
A fire near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been extinguished after Ukrainian shelling hit one of its auxiliary facilities, the Russian-installed administration of the site said on Saturday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said its team at the plant heard explosions and saw smoke coming from a location about 1,200 metres from the perimeter.
The plant’s administration said on Telegram that one civilian was killed, but no plant staff or emergency workers were injured.
The Zaporizhzhia facility, Europe’s largest nuclear power station, is currently shut down but still needs power to keep its fuel cool. The Russia-installed management said radiation levels remained normal and that the situation was under control.
Meanwhile, Russia launched a missile attack on Kyiv early on Sunday, the military administration of the Ukrainian capital said as witnesses heard a loud blast shaking the city soon after midnight.
A Ukrainian drone attack also caused fire at an oil depot in the Russian city of Sochi, regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said.
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Ukraine-Russia latest: Key Points
- Fire at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant brought under control, Russian authorities say
- Ukraine says it hit Russian oil facilities, military airfield
- Trump sends nuclear submarines near Russia after Medvedev taunt
- Ukrainians mourn 31 killed in Russian strike on Kyiv
- Zelensky and Starmer 'welcomed' Donald Trump’s 'new deadline on Russia'
Zelensky praised for restoring independence of Ukraine's anti-graft investigators amid first major protests since Russian invasion
06:30
,
Stuti Mishra
Ukraine's European allies praised Volodymyr Zelensky's move to restore independence of Ukraine's anti-graft investigators and prosecutors, after having voiced concerns about the original stripping of the agencies' status.
Top European officials had told Mr Zelensky that Ukraine was jeopardising its bid for European Union membership by curbing the powers of its anti-graft authorities.
"It is important that anti-corruption institutions operate independently, and the law adopted on Thursday guarantees them every opportunity for a real fight against corruption," Mr Zelensky wrote on Saturday after meeting the heads of the agencies, who briefed him on the latest investigation.
Ukraine uncovers major corruption scheme in military drone procurement
05:55
,
Stuti Mishra
Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies said on Saturday they had uncovered a major graft scheme that procured military drones and signal jamming systems at inflated prices, two days after the agencies' independence was restored following major protests.
The independence of Ukraine's anti-graft investigators and prosecutors, NABU and SAPO, was reinstated by parliament on Thursday after a move to take it away resulted in the country's biggest demonstrations since Russia's invasion in 2022.
In a statement published by both agencies on social media, NABU and SAPO said they had caught a sitting lawmaker, two local officials and an unspecified number of national guard personnel taking bribes. None of them were identified in the statement.
"The essence of the scheme was to conclude state contracts with supplier companies at deliberately inflated prices," it said, adding that the offenders had received kickbacks of up to 30 per cent of a contract's cost. Four people had been arrested.
"There can only be zero tolerance for corruption, clear teamwork to expose corruption and, as a result, a just sentence," president Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
Mr Zelensky, who has far-reaching wartime presidential powers and still enjoys broad approval among Ukrainians, was forced into a rare political about-face when his attempt to bring NABU and SAPO under the control of his prosecutor-general sparked the first nationwide protests of the war.
He subsequently said that he had heard the people's anger, and submitted a bill restoring the agencies' former independence, which was voted through by parliament on Thursday.
Russia says it destroyed about 15 Ukrainian drones
05:22
,
Stuti Mishra
Russian air defence units destroyed about 15 Ukrainian drones over Voronezh, the governor, Alexander Gusev, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
The overnight attack resulted in several homes and utility buildings catching fire from falling drone debris and a woman was injured, the governor of the southern Russian region said on Sunday.
"The threat of further drone attacks remains," Mr Gusev said in the post early on Sunday.
Both sides deny targeting civilians in their strike in the war that Russia launched with a full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022.
Kyiv says that its attacks inside Russia are aimed at destroying infrastructure key to Moscow's war efforts and are in response to Russia's relentless strikes on Ukraine.
The Russian defence ministry said that its units destroyed 41 drones just before midnight on Saturday over Russian regions bordering Ukraine and over the waters of the Black Sea.
Woman injured in Russia in Ukrainian attack
04:30
,
Stuti Mishra
A Ukrainian drone strike reportedly injured a woman and sparked multiple fires in Russia’s southern Voronezh region, the local governor said today.
Meanwhile, Russia launched a missile attack on Kyiv, according to the Ukrainian capital’s military administration.
Russia launches new missile strike on Kyiv
04:00
,
Maroosha Muzaffar
Russia fired a missile at Kyiv early today, the city’s military administration said on Telegram.
Reuters witnesses described a loud explosion that shook the capital shortly after midnight.
The strike comes just days after Russia carried out its deadliest aerial assault on Kyiv this year, which left at least 31 people dead, including five children, and wounded more than 150.
Putin not ready to seriously negotiate, says Lammy
03:00
,
Alex Croft
Vladimir Putin is not ready for serious negotiations on peace in Ukraine, UK foreign secretary David Lammy has said in an interview with The Guardian.
"My sober assessment is that Putin is not ready to seriously negotiate,” Mr Lammy told the outlet.
“He still has maximalist and imperialist ambitions. The battle Ukraine has fought, with UK, European and American support, is immense.”
The foreign secretary also spoke of his admiration of the Ukrainian people.
"Even if the world left them behind, they’d still be waging a guerrilla war, such is their belief in their country. It’s deeply inspiring,” he said.

