Nato jets were scrambled on Friday after a drone entered Latvia’s airspace during Ukrainian attacks on Russian ports, according to authorities.
Two Italian Eurofighter jets took off from Lithuania and two Turkish F-16s were scrambled from a base in Estonia in response, Nato spokesperson Allison Hart said.
It came after Russia shot down dozens of drones in the northern part of the country located west of St Petersburg, according to the governor of the Leningrad region.
Civilian casualties from the war in Ukraine rose by nearly a third month-on-month in July, to the highest level since May 2022, as Russia struck towns and cities far from the battlefield with missiles and drones, the UN said on Friday.
The UN’s human rights monitoring mission to Ukraine said it had confirmed at least 437 civilians killed and 2,610 injured in July, a 30 per cent rise from June and a 70 per cent jump from the same month last year.
Long-range weapons, such as missiles and drones, remained the leading cause of civilian deaths last month, accounting for 38 per cent of the total.
“Most casualties from these weapons occurred far from the frontline in urban centres,” the report said.
Read MoreRussian Navy officer who defected from Ukraine killed by hidden bin bomb in Crimea, officials say
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Key Points
- Nato jets shoot down drone after it enters Latvian airspace
- Two killed in Russian drone attack on passenger train, Zelensky says
- Russia's Baltic Sea port damaged in drone attack, governor says
- Putin’s visit to disputed island prompts strong reaction from Japan
- Ukrainian drones target Wildberries logistics hub and oil refinery in Bashkortostan
Russian anti-war party to contest ruling barring it from running in election
16:30 , Daniel KeaneRussia's liberal Yabloko party has appealed against a court ruling that bars it from contesting a parliamentary election next month, state news agency TASS reported on Friday.
The Supreme Court on Monday excluded Yabloko from fielding candidates in the election to the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, sidelining the only officially registered party opposed to Moscow's war in Ukraine
Ukraine says it hit Russia's gas condensate processing complex at Baltic port of Ust-Luga
15:30 , Daniel KeaneUkraine's military said on Friday it struck Russia's Novatek gas condensate processing complex in the Baltic port of Ust-Luga overnight.
Two processing units were damaged and a fire broke out as a result of the attack, the general staff said on the Telegram app.
Watch: Kyiv bombs Russian naval base on Black Sea
14:40 , Daniel KeaneCivilian deaths in Ukraine jumped in July as Russia hit cities, says UN
14:10 , Daniel KeaneCivilian casualties from the war in Ukraine rose by nearly a third month-on-month in July, to the highest level since May 2022, as Russia struck towns and cities far from the battlefield with missiles and drones, the UN said.
The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said in a report that it had confirmed at least 437 civilians killed and 2,610 injured in July, a 30% rise from June and a 70% jump from the same month last year.
Long-range weapons, such as missiles and drones, remained the leading cause of civilian deaths last month, accounting for 38% of the total.
"Most casualties from these weapons occurred far from the frontline in urban centres," the UN report said.
Russian plot to kill American citizen in Warsaw stopped by Poland
13:40 , Daniel KeaneA Russian plan to kill a Ukrainian American citizen in Warsaw was thwarted by Poland, the Polish prime minister said Thursday.
Donald Tusk said it was the first time that “someone on the order of Russia” sought to attack a U.S. citizen on the territory of another NATO country.
Western officials previously warned that Russia has stepped up a campaign of targeted killings since President Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, saying they have disrupted several plots across Europe. But Tusk said this incident was unprecedented.
Russian Navy officer who defected from Ukraine killed by hidden bin bomb in Crimea
13:10 , Daniel KeaneA Russian military officer who had defected from Ukraine was killed in a bomb blast on Thursday in Russia-annexed Crimea in a targeted assassination plot, the regional governor said.
Robert Shageyev was a former Ukrainian naval officer who fled to Crimea after switching allegiance to Russia during Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, according to Russian Telegram channels.
He was commanding Ukraine’s only submarine, the Zaporizhzhia.
Russia's Federal Security Service confirmed the death of a military official and announced the detention of a woman, a Russian national, suspected of carrying out the attack.
Read our full story below.
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Russian Navy officer who defected from Ukraine killed by hidden bin bomb in Crimea
Lavrov says Russia will intensify efforts against West
12:40 , Daniel KeaneRussia will intensify its efforts to destroy anything used to support Ukraine from the West, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
In an interview broadcast by state television on Friday, he said: "We will make our methods much tougher in order to dismantle everything that fuels Kyiv's war machine from the West. And we are already doing this.”
