules of engagement? How much territory needs to be secured? Should soldiers only monitor or also defend, and if so, with what weapons? Nothing has been defined.”
The admiral noted uncertainty about troop availability, suggesting “someone might think of soldiers from non-NATO countries. Everything is open.” He stressed NATO’s primary commitment: “NATO remains committed to defending first and foremost the citizens of its member states.”
Russian demands rejected
When asked about Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov’s statement that Moscow should participate in Ukraine’s security guarantees, Cavo Dragone dismissed it as “part of the game.” He expressed understanding for Ukrainian rejection of Russian involvement, citing Moscow’s violation of 1994 agreements.
“We are still very far from any agreement. We need to negotiate and would need a ceasefire soon to negotiate,” the admiral concluded.
On 7 February 2025, NATO Military Committee Chairman Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone made his first foreign trip to Ukraine. He met with Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha in Kyiv to discuss military aid and defense capabilities.
The Italian admiral assumed leadership of NATO’s Military Committee, the alliance’s highest military body, in January 2025. In this role, he represents the collective views of NATO chiefs of staff and guides the committee’s agenda.
A 69-year-old British aid worker was killed by a Russian drone strike in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast in June, but her family remains unable to retrieve her body or obtain a death certificate due to ongoing combat operations, according to BBC.
Annie Lewis Marffy from Silverton, near Exeter, died between 11-12 June while delivering humanitarian aid to Kramatorsk, according to the local police report. The document states she sustained “injuries incompatible with life” after the drone attack but notes that her body “remains in an area of active hostilities, making it impossible to conduct evacuation measures to transfer the body to the forensic medical examination department.”
Lewis Marffy had traveled to Ukraine as part of a self-funded mission organized by Aid Ukraine, a UK-based humanitarian organization. She departed for Poland in late May driving a green Toyota RAV4 alongside a former Welsh soldier who later became ill and returned home before crossing the Ukrainian border.
“She was brave, capable and determined, but we never wanted her to go. We were worried,” her son Charlie Lewis Marffy told reporters. Despite family concerns, he emphasized they supported her decision: “She was in touch with us every day. She spoke to my youngest brother constantly. She was excited, happy to be doing something meaningful.”
According to Aid Ukraine founder Katarzyna Bylok, Lewis Marffy crossed into Ukraine on 4 June and maintained regular contact with her family until 8 June. The organization’s last communication with her occurred on 10 June.
Police reports indicate that on 11 June, Lewis Marffy drove alone onto the Bakhmut highway – an area dubbed a “kill zone” due to its proximity to active front lines. She had parked her vehicle on the roadside when both she and the car were destroyed in the drone strike.
“They’re saying she died. Still, there’s no body. No possessions. No ID. Nothing,” Charlie Lewis Marffy said, describing his family’s frustration with bureaucratic obstacles.
The family has contacted Ukrainian authorities, local officials, and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office requesting a death certificate based on the police report. Without official documentation, they cannot proceed with probate processes or formal grieving procedures.
“I’m dismayed. The Foreign Office has been vague, unhelpful,” Lewis Marffy said. The family explored private body retrieval options but found them either too dangerous or financially prohibitive.
Lewis Marffy had initially planned to hand over humanitarian supplies in Lviv, but the British volunteer insisted on continuing alone to Kramatorsk despite organizational recommendations, according to Bylok.
Charlie Lewis Marffy described his mother as widely traveled and “amazing, witty, kind, intelligent, adventurous.” He noted her previous work creating documentaries, assisting at soup kitchens and refugee facilities in Exeter, and caring for numerous animals at her home.
“I never saw her scared, she was totally fearless and maybe that’s contributed to her death in some way,” he reflected. “She was a force and it was her decision. We’re not looking to blame anyone. We just want a bit more information, some kind of resolution.”
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson confirmed: “We are supporting the family of a British woman who is missing in Ukraine and are in contact with the local authorities.”
The case highlights ongoing challenges faced by international volunteers operating in Ukraine’s contested regions and the bureaucratic complexities surrounding casualties in active combat zones.
Emergency crews have extinguished the fire at an American-owned factory in Mukachevo, a city located in western part of Ukraine, that burned for three days following a Russian missile attack, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported on 23 August.
The fire consumed 7,000 square meters of the Flex plant after Russian forces struck the facility on 21 August. Thirteen rescue workers and four units of equipment were deployed to contain the blaze, according to the State Emergency Service.
“Emergency rescue units are conducting final operations, clearing debris and watering down structures to prevent re-ignition,” the service said.
The attack on the American factory injured 21 people, Ukrainian officials confirmed. The Institute for the Study of War assessed that Moscow targeted the facility “to discourage foreign investment” and had prepared the assault weeks before a summit between Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Alaska.
The strike on Mukachevo occurred during Russia’s third-largest air assault of the war. Russian forces launched 574 Shahed-type and decoy drones, four Kh-47 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles, two Iskander ballistic missiles, 19 Kh-101 cruise missiles, 14 Kalibr cruise missiles, and one unidentified missile during the overnight attack of 20-21 August.
Ukrainian air defense forces intercepted most of the incoming projectiles, but strikes still hit 11 locations across the country. The barrage damaged infrastructure in Lviv City, Lutsk in Volyn Oblast, Rivne Oblast, and Zakarpattia Oblast, where officials confirmed civilian casualties.
