Nato fighter jets were scrambled in eastern Europe early on Tuesday, as Russia launched a fresh aerial attack on Ukraine that killed at least nine people in the Kyiv region.
The alliance’s Baltic air policing mission said it was responding and Finland and Latvia restricted air and maritime traffic close to Russia as the attack on Ukraine unfolded.
Border crossings into Romania were also affected as Russia targeted Ukraine's Izmail region.
Russia's latest aerial attack involved both missiles and drones, wounding over a dozen people in the war-hit nation.
Kyiv targeted Moscow in its response, with the capital’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, saying more than a dozen drones were shot down as they headed for the Russian capital.
In Russia's northwestern Leningrad region, home to major export ports, officials said Russian air forces were shooting at drones.
This is despite Volodymyr Zelensky’s message last night that said he held a “detailed and constructive” call with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to agree on dates for their visit to Kyiv for peace talks.
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Key Points
- Four killed and over a dozen injured as Russia strikes Kyiv region for sixth successive day
- Nato activates fighter jets in Latvia and Finland amid Russia's major aerial barrage
- Bessent told Russian minister no economic relief until Ukraine war ends
- Drones shot down in Moscow
- ICYMI: Russian strikes destroy 12 million books before Ukrainians return to school
Russia believes moratorium on Black Sea attacks will not bring peace closer - deputy foreign minister
08:31 , Alex CroftMoscow believes that a moratorium on Black Sea attacks will not bring a peace agreement for the Ukraine war any closer, deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko has said according to the Interfax news agency.
The Black Sea, a vital grain trading route, has seen Russia and Ukraine pounding each other’s export terminals and grain-carrying vessels, posing a significant threat to the grain-carrying corridors.
Turkey's foreign minister Hakan Fidan said on 31 August that Ankara had prepared a plan for the safe passage of grain and was working on an agreement similar to the 2022 grain deal to allow safe exports - but Grushko’s comments have cast doubt over whether Russia will accept this.
In pictures: Nine killed in sixth consecutive day of strikes on Kyiv
08:16 , Alex Croft
Russia targets port infrastructure in Ukraine, says emergency service
07:59 , Alex CroftRussian strikes targeted port infrastructure in Ukraine's southern Black Sea region of Odesa, Ukraine's emergency service said on Tuesday.
It described the attack as “massive” in its latest update on Telegram.
“The building of a sewing shop was damaged. In the Odessa district, a residential building caught fire, unfortunately, one person was injured.
“Russia also attacked one of the checkpoints in the region. A fire also broke out there, which rescuers were involved in extinguishing.”
Civilian killed in Ukrainian attack on Belgorod, says acting governor
07:42 , Alex CroftOne civilian was killed in a Ukrainian attack on Russia's Belgorod region, acting governor Alexander Shuvayev said on Tuesday.
The Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine’s northeastern regions of Kharkiv, Sumy and Luhansk, has repeatedly come under attack by Ukrainian forces.
We’ll bring you more on the strike as it comes in.
In Focus | How Ukraine is trying to beat Russia at its own game with massive drone strike campaign
07:27 , Alex CroftIn 2023, a year into Russia’s unprecedented invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv was producing around 800,000 drones a year. By 2024, that number had more than doubled to two million.
Fast forward to last month – when President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the country was now churning out more than 10 million units annually with plans to double that number to 20 million by this time next year.
The rapid rate and intensity of production is having an impact. Just this week, Russian president Vladimir Putin was forced to acknowledge that attacks on the country’s refineries and energy infrastructure were having an effect.
“There are no critical consequences from such attacks, there have not been and cannot be,” he told a conference of business and economy leaders, trying to downplay their scale.
However, he added: “But they certainly cause us harm, that is obvious, and we understand, see and know this.”
Maira Butt reports:
How Ukraine is trying to beat Russia at its own game with massive drone strikes
China won't allow Russia to use nuclear weapons, says Finland's Stubb
07:09 , Arpan RaiFinland’s president Alexander Stubb said he is aware of private assurances from China that it would not allow Russia to use nuclear weapons.
On being asked whether Russia could resort to using nuclear weapons, Stubb said: “I had the foreign minister of China visiting me this summer, and I raised the issue.