Moscow has sought to disrupt the west’s support for Ukraine through a “hybrid” conflict in Europe, including drone incursions into neighbouring countries and election interference.
Speaking about efforts to end the war, Lavrov said Russia ruled out an immediate halt to the fighting.
"We must only stop once there is a long-term, reliable and sustainable settlement," he said.
Pictured: Smoke rises from a train on fire after Russian drone attack in Odesa region
12:10 , Daniel Keane
Russia jails man for 23 years for spying for Poland
11:40 , Daniel KeaneA Moscow court sentenced a Russian citizen to 23 years in prison after finding him guilty of spying for Poland, state news agency TASS reported.
According to the court, the man supplied Poland with information on advanced Russian weapons systems and missile systems used in the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine could restore grain export volumes within a month if a moratorium on attacks introduced
11:10 , Daniel KeaneUkraine could restore its grain export volumes through its Black Sea ports within a month if a moratorium on attacks on civilian cargo vessels is introduced, Ukrainian agriculture minister Taras Vysotskyi said on Friday.
Ukraine has sent Russia an offer suggesting they both halt attacks on civilian targets in the Black Sea, a source said on Thursday.
It coms after mounting strikes on vessels and ports there raised fears over global food supplies.
Watch: Ukrainian firefighters run for their lives as Russian drones attack trucks
10:40 , Daniel KeaneRussian drone strike kills mother and son in Sumy oblast
10:10 , Maroosha MuzaffarA Russian drone attack killed a 29-year-old woman and her 9-year-old son in Sumy oblast early today morning, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
Russian forces reportedly struck the same house twice with two jet-powered UAVs, a tactic often described as a “double-tap” attack.
Oleh Hryhorov, head of Sumy oblast military administration, wrote on Telegram: “Widespread devastation and a fire have been reported. Sadly, a 29-year-old woman and her 9-year-old son have been killed. Four other people have been injured. Two of them – the boy’s father and grandmother – are in hospital with severe burns.”
Ukraine strikes Baltic Sea Port of Ust-Luga in Russia’s Leningrad
09:50 , Maroosha MuzaffarUkraine struck the Ust-Luga port in Russia’s Leningrad Oblast overnight on 13 August, damaging port infrastructure and sparking a fire, according to regional governor Alexander Drozdenko.
Russian officials said 51 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the region, according to The Kyiv Independent.
Ust-Luga is a major Baltic Sea port and oil-export hub, handling crude oil and petroleum products and generating significant revenue for the Russian state.
The port has been repeatedly targeted by Ukraine in recent months as Kyiv intensifies attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
Russian plot to assassinate Ukrainian-American in Warsaw foiled, Polish PM says
09:31 , Maroosha MuzaffarA suspected Russian plot to assassinate a Ukrainian-American in Warsaw was foiled by Polish authorities, according to Polish prime minister Donald Tusk.
The suspect, allegedly recruited by Russia’s secret services, was arrested on 7 August.
Police said that he will be in custody for an initial three months.
Tusk said it was the first known attempt by “someone on the orders of Russia” to target a US citizen on the territory of another Nato country.
The target was reportedly a US citizen of Ukrainian origin who was considered “uncomfortable for Putin’s regime”, Tusk said during a press conference.
The operation involved US and Polish intelligence cooperation, Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland’s minister overseeing intelligence services, said.
US backs Japan over Putin’s visit to disputed islands
09:10 , Maroosha MuzaffarThe US has backed Japan in its territorial dispute with Russia after Vladimir Putin visited a group of disputed islands on Thursday.
US Ambassador to Tokyo George Glass said Washington recognises Japanese sovereignty over the islands and remains “unwavering” in its support for Japan.
“The United States remains unwavering in its support of its most important ally and in its recognition of Japanese sovereignty over the Northern Territories,” Glass said on X, using the Japanese name for the Kuril islands visited for the first time by Putin on Thursday.
米国は、最も重要な同盟国である日本への支持と、北方領土に対するその主権の承認について、揺るぎない姿勢を維持している。日米がその同盟によってインド太平洋全域の繁栄の促進に尽力している今、地域の平和と安定を損なういかなる行動にもわれわれは強く反対する。 https://t.co/RxlwQDjfBp
— ジョージ・グラス駐日米国大使 (@USAmbJapan) August 14, 2026
“At a time when the US-Japan Alliance is dedicated to cultivating prosperity across the Indo-Pacific, we strongly oppose any action that undermines its peace and stability,” Glass added.