The Flex plant represents one of several foreign-owned facilities operating in western Ukraine, an area previously considered relatively safe from Russian attacks due to its distance from active combat zones.
Today, on 23 August, Ukraine marks its National Flag Day.
In the morning of 23 August senior officials congratulated Ukrainians on this holiday, reaffirming the country’s commitment to territorial integrity and rejecting any peace agreements that would cede occupied lands to Russia.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered remarks emphasizing the flag’s symbolic power for Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians in occupied territories. “This flag is salvation for people we return from Russian captivity – when they see Ukrainian colors, they understand the evil has passed,” Zelenskyy said. “This flag is the goal for our people in occupied territories. We will not give our land to the occupier.”
The president highlighted that the blue and yellow banner represents the sacrifices of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian military personnel defending the nation’s sovereignty across multiple front lines.
Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi echoed these sentiments, describing the flag as “a symbol of freedom that Russia fears – a banner of people fighting for independence.” Syrskyi expressed confidence that Ukrainian forces would eventually raise the flag in currently occupied cities including Donetsk, Luhansk, Simferopol, Sevastopol, Mariupol, and Berdiansk.
In Ukraine, the national flag symbolizes national unity, honor, dignity, and resilience. Its blue and yellow colors represent the peaceful sky over golden wheat fields, reflecting Ukraine’s natural landscape.
The Ukrainian flag became a symbol of resistance during the Russian full-scale invasion in 2022. The Russian occupying forces sought to suppress this symbol. They have been banning and punishing those who displayed the flag, which further strengthened its role as an emblem of defiance and hope for liberation in occupied territories. The flag thus embodied the spirit of national resistance and the struggle for independence.
In occupied Crimea, Russian authorities prosecute Ukrainian flag displays more severely than Nazi symbols, according to the civil organization Crimean Process. In the past six months, there were three times more court cases against Ukrainian supporters than against individuals promoting Nazi symbolism, with 56% of all banned symbol cases involving pro-Ukrainian citizens.
“People who demonstrate pro-Ukrainian views are not only prosecuted more frequently, but also subjected to humiliation, fabricated charges, and moral pressure through propaganda in the media,” according to the report. While 26% of Ukrainian cases resulted in arrest, no defendants with criminal subculture symbols were imprisoned.
The History of the Ukrainian National Flag
A holiday established at the state level after President Leonid Kuchma signed a decree on 23 August 2004, introducing the celebration of this day.
The blue and yellow banner carries a history spanning centuries, with the first documented use of these colors in Ukrainian national symbolism recorded during the Battle of Tannenberg in 1410 on banners of troops from Lviv and Peremyshl Voivodeship (now the territory of Poland).
The earliest mentions of blue and yellow colors in official symbolism date to 1256, when Prince Danylo Halytskyi gifted Lviv a coat of arms featuring a yellow lion on a blue background.
Daniel of Galicia. Credit: Ukrinform
Gold and blue colors also appeared on the coat of arms of the Galicia-Volhynia Principality, a medieval Ukrainian kingdom that existed from 1199 to 1349.
The History of the Ukrainian Flag. Credit: @Visuals_UA on Twitter
Medieval origins to Cossack Era
The flags depicted Cossack wearing gold or red clothes. Illustrative photo. Credit: Ukrinform
In 1410, the flag of Lviv land appeared at the Battle of Tannenberg, as described by Polish chronicler Jan Długosz. The Cossack Hetmanate used a flag of arms from 1649-1764. During the 1848 Spring of Nations, the Main Ruthenian Council adopted a blue and yellow banner as a national flag.
The blue-yellow flag served as the state symbol of the Ukrainian People’s Republic during the national liberation struggles that began with the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917, and later for the Ukrainian State in 1918 and the UNR under the Directory.
Naval history and Soviet persecution
On 29 April 1918, sailors raised the Ukrainian flag over ships of the Black Sea Fleet during the Crimean operation led by Colonel Petro Bolbochan. This occurred despite a German ultimatum that forced Ukrainian troops to leave Crimea under the Brest Agreement, which ended Ukraine’s involvement in World War I.
“Ukrainian flag to be raised! And under the trumpet and whistle of petty officer-sailors, the Ukrainian flag flew up. ‘Dismissed!’ Together with the team, the trumpeters played. Almost throughout the entire Black Sea fleet, large yellow-blue canvases fluttered in the air,” Senior Lieutenant Sviatoslav Shramchenko recorded the moment.
The naval minister’s flag, preserved by Lieutenant Sviatoslav Shramchenko, is now located in Chicago, US.
During Ukraine’s time within the USSR, ordinary storage of the Ukrainian banner was illegal, let alone its public display. However, brave individuals occasionally displayed the blue-yellow flag on administrative buildings of Soviet power.
On 1 May 1966, a blue-yellow flag flew over the roof of the Kyiv Institute of National Economy. The KGB detained the organizers – master plumber Heorhii Moskalenko and welder Viktor Kuks, who served two years of strict regime in a colony.
In 1973, the Rosokhach group organized by Volodymyr Marmus displayed yellow-blue flags in Chortkiv, Ternopil Oblast, to mark the anniversary of the IV Universal proclamation of UNR independence. Marmus was sentenced to six years in camps and five years of exile.
