Volodymyr Zelensky has mocked Vladimir Putin for his reliance on ally North Korea, saying Russia is no longer capable of waging its war on Ukraine alone.
The Ukrainian president said Russia used North Korean ballistic missiles in its strikes overnight, which killed six in Zaporizhzhia and another six in Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk, according to local authorities.
There were also explosions in Kyiv overnight, with reports of at least one person wounded.
“For the first time in its history, Russia cannot wage war without reinforcements from North Korea,” Zelensky said earlier in his overnight address.
He also issued a warning to countries in Asia, saying North Korea will present a “greater danger” to Japan, South Korea and the Philippines as it gains military experience, correcting any shortcomings in the process.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack killed one person in Russia's Voronezh region overnight, while falling debris triggered fires at a Wildberries warehouse, Alexander Gusev, the regional governor, and the company said on Tuesday.
Read MoreMoment Ukraine’s Black Forest Brigade destroys Russian air defence command centre
Russian Olympic champion who participated in pro-war rally denied visa for European Championships
Key Points
- Russia uses North Korean missiles in deadly overnight strikes, Zelensky says
- Russia claims to have captured two Ukrainian villages
- Russia preparing large strike campaign against energy infrastructure 'in coming weeks', says Kyiv
- Zelensky says Russia cannot wage war without North Korea's help
- Russian attack on Kyiv triggers fires, officials say
- Ukrainian MiG-29 aircraft lost after catching fire
UN expert says 95% of Ukrainian POWs faced torture or ill-treatment
17:01 , Alex CroftMore than 95 per cent of Ukrainian prisoners of war interviewed by the UN reported experiencing torture or ill-treatment, while more than half reported sexual violence.
The UN assistant secretary-general for human rights, Claudia Fuentes Julio, said her office had documented widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment of both Ukrainian POWs and civilian detainees by the Russian authorities, including sexual violence.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the UN human rights office has documented the execution of 129 Ukrainian prisoners of war at the beginning of their captivity and the deaths of 48 in custody, linked to torture, denial of medical care and other inhumane detention conditions.
The UN also documented severe beatings, electric shocks, dog attacks and mock executions.
Fuentes Julio said the UN had documented torture and ill-treatment of Russian and third-country prisoners of war held by Ukraine, but on a “fundamentally different scale”, with about half of those interviewed reporting abuse during the initial stages of captivity.
Watch: Ukrainian forces in France help extinguish forest fire
16:01 , Alex CroftZelensky says Russia cannot wage war without North Korea's help
15:29 , Stuti MishraVolodymyr Zelensky has mocked Vladimir Putin for his reliance on ally North Korea, saying that: "For the first time in its history, Russia cannot wage war without reinforcements from North Korea."
He said Russia was preparing to deploy an additional North Korean contingent on its territory and has also received additional ballistic missiles from North Korea.
“Everyone around the world must understand what this means. This is not only about the lives of people in Ukraine, and not only about the threats we face,” he said in his nightly address.
“North Korea’s ballistic missiles and other weapons are being improved through its collaboration with Russia.”
He also issued a warning to countries in Asia, saying North Korea will present a “greater danger” to Japan, South Korea and Philippines as it gains military experience, correcting any shortcomings in the process.
Russia preparing large strike campaign against energy infrastructure 'in coming weeks', says Kyiv
15:01 , Alex CroftUkraine is claiming that Russia is preparing a large-scale strike campaign against Kyiv’s energy infrastructure “over the coming weeks”, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
Moscow is preparing the major strike campaign ahead of Kyiv’s Independence Day on 24 August, Ukraine’s Strategic Communications Centre said, citing US intelligence.
Russia’s strategic reserve of ballistic missiles could be drawn on during the campaign, they reported.
Kyiv fears that Russia is planning to start its autumn and winter strikes on energy infrastructure earlier than they did in the 2025-2026 period.