Zelensky struggling to find former US envoy's replacement - report
08:50 , Maroosha MuzaffarUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is reportedly struggling to find a replacement for former envoy to the US Olga Stefanishyna, with prospective candidates being reluctant to take up the job at a critical point in the war, according to two former senior Ukrainian officials and four lawmakers cited by Politico.
Stefanishyna was formally dismissed on 3 August over impending embezzlement charges.
Zelensky had wanted to offer the ambassadorship to Yulia Svyrydenko, the outgoing prime minister, according to a former senior Ukrainian official, but she has declined.
“Framing it as if nobody wants the job would be a kind of oversimplification,” a former unidentified Ukrainian diplomat was quoted as saying by the outlet.
“Of course, there are people who want the job, but there’s no one who really measures up to it. Zelensky is having a hard time filling the position.”
North Korea’s latest missile tests are unusual. Ukraine should be wary
08:30 , Maroosha MuzaffarKim Jong Un’s silence over missile tests earlier this month raises possibility that Pyongyang is refining weapons for use by its ally Russia. Shweta Sharma reports
North Korea’s latest missile tests are unusual. Ukraine should be wary
Russian Navy officer who defected from Ukraine killed by hidden bin bomb in Crimea, officials say
08:10 , Maroosha MuzaffarA Russian military officer who had defected from Ukraine was killed in a bomb blast on Thursday in Russia-annexed Crimea in a targeted assassination plot, the regional governor said.
Robert Shageyev was a former Ukrainian naval officer who fled to Crimea after switching allegiance to Russia during Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, according to Russian Telegram channels.
He was commanding Ukraine’s only submarine, the Zaporizhzhia.
Russia's Federal Security Service confirmed the death of a military official and announced the detention of a woman, a Russian national, suspected of carrying out the attack.
The suspect was acting “on instructions from Ukrainian intelligence agencies,” said Sevastopol’s governor Mikhail Razvozhayev on Telegram.
Read more here:
Russian Navy officer who defected from Ukraine killed by hidden bin bomb in Crimea
Russia and Ukraine exchange bodies of killed soldiers
07:50 , Maroosha MuzaffarRussia and Ukraine exchanged the bodies of killed soldiers on Thursday.
Russia handed Ukraine 261 bodies, while Ukraine returned 24 bodies to Russia, according to officials.
Kyiv says Russia has previously included Russian soldiers and civilians among the remains it hands over, raising suspicions that Moscow may be manipulating the exchanges to inflate the apparent number of Ukrainian deaths.
“The bodies of 261 deceased persons have been returned to Ukraine, which, according to the Russian side, belong to Ukrainian servicemen,” said Ukraine’s prisoners of war agency.
The identities of the 261 bodies have yet to be independently identified.
Nato jets shoot down drone after it enters Latvian airspace
07:30 , Maroosha MuzaffarFighter jets on a Nato air defence mission shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace early on Friday, Latvia’s armed forces said on X.
The armed forces later lifted an air threat alert in regions near Russia.
Finland, another Nato and EU member that shares a border with Russia, also temporarily restricted aviation and maritime traffic in parts of the eastern Gulf of Finland as a precaution against possible drones, its defence forces said on X.
Latvia’s armed forces did not immediately provide details about the drone or where it came from.
Countries bordering Russia and Ukraine periodically issue air threat alerts and intercept drones as Moscow and Kyiv continue to exchange attacks more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Ukraine drone strikes on major Russian oil refinery 800 miles from the border sparks fire
07:00 , Maroosha MuzaffarUkrainian drones struck a major refinery deep inside Russia, military officials said Thursday, the fourth in three days in Kyiv’s monthslong campaign to choke Moscow’s vital oil sector.
Russia is one of the world’s biggest energy producers, with oil providing an economic mainstay as its army tries to push deeper into Ukraine in a slow and costly advance more than four years after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion.
The attacks have dented Russia’s refining capacity, bringing shortages at gas stations. Kyiv officials say the onslaught seeks to compel Russian President Vladimir Putin to seek a peace deal. There is no sign that strategy is working.
