A Ukrainian drone attack has hit 600 miles deep inside Russia on Monday, according to local authorities.
The strikes hit both industrial and civilian infrastructure in the city of Nizhnekamsk that is around 680 miles from the Ukrainian border and the Taneco oil refinery in the Tatarstan region, which is 497 miles east of Moscow.
Ukraine’s military confirmed the attack on the refinery but is yet to comment on the reported strikes in Nizhnekamsk.
At least 13 people have been killed in the attack including one child with over 75 injured, according to Russian authorities.
A period of mourning has been declared in the region, according to the mayor of Nizhnekamsk, Radmir Belayev, in a post on Telegram.
It comes as Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky claimed North Korea was preparing to deploy as many as 50,000 soldiers to support Russia's war effort.
Zelensky said North Korea would benefit from "experience in modern warfare" as well as receiving licences to produce more advanced Russian technology.
Earlier, UK defence secretary Wes Streeting urged allies to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences ahead of winter, warning that Vladimir Putin will seek to use the colder months as a “weapon” against Kyiv.
Read MoreWhy Ukraine is targeting Russia’s ‘Amazon’ Wildberries with major strikes
Ukraine are hitting deep inside Russia – but don’t expect Putin to capitulate yet
Royal Navy warns of 25% surge in Russian ships near UK waters
Key Points
- WHO warehouse destroyed in Dnipro, Tedros says
- Zelensky says up to 50,000 North Korean troops to be deployed in Russia
- War entering a ‘new phase’, military analyst says
- Six die in Ukrainian drone attack on Belgorod, Russian authorities say
- Russia says it captures two villages in eastern Ukraine
In pictures: Ukrainian drone attack hits Taneco oil refinery
13:50 , Maira ButtSmoke rises from an oil refinery after what authorities said was a Ukrainian drone attack, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan Region, Russia, on Monday, in this still image obtained from a social media video.
Fire breaks out in Russia's Tyumen region after attempted drone attack
13:23 , Maira ButtA fire has broken out in an industrial facility in Russia’s Tyumen region after several drones fell on it, according to regional governor Alexander Moor in a statement on Telegram.
Ukraine kills 12 in drone strikes on Russian city of Nizhnekamsk, mayor says
11:00 , Shweta SharmaAt least 12 people were killed and 39 injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on industrial and civilian targets in Nizhnekamsk in Russia’s Tatarstan region, the city’s mayor, Radmir Belyayev, said on Monday.
The attack hit the region’s oil refinery, one of Russia’s most technologically advanced, according to Russian media reports.
Unverified videos posted on social media showed smoke rising over what appeared to be an oil refinery.
Tatneft’s TANECO refinery, which was also targeted by Ukraine in early June, processed 17 million tonnes of crude oil in 2024, producing 2.7 million tonnes of gasoline and 8.5 million tonnes of diesel fuel.
Tatarstan head Rustam Minnikhanov has declared a period of mourning following the attack, Belyayev said.
Ukraine has stepped up strikes on Russian oil refineries in recent months as part of a campaign that has contributed to fuel shortages in parts of Russia, although Russian authorities say most of the initial problems have since been resolved.
Ukraine are hitting deep inside Russia – but don’t expect Putin to capitulate yet
10:30 , Shweta SharmaRussia’s war on Ukraine has entered its latest phase, with each side making use of increasing numbers of long-range munitions to strike deep into the other’s territory.
In the early summer of this year, there was a surge of optimism across the media when it became clear that Ukraine was stepping up its strikes at enormous ranges into Russia, and there was little that Moscow could do about it.
But that optimism needs to be balanced against the new reality that with anti-missile interceptor systems exhausted, there is not much Ukraine itself can do to blunt Russian missile attacks.
For now, those attacks sow misery and death by blasting residential areas with little warning: but next winter, they could once again target heating and power infrastructure and have an even more devastating effect on Ukraine’s ability to keep its people alive than last year.
Read our full report here.
Ukraine are hitting deep inside Russia – but don’t expect Putin to capitulate
Germany warns of daily 'hybrid warfare' after suspected drone attack
10:00 , Shweta SharmaGermany faces daily hybrid warfare attacks from abroad, interior minister Alexander Dobrindt was quoted by a local newspaper as saying on Sunday, following a suspected attack attempt involving an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport.
Dobrindt told the newspaper Bild am Sonntag that foreign powers wanted to subdue Germany politically and socially by stirring up fear. The newspaper Bild said the government planned to boost Germany's anti-drone capacity to meet the threat.