Road to Independence
On 24 July 1990, the blue-yellow flag flew over the Kyiv City Council, marking the ninth city to raise the Ukrainian banner. On 24 August 1991, the blue-yellow flag was brought into the session hall of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) of the Ukrainian SSR, after which Ukraine’s independence was proclaimed. On 4 September 1991, a blue-yellow flag was raised near the Verkhovna Rada building.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine resolution of 28 January 1992, officially established the blue-yellow flag as a state symbol. The 1996 Constitution defined the State Flag of Ukraine as a “banner of two equally-sized horizontal bands of blue and yellow colour.”
Beyond earth’s borders
Ukraine’s flag first unfurled in space in 1997 when Leonid Kadeniuk, the first astronaut of independent Ukraine, took it on his mission. Ukraine’s anthem also sounded in space for the first time.
Leonid Kadeniuk, the first astronaut of independent Ukraine, unfolded the flag and emblem of Ukraine in space. Credit: Facebook/State Space Agency of Ukraine
American astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, of Ukrainian descent, and American astronaut Randolph Bresnik, who adopted a child from Ukraine, subsequently carried the Ukrainian flag to space. The flag that first traveled to space is now preserved in the Zhytomyr Museum of Cosmonautics.
Recent history and wartime symbolism
On 23 August 2004, Ukraine celebrated its first Day of the National Flag, established by presidential decree.
On 28 April 2014, the last pro-Ukrainian rally “For a United Ukraine” took place in Donetsk before the city’s capture by pro-Russian separatists during the conflict in eastern Ukraine. About 2,000 demonstrators participated in the march, which was attacked by people in camouflage armed with knives, traumatic weapons, bats, and chains. Fifteen people sustained serious injuries and five went missing.
On the night of 23 August 2020, the ARTEFACT project created media art of the Ukrainian flag that illuminated the sarcophagus of the fourth power unit of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the protective structure built over the 1986 disaster site. The flag appeared on a structure 110 meters high and 165 meters wide.
Media art by ARTEFACT on the radiation containment structure, the “Arch” at Chernobyl. Credit: Facebook/State Agency of Ukraine for Exclusion Zone Management
In summer 2022, servicemen of the 73rd Maritime Center of Special Operations Forces named after Kosh Otaman Antin Holovaty, together with a unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, returned control over Zmiinyi Island in the Black Sea. Ivan Pylypchuk and Oleh Subota raised the flag in early July 2022.
Ukrainian soldiers bring Ukrainian flag on Zmiinyi Island after its liberation on 2022. Credit: Facebook/Arut Papoian
On 11 August 2024, Armed Forces of Ukraine servicemen raised the state flag of Ukraine on the Kinburn Spit in Mykolaiv Oblast, located on the left bank of the Dnipro River. A spokesman for the Main Intelligence Directorate declined to comment on operation details, emphasizing that “measures are ongoing.”
Ukrainian citizen Serhii Kuznetsov denied charges related to the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions during a court hearing in Bologna on Friday and refused consent for extradition to Germany.
“He was in Ukraine at the time of the blasts,” according to Italian news agency ANSA, which reported that Kuznetsov made the statement while displaying a three-finger trident gesture representing Ukrainian national identity.
The 49-year-old suspect was arrested on the evening of 21 August at a farm holiday resort in San Clemente, near Rimini, on a European arrest warrant issued by German federal authorities. He faces charges including joint commission of an explosion using explosives, anti-constitutional sabotage, and destruction of buildings.
Italian police detained Kuznetsov while he was vacationing with his family. German investigators suspect he belonged to a group that destroyed the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022 but was not among the divers who planted the explosives.
The Bologna court hearing was adjourned until early afternoon after Kuznetsov requested a Ukrainian or Russian interpreter. “The arrested man said he wasn’t fluent in English and requested a Ukrainian or Russian translator,” ANSA reported.
Deputy Prosecutor Licia Scagliarini granted German judicial authorities’ request for the suspect’s surrender, though Kuznetsov told the court he does not consent to being handed over to Germany.
According to German prosecutors, Kuznetsov served a coordinating function aboard the sailing yacht “Andromeda” during the operation. The yacht was allegedly rented through intermediaries from a German company using forged documents.
German media previously identified Kuznetsov as a former Security Service of Ukraine employee and retired captain in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This marks the second arrest warrant in the case after Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Z. managed to leave Poland for Ukraine before detention in July.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy initially approved the pipeline operation but later ordered its cancellation after Dutch military intelligence informed the CIA, which then alerted Germany. According to WSJ sources, General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi ignored Zelenskyy’s order to halt the operation.
German investigators have been examining the explosions since 2022, initially suspecting Russian involvement before tracing evidence to Ukraine. Federal Police and Federal Prosecutor investigators eventually traced the sailing yacht and uncovered connections to Ukrainian operatives.
Security circles indicate uncertainty regarding when Kuznetsov will be extradited to Germany, with the validation of his arrest and pre-trial detention request under discussion in Bologna.
Ukrainian paddlers Liudmyla Luzan and Iryna Fedoriv captured Ukraine’s first gold medal at the 2025 World Canoe Sprint Championships in Milan, defeating Canadian duo Zoë Wojcik and Katie Vincent in the women’s canoe doubles 500-meter final.