Russia accelerates roll out of Starlink rival
14:15 , Stuti MishraRussia is ramping up the deployment of a satellite internet system that rivals SpaceX’s Starlink network, according to Ukrainian officials.
The Rassvet network, which beams high-speed broadband to people on the ground, currently has 16 satellites in operation but is expected to grow to a constellation of nearly 300 satellites by next year.
Starlink is banned in Russia but is widely used in Ukraine, where it has given Kyiv a major advantage in drone operations and battlefield communications.
Read more:
Russia accelerates roll out of Starlink rival
North Korea preparing to deploy another 50,000 soldiers to fight for Russia in Ukraine, Zelensky claims
13:30 , Stuti MishraNorth Korea is preparing to send as many as 50,000 soldiers to support Russia’s war against Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky claimed, a much bigger deployment than anything Pyongyang had committed thus far.
The Ukrainian president said Moscow and Pyongyang had agreed to station between 30,000 and 50,000 North Korean troops on Russian territory, an escalation from earlier deployments that he described as first hundreds and then thousands of men.
Read more:
North Korea to deploy 50,000 soldiers to Russia, Zelensky claims
Moment Ukraine’s Black Forest Brigade destroys Russian air defence command centre
13:00 , Shweta SharmaExplosive video footage purportedly shows the moment a Ukrainian drone destroyed a Russian military vehicle used to coordinate vital air defences.
Ukraine’s ‘Black Forest’ Reconnaissance Brigade claimed to have struck what it said was the command-and-staff vehicle for a Soviet-era S-300 surface-to-air missile system.
Video published on Sunday showed the moment of impact from above as a loitering drone hit the side of the truck with devastating effect, sending smoke billowing from the wreckage.
Moment Ukraine’s Black Forest Brigade destroys Russian air defence command centre
Ukraine says it hit huge Russian oil refinery
12:30 , Stuti MishraUkraine says it hit "one of the largest" oil refineries in Russia in Orenburg, located in the city of Orsk, around 1,500km from the frontline.
Regional governor Yevgeny Solntsev earlier confirmed a fire.
"Preliminary reports indicate no casualties. Emergency services are working at the scene," he wrote on Telegram. He said eight drones had been shot down.
Drone attack kills one in Russia's Voronezh region, triggers fire at Wildberries warehouse
12:10 , Stuti MishraA drone attack killed one person and injured two others in Russia's Voronezh region overnight, while falling debris triggered fires at a Wildberries warehouse, Alexander Gusev, the regional governor, and the company said.
Russia's air defence units destroyed 15 drones over the city of Voronezh and five districts of the region, he said on Telegram.
"A drone crash caused fires at two warehouses of a large company. At one facility, the fire has been contained to an area of 16,000 square meters, while at the other, a blaze covering 20,000 square meters is being extinguished. Emergency services are on scene," the governor said.
Earlier today, Russian online retailer Wildberries said its logistics facilities in the Voronezh region had been evacuated in accordance with safety requirements. It later said that the fire at the facility had been extinguished, that goods had not been damaged and that deliveries had been rerouted to other warehouses.
Russia claims to have captured two Ukrainian villages
11:51 , Stuti MishraRussia's defence ministry claims its forces have taken control of two settlements in Ukraine - Shcherbakivka in the Kharkiv region, and Nove Pole in the Zaporizhzhia region. The claims could not be independently verified.
Moscow also claimed to have captured another two villages in Donetsk on Sunday, naming them as Vasyutinske, a few kilometres east of the "fortress city" of Kramatorsk, and Toretsk, southwest of the city of Druzhkivka. Ukraine also made no acknowledgement of those claims, but confirmed fighting was ongoing in the region.
There has been little significant change for months in the positions along the 1,200-km (775-mile) frontline.
Ukrainian military says it attacked oil refinery in Russia's Orsk
11:30 , Shweta SharmaThe Ukrainian military said on Tuesday it attacked an oil refinery in Russia's Orsk.