Fire at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant brought under control, Russian authorities say
02:01
,
Alex Croft
A fire that broke out near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant after Ukrainian shelling has been brought under control, the Russian-installed administration of the Russia-held plant in Ukraine said on Saturday.
Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant in the first weeks of Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Both sides have accused each other of firing or taking other actions that could trigger a nuclear accident.
The plant's administration said on Telegram that a civilian had been killed in the shelling, but that no plant employees or members of the emergency services had been injured.
The station, Europe's biggest nuclear power plant, is not operating but still requires power to keep its nuclear fuel cool.
The plant's Russia-installed management said radiation levels remained within normal levels and the situation was under control.
Russia says its forces captured Oleksandro-Kalynove in eastern Ukraine
01:00
,
Alex Croft
Russia's defence ministry said Russian forces had captured the village of Oleksandro-Kalynove in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region on Saturday
The battlefield report was not immediately verified.
Atomic agency reports hearing explosions near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Saturday 2 August 2025 23:59
,
Alex Croft
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Saturday that its team at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) heard explosions and saw smoke coming from a nearby location.
The nuclear plant said one of its auxiliary facilities was attacked today, IAEA said in a statement.
"The auxiliary facility is located 1,200 metres from the ZNPP's site perimeter and the IAEA team could still see smoke from that direction in the afternoon," the nuclear watchdog said.
Trump: It’s ‘disgusting’ what Russia is doing to Ukraine
Saturday 2 August 2025 23:14
,
Alex Croft
Zelensky responds to huge drone attack on Russian oil site
Saturday 2 August 2025 22:30
,
Alex Croft
Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken out following the huge Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian oil refinery.
The Ukrainian president received a report about the strikes from Vasyl Maliuk, the head of Ukraine’s security service.
“I am grateful for our special long-range operations on Russian territory,” he said.
“Each of them is tangible for the enemy, and our operations will continue – Russia is dragging out the war, so it will receive just responses.”
Today I received a report from the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Maliuk. I am grateful for our special long-range operations on Russian territory. Each of them is tangible for the enemy, and our operations will continue – Russia is dragging out the war, so it… pic.twitter.com/Tfvkru58Ix
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 2, 2025
Europe should see Ukrainian military as European army, says Russian opposition activist
Saturday 2 August 2025 21:59
,
Alex Croft
Europe must start seeing the Ukrainian military as a European army, a prominent Russian opposition activist Ilya Yashin said on Friday.
“The Ukrainian army is not only protecting Ukraine, it is protecting Europe from Russian aggression,” he said in a speech addressing Russians in exile at Belgrade concert hall.
Mr Yashin was imprisoned in 2022 for criticising Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and released last year. Between February 2022 and 2024, more than 74,000 Russians registered for temporary residence in Serbia, according to the latest interior ministry data.
Saturday 2 August 2025 21:26
,
Alex Croft