"We're not at war, but we are the daily target of hybrid warfare," Dobrindt said. "Espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks, or covert operations by foreign powers aimed at destabilising Germany or inflicting direct harm are a constant reality."
After the drone loaded with explosives was discovered at the airport in eastern Germany on Tuesday, some German lawmakers pointed the finger at Russia, which has been at war with Ukraine since its military invasion of the country in 2022.
The Russian embassy in Berlin on Friday dismissed the Leipzig event as a "fabricated provocation", saying it was another example of unsubstantiated accusations against Russia.
Citing government sources, Bild said Dobrindt's ministry wanted to double Germany's federal team of anti-drone experts to 300 from 150 and its network of related bases to eight from four. The ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Germany's armed forces on Saturday said two drones were spotted late on Thursday over a German military base site in Mechernich, in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Royal Navy warns of 25% surge in Russian ships near UK waters
09:30 , Shweta SharmaThe Royal Navy has warned of a significant increase in Russian naval activity near UK waters, having spent 21 days in July monitoring Moscow's vessels.
Naval operations to track Russian ships surged by 25 per cent in July compared to last year, with warships repeatedly traversing the Dover Strait and North Sea.
Read more here.
Royal Navy warns of 25% surge in Russian ships near UK waters
What are Patriot missiles and why do they matter?
09:00 , Shweta SharmaUkraine is urgently seeking more Patriot interceptors to defend against a nightly barrage of Russian ballistic missile strikes.
But the Iran war has drained arsenals in the US and the Gulf, and some European countries are holding onto missiles they may need for their own defence
So what are the Patriot interceptor missiles?
Patriot, short for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a mobile surface-to-air missile defence system built by US weapons maker Raytheon Technologies that can be used in all kinds of weather and at long range.
Developed in the 1980s, the Patriot system has been modernised over the past decades, expanding its capabilities and reach. It is slated to remain in service through 2048.
A Patriot missile battery
A typical battery includes radar and control systems, a power unit, launchers, and support vehicles. The system can intercept aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, depending on the interceptor used.
The earlier PAC-2 interceptor uses a blast-fragmentation warhead that detonates in the vicinity of a target, while the PAC-3 family of missiles uses more accurate "hit-to-kill" technology to physically collide with the target.
Why do they matter?
Kyiv has repeatedly asked Western allies for more air defences to protect critical infrastructure and civilian areas from frequent Russian missile and drone attacks.
While effective at intercepting missiles and aircraft, Patriots are a costly way to shoot down low-budget drones. Patriot interceptors are estimated at around $4m per missile, CSIS says, while Russia can send hundreds of cheap drones a day.
Although not originally designed to intercept hypersonic weapons, in May 2023 the US confirmed Ukraine had used the Patriot system to shoot down a Russian Kinzhal missile, which Moscow claims is hypersonic.
What are the obstacles?
Russia has long said that giving Ukraine interceptors would amount to a direct escalation. They said it would delay the chance of peace.
But Donald Trump’s main line of argument is that the US needs its weapons and cannot afford to give them away to Ukraine. Indeed, the Patriots have been in short supply since the US went to war with Iran in February.
Trump in July offered Ukraine the right to make its own Patriot interceptors, but later reneged, saying the US has “not agreed” to such an arrangement.
Russia says air defences intercepted 285 Ukrainian drones over 12-hour period
08:30 , Shweta SharmaRussia’s defence ministry said on Sunday that its air defence units had intercepted and destroyed 285 Ukrainian drones over a 12-hour period.
The ministry said the drones were downed between 8am and 8pm Moscow time (0500-1700 GMT), with most incidents reported over central and western Russian regions. The attacks also included Bashkortostan, a region between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that air defence units had destroyed five drones heading towards the capital, where such attacks have become a regular occurrence during the more than four-year war between Russia and Ukraine.
Pictures show street market in Kyiv
08:00 , Shweta SharmaStreet markets continue to operate in Ukraine despite the destruction and disruption caused by Russia’s war.
The market was damaged in the latest attacks as Russia continues its strikes across Ukraine.
Several killed after Ukrainian drone strike in Russia's Tatarstan, mayor claims
07:16 , Shweta SharmaUkrainian drones have carried out a deadly drone attack on industrial and civilian targets in the city of Nizhnekamsk in Russia's Tatarstan region which killed a number of people, Radmir Belyayev, the city's mayor said in a statement on Telegram.
Nizhnekamsk hosts a major oil refinery.
According to monitoring channels, Ukrainian forces launched strikes on a Russian oil refinery in Tatarstan overnight on Monday.
Eyewitnesses posted footage showing drones flying over the Russian city of Nizhnekamsk.