Russia's defence ministry said that its forces had carried out overnight strikes on military-related transport and logistics centres in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and on a major iron and steel works it said was helping Ukraine's war effort in Zaporizhzhia.
Another Wildberries warehouse ablaze in Russia
11:30 , Shweta SharmaA drone attack killed one person and injured two others in Russia's Voronezh region overnight, while falling debris triggered fires at a Wildberries warehouse, Alexander Gusev, the regional governor, and the company said on Tuesday.
Russia's air defence units destroyed 15 drones over the city of Voronezh and five districts of the region, Gusev said on Telegram.
"A drone crash caused fires at two warehouses of a large company. At one facility, the fire has been contained to an area of 16,000 square meters, while at the other, a blaze covering 20,000 square meters is being extinguished. Emergency services are on scene," the governor said.
Russian online retailer Wildberries said its logistics facilities in the Voronezh region had been evacuated in accordance with safety requirements.
Wildberries is known as "Russia's Amazon".
It later said that the fire at the facility had been extinguished, that goods had not been damaged and that deliveries had been rerouted to other warehouses.
Death toll rises to six in Zaporizhzhia after Russian strikes
11:00 , Shweta SharmaRussian attacks killed six people and wounded 20 in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia early on Tuesday and also struck Kyiv, triggering fires in the capital, officials said, taking the death toll to 12 across Ukraine in the last 24 hours.
Zaporizhzhia regional governor Ivan Fedorov said Russian troops launched missiles and aerial bombs at the city.
Air raid alerts were sounded in both Zaporizhzhia and in Kyiv, where the capital's military administration said warehouses in a central district were ablaze. One person was reported injured.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said medical personnel had been dispatched to a central district.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, local authorities reported another six people were killed and 16 wounded overnight in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk.
Latest pictures from Kyiv show emergency workers tackling fire
10:30 , Shweta SharmaAir raid alerts were sounded in Kyiv, where the capital's military administration said warehouses in a central district were ablaze after Russian strikes.
Pictures showed emergency workers dousing fire at multiple places in Kyiv.
UN expert says 95% of Ukrainian POWs faced torture or ill-treatment
10:01 , Shweta SharmaMore than 95 per cent of Ukrainian prisoners of war interviewed by the UN reported experiencing torture or ill-treatment, while more than half reported sexual violence.
The UN assistant secretary-general for human rights, Claudia Fuentes Julio, said her office had documented widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment of both Ukrainian POWs and civilian detainees by the Russian authorities, including sexual violence.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the UN human rights office has documented the execution of 129 Ukrainian prisoners of war at the beginning of their captivity and the deaths of 48 in custody, linked to torture, denial of medical care and other inhumane detention conditions.
The UN also documented severe beatings, electric shocks, dog attacks and mock executions.
Fuentes Julio said the UN had documented torture and ill-treatment of Russian and third-country prisoners of war held by Ukraine, but on a “fundamentally different scale”, with about half of those interviewed reporting abuse during the initial stages of captivity.
Where have peace talks been left?
09:30 , Shweta SharmaPeace talks between Russia and Ukraine have been on hold since February, when the United States shifted focus to its new war in the Middle East.
Moscow and Kyiv walked away from talks in Geneva no closer to a deal, as Ukraine suggested the US was unfairly demanding Kyiv alone make concessions to end the war.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, said the last round of direct talks had been “difficult” and accused Russia of deliberately stalling, with the issue of territory still in dispute.
What does either side want?
Russia insists on its demands for Ukrainian territory and the withdrawal of forces from its borders.
Ukraine insists it needs clear security guarantees from allies to stop Russia reopening the conflict and says it cannot and will not give up territory sought by Russia.
The lands in the east include industry-heavy regions and Ukraine’s belt of ‘fortress cities’ to protect against invasion.
Will talks start again?
Volodymyr Zelensky said late in April that he was keen to meet with Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart, in an effort to restart negotiations.
While Ukraine claimed a string of wins on the ground, Zelensky warned that US attention on the war with Iran was soaking up resources and leaving Ukraine with critical shortages of air defences.