Trump says he's 'going to protect our people' in response to Medevev threat
Saturday 2 August 2025 20:55
,
Alex Croft
A Ukrainian MP has been suspended from Volodymyr Zelensky’s ruling Servant of the People party while he is investigated for his part in a corruption scheme.
As we reported earlier, Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies said on Saturday they had uncovered a major graft scheme that procured military drones at inflated prices, two days after the agencies' independence was restored following major protests.
Davyd Arakhamiia, leader of the Servant of the People faction, said on Telegram: "MP Oleksii Kuznietsov's membership of the faction will be suspended while the investigation is ongoing.
“We await the court hearing of the case in due course. Those guilty of corruption offences must face just punishment, regardless of their status or position."
In a statement published earlier by both agencies on social media, NABU and SAPO said they had caught a sitting lawmaker, two local officials and an unspecified number of national guard personnel taking bribes. None of them were identified in the statement.
Trump says it is 'disgusting' what Russia doing to Ukraine
Saturday 2 August 2025 20:21
,
Alex Croft
President Donald Trump has said that Russia’s war in Ukraine is “disgusting”.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, he said he plans to impose sanctions on Moscow if no agreement can be reached to end the conflict.
Trump said he was not sure whether sanctions would deter Russia.
He has given Russian President Vladimir Putin until August 8 to make a deal or else he will respond with economic pressure.

Trump: We have moved nuclear submarines 'closer to Russia'
Saturday 2 August 2025 19:48
,
Alex Croft
Donald Trump has said US nuclear submarines have been positioned “closer to Russia”, he said in an interview with Newsmax on Saturday.
The US president had yesterday said he had ordered to nuclear submarines to be deployed to “appropriate region”,
"We always want to be ready, and so I have sent to the region two nuclear submarines," Mr Trump told Newsmax. "I just want to make sure that his (Medvedev's) words are only words and nothing more than that."
It comes after former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev suggested Moscow could strike the US with a nuclear weapon.

Ukraine protects Europe from Kremlin aggression, Russian dissident Yashin says
Saturday 2 August 2025 19:36
,
Alex Croft
Europe must start seeing Ukraine as a European country, and the Ukrainian military as a European army, Ilya Yashin, a prominent Russian opposition activist, has said.
"The Ukrainian army is not only protecting Ukraine, it is protecting Europe from Russian aggression," he told hundreds of Russians who now live in Serbia.
Yashin was imprisoned in 2022 for criticising Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and was released last year, along with 15 other prisoners in Russian and Belarusian jails.
His speech at a Belgrade concert hall was the first such public appearance of a high-profile Russian dissident in Serbia since 2022.
Between February 2022 and 2024, more than 74,000 Russians registered for temporary residence in Serbia, according to the latest Interior Ministry data, many fleeing conscription or persecution for their opposition to President Vladimir Putin.
Watch: Ukrainian military shares footage of anti-drone operations
Saturday 2 August 2025 18:27
,
Alex Croft
Warriors of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade are taking down russian drones — Orlan, Lancet, ZALA, Supercam, Albatros — at altitudes of several kilometers.
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) August 2, 2025
Every enemy wing will have its final flight. pic.twitter.com/rp3AA0OXsa
India to continue purchasing Russian oil despite Trump's threats
Saturday 2 August 2025 17:56
,
Alex Croft
India will keep purchasing oil from Russia despite US president Donald Trump's threats of penalties, two Indian government sources told Reuters on Saturday, not wishing to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.
On top of a new 25% tariff on India's exports to the U.S., Trump indicated in a Truth Social post last month that India would face additional penalties for purchases of Russian arms and oil. On Friday, Trump told reporters he had heard that India would no longer be buying oil from Russia.
But the sources said there would be no immediate changes.
"These are long-term oil contracts," one of the sources said. "It is not so simple to just stop buying overnight."
Justifying India's oil purchases from Russia, a second source said India's imports of Russian grades had helped avoid a global surge in oil prices, which have remained subdued despite Western curbs on the Russian oil sector.
Ukraine anti-corruption agencies discover drone graft scheme
Saturday 2 August 2025 17:09
,
Alex Croft
Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies said on Saturday they had uncovered a major graft scheme that procured military drones at inflated prices, two days after the agencies' independence was restored following major protests.
The independence of Ukraine's anti-graft investigators and prosecutors, Nabu and Sapo, was reinstated by parliament on Thursday after a move to take it away resulted in the country's biggest demonstrations since Russia's invasion in 2022.
In a statement published by both agencies on social media, NABU and SAPO said they had caught a sitting lawmaker, two local officials and an unspecified number of national guard personnel taking bribes. None of them were identified in the statement.
"The essence of the scheme was to conclude state contracts with supplier companies at deliberately inflated prices," it said, adding that the offenders had received kickbacks of up to 30% of a contract's cost. Four people had been arrested.
"There can only be zero tolerance for corruption, clear teamwork to expose corruption and, as a result, a just sentence," president Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
Mr Zelensky, who has far-reaching wartime presidential powers and still enjoys broad approval among Ukrainians, was forced into a U-turn when his attempt to bring NABU and SAPO under the control of his prosecutor-general sparked the first nationwide protests of the war.
Three people die in overnight Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia
Saturday 2 August 2025 16:35
,
Alexander Butler