Read more:
Ukraine’s drones hit a major Russian oil refinery 800 miles from the border
Russian plot to assassinate Ukrainian-American in Warsaw foiled, Polish PM says
06:30 , Maroosha MuzaffarA suspected Russian plot to assassinate a Ukrainian-American in Warsaw was foiled by Polish authorities, according to Polish prime minister Donald Tusk.
The suspect, allegedly recruited by Russia’s secret services, was arrested on 7 August.
Police said that he will be in custody for an initial three months.
Tusk said it was the first known attempt by “someone on the orders of Russia” to target a US citizen on the territory of another Nato country.
The target was reportedly a US citizen of Ukrainian origin who was considered “uncomfortable for Putin’s regime”, Tusk said during a press conference.
The operation involved US and Polish intelligence cooperation, Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland’s minister overseeing intelligence services, said.
Ukraine ‘offered Russia deal to stop attacks on civilian ships in Black Sea’
06:05 , Maroosha MuzaffarUkraine has reportedly offered Russia a mutual deal to stop attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea, aimed at restoring the vital grain export route, Reuters reported.
The move comes as Ukraine’s harvest season begins and its grain exports are severely disrupted.
It also follows US pressure on Zelensky to stop attacks on Russian oil shipments and the port of Novorossiysk, according to The Financial Times.
Kyiv has reportedly made the proposal through a third party, Reuters said, but Russia has not yet responded.
A previous UN-Turkey-backed Black Sea grain deal ran from 2022-23 but collapsed after Russia refused to renew it.
Putin’s visit to disputed island prompts strong reaction from Japan: ‘Absolutely unacceptabe’
05:28 , Maroosha MuzaffarRussian president Vladimir Putin visited Etorofu, one of the four Kuril Islands disputed between Russia and Japan, prompting a strong reaction from Tokyo.
Japan said the visit makes improving already strained relations with Moscow more difficult.
Prime minister Sanae Takaichi said it “hurts the feelings of the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable”, adding: “We hope that the Russian side will take the seriousness of this matter fully to heart.”
The island – known as Iturup in Russia and in Japan as Etorofu – was seized by Soviet forces in 1945 after Japan’s surrender in World War II.
Japan continues to claim the four islands and has made their return a condition for signing a formal peace treaty with Russia.
Relations have deteriorated further since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Japan joining Western sanctions against Moscow.
Putin’s visit also comes amid Russia’s broader efforts to assert historical territorial claims.
Ukrainian drones target Wildberries logistics hub and oil refinery in Bashkortostan
05:10 , Maroosha MuzaffarUkrainian drones targeted a logistics hub owned by Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries and sparked a fire at one of the country’s major oil refineries in Bashkortostan on Thursday, according to regional officials.
Bashkortostan head Radiy Khabirov said 16 drones were shot down over Salavat and another five over the nearby Chishminsky district, according to The Moscow Times.
The areas are about 1,200km east of Moscow and more than 1,300km from Ukraine.
“Two people were injured” in the attacks and were receiving treatment in hospital, Khabirov said on Telegram.
He said falling drone debris caused a fire in an “industrial area”.
Exiled outlet Astra identified the site as the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat refinery, which accounts for about 2.7 per cent of Russia’s total refining capacity.
The refinery halted operations after being damaged in a drone attack last month.
Wildberries said a fire also broke out in an “industrial zone” housing one of its facilities.
The company said staff had been evacuated beforehand and that no retail goods were stored at the site.
Russia's Baltic Sea port damaged in drone attack, governor says
04:50 , Maroosha MuzaffarRussia’s Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga was damaged in a drone attack, the Leningrad region’s governor said, without immediately providing details on the extent of the damage or any casualties.
Two killed in Russian drone attack on passenger train, Zelensky says
04:30 , Maroosha MuzaffarTwo people were killed in Russia’s drone attack on a passenger train in Odesa region, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday.
“Today in the Odesa region, the Russians once again destroyed an ordinary passenger train locomotive with a jet-powered drone. There were 340 people on the train,” he said.
“Whoever was operating that drone certainly could not have been unaware that the target was entirely civilian,” he added.
The two dead were the train’s engineer and assistant engineer, according to officials.
Nato jets shoot down drone after it enters Latvian airspace
04:09 , Maroosha MuzaffarFighter jets on a Nato air defence mission shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace early on Friday, Latvia’s armed forces said on X.
The armed forces later lifted an air threat alert in regions near Russia.