The victory marks a significant achievement for both athletes at the championships running from 20-24 August in Italy, according to Ukrainska Pravda Sports,
Spanish paddlers Angeles Moreno and Victoria Yarchevska claimed bronze in the event. The result represents a reversal of fortunes from the European Championships in June, where Luzan and Fedoriv finished second behind the Spanish pair who took gold in that competition.
For Luzan, this victory adds a fifth world championship gold medal to her career collection. Fedoriv secured her first world championship medal at this level of competition.
The Ukrainian success comes at the midpoint of the Milan championships, with competition continuing through Saturday at the Idroscalo venue. The championships feature both traditional canoe sprint and paracanoe events running concurrently.
The victory builds on the pair’s silver medal performance at the 2025 European Canoe Sprint Championships in Racice, Czech Republic, where they competed in the 200-meter canoe doubles event in June.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on 22 August that Russia is actively blocking efforts to organize a trilateral summit with the United States.
President said, according to Ukrinform, that Ukraine, unlike Russia, is not afraid of any meetings with leaders. “We are ready to work productively, maximally.”
The Ukrainian president emphasized the need for increased pressure on Moscow through diplomacy and strong sanctions.
Zelenskyy expressed hope that “partners will help ensure at least a minimal productive position from the Russian side,” adding that “everything must be done so that Russia cannot continue to hide from the meeting.”
The president said that he sees strong signals from the United States, Europe, and other countries within the coalition that want to help and are ready to assist.
The comments come after US President Donald Trump announced preparations for organizing a meeting between Ukrainian and Russian leaders following his conversation with Kremlin head Putin. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Russia does not reject any formats of work regarding Ukrainian settlement.
According to previous statements, Trump wants Zelenskyy and Putin to meet bilaterally first, with plans for a trilateral meeting involving the US president to follow. Trump has said that the Ukrainian president and the Kremlin ruler are currently “in the process” of organizing a bilateral meeting.
The European Union transferred €4.05 billion ($4.7 bn) to Ukraine before the country’s 34th Independence Day, the European Commission announced on 22 August.
The package includes €3.05 billion ($3.6 bn) through the Ukraine Facility mechanism and €1 billion ($1.2 bn) in exceptional macro-financial assistance, according to the Commission’s press service.
“Ahead of Ukraine’s 34th anniversary of independence on 24 August, the EU delivers another strong signal of unwavering support by disbursing €4.05 billion ($4.7 bn) to the country,“ the Commission said.
“As Ukraine celebrates its 34th Independence Day, the EU sends a clear message: our solidarity with Ukraine is unwavering. Today’s disbursement of over €4 billion demonstrates our staunch commitment,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
Von der Leyen added that the funding “underlines our commitment not only to Ukraine’s recovery, but to its future as a sovereign and democratic country. Because when Ukraine is strong, Europe is stronger too.”
The €3.05 billion ($3.6 bn) represents the fourth regular payment under the Ukraine Facility program. However, this tranche is more than €1 billion ($1.2 bn) smaller than originally planned because Kyiv has not implemented all reforms promised to the EU.
Despite the reduction, the European Commission noted the payment reflects Ukraine’s progress on EU accession reforms, particularly “restoring the independence” of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, which the Verkhovna Rada approved on 31 July.
“Safeguarding the autonomy of these two institutions is a cornerstone of Ukraine’s anti-corruption architecture and of its European path,” the Commission emphasized.
The Commission also transferred the seventh installment of its exceptional macro-financial loan (MFA) worth €1 billion ($1.2 bn) to Ukraine.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, the EU and its member states have mobilized €168.9 billion ($198 bn) in humanitarian, financial and military aid for Ukraine and its citizens, reports European Pravda.
Italian police have arrested Ukrainian citizen Serhij K. on suspicion of involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions, according to reports by Spiegel and Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office.
The detention occurred on the evening of 20 August in Italy’s Rimini province based on a European arrest warrant, Spiegel reported. The suspect allegedly belonged to a group that destroyed the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022.
According to German investigators, Serhij K. was aboard the sailing yacht “Andromeda” during the operation but was not among the divers who planted the explosives. Instead, prosecutors believe he served a coordinating function in what they describe as the pipeline attacks carried out by a Ukrainian commando unit.
The operation involved bringing divers close to the pipelines via a specially rented sailing yacht, then deploying them to attach explosives to the seabed infrastructure, Spiegel reports. The yacht was reportedly rented through intermediaries from a German company using forged documents.
Serhij K. faces charges including joint commission of an explosion using explosives, anti-constitutional sabotage, and destruction of buildings. German authorities plan to request his extradition from Italy.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that several high-ranking Ukrainian military officials and businessmen planned the pipeline operation using an ordinary pleasure yacht and open sea charts. According to the newspaper’s sources, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy initially approved the plan but later ordered its cancellation after Dutch military intelligence MIVD learned of the operation and informed the CIA, which then alerted Germany.
The Journal reported that CIA officials warned Zelenskyy’s office to halt the operation, prompting Zelenskyy to order General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi to stop it. However, according to WSJ sources, Zaluzhnyi ignored the order.
This marks the second arrest warrant in the case. Germany’s Federal Prosecutor General previously issued an arrest warrant for Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Z., who was to be detained in Poland where he resided but managed to leave for Ukraine before arrest.