Putin not ready to seriously negotiate, says Lammy
Saturday 2 August 2025 16:12
,
Alex Croft
Vladimir Putin is not ready for serious negotiations on peace in Ukraine, UK foreign secretary David Lammy has said in an interview with The Guardian.
"My sober assessment is that Putin is not ready to seriously negotiate,” Mr Lammy told the outlet.
“He still has maximalist and imperialist ambitions. The battle Ukraine has fought, with UK, European and American support, is immense.”
The foreign secretary also spoke of his admiration of the Ukrainian people.
"Even if the world left them behind, they’d still be waging a guerrilla war, such is their belief in their country. It’s deeply inspiring,” he said.

An injured Ukrainian soldier was stuck behind enemy lines for days. He escaped on an e-bike airdropped by a drone
Saturday 2 August 2025 15:52
,
Alexander Butler
An injured Ukrainian soldier stuck behind enemy lines for days was rescued after being delivered an e-bike by a drone.
A video of the dramatic rescue showed a UAV drone airdropping the 40kg bike down to the wounded man, who was surrounded by Russian forces, before he cycled away.
The soldier’s Rubizh brigade said three men were killed by enemy fire during a skirmish in Siversk, northern Ukraine, leaving the soldier on his own for five days.
Fire at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant brought under control, Russian authorities say
Saturday 2 August 2025 15:23
,
Alex Croft
A fire that broke out near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant after Ukrainian shelling has been brought under control, the Russian-installed administration of the Russia-held plant in Ukraine said on Saturday.
Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant in the first weeks of Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Both sides have accused each other of firing or taking other actions that could trigger a nuclear accident.
The plant's administration said on Telegram that a civilian had been killed in the shelling, but that no plant employees or members of the emergency services had been injured.
The station, Europe's biggest nuclear power plant, is not operating but still requires power to keep its nuclear fuel cool.
The plant's Russia-installed management said radiation levels remained within normal levels and the situation was under control.
No response from Russia officials to Trump move yet
Saturday 2 August 2025 14:19
,
Alexander Butler
There has been no response from the Kremlin, Russian foreign ministry or defence ministry since US president Donald Trump said he had ordered two nuclear submarines “near Russia”.
Putin says Russia's hypersonic missile has entered service and will be deployed in Belarus
Saturday 2 August 2025 13:00
,
Alexander Butler