But the Kremlin said Putin would only meet Zelensky in Moscow for the purpose of finalising agreements on the conflict.
Turkey said it was making efforts to restart talks and bring together the leaders, after hosting delegations in July 2025.
Russia uses North Korean missiles in deadly overnight strikes, Zelensky says
09:19 , Shweta SharmaA missile strike damaged an infectious diseases hospital in Kyiv during overnight Russian attacks across Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelensky said, describing the strikes as calculated to inflict “maximum damage” on civilian infrastructure.
Zelensky said six people were killed and 19 wounded in strikes on the city of Zaporizhzhia, while more than 120 drones were used in attacks across Ukraine.
He said the city was targeted with North Korean ballistic missiles, Zircon missiles and guided aerial bombs, describing it as an attack “calculated to inflict maximum damage” on civilian infrastructure.
“In Kyiv, a missile strike damaged an infectious diseases hospital building and businesses. Drone terror continues virtually every day in our frontline communities,” he said.
“Every step Russia takes – increasing ballistic missile production, bringing in North Korean equipment, preparing for mobilisation – all of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation,” he added.
More than 300 places of detention identified in Russia and occupied Ukrainian territory, official says
09:00 , Shweta SharmaOleg Gushin of the Ukrainian government's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said Ukrainian prisoners were “killed and tortured” in detention during the UN Security Council meeting.
He said Kyiv had identified “more than 300 places of detention” in Russia and occupied Ukrainian territory and that while more than 9,000 Ukrainians had been returned through exchanges, “thousands” remained in Russian captivity.
First-hand testimonies were heard from former prisoners of war held by Russia.
A Ukrainian with a Cuban father, he said guards targeted him particularly because of his Latino name, accusing him of being "a mercenary and an American spy.”
Crimean Tatar activist Leniie Umerova, released in a prisoner exchange in 2024, said she was detained while trying to visit her seriously ill father in Crimea.
She described being moved through “seven detention facilities” in what she called “a carousel of repression” and accused Russia of using torture against Ukrainians in captivity.
Former Ukrainian detainees speak of systematic torture and sexual abuse in Russian prisons
08:30 , Shweta SharmaFormer Ukrainian detainees and Ukrainian officials accused Russia on Monday of systematically torturing prisoners of war and civilian detainees, holding captives incommunicado and subjecting them to beatings, electric shocks and sexual abuse, with thousands still in captivity.
Russia rejected the allegations made at an informal UN Security Council meeting, with its deputy UN representative Maria Zabolotskaya calling it “a disinformation campaign” and alleging that Russian prisoners in Ukraine were subjected to “torture and degradation and moral and physical abuse.”
Khuan Alberto Levya Garsiya, still an active member of the Ukrainian military, said his Russian captors subjected him to every imaginable form of torture during 1,183 days in captivity.
"Yes ... I was tortured," he told reporters after the UN meeting. "Anything you can think of that can be done hurtful, humiliating to a man, unwillingly. Anything that comes to your mind, not only verbal, physical abuse, daily beatings, electrocution, excessive, excessive exercises in freezing cold when it's minus degrees ... sexual abuse. Everything that can be applied to a person into making a person break mentally. It was all applied to me and most of my comrades."
Garsiya said he was lucky to survive but two of his friends were beaten to death in detention centres in the Donetsk region.
Prisoners were held in “overcrowded barracks without adequate conditions,” where “almost all POWs were ill with dysentery” and many were starving, he told the UN meeting.
Ukraine's chargé d'affaires Volodymyr Pavlichenko called for greater international pressure and accountability for Russia's treatment of prisoners.
Ukrainian Sergeant Kuhan Alberto Levya Garsiya recalls captivity and torture by Russia: "I was electrocuted. I was being treated harsher than other POWs." pic.twitter.com/wfN4LEzLpu
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 10, 2026
Ukrainian central bank issues biggest currency liberalisation since 2022 invasion
08:10 , Shweta SharmaUkraine's central bank has announced the country’s biggest currency liberalisation measures since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 in an effort to boost business and investor confidence.