German media reported that Volodymyr Z. crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border in early July in a vehicle with diplomatic plates. Some Polish officials allegedly responded to accusations they warned the suspect by stating: “Why should we arrest him? He’s a hero to us!”
Poland’s border service denied accusations that they allowed the suspect to enter Ukraine in a diplomatic vehicle despite having orders to detain him, emphasizing they had neither legal grounds nor appropriate information for Volodymyr Z.’s arrest.
German investigators suspect two other Ukrainian citizens in the case, including a woman. The Federal Prosecutor General has been investigating the explosions since 2022 on suspicion of anti-constitutional sabotage and causing an explosive detonation.
When Spiegel spoke with individuals with detailed knowledge of the events in Ukraine in 2024, sources indicated the commando unit had no intention of committing a crime. For the Ukrainian operatives, the pipeline destruction represented an attack on a legitimate military target in the war between Ukraine and Russia, with gas delivery profits significantly contributing to financing Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Spiegel’s investigation also found indications that the Ukrainian armed forces had sanctioned the operation.
Initially, politicians and media assumed Russian perpetrators were behind the explosions. German Federal Police and Federal Prosecutor investigators eventually traced the sailing yacht and uncovered connections to Ukraine.
Security circles indicate it remains unclear when Serhij K. will be extradited to Germany. The suspect was not available for immediate comment, and information about legal representation was not initially available.
Norway officially established its second brigade in the Arctic region bordering Russia, advancing toward NATO’s commitment to triple brigade capacity by 2032, Euractiv reported on 21 August.
The newly formed Finnmark Brigade implements the country’s first national security strategy adopted earlier this year, which calls for rapid defense reinforcement and deeper EU cooperation.
“We have to live with a more dangerous and unpredictable Russia. The creation of the Finnmark Brigade is a necessary response to a more uncertain security situation in the world,” Defense Minister Tore O. Sandvik said.
Oslo currently maintains slightly over 4,500 soldiers on active duty, supplemented by the National Guard comprising over 40,000 personnel who completed 12-month initial service. The country practices military conscription for both men and women.
NATO brigades typically number 3,000-5,000 soldiers. The founding alliance member plans further military expansion through a third brigade to be stationed in the country’s south.
Concurrent with the Finnmark deployment, the government transferred recently renovated facilities worth 130 million euros (1.5 billion Norwegian kroner) in Porsangmoen, Finnmark province. Operating as one of the world’s northernmost military garrisons, the brigade will monitor the Russian border and militarized Kola Peninsula.
According to the country’s long-term defense plan, the brigade will be reinforced with combat air defense, an artillery battalion, one light infantry battalion, an engineer company, and a reconnaissance squadron.
In 2024, Norway’s parliament approved a plan increasing Oslo’s defense spending to nearly 138 billion euros by 2036 – approximately 51 billion euros (611 billion Norwegian kroner) more than current levels. This 37-percent defense spending increase will significantly strengthen Norway’s naval power through five new frigates and complete submarine fleet modernization.
Four NATO members recently conducted naval exercises in Arctic waters as part of broader Far North patrol deployment. Norway also conducted spring trials for a 13-member Arctic reconnaissance group lasting 100 days.
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American journalist Brian Glenn, who in February questioned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about his attire, offered an apology during the leaders’ recent meeting in Washington.
The apology came during Zelenskyy’s August 18 meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Glenn told Zelenskyy he looked great in his suit, to which the Ukrainian president responded: “Yes, but I changed my suit, you didn’t.”
Trump sided with Glenn during the exchange, adding that he had told Zelenskyy the same thing about his attire.
The 28 February incident occurred when Glenn questioned Zelenskyy about his clothing choice during an Oval Office meeting. “I will wear a suit when this war is over. Maybe something like yours,” Zelenskyy had responded at the time.
According to Axios, Zelenskyy’s wardrobe choice during that February meeting contributed to Trump’s irritation. The publication also reported that White House representatives had inquired with Ukrainian officials whether Zelenskyy would wear a suit for the 18 August meeting with Trump.
The recent Washington meeting between Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vice President J.D. Vance ended in disagreement over the Russian-Ukrainian war, with the Ukrainian president leaving the White House earlier than scheduled.
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The European Union spent approximately 4.48 billion euros ($5.22 bn) on Russian liquefied natural gas imports during the first half of 2025, marking a significant increase from the 3.47 billion euros ($4 bn) spent during the same period in 2024, according to data from Eurostat reported by Deutsche Welle.
The figures reveal that Russian LNG imports rose by nearly 30 percent year-over-year, even as the bloc maintains various sanctions against Moscow. Total EU LNG imports for the first six months of 2025 reached 26.9 billion euros ($3.13 bn), with the United States supplying the largest share at 13.7 billion euros ($1.6 bn).
“The United States was the largest LNG supplier to the EU in 2024, accounting for almost 45 percent of total imports of this raw material,” the European Commission data shows.
Russia continues to supply pipeline gas to the EU through a single route – the Turkish Stream pipeline. “These supplies are intended only for several countries, such as Hungary and Slovakia,” Deutsche Welle reports.
Russian LNG reaches Europe via maritime tankers, with deliveries that increased in 2024 but declined again from early 2025. The EU received approximately 5.7 billion cubic meters of Russian LNG between January and March 2025.