Russia says its forces captured Oleksandro-Kalynove in eastern Ukraine
Saturday 2 August 2025 11:59
,
Alexander Butler
Russia's defence ministry said Russian forces had captured the village of Oleksandro-Kalynove in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region on Saturday
The battlefield report was not immediately verified.
Ukraine says it hit Russian oil facilities, military airfield
Saturday 2 August 2025 11:14
,
Alexander Butler
Ukraine's military said on Saturday that it had struck oil facilities inside Russia, including a major refinery as well as a military airfield for drones and an electronics factory.
In a statement on Telegram, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces said they had hit the oil refinery in Ryazan, about 180 km (110 miles) southeast of Moscow, causing a fire on its premises.
Also hit, the USF said, was the Annanefteprodukt oil storage facility in the Voronezh region that borders on northeastern Ukraine.
The statement did not specify how the facilities were hit, but the USF specialises in drone warfare, including long-range strikes.
There was no immediate comment from Russia on the reported attacks on its infrastructure sites.
Three people die in overnight Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia
Saturday 2 August 2025 10:00
,
Alexander Butler
Ukrainian drone attacks overnight into Saturday killed three people, Russian officials said.
Russia's Defence Ministry said air defenses intercepted or destroyed 112 drones across eight Russian regions and the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.
A drone attack on the Rostov region, on the border with Ukraine, killed one person, acting governor Yuri Slyusar said.
Further from the front line, a woman was killed and two other people wounded in a drone strike on business premises in the Penza region, according to regional governor Oleg Melnichenko.
In the Samara region, falling drone debris sparked a fire that killed an elderly resident, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said.
According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched 53 drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight into Saturday.
It said that air defenses shot down or jammed 45 drones.
Watch: Trump moves two nuclear submarines close to Russia
Saturday 2 August 2025 09:30
,
Alexander Butler
Trump warns Putin’s right-hand man: ‘You’re entering very dangerous territory’
Saturday 2 August 2025 09:00
,
Alexander Butler

Trump alarmed by Medvedev's comments as US sends special envoy to Russia
Saturday 2 August 2025 08:39
,
Alexander Butler
Donald Trump said later on Friday that he was alarmed by Medvedev's attitude.
"He's got a fresh mouth," Trump said in an interview with Newsmax.
Mr Trump has said that special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Russia to push Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in its war with Ukraine and has threatened new economic sanctions if progress is not made.
He cut his 50-day deadline for action to 10 days, with that window set to expire next week.
Who is Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev who has raised the prospect of war?
Saturday 2 August 2025 08:21
,
Alexander Butler
Dmitry Medvedev was Russia's president from 2008 to 2012, while Vladimir Putin was barred from seeking a third consecutive term, and then stepped aside to let him run again.
Now deputy chairman of Russia's National Security Council, which Vladimir Putin chairs, Medvedev has been known for his provocative and inflammatory statements since the start of the war in 2022. That's a U-turn from his presidency, when he was seen as liberal and progressive.
Mr Medvedev has frequently wielded nuclear threats and lobbed insults at Western leaders on social media. Some observers have argued that with his extravagant rhetoric, Medvedev is seeking to score political points with Putin and Russian military hawks.
One such example before the latest spat with Mr Trump came on 15 July, after Mr Trump announced plans to supply Ukraine with more weapons via its NATO allies and threatened additional tariffs against Moscow.
Mr Medvedev posted then, "Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn't care."

US nuclear submarines 'closer to Russia', says Trump
Saturday 2 August 2025 07:45
,
Alexander Butler
Two US nuclear submarines are closer to Russia, US President Donald Trump said in an interview with Newsmax.
"They are closer to Russia, I assume," the US leader said.
"We always want to be ready. And so I have sent to the region two nuclear submarines.”
Full report | Trump says he ‘ordered’ nuclear submarines to ‘region’ over Ukraine war rhetoric from Russia’s Medvedev
Saturday 2 August 2025 06:35
,
Stuti Mishra

Europe should see Ukrainian military as European army, says Russian opposition activist
Saturday 2 August 2025 06:05
,
Stuti Mishra
Europe must start seeing the Ukrainian military as a European army, a prominent Russian opposition activist Ilya Yashin said on Friday.
“The Ukrainian army is not only protecting Ukraine, it is protecting Europe from Russian aggression,” he said in a speech addressing Russians in exile at Belgrade concert hall.
Mr Yashin was imprisoned in 2022 for criticising Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and released last year. Between February 2022 and 2024, more than 74,000 Russians registered for temporary residence in Serbia, according to the latest interior ministry data.
Two-year-old among 31 dead in Russian attack
Saturday 2 August 2025 05:30
,
Stuti Mishra
A two-year-old was among the five children found dead after Thursday’s Russian drone and missile attack, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Friday, announcing the end of the rescue operation.
The death toll rose to 31 after rescuers recovered more than a dozen more bodies from the rubble of a collapsed apartment block in Kyiv overnight.
A total of 159 people were wounded in the strikes, which saw Russia launch more than 300 drones and eight missiles early on Thursday.
Who is Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev who has raised the prospect of war?
Saturday 2 August 2025 05:00
,
Stuti Mishra
Dmitry Medvedev was Russia's president from 2008 to 2012, while Vladimir Putin was barred from seeking a third consecutive term, and then stepped aside to let him run again.
Now deputy chairman of Russia's National Security Council, which Vladimir Putin chairs, Medvedev has been known for his provocative and inflammatory statements since the start of the war in 2022. That's a U-turn from his presidency, when he was seen as liberal and progressive.
Mr Medvedev has frequently wielded nuclear threats and lobbed insults at Western leaders on social media. Some observers have argued that with his extravagant rhetoric, Medvedev is seeking to score political points with Putin and Russian military hawks.
One such example before the latest spat with Mr Trump came on 15 July, after Mr Trump announced plans to supply Ukraine with more weapons via its NATO allies and threatened additional tariffs against Moscow.
Mr Medvedev posted then, "Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn't care."