Finland, another Nato and EU member that shares a border with Russia, also temporarily restricted aviation and maritime traffic in parts of the eastern Gulf of Finland as a precaution against possible drones, its defence forces said on X.
❗️In Latvian airspace, in Balvi Municipality, NATO Baltic Air Policing fighter jets have successfully shot down a foreign unmanned aerial vehicle that had entered Latvia as a result of russian electromagnetic warfare.
— Ministry of Defence of Latvia 🇱🇻 (@MoD_Latvia) August 14, 2026
At the same time, the National Armed Forces informed that the… https://t.co/HWa1EHNy41
Latvia’s armed forces did not immediately provide details about the drone or where it came from.
Countries bordering Russia and Ukraine periodically issue air threat alerts and intercept drones as Moscow and Kyiv continue to exchange attacks more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Kyiv confirms strike on oil and petrochemical complex in Bashkortostan
03:00 , Alex CroftUkraine's military struck an oil refinery and petrochemical complex in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan, causing a fire, the Ukrainian General Staff said on Thursday.
We earlier reported that Russian authorities said Ukraine had attacked an industrial area in Russia’s Bashkortostan region.
It said on the Telegram app that the complex was located about 1,300 km (808 miles) from the Ukrainian border and was involved in supplying fuel to the Russian troops.
Wildberries, the online retailer that Kyiv has been targeted in a drone campaign which aims at “bringing the war home” to ordinary Russians, also confirmed that one if its facilities in the region was set on fire by the attack.
Russia reports young child dead in Ukrainian strike on naval base
01:30 , Alex CroftUkrainian forces launched a massive overnight attack on Russia's Novorossiysk naval base using drones, missiles, and unmanned boats, president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed.
Here’s all you need to know in just five bullet points with The Independent’s Bulletin.
Russia reports young child dead in Ukrainian strike on naval base
Ukraine needs 5% of US Patriot interceptors to survive winter, Zelensky says
Friday 14 August 2026 00:01 , Alex CroftUkraine needs five per cent of US Patriot interceptor stocks to get through the winter and 10 per cent to destroy all Russian ballistic missiles, Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN.
He said Ukraine had “two and a half times less interceptors than we had in 2025”, while Russia was firing twice as many ballistic missiles each month.
Zelensky said he was asking the US to sell Ukraine 5 per cent of its interceptor stocks.
Zelensky said Ukraine was currently receiving only “1 per cent” of what the US makes.
“From 1 per cent to 5 per cent... I have some months and millions [of] phone calls and anything else. I do some things which I can’t even share. It doesn’t mean that it’s out of the law. But I can’t speak about it
Russia cannot claim ‘victory’, Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov says
Thursday 13 August 2026 23:00 , Alex CroftNobel laureate and former chief editor of newspaper Novaya Gazeta, Dmitry Muratov, said that Russia cannot claim victory in Ukraine because the war has devastated both countries, and that Ukraine may be destroyed but cannot be conquered.
He told the BBC: “There will never be ‘victory’. Because what has been going on for nearly five years – no matter how it ends – can no longer be considered a victory.
“It cannot be a victory when two Slavic nations have ripped a million people to shreds. Or more than a million.”
He said: “It seems to me that the situation with Ukraine now is this: you can destroy it, but you cannot conquer it. What do I mean by destroy? Continued escalation all the way to the use of a nuclear weapon.”
He continued: “All those political experts who say ‘Putin thinks this’ or ‘Putin is scared of that’…they’re all charlatans.
“It’s in the same league as astrology. Nobody knows what’s going on in Vladimir Putin’s head. And I don’t know.
“I see things only as a journalist. I study big data. And since the beginning of the year, the need to use nuclear weapons has been mentioned more than 500 times. When wackos say this, I pay no attention. But I’ve heard it discussed on state TV. And at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, a state-run event, one of the speakers talked up the use of nuclear weapons as something favourable, something good.”
Russia's Wildberries says attack causes fire at industrial area
Thursday 13 August 2026 22:00 , Daniel KeaneAn air attack caused a fire at an industrial area in Russia's Bashkortostan region where online retailer Wildberries has a facility, the company said on Thursday.
No goods were stored at the premises, the company said.
Wildberries warehouses have been targeted in a series of attacks by Ukrainian drones since July 18.
Ukrainian attack shuts Russia's Orsk refinery for months
Thursday 13 August 2026 21:00 , Daniel KeaneAn oil refinery in the Russian city of Orsk that was hit by a Ukrainian drone strike two days ago has been forced to shut down completely, and repairs could take up to six months, the regional governor said on Thursday.