“And he said, we will never allow it to happen. And I think that’s a pretty good deterrence,” he told Paul Ronzheimer of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network.
Russian strikes destroy millions of school books for Ukrainian children
06:40 , Arpan RaiRussian attacks on Ukraine this year have destroyed about a million textbooks in strikes on publishing houses, officials in Kyiv said.
Classes were due to resume at Ukrainian schools today, but it is not immediately clear whether maybe parents would be willing to send their children in. Schools have air raid shelters, and classes can also be held online.
The destruction of textbooks has potentially delayed deliveries for the start of the school year, Ukraine’s education ministry said.
A plant on the outskirts of Kyiv destroyed this week was in the process of delivering 1.3 million copies of textbooks, almost 10 per cent of the country’s supply, local media reported.
Death toll rises to nine in Ukraine as Russia says it hit military and energy sites
06:10 , Arpan RaiAt least nine people were killed and over a dozen injured in Russian air attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region this morning, authorities said, in the sixth consecutive day of strikes on the Ukrainian capital.
The Russian defence ministry said its forces hit military and energy facilities in Ukraine's Kyiv and Odesa, as well as the regions surrounding these cities.
Moscow’s claim has not been verified. However, officials in Ukraine reported casualties including women and children from the overnight attacks.
Eight people were killed and another five wounded in Kyiv, three of them children, and fires broke out in different locations around the capital, emergency service said.
US irks Europe and G20 by inviting Russia to finance meeting
05:55 , Arpan RaiThe United States' move to welcome Russia back to a meeting of G20 countries while denying some journalists access to the gathering dismayed some finance leaders present, deflecting from its bid to focus talks on global economic growth.
As US treasury secretary Scott Bessent opened the meeting, some ministers were surprised and dismayed to see Russian finance minister Anton Siluanov sitting at the G20 table.
This is the first time Russia has attended the forum in person since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Polish finance minister Andrzej Domanski told Reuters he was unhappy to see Russia represented, although he recognised the right of G20 hosts to invite guests.
“We do not trust Russia. They lie constantly and you need to be really, really cautious while discussing with them,” he told Reuters in an interview, stressing that Russia was the aggressor in its conflict with Ukraine.
"So for me it would be very difficult to have any kind of conversation with Russia,” he said.
German finance minister Lars Klingbeil said Europe was preparing a further package of sanctions against Russia, but Siluanov's presence at the Asheville meeting sent a "quite troubling" signal for US cooperation with the effort.
“I would have wanted greater clarity from the American side that he should not be received here as a normal guest,” Klingbeil said.
Siluanov also held a bilateral meeting with Bessent that covered financial cooperation within the G20 framework, Russia's finance ministry said.
Drones hit Novokuibyshevsk in Russia's Samara region
05:42 , Arpan RaiDrones hit the town of Novokuibyshevsk in Russia's Samara region, blowing out windows in an apartment building, regional governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said.
Novokuibyshevsk and the surrounding area on the Volga River are home to a number of Russia's major oil refineries run by the state oil company Rosneft.
Putin and Xi discuss Ukraine at Kyrgyzstan meeting
05:37 , Arpan RaiVladimir Putin has discussed the war in Ukraine with Xi Jinping during a meeting in Kyrgyzstan on Monday.
The Kremlin issued a statement on Monday to say the Russian and Chinese leader touched upon the conflict in Ukraine, but added that it was not the main theme of their meeting.
The leaders met in Bishkek alongside their Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, for the annual two day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.
Watch: Russian FPV drone strike sparks high-rise fire as rescuers evacuate residents
05:27 , Arpan RaiEstonia says Nato ready to protect allied territory
04:43 , Arpan RaiNato is reacting swiftly and exactly as planned and the alliance is “vigilant and ready” to protect its territory, Estonian foreign minister Margus Tsahkna said on X, after Nato scrambled fighter jets following alerts.
The Nato Baltic air policing mission briefly activated jet fighters in Latvia, and Finland has restricted air and maritime traffic close to Russia, armed forces of both countries said separately on X.
Bessent told Russian minister no economic relief until Ukraine war ends
04:28 , Arpan RaiUS treasury secretary Scott Bessent has made clear to Russian finance minister Anton Siluanov that there will be no economic relief for Russia or agreements on other issues until its war in Ukraine ends, a source familiar with the ministers' bilateral meeting told Reuters.