The regulations, issued late in the evening on Monday, provide significant increases in allowances in purchases of foreign currency and withdrawals from Ukrainian bank accounts.
The monthly amount permitted for purchasing non-cash currency and investments, bank metals and foreign securities was increased fourfold from 50,000 to 200,000 Ukrainian hryvnias ($4,450).
The daily limit for cash withdrawals from accounts in Ukraine and abroad was doubled to 200,000 hryvnias.
And the monthly limit for transactions from cards denominated in hryvnias was raised to 200,000 hryvnias.
"The package for easing currency restrictions includes a strong component that makes life easier for Ukrainians abroad and expands opportunities for citizens living in Ukraine," the central bank said in a statement.
The bank said the measures "will not create risks for the stability of the currency market, given the established conditions and careful analysis of each individual measure".
The measures, it said, had "already been taken into account in the NBU's updated macroeconomic forecast, which predicts that international reserves will grow to nearly $70bn by 2026".
Russia says it struck military factories and warehouses in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia
07:45 , Shweta SharmaRussia's defence ministry said on Tuesday that its forces had carried out overnight strikes on defence industry facilities and transport and logistics centres in the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.
Ukrainian officials said the attacks had killed five people and injured 20 in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia and had triggered fires in Kyiv, the capital.
Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilians.
The Russian defence ministry said it had also intercepted or destroyed 396 Ukrainian drones over 15 regions overnight.
Australia uncovers network supplying missile and fighter jet parts to Russia
07:33 , Shweta SharmaAustria's intelligence agency has uncovered an international network circumventing EU sanctions against Russia's cruise missile and fighter jet programmes, the country's interior ministry said.
“It is unacceptable that highly precise European technology is being channelled into the production of cruise missiles and air defence systems. We will continue to take decisive action, with full international cooperation, against those actors who attempt to circumvent legal prohibitions to support the Russian arms industry,” Austrian state secretary Jorg Leichtfried said.
The ministry said an Australian shell company had been established to export sanctioned defence equipment to Russia for use in cruise missiles and fighter jets.
The products were exported through intermediary countries, including Belarus, Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Poland, South Korea, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
“Using forged end-user certificates, European manufacturers were misled into believing the goods would remain in third countries. In reality, they were destined for companies affiliated with the Russian state-owned conglomerate Rostec,” Austria's interior ministry said.
Seven Uzbek citizens killed in drone attack on Russia's Tatarstan region, consulate says
07:01 , Shweta SharmaSeven Uzbek citizens were killed in a drone attack in Russia's Tatarstan region on Monday, the Uzbek consulate in Kazan said.
The consulate did not immediately provide further details about the victims.
They were among 13 people, including a child, killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on industrial and civilian targets in the city of Nizhnekamsk in Tatarstan region, some 680 miles from the border with Ukraine.
It was one of Ukraine's deadliest and deepest strikes inside Russia.
Between two and three million citizens of Uzbekistan, Central Asia's most populous country, work in Russia, with the Uzbek economy partly based on remittances from migrants.
Uzbekistan has struck a diplomatic balance on the war in Ukraine, maintaining close ties with Russia while also stressing support for Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Drone attack kills one in Russia's Voronezh region
06:31 , Shweta SharmaA drone attack killed one person and injured two others in Russia's Voronezh region overnight, while falling debris triggered fires at warehouse facilities, Alexander Gusev, the regional governor, said on Tuesday.
Russia's air defence units destroyed 15 drones over the city of Voronezh and five districts of the region, Gusev said on Telegram.
"A drone crash caused fires at two warehouses of a large company. At one facility, the fire has been contained to an area of 16,000 square meters, while at the other, a blaze covering 20,000 square meters is being extinguished. Emergency services are on scene," the governor said.
He did not identify the company whose warehouses were affected.