Current sanctions framework creates an uneven playing field for Russian energy products. “Russian oil is mainly subject to the EU embargo introduced in 2023. Sanctions on Russian gas apply only to pipeline gas and provide exceptions for Budapest and Bratislava,” Deutsche Welle notes.
The absence of LNG restrictions has allowed continued purchases by major EU economies. “Regarding liquefied natural gas from Russia, the European Union has not introduced restrictive measures. It was actively purchased, in particular, by Spain, France, the Netherlands and Belgium. At the same time, Austria, Poland, and the Baltic countries voluntarily refused gas from Russia earlier,” the report states.
The data underscores broader patterns in EU-Russia energy trade. In 2024, the European Union spent approximately 21.9 billion euros on Russian fossil fuel imports – only 1 percent less than the previous year. This amount exceeded the 18.7 billion euros in financial aid the EU provided to Ukraine during the same period.
Separate reporting indicates potential circumvention of energy sanctions through third countries. Between March and April 2025, Spanish ports received 123,000 tons of diesel fuel from Morocco, despite experts noting that Morocco has not operated oil refineries since 2016, making diesel purchases for re-export economically questionable unless the fuel has competitive pricing.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Keith Kellogg, the US special representative for Ukraine, during his Washington visit on 18 August, according to sources who spoke to Suspilne.
The meeting included several high-ranking Ukrainian officials: Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, his deputies Pavlo Palisa and Ihor Brusylo, Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova, and National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov. Zelenskyy later confirmed the meeting on X platform.
“We discussed the situation on the battlefield, our strong diplomatic capabilities – of Ukraine and all of Europe together with America. Russia can only be forced to peace through strength, and President Trump has such strength,” Zelenskyy wrote.
The Ukrainian delegation’s schedule includes separate meetings with European officials before the Trump encounter. According to sources, these meetings will be held individually rather than collectively.
Zelenskyy and Trump are scheduled to meet at 8:15 pm Kyiv time in Washington, followed by a multilateral meeting with EU leaders at 10:00 pm. The European delegation accompanying Zelenskyy to the US includes European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, French President Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
This gathering follows the 15 August Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, which took place without Ukrainian or European participation at Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage. Zelenskyy characterized that meeting as “Putin’s personal victory,” stating that the Russian leader seeks only to escape international isolation and delay sanctions rather than pursue genuine peace.
The Alaska meeting operated in a “three on three” format. Trump’s delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Special Representative Steve Witkoff, while Putin brought his aide Yuri Ushakov and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Following their discussions, both leaders issued statements. Trump declared that “there is no deal, but significant progress has been made” and expressed his desire for relations with Russia after the war’s conclusion. Putin reported that Trump was attempting to help resolve the Ukrainian issue and expressed hope that the reached understanding would contribute to peace.
Planned expanded negotiations between the US and Russian delegations were subsequently canceled, the Wall Street Journal reports. Both leaders departed the base immediately after their bilateral meeting.
Trump conducted phone conversations with Zelenskyy and EU and NATO leaders following his Putin encounter.
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President Donald Trump nearly walked away from negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their Alaska summit when the Kremlin leader demanded complete control over Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast, according to Axios.
Putin presented maximalist demands regarding five disputed Ukrainian oblasts during the meeting on 15 August, with particular focus on Donetsk, where Russia currently controls approximately 75% of the territory, according to the reports. The Russian president wanted all of it.
“If Donetsk is the thing here and if there is no give, we should just not prolong this,” Trump told Putin during the talks, according to a source cited by Axios. Putin reportedly backed off the demand following Trump’s threat to end negotiations.
The Alaska summit represents the opening phase of Trump’s diplomatic strategy to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Administration advisers describe the approach as focused on bringing both leaders to direct negotiations rather than securing an immediate ceasefire.
“Everything else is foreplay,” a Trump adviser told Axios. “Everything is to get to that moment for peace.”
The administration has outlined a three-step process: securing bilateral agreements with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy separately, followed by trilateral talks involving all parties. Trump is scheduled to meet with Zelenskyy in Washington on 18 August.
US intelligence assessments present conflicting timelines for Russian military capabilities. One evaluation suggests Putin could capture all of Donetsk by October, while another predicts a more difficult and inconclusive campaign.
Putin agreed for the first time that the US and European allies could provide “security guarantees” to prevent further Russian aggression, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff said on 17 August.
“It would be a very big move by the President if he were to offer a US commitment to a security guarantee,” Rubio said on Fox News.
When asked whether such guarantees could include US troops stationed in Ukraine, one Trump adviser privately confirmed the possibility to Axios, while another said the details remained unclear.
Reuters previously reported Putin’s ceasefire demands from Alaska, which include Ukraine withdrawing its forces from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts entirely.
Rubio emphasized Sunday that the US would not pressure Ukraine to surrender territory as part of any peace agreement. Zelenskyy has stated that negotiations must address the current front lines and that Ukraine’s Constitution prevents territorial concessions or land exchanges.
The Alaska summit concluded abruptly, with Trump departing Anchorage so quickly that administration officials left summit materials on a hotel printer, NPR reported. A planned working lunch between the leaders was canceled.