Bessent met bilaterally with Siluanov on the sidelines of a G20 finance leaders meeting in Asheville, North Carolina.
The Russian finance minister's first in-person G20 appearance since Russia invaded Ukraine has irritated European officials who are working on more sanctions against Russia.
Earlier, a US official told Reuters the focus of the Bessent-Siluanov meeting was president Donald Trump's peace plan for Ukraine.
Russia's finance ministry said the two officials discussed financial cooperation within the G20 framework.
When Siluanov tried to discuss areas of mutual interest, the source said Bessent interrupted him and said "nothing is possible until the war is over."
The US imposed sanctions on Russia's oil majors in October 2025, but after the US-Israeli war against Iran cut off energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, Bessent issued licences allowing the sale of seaborne Russian oil stored in tankers to ease supplies, sending some funds to Moscow.
Drones shot down in Moscow
04:09 , Arpan RaiRussia's air force has shot down over a dozen drones heading towards Moscow, mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram.
Sobyanin’s preliminary update did not mention how many total drones have been fired in the Russian capital’s direction.
In Russia's Samara region, home to a number of major oil refineries some 800km (500 miles) southeast of Moscow, an air attack damaged civilian facilities, the local governor said on Telegram.
Nato activates fighter jets in Latvia and Finland amid Russia's major aerial barrage
04:00 , Arpan RaiThe Nato Baltic air policing mission has activated jet fighters in Latvia, and Finland has restricted air and maritime traffic close to Russia, armed forces of both countries said separately on X.
Massive strikes from Russia have already killed four in Ukraine in the early hours today and left over a dozen injured.
The aerial activity came as Russia's northwestern Leningrad region, home to major export ports, was shooting at drones.
Four killed and over a dozen injured as Russia strikes Kyiv region for sixth successive day
03:53 , Arpan RaiAt least four people were killed and over a dozen injured in Russian air attacks on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and the surrounding region in the early hours this morning, local authorities said, in what was the sixth day in a row of strikes on the area.
Explosions were heard in Kyiv, a Reuters witness said.
At least three people were killed and another five wounded, and a fire broke out in a non-residential area of the capital, city authorities said this morning.
In Boryspil in the Kyiv region, one person was killed and another nine, including a child, were injured after missiles and drones damaged an apartment building and a business facility, governor Tymur Tkachenko said on Telegram.
The attack marks the sixth day of attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region, disrupting the daily lives of millions of people.
Air raid alerts covered most of Ukraine's territory in the early hours of Tuesday.
Watch: Moment Putin launches nuclear-capable missile in warning to West
03:00 , Harriette BoucherICYMI: Russian strikes destroy 12 million books before Ukrainians return to school
02:00 , Harriette BoucherRussia has targeted Ukrainian printing presses and publishing houses in recent attacks, destroying more than 12 million books ahead of the first week back at school.
Around 1.5 million books were destroyed in attacks in July and 10 million in August, according to Pravda.
Recently, Russia also targeted a second-hand book market in Kyiv, destroying hundreds of stalls.
Viktoria Haida, the commercial director of the bombed Konvi publishing firm in Kyiv told BBC: “I believe it is deliberate on the part of the Russian Federation.
“Over the past two months, some of the largest publishing houses have lost their logistics warehouses, where very large quantities of books were stored.”
The woman making Ukraine safe from landmines amid a brutal war
01:00 , Harriette BoucherICYMI: Indian PM and Putin ally urges Russia to end war in Ukraine
Tuesday 1 September 2026 00:00 , Harriette BoucherIndia’s prime minister has urged ally Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, saying his country backed every peace effort, Russian media reported.
Narendra Modi met with his Russian counterpart on Monday in the Kyrgyzstan capital of Bishkek as part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are also attended the annual two-day summit, which kicked off on Monday.
The Kremlin issued a statement on Monday to say the Putin and Jinping touched upon the conflict in Ukraine, but added that it was not it the main theme of their meeting.