"Shrapnel damaged key infrastructure that cannot currently be repaired. The equipment is imported, and due to sanctions, repairs could take up to six months. The plant has completely shut down," Yevgeny Solntsev, governor of the surrounding Orenburg region, posted on social media.
"We are preparing for a worst-case scenario and will have to rely on fuel supplies brought in from outside the region."
Ukraine destroys missile system protecting Putin’s $1bn Black Sea palace
Thursday 13 August 2026 20:00 , Daniel KeaneUkraine is destroying air defence systems near Russian president Vladimir Putin’s $1bn palace on the Black Sea coast, according to reports.
Two attacks over the last week have targeted military assets in Gelendzhik, around 12 miles from the Russian leader’s holiday home.
On 7 August, Ukrainian drone attacks struck Volna Kupol Garant, Russian electronic warfare equipment designed to jam Starlink communications over an area of 20 sq m, The Moscow Times reports.
On Sunday, a further strike was launched on an S-400 anti-aircraft missile system and launch pad just 500m away from the previous attack.
Pictured: Ukrainian firefighters run for their lives as Russian drones attack trucks
Thursday 13 August 2026 19:00 , Daniel KeaneRussia attacks Ukrainian port on Danube
Thursday 13 August 2026 18:00 , Daniel KeaneRussia struck Ukraine's largest grain export port on the Danube on Thursday, causing damage and starting a fire, authorities said.
The port of Izmail, near the Romanian border in Ukraine's southern region of Odesa, handles exports of grain and other commodities.
Izmail regional state administration said on Telegram the overnight strikes had damaged port infrastructure and taken out power in the southeast of the city.
Five killed while defusing bomb in Russia-controlled Crimea, say authorities
Thursday 13 August 2026 17:00 , Alex CroftFive people were killed while trying to defuse an explosive device in Sevastopol, the largest city in Russian-controlled Crimea, regional governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said on Thursday.
He said four emergency service bomb disposal specialists and a security guard were carrying out clearance work following a Ukrainian drone attack on the city when the explosion occurred.
Both sides have stepped up air attacks in the fifth year of the full-scale war that Russia launched in 2022.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defence units shot down or intercepted 362 Ukrainian drones overnight across a number of Russian and Russian-controlled regions, including Crimea, which Moscow seized and annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
With Reuters
Russia hands over bodies of 261 Ukrainian soldiers
Thursday 13 August 2026 16:30 , Alex CroftRussia has handed over the bodies of 261 Ukrainian soldiers and received 24 of its own war dead in return, Russian outlet RBC reported on Thursday, citing a senior Russian lawmaker.
The two sides have carried out such exchanges at intervals throughout the 4-and-a-half year war.
Moscow claims it has seized village in Donetsk
Thursday 13 August 2026 16:01 , Alex CroftMoscow has claimed that its forces have seized control of the village of Petrivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
The Independent has not yet independently verified the report.
In pictures: Wildberries online retailer facility struck 1,300km deep inside Russia
Thursday 13 August 2026 15:30 , Alex Croft
Kyiv confirms strike on oil and petrochemical complex in Bashkortostan
Thursday 13 August 2026 15:00 , Alex CroftUkraine's military struck an oil refinery and petrochemical complex in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan, causing a fire, the Ukrainian General Staff said on Thursday.
We earlier reported that Russian authorities said Ukraine had attacked an industrial area in Russia’s Bashkortostan region.
It said on the Telegram app that the complex was located about 1,300 km (808 miles) from the Ukrainian border and was involved in supplying fuel to the Russian troops.
Wildberries, the online retailer that Kyiv has been targeted in a drone campaign which aims at “bringing the war home” to ordinary Russians, also confirmed that one if its facilities in the region was set on fire by the attack.
Ukraine’s Izmail port infrastructure on fire after Russian attack, local authorities say
Thursday 13 August 2026 14:31 , Alex CroftRussia launched an overnight attack on Ukraine’s Danube port city of Izmail in the southern Odesa region, sparking fires and damaging port infrastructure, local authorities said on Thursday.
The strike hit the port area, according to officials posting on Telegram.
Located near Ukraine’s border with Romania, Izmail is home to the country’s largest Danube River port and serves as a key export hub for grain and other commodities.