Trump alarmed by Medvedev's comments as US sends special envoy to Russia
Saturday 2 August 2025 04:18
,
Stuti Mishra
Donald Trump said later on Friday that he was alarmed by Medvedev's attitude.
"He's got a fresh mouth," Trump said in an interview with Newsmax.
Mr Trump has said that special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Russia to push Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in its war with Ukraine and has threatened new economic sanctions if progress is not made.
He cut his 50-day deadline for action to 10 days, with that window set to expire next week.

Photos of the latest Russian drone and missile attack in Kyiv
Saturday 2 August 2025 03:00
,
Jabed Ahmed

Watch | Trump: It’s ‘disgusting’ what Russia is doing to Ukraine
Saturday 2 August 2025 02:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Putin says Russia's hypersonic missile has entered service and will be deployed in Belarus
Saturday 2 August 2025 01:00
,
Jabed Ahmed

Full report | Trump says he ‘ordered’ nuclear submarines to ‘region’ over Ukraine war rhetoric from Russia’s Medvedev
Friday 1 August 2025 23:59
,
Jabed Ahmed

Trump says he's 'going to protect our people' in response to Medevev threat
Friday 1 August 2025 23:14
,
Jabed Ahmed
Donald Trump has said he “had to” order two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the "appropriate regions" after "inflammatory" comments from former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.
Speaking to reporters in the White House on Friday, the US president said: “Well, we had to do that. We just have to be careful. And a threat was made, and we didn't think it was appropriate. So I have to very careful. So I do that on the basis of safety for our people.
“A threat was by a former president of Russia, and we're going to protect our people."
Referring to comments made by Medvedev, Mr Trump added: “He was talking about nuclear. When you talk about nuclear, we have to be prepared. And we're totally prepared."
Ukrainians mourn 31 killed in Russian strike on Kyiv
Friday 1 August 2025 22:59
,
Jabed Ahmed
- Ukrainian rescuers pulled more bodies from the rubble of a collapsed apartment block in Kyiv overnight, pushing the death toll from Russia’s deadliest strike on the capital this year to 31.
- Among the victims were five children, including a two-year-old, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Friday as a 24-hour rescue operation drew to a close.
- Thursday’s multi-wave assault saw Russia launch more than 300 drones and eight missiles, leaving 159 people wounded across Kyiv.
- Footage shared on the presidential website showed Mr Zelensky speaking with residents whose homes were left in ruins. “The state will definitely provide help and support to everyone affected,” he pledged.
- In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, a separate drone attack on Friday injured 10 people, including three children – the youngest just five months old.
- The Sviatoshyn district in western Kyiv suffered the worst destruction, but damage was also reported across at least three other parts of the city.
- In Washington, President Donald Trump denounced Russia’s “disgusting” actions but questioned whether sanctions alone would deter Moscow.
- Mr Trump warned Vladimir Putin to strike a deal by 8 August or face economic pressure, and said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be moved “to the appropriate regions”.
- “Trump just says, ‘I’m upset with President Putin’s behaviour.’ And what? No results,” said local resident Natalia Matviyenko, 65, sitting near the wreckage.
- The president, who returned to office vowing to end the war quickly, has recently signalled more willingnes