Ukraine accuses Unicef of failing to hold Russia accountable for children's deaths
07:08 , Shweta SharmaThe Ukrainian foreign minister has criticised Unicef for failing to condemn Russia over the deaths of children in Ukraine.
In the statement last week at the UN, Unicef called for Russia and Ukraine to follow obligations under international humanitarian law, but did not mention that Russia was behind deadly strikes that killed Ukrainian children in recent days.
It also did not recognise Russia's responsibility for starting its war against Ukraine.
"It is deeply deplorable that Unicef missed the essential point in its statement: All these children's deaths are a direct result of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. By presenting these casualties without this essential context, Unicef creates a false equivalence between the aggressor and the victim," Andrii Sybiha said in a post to X.
"Moreover, Unicef’s statement lacks basic fact-checking. It failed to mention that the casualties in Russia's Krasnodar were caused by a drone reportedly intercepted by Russian air defence. It also failed to verify the information on casualties in Ukraine: seven, not three, children from one family were killed in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast”, Sybiha said.
Six die in Ukrainian drone attack on Belgorod, Russian authorities say
06:29 , Shweta SharmaSix people died in a Ukrainian overnight drone attack on the Russian city of Belgorod, the regional crisis centre said on Sunday.
Alexander Shuvayev, the acting governor of Belgorod region, earlier said three people were killed and 25 others, including two children, were injured.
The death toll later rose to six after officials said emergency crews combed an apartment building which had been set ablaze.
Shuvayev said the attack sparked fires in two apartment buildings and a large number of residential and non-residential buildings were damaged.
Russia's defence ministry said it had destroyed more than 150 Ukrainian drones over the European part of the country, as well as over Crimea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
In Novorossiysk, a major Russian export port on the Black Sea, drone debris fell on two facilities, local mayor Andrei Kravchenko said, without identifying the sites.
The local crisis centre later said three residential buildings were damaged and one person was injured.
In Bashkortostan region, a Ukrainian drone struck a building under construction and a crane in the city of Ufa, state-run RIA news agency reported, citing local emergency services
WHO warehouse destroyed in Dnipro, Tedros says
05:51 , Shweta SharmaA WHO humanitarian warehouse in Dnipro, Ukraine, was struck and destroyed last Friday, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.No casualties were reported.
A WHO staff member and drivers had left the site earlier in the day after helping evacuate 130 of around 300 pallets of medical supplies intended for frontline health facilities.
“I cannot say loudly enough: attacks on health care must stop. Otherwise, people are deprived of lifesaving healthcare,” Mr Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted.
“Even wars have rules. One of those is that health must be protected!”
Russia says it captures two villages in eastern Ukraine
05:19 , Shweta SharmaRussian forces have taken control of two villages in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, the state-run RIA news agency reported on Sunday, citing the Russian defence ministry.
The ministry report on Telegram said Russian forces had seized Vasyutinske, a few kilometres east of the "fortress city" of Kramatorsk, and Toretsk, southwest of the city of Druzhkivka.
Ukrainian forces made no acknowledgement of the two settlements changing hands.
Russia is slowly advancing westward through Donetsk region, though there has been little significant change for months in the positions along the 1,200km (775mile) frontline.
The Ukrainian war blog DeepState, which uses open source reports in documenting the frontline positions of both sides, reported that Russian forces had made advances near Illinivka -- outside the contested city of Kostiantynivka.
It also reported Russian advances near Chasiv Yar, to the west of the city of Bakhmut, which fell to Russian forces in 2023 after long months of heavy fighting.
The Ukrainian military's General Staff, in a late evening report, said Kyiv's forces had repelled 24 attacks around Kostiantynivka, Illinivka and other centres.
Russian commanders said last month their forces had seized Kostiantynivka, but Ukrainian officials have disputed the claim.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in his nightly video address on Sunday made no reference to changes in frontline positions, but singled out for praise Ukrainian forces fighting in specific areas, notably Dobropillia, Kostiantynivka and Kramatorsk.
War entering a ‘new phase’, military analyst says
05:00 , James ReynoldsMilitary analyst Michael Clarke has said that the war is entering a “new phase”.
While Russia is making “incremental progress” and Ukraine is “hitting back locally”, he described the advances as “snail’s pace stuff”.
Speaking to Sky News, he said that the two countries are “hurting each other now to a degree that is going to push it to some sort of crisis”.
“Russia has a much greater capacity to be hurt because it hasn’t been hurt very much so far as a society.”
He said that Kyiv is “poking the bear in the eye” by escalating attacks and said that it is a “dangerous assumption” to expect Moscow to back down.