“20,000 Russian soldiers were killed last month, in July, in this war,” Rubio told CBS. “That just tells you the price they’re willing to pay. It’s a meat grinder, and [the Russians] just have more meat to grind.”
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Ukraine will become a major military equipment supplier to European countries following the end of its war with Russia, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said in an interview with Fox News.
The diplomat said that Ukraine would become a major supplier of military equipment to Europe against the backdrop of increased defense spending by its countries.
Whitaker said that substantial financial resources will flow into Ukraine, primarily from Europe, to assist with the country’s post-war reconstruction.
The ambassador’s comments follow December 2024 statements by Donald Trump, who warned the United States could withdraw from NATO if European countries failed to increase their defense spending from the then-current 2% to 5% of GDP.
During the NATO summit in The Hague in June, alliance leaders agreed to raise defense expenditures to 5% of GDP over the next 10 years.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) previously calculated that global defense spending reached record post-Cold War levels last year.
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Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine that Russian forces have suffered defeat in the Sumy direction and are now redeploying troops to other front sections.
Russian forces launched a cross-border offensive into Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast in early 2025, aiming to counter Ukrainian advances in Kursk. Despite initial Russian territorial gains and sustained attacks, Ukrainian forces have halted the Russian advance by mid-2025, stabilizing the front line and conducting active defense and counterattacks in the oblast.
“In Sumy Oblast, the enemy (Russian forces) has suffered defeat,” Syrskyi said.
The Ukrainian commander said that Russia had concentrated a powerful grouping in the Sumy Oblast, including elite units.
“Despite the fact that a truly powerful grouping was concentrated there from the best Russian units – paratroopers, marines and the best motorized rifle units of the ground forces, the enemy had no success in the last two months. On the contrary, it lost several settlements,” he said.
Syrskyi highlighted the failure of Russia’s most recent offensive attempts. The latest Russian effort to advance near Stepne and Novokostiantynivka ended in complete failure, according to the commander.
“The Russian forces were destroyed, thrown back beyond the state border,” Syrskyi said.
Ukrainian forces continue their advance in this direction while Russia has begun withdrawing troops from the Sumy Oblast. “The Russian forces, understanding the futility of this direction of its actions, is now transferring units from there to other directions, mainly to Zaporizhzhia,” Syrskyi concluded.
The commander previously said in late June that Ukrainian defenders had managed to stop Russian forces in Sumy Oblast. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that Ukrainian forces achieved certain successes in northern Sumy Oblast.
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The death toll from an explosion at a gunpowder manufacturing facility in Russia’s Ryazan Oblast has risen to 20, according to the regional emergency response headquarters.
The blast occurred on morning of 15 August at the Elastik plant’s powder workshop in Shilovsky district.
The regional operational headquarters reported that some 134 people were injured, with 31 patients currently hospitalized in Ryazan and Moscow medical facilities.
Preliminary investigation findings point to violations of industrial safety requirements as the cause of the explosion and subsequent fire, according to investigators.
The Elastik plant manufactures explosive materials and gunpowder products, primarily for military use. It has experienced several serious explosions, including a deadly one in 2025 that destroyed its gunpowder workshop. The incident on 15 August marks one of the deadliest industrial accidents in the region in recent years.
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Russian forces launched ballistic missile strikes on Zaporizhzhia on the morning of 18 August, injuring six people in the regional center, according to Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Ivan Fedorov.
According to Fedorov, at least two explosions followed in the oblast shortly after the warning about the attack.
“Russian Forces deliberately try to hit the city’s critical infrastructure,” Fedorov said.
The casualty count increased throughout the morning. By 10:02 am, six people had been injured, with two hospitalized in serious condition, reports the regional administration.
The attack followed an evening airstrike on 16 August that killed a 15-year-old boy in the village of Novoyakovlivka. The teenager’s entire family – parents and younger siblings – sustained injuries in that strike. Two additional men were also wounded.
The combined casualties from both attacks total 17 people injured and one killed across Zaporizhzhia Oblast over a 12-hour period.
Russian forces have repeatedly targeted energy infrastructure and civilian areas in Zaporizhzhia Oblast since the start of the full-scale invasion. The region hosts Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, currently under Russian occupation.
Overnight on 18 August Russian forces also targeted Kharkiv and Odesa. About six people are killed in Kharkiv, including two children.
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Russian forces launched a drone attack on oil terminals belonging to Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR in Odesa Oblast overnight on 18 August, triggering a major fire at the fuel infrastructure facility, according to regional officials.
Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper said that despite active air defense operations, the attack resulted in significant damage in the Odesa district.
A fire broke out at a fuel and energy infrastructure facility and a two-story building in the suburbs of Odesa, according to Kiper.
Former Deputy Prosecutor General Gunduz Mamedov identified the target as SOCAR’s oil terminals in a social media post. Sources within Ukraine’s State Emergency Service told Ukrainska Pravda that 10 drones were used in the attack on the Azerbaijani facility.
The emergency response involved over 100 personnel, including rescuers, volunteers, National Guard firefighters, and local fire brigade teams. Ukrainian Railways deployed a fire train to assist with extinguishing the blaze.
Preliminary reports indicate no casualties or injuries resulted from the attack.
This marks the second strike on SOCAR facilities in Odesa Oblast within 10 days. On 8 August, Russian forces hit the same oil depot with five Shahed-type drones, causing fires and damaging a diesel fuel pipeline.