In focus: How Ukraine is trying to beat Russia at its own game with massive drone strike campaign
Monday 31 August 2026 23:00 , Harriette BoucherUkraine is striking deeper into the heart of Russia than ever before with swarms of drones that have led Russians into a panic. Experts say that Kyiv’s resourcefulness is a result of studying Moscow, Maira Butt reports:
How Ukraine is trying to beat Russia at its own game with massive drone strikes
Another town falls on Ukraine’s ‘fortress belt’ as Russia creeps closer
Monday 31 August 2026 22:00 , Harriette BoucherCharred vehicles line empty roads littered with the debris of destroyed buildings, while the thud of artillery fire gives way to the sharp, high-pitched hum of an attack drone.
This is today's reality in the eastern Ukrainian town of Druzhkivka, where a remnant of civilians live alongside troops fighting Russian forces who are now only 15 km (nine miles) away and steadily edging closer.
Widespread ruin of this nature is mirrored along the entire 1,200-km (746-mile) front line across the east and south. As Russian forces push ahead, apartment blocks, local markets and shops are flattened, rendering whole communities virtually uninhabitable.
"I can't sleep," said Iryna Litovchenko, one of a handful of civilians who have stayed. "Some guys took us in - strangers," added the 56-year-old, walking through broken glass and debris beside badly damaged buildings.
"My home is gone, as if it never existed. There were so many good things, so much of everything. In one fell swoop – boom — it's as if nothing's left."
Another town falls on Ukraine’s ‘fortress belt’ as Russia creeps closer
‘Where there were bombs, there are now sunflowers’: The woman ridding Ukraine of Russian mines
Monday 31 August 2026 21:00 , Harriette BoucherThe Independent’s Maira Butt writes:
Every morning, Antonina Kulhava wakes up to the whirr of Russian drones.
After checking local alerts to ensure her family and friends are safe, she commutes to her job as a humanitarian deminer at one of Ukraine’s many fields littered with bombs. Her team face grave danger as they comb through craters of mud left by missiles, in fields once tilled by farmers.
Ukraine is one of the world’s most heavily mined countries with between 20 to 25 per cent of its surface covered with potentially dangerous weapons. This amounts to more than 139,000 square kilometres of land, a size larger than England and Wales combined.
The existence of these mines is devastating for civilians, contributing to one of the world’s highest rates of civilian casualties. Children are among those at risk if the mines are not safely cleared.
“It’s an interesting and challenging job,” she tells The Independent.
Read more here:
The woman making Ukraine safe from landmines amid a brutal war
Russia says it will keep Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant supplied with diesel but external power must be restored
Monday 31 August 2026 20:00 , Harriette BoucherRussia's Rosatom state nuclear corporation said on Monday that its priority was to keep the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeast Ukraine supplied with diesel fuel in the absence of an external power source.
Alexei Likhachev, Rosatom's head, said in a statement that the situation at the plant was under full control as it was kept functioning on its backup diesel generators.
But he said such a situation could not go on indefinitely and that it was essential to restore external power lines.
He said he hoped that a local ceasefire could be arranged to pause fighting between Russia and Ukraine in order to carry out repairs to the Ferrosplavnaya-1 power line, which supplies electricity to the plant.
Musk opposed to letting Ukraine use Starlink to strike Russia - report
Monday 31 August 2026 19:00 , Harriette BoucherElon Musk is against allowing Ukraine to use his Starlink technology for strikes inside Russia, three sources familiar with the matter said.
The sources told Kyiv Independent that the billionaire does not believe it could bring an end to the war.
Ukraine has long sought for US approval to use drones equipped with Starlink systems to strike Russian targets and other reports have suggested that Mr Musk was considering the idea.
Volodymyr Zelensky urged Donald Trump for help to gain permission to use it at a meeting last month.
Turkey says it has plan to revive Black Sea Grain Initiative
Monday 31 August 2026 18:00 , Harriette BoucherTurkey says it has prepared a plan to safely transport grain from Ukraine through the Black Sea.
Foreign minister Hakan Fidan told a press conference that he was in contact with Russia and Ukraine about the plan.
Turkey has hoped to revive a UN-brokered deal that was launched in 2022 to get grain out of Ukraine during wartime.
“If the necessary conditions emerge, we are working in particular to achieve another agreement similar to the grain deal,” Mr Fidan said.