Clarke said that Putin’s “next best option” may be to “frighten” Ukraine’s European allies into reducing their support for Kyiv.
'Frightened and disorientated' cat found in ruins of Kharkiv flats
04:45 , Shweta SharmaEmergency workers responding to a Russian attack on a Kharkiv tower block found a frightened cat from the rubble.
Rescue workers were digging through the remains of the building to rescue residents when they found a cat inside the rubble and rescued it.
Ukraine's state emergency service said “Barney” was found "frightened and disorientated, alone amidst the ruins".
The male cat was carefully rescued and his owner was on her way to pick up her cat, the spokesperson said.
"Behind the rubble – someone's life, and we cherish each one."
Two people were killed and 16 were injured in the strike in Ukraine's second-largest city, authorities said on Sunday.
Ukraine's Zelensky says up to 50,000 North Korean troops to be deployed in Russia
04:16 , Shweta SharmaVolodymyr Zelensky has said up to 50,000 North Korean soldiers will be deployed in Russia to fight for Pyongyang's ally, while calling on South Korea to provide support for its air defence.
Zelensky said on X on Saturday that "a decision has been made for 30,000 to 50,000 North Koreans to be deployed on the territory of Russia", a higher figure than his estimate of 30,000 in July.
He did not elaborate on how he obtained the information. He said Kyiv had found some North Korean missiles in Ukraine's territory, without disclosing their locations.
"It is absolutely clear that North Korea will continue to build its experience in modern warfare, receive licences from Russia, and receive all kinds of military tools from them," he said.
Urging Seoul to have closer cooperation with Kyiv, Zelensky said that Ukraine "would very much like to receive support from South Korea in an area where we have a shortage", referring to its air defence systems.
"We are ready to work on the Drone Deal and other areas as well," he said, adding that Ukrainian diplomats "are in contact" with Seoul to push potential deals.
North Korea has so far sent an estimated 14,000 soldiers to Russia's Kursk Region in 2024, helping Moscow beat back a major incursion into the region by Ukrainian forces.
The latest:Kyiv unleashes wave of nearly 300 drones in 12 hours, says Moscow
04:00 , James ReynoldsRussian air defences engaged and shot down 285 Ukrainian drones in the space of just 12 hours, according to Russia’s defence ministry as Kyiv steps up its cross border assaults.
The ministry said that the drones were downed between 8am and 8pm Moscow time, with incidents mostly occurring in the central and western regions of Russia.
They also included the region of Bashkortostan, between the Volga River and the Ural mountains, they added.
The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, wrote on Telegram that air defence units had destroyed five drones headed for the capital, a regular occurrence in recent months.
Five injured in Russia's bomb strikes in Sumy
03:51 , Shweta SharmaRussian bomb strikes on Ukraine's northern city of Sumy injured at least five people overnight, regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said on the Telegram messaging app on Monday, flagging damage in a number of residential areas.
Russian forces launched five strikes on the city using guided aerial bombs.
What are Patriot missiles and why do they matter?
03:00 , James ReynoldsUkraine is urgently seeking more Patriot interceptors to defend against a nightly barrage of Russian ballistic missile strikes.
But the Iran war has drained arsenals in the US and the Gulf, and some European countries are holding onto missiles they may need for their own defense.
So what are the Patriot interceptor missiles?
Patriot, short for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a mobile surface-to-air missile defense system built by US weapons maker Raytheon Technologies that can be used in all kinds of weather and at long range.
Developed in the 1980s, the Patriot system has been modernized over the past decades, expanding its capabilities and reach. It is slated to remain in service through 2048.
A typical battery includes radar and control systems, a power unit, launchers, and support vehicles. The system can intercept aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, depending on the interceptor used.
The earlier PAC-2 interceptor uses a blast-fragmentation warhead that detonates in the vicinity of a target, while the PAC-3 family of missiles uses more accurate "hit-to-kill" technology to physically collide with the target.
Why do they matter?
Kyiv has repeatedly asked Western allies for more air defences to protect critical infrastructure and civilian areas from frequent Russian missile and drone attacks.
While effective at intercepting missiles and aircraft, Patriots are a costly way to shoot down low-budget drones. Patriot interceptors are estimated at around $4 million per missile, CSIS says, while Russia can send hundreds of cheap drones a day.
Although not originally designed to intercept hypersonic weapons, in May 2023 the US confirmed Ukraine had used the Patriot system to shoot down a Russian Kinzhal missile, which Moscow claims is hypersonic.
What are the obstacles?
Russia has long said that giving Ukraine interceptors would amount to a direct escalation. They said it would delay the chance of peace.