Earlier on Tuesday, Russian online retailer Wildberries said its logistics facilities in the Voronezh region had been evacuated in accordance with safety requirements.
Pictures show massive fire and damaged buildings in Zaporizhzhia
06:30 , Shweta SharmaFive people were killed and 20 were injured after a Russian attack in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia early on Tuesday.
Zaporizhzhia regional governor Ivan Fedorov said Russian troops deployed missiles and aerial bombs on the city.
Pictures showed buildings and vehicles ablaze. Air raid alerts were sounded in both Zaporizhzhia and in Kyiv.
Zelensky says Russia cannot wage war without North Korea's help
05:42 , Shweta SharmaVolodymyr Zelensky has mocked Vladimir Putin for his reliance on ally North Korea, saying that: "For the first time in its history, Russia cannot wage war without reinforcements from North Korea."
He said Russia was preparing to deploy an additional North Korean contingent on its territory and has also received additional ballistic missiles from North Korea.
“Everyone around the world must understand what this means. This is not only about the lives of people in Ukraine, and not only about the threats we face,” he said in his nightly address.
“North Korea’s ballistic missiles and other weapons are being improved through its collaboration with Russia.”
He also issued a warning to countries in Asia, saying North Korea will present a “greater danger” to Japan, South Korea and Philippines as it gains military experience, correcting any shortcomings in the process.
“That is why, when we speak about the need for joint action, for coordination and mutual support, when we speak about the need to help us strengthen our air defence, we are also, in fact, speaking about taking away North Korea’s appetite and any interest in coming here – to our land and into our skies – with its weapons in order to learn how to wage war,” he said.
Ukrainian MiG-29 aircraft lost after catching fire
05:30 , Shweta SharmaA Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet caught fire and was lost during a combat mission, with the pilot ejecting safely, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Monday.
A statement on the Telegram messaging app said the pilot was targeting Russian positions while in the southern region of Odesa.
"According to preliminary data, during the launch of a missile, an emergency situation occurred, causing the plane to catch fire and the pilot to lose control, even though he tried to save the aircraft," the statement said.
The Air Force said the pilot ejected safely and was transported to a hospital. The cause of the crash was under investigation.
Russian attack on Kyiv triggers fires, officials say
05:12 , Shweta SharmaRussian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with missiles early on Tuesday, triggering fires in the city centre, officials said.
The city's military administration said warehouses in a central district were ablaze. One person was reported injured.
The air raid alert was in effect for about 40 minutes before officials declared the all clear.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said medical personnel had been dispatched to a central district.
Russian forces also deployed missiles and bombs in an attack on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, regional Governor Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram.
Swedish security service says it broke up Russian spy plot
05:00 , James ReynoldsSweden's security service says it shut down a Russian spying operation that had tried to influence decision-making there and discredit the Nordic country and its EU and NATO allies.
The operation had been planned and directed by Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service and involved three people working under the cover of diplomatic immunity, Sweden's SAPO service said on Monday.
"This is consistent with the threat we see Russia posing," a SAPO spokesperson told Reuters.
They said the individuals allegedly involved “are no longer in Sweden” and that they have “been able to break up this operation”.
The spokesperson declined to give any further information about the operation or the actions taken by the security service.
Russia blocks last anti-war party from upcoming parliamentary election
04:55 , Shweta SharmaRussia has effectively shut down a key avenue for voting against the war in the upcoming elections, as most of Vladimir Putin’s opponents remain jailed or in exile.
The supreme court upheld a case brought by the small pro-Kremlin nationalist party Rodina to strip voters opposed to the war of their last chance to vote for Yabloko, the country’s last remaining anti-war party.
The court barred Yabloko’s entire slate of federal election candidates from running for seats in Russia’s State Duma.
Following the ruling, hundreds of Yabloko supporters gathered outside the courthouse to protest, as security forces prepared to disperse the crowd. Protesters chanted “Shame! Shame!” as about 500 people gathered outside the court.