The overnight assault was part of a broader Russian attack involving four missiles and 140 drones targeting multiple Ukrainian oblasts. Ukraine’s Air Force reported that air defense systems shot down or suppressed 88 Russian drones across northern, southern, eastern, and central areas of the country by 9:00 am.
The attacks resulted in confirmed strikes at 25 locations across Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and Kyiv oblasts.
The Russian military regularly attacks Ukrainian oblasts with various types of weapons, killing civilians and destroying hospitals, schools, kindergartens, energy and water supply facilities. The Ukrainian authorities and international organisations qualify these strikes as war crimes by Russia and emphasise that they are of a targeted nature.
Overnight on 18 August, Russian forces also attacked residential building in Kharkiv, killing five people, including two children.
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Rescue workers have recovered another body from the rubble of a residential building damaged by Russian strikes in Kharkiv, bringing the death toll to five people, including two children.
According to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, there are already four dead, including one child.
Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov later confirmed the fifth casualty, including a 1.5-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy.
The number of injured has reached 20 people as of 9:30 am, with six children among the casualties, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Rescue teams have saved two people from the debris, and search operations continue.
About five people are currently considered missing, according to Syniehubov.
Russian forces targeted Kharkiv with Geran-2 type drones, with four unmanned aerial vehicles hitting a five-story residential building. The strike caused structural damage and fires broke out in the building.
Mayor Terekhov said that 18 August has been declared a day of mourning in Kharkiv for the victims of the attack.
The Russian military regularly attacks Ukrainian oblasts with various types of weapons, killing civilians and destroying hospitals, schools, kindergartens, energy and water supply facilities. The Ukrainian authorities and international organisations qualify these strikes as war crimes by Russia and emphasise that they are of a targeted nature.
Regional casualties mount across Kharkiv Oblast
The deadly strike on Kharkiv was part of broader attacks across the region that left 34 people injured over the past 24 hours. Russian forces struck the city of Kharkiv and 10 settlements throughout Kharkiv Oblast, according to regional authorities.
In Kupiansk, a 43-year-old man was injured in the attacks. The village of Lisne in the Malodanyliv community saw three casualties: two men aged 49 and 51, and a 48-year-old woman.
Russian forces deployed an extensive arsenal against the region, launching one Iskander-M missile and 33 unmanned aerial vehicles of various types. The attack package included 20 Geran-2 drones, two Lancet drones, two Molnia drones, one FPV drone, and five drones of undetermined type. Russian forces also used two guided aerial bombs in the assault.
Infrastructure damage spreads across multiple districts
The strikes damaged civilian infrastructure across four districts. In Kharkiv city, 19 apartment buildings and 25 vehicles sustained damage from the attacks.
Kupiansk district bore significant damage, with apartment and private buildings hit in Kupiansk city and Pidserednie village. The village of Shevchenkove saw damage to an enterprise and six vehicles, while storage facilities were damaged in Hnylytsya village.
Chuhuiv district reported damage to a warehouse and vehicle in Kochetok village, while a private house was damaged in Horokhovatka village in Izium district.
Ground combat intensifies on two fronts
Ukrainian forces recorded 182 combat clashes across the front over the past 24 hours. On the South Slobozhansk direction, Russian forces launched 13 assault attempts against Ukrainian positions near Vovchansk and toward the settlements of Khatnie and Odradne.
The Kupiansk direction saw 12 Russian attacks throughout the day. Ukrainian defense forces repelled Russian assault actions near Zapadne, Kindrashivka, Petropavlivka, and Stepova Novoselivka, as well as attacks directed toward Kupiansk and Nova Kruhliakivka.
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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has placed Israel and Russia “on notice” that they could be listed next year among parties “credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence,” according to his annual report to the Security Council on conflict-related sexual violence obtained by Reuters.
The warning stems from “significant concerns regarding patterns of certain forms of sexual violence that have been consistently documented by the United Nations,” Guterres wrote in the report released.
Regarding Russian forces, Guterres said he was “gravely concerned about credible information of violations by Russian armed and security forces and affiliated armed groups” primarily against Ukrainian prisoners of war in 50 official and 22 unofficial detention facilities across Ukraine and Russia.
“These cases comprised a significant number of documented incidents of genital violence, including electrocution, beatings and burns to the genitals, and forced stripping and prolonged nudity, used to humiliate and elicit confessions or information,” the Secretary-General said.
The report notes that Russian authorities have not engaged with Guterres’ special envoy on sexual violence in conflict since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Israel faces similar scrutiny over documented violations in Palestinian detention facilities. Guterres expressed grave concern about “credible information of violations by Israeli armed and security forces” against Palestinians in several prisons, a detention center and a military base.
“Cases documented by the United Nations indicate patterns of sexual violence such as genital violence, prolonged forced nudity and repeated strip searches conducted in an abusive and degrading manner,” the report states.
Russia’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the report.
Officially, several hundred cases of sexual crimes committed by the Russian army against Ukrainian prisoners of war have been documented, including various forms of sexual violence against women, men, and minors. Ukrainian authorities reported 342 cases of sexual violence by Russians in 2024, with victims including 236 men, 94 women, and 12 minors, while many cases remain unreported due to stigma and fear.
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