Turkey initially helped mediate the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2022 to allow the safe export of nearly 33 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, despite the war.
Russia withdrew from the agreement in 2023, complaining that its own food and fertiliser exports faced serious obstacles.
Russia's jet-powered drones bring empty Kyiv supermarket shelves and rattle Ukrainians
Monday 31 August 2026 17:00 , Harriette BoucherRussian forces relentlessly battered Kyiv and cities in the region around the Ukrainian capital for a fifth straight day Monday, leaving some supermarket shelves bare after repeated strikes on warehouses as Ukraine reels from attacks with jet-powered drones.
Russia has intensified its aerial attacks in recent months, more than four years after it invaded its neighbor. Almost constant air raid alerts in the Kyiv region in recent days have severely disrupted daily routines. Two major attacks in July killed almost 50 civilians, and a strike on Saturday killed at least 38 people.
Classes were due to resume at Ukrainian schools on Tuesday, but it was unclear whether parents would send their children. Schools have air raid shelters, and classes can also be held online.
“Right now, Russia’s tactic is to wear down Ukraine and Ukrainians — first and foremost, our people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media late Sunday.
Ukraine has also tried to make Russian civilians feel the burden of war by hammering major online retailers and oil facilities. The attacks have brought shortages for ordinary Russians, though its strikes have not been as deadly for civilians.
Russia's jet-powered drones bring empty Kyiv supermarket shelves and rattle Ukrainians
Indian PM and Putin ally urges Russia to end war in Ukraine
Monday 31 August 2026 16:15 , Harriette BoucherIndia’s prime minister has urged ally Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, saying his country backed every peace effort, Russian media reported.
Narendra Modi met with his Russian counterpart on Monday in the Kyrgyzstan capital of Bishkek as part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are also attended the annual two-day summit, which kicked off on Monday.
Putin and Xi discuss Ukraine at Kyrgyzstan meeting
Monday 31 August 2026 15:30 , Harriette BoucherVladimir Putin has discussed the war in Ukraine with Xi Jinping during a meeting in Kyrgyzstan on Monday.
The Kremlin issued a statement on Monday to say the Russian and Chinese leader touched upon the conflict in Ukraine, but added that it was not it the main theme of their meeting.
The leaders met in Bishkek alongside their Indian counteprart, Narendra Modi, and Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, for the annual two day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.
EU naval forces board sixth suspected Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker
Monday 31 August 2026 14:45 , Suha KidwaiEuropean Union naval forces have intercepted another suspect oil tanker, marking what EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas confirmed as the "sixth suspected shadow fleet vessel boarded by our EU operations in recent months."
Executed under maritime security missions like Operation IRINI and Operation ATALANTA, the high-seas boardings conduct "flag verification" checks on unflagged, falsely flagged, or uninsured vessels operating outside standard maritime law to skirt G7 price caps.
It is widely believed that Russia’s shadow fleet consists of hundreds of tankers, transporting crude oil off-grid to evade energy sanctions.
US coaches Polish forces in a drone-focused drill based on lessons from Ukraine
Monday 31 August 2026 14:00 , Harriette BoucherOn a moonless and rainy night, a group of soldiers emerged from a ramshackle building meant to resemble a church. The alpine terrain loomed over them as they quietly set off for the tree line of the German countryside a short distance away.
The soldiers are members of the Polish special forces and are taking part in an exercise designed only months ago that simulates moving through enemy lines, traversing miles of enemy territory and launching a drone strike on a key enemy location.
Initially designed by the Army's Green Berets for U.S. special forces, the exercise that began Friday is informed by and simulates many of the challenges that Ukrainian troops have experienced in their conflict with Russia. It is the first time a NATO ally like Poland has undertaken the training, and it comes at a time when tensions between Russian President Vladimir Putin and NATO countries have escalated.
“We’re using lessons learned from Ukraine,” an Army Green Beret officer assigned to the training complex said Thursday. “All of those effects that we’re seeing either Russia or Ukraine having to overcome — we’re doing our best to replicate.”
The Associated Press received rare access to both the training ground and the troops conducting the exercise, which has only been conducted twice before, both times this year, by two different Green Beret teams.
AP Exclusive: US coaches Polish forces in a drone-focused drill based on lessons from Ukraine