Addressing the protesters, Yabloko leader Nikolay Rybakov said the party would appeal the decision.
Yabloko is the only liberal party still operating in Russia, while most of Putin’s opponents are jailed, exiled or dead.
Alternative voting options to Putin’s de facto party, the ruling United Russia, are tolerated only when they are too weak to win, support the Kremlin or act as “spoilers” by drawing votes away from candidates who could pose a threat to the regime.
The party told AFP over the weekend that 40 of its activists were facing prosecution for opposing the war.
Its deputy leader, Maxim Kruglov, was jailed for seven months in June over social media posts, while Rybakov was fined and barred from elections after posting a picture with Alexei Navalny.
Ukraine and Saudi Arabia discuss defence and food security
04:16 , Shweta SharmaUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed a drone deal and food security with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday.
"There are domains in which Ukraine and Saudi Arabia can strengthen each other's ability to protect lives and people," he said on X after the call.
Speaking later in his nightly video address, Zelensky said a team of Ukrainian officials was in the region "and there are already areas in which our relations are developing well. I am counting on reciprocity in our mutual support.
"Ukraine and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement on military cooperation in March when the president met the crown prince.
Ukraine has developed expertise in dealing with Iranian-designed drones over more than 4-1/2 years of war with Russia.
It has also signed deals on drone development with other countries in the Middle East and Gulf and elsewhere.
He said they also discussed Saudi Arabia’s recent defence agreements with Türkiye and Pakistan.
Russia to hand over control of two key Mediterranean bases to Syria
04:00 , Maira ButtRussian forces will relinquish control of two strategically vital Mediterranean coastal bases, Syria's foreign ministry says, and they will be transformed into joint training centres under a new bilateral agreement.
The development signals a significant recalibration of Moscow's military footprint in the region.
The Hmeimem air base and the Tartus naval base served as crucial Russian military outposts in the eastern Mediterranean throughout Syria's civil war.
Russia was the primary political and military ally of former president Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in December 2024 by Isis-affiliated insurgents led by now-leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, and subsequently sought exile in Russia.
Russia to hand over control of two key Mediterranean bases to Syria
Five killed and 20 injured in Russian attack in Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv
03:56 , Shweta SharmaFive people were killed and 20 were injured after a Russian attack in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia early on Tuesday.
Zaporizhzhia regional governor Ivan Fedorov said Russian troops deployed missiles and aerial bombs on the city.
He posted pictures showing buildings and vehicles ablaze. Air raid alerts were sounded in both Zaporizhzhia and in Kyiv.
Missiles also struck Kyiv, sparking fires and injuring one person.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said medical personnel had been dispatched to a central district. Kyiv's air raid alert was lifted after 40 minutes and then issued again later well after midnight.
Inside Putin’s aggressive army recruitment drive
03:00 , James ReynoldsMoscow appears to be adopting increasingly aggressive strategies to recruit fresh troops for its war of attrition in Ukraine, as Vladimir Putin looks to make up for heavy battlefield losses.
Men are reportedly being snatched off Russian streets and students offered significant financial incentives to join drone units as Moscow looks to avoid another forced mobilisation.
Local officials have been issued recruitment quotas by the Kremlin and Moscow’s defence ministry as it looks to meet this year’s 409,000 target, sources familiar with the matter told the Financial Times.
Read the full report:
Inside Putin’s aggressive army recruitment drive as Russians ‘snatched off streets’
Ukrainian attacks 'cut power' in Russian-held part of Zaporizhzhia
02:00 , James ReynoldsThe Russian-held part of Zaporizhzhia region in south-east Ukraine was largely without electricity on Monday after Ukrainian attacks destroyed key power facilities, the Russian-appointed local authorities said.
On Russia's Black Sea coast, power outages were also recorded in parts of Novorossiysk, a major export port, and in the holiday resort of Gelendzhik, the regional authorities said on the Telegram messaging app.
Kyiv has stepped up attacks