But Donald Trump’s main line of argument is that the US needs its weapons and cannot afford to give them away to Ukraine. Indeed, the Patriots have been in short supply since the US went to war with Iran in February.
Trump in July offered Ukraine the right to make its own Patriot interceptors, but later reneged, saying the US has “not agreed” to such an arrangement.
Catch up: Bulgaria's PM says drone explodes near gas pipeline close to Romanian border
02:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA drone entered Bulgarian airspace on Saturday and exploded close to an international gas pipeline shortly after crossing the border from Romania.
Bulgaria’s prime minister Rumen Radev said the drone exploded just after 5 a.m. about 100 meters (330 feet) inside Bulgarian territory.
It was not detected or identified while flying through either Romanian or Bulgarian airspace.
“There are no casualties or damage to buildings. The area has been cordoned off. We continue to monitor the situation,” Radev said following a government emergency meeting.
Radev said the unmanned aerial vehicle exploded around 200 meters from a Romanian compressor station, and about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from Bulgaria’s compressor station on the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and strengthen surveillance. Following this incident, we will also redeploy border police anti-drone detection and countermeasure capabilities from the border with Turkey to the border with Romania,” Radev said.
It was unclear where the drone had originated or whether it was linked to Russia or Ukraine.
Passage of ships to Black Sea continues smoothly, Turkish officials say
01:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainShips are passing smoothly through the Turkish straits to the Black Sea despite heightened concerns about safety, two Turkish government officials told Reuters on Sunday.
On Saturday, Bloomberg News reported that Ankara had restricted commercial ship traffic entering the Black Sea following attacks on vessels there, including Turkish-owned ships.
Turkey has issued repeated warnings to Moscow and Kyiv over the attacks in the Black Sea, urging the warring sides to take measures to ensure navigational safety in the area.
On Saturday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara had conveyed to Moscow and Kyiv they should declare a moratorium on their attacks in the Black Sea.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Turkey had implemented some temporary measures because it had been highly uncomfortable about security for some time, but that passage was clear under the conditions of the Montreux Convention. They did not give further detail.
Monday 10 August 2026 00:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainJapan issues ominous warning as China, Russia and North Korea deepen ties
Sunday 9 August 2026 23:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe security environment around Japan has become as severe and complex as it has ever been since the end of theSecond World War, the country’s latest defence report said, as it warned against growing defence coordination between Russia, North Korea and China.
The assessment, outlined in Japan's 2026 Defence White Paper, warned that "the possibility of serious situations" capable of shaking the post-war international order in East Asia "cannot be ruled out".
It added that a crisis similar to Russia's invasion of Ukraine could emerge in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in East Asia.
Japan issues ominous warning as China, Russia and North Korea deepen ties
The real worry for Ukraine’s allies as beach strike on Russian civilians marks a shift in the war
Sunday 9 August 2026 22:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainKyiv has not yet acknowledged killing Russian civilians on a Black Sea beach, but as it strikes deeper at Moscow, these tragedies will multiply – and that’s not the only worry, explains world affairs editor Sam Kiley:
The gentle splash of breaking waves on a resort beach and the laughter of children having innocent fun gives way to the screech and crack of an explosion. Seven people dead – three of them are children.
This was the scene on Monday in the Russian Black Sea town of Gelendzhik where, even if every adult killed and all 40 of those injured were wide-eyed fans of Vladimir Putin and part of his war machine, the children were innocent.
It was the sort of attack that, if carried out by Russia against Ukraine, would have sparked international outrage and allegations of war crimes by targeting civilian areas.
The real worry for Ukraine’s allies as beach strike on civilians marks shift in war
Syria to reorganise Russian military bases into joint training camps
Sunday 9 August 2026 21:28 , James ReynoldsAfter 18 months of deliberation, the Syrian government that displaced Russian ally Bashar Al Assad in December 2024 has decided that it will reorganise Moscow’s key bases in its territory into joint training centres.
Syria’s state news agency SANA reports that a memorandum of understanding was reached between the two nations following months of high-stakes negotiations.
The sites, including the leased naval base in Tartus, on the Mediterranean, are Russia's only military bases outside the former USSR.
Under the new deal, Syria will take over the civilian facilities at the bases, including the commercial docks at Tartus and the Khmeimim airport.
Military facilities, meanwhile, will be converted into joint training sites and qualification centers "aimed at safeguarding the interests of both countries," SANA said, quoting the Syrian foreign ministry.
The ministry said the deal “opens the way for a new phase in Syrian-Russian relations”. Moscow is still believed to be hosting ousted leader Bashar Al Assad after he fled Syria in 2024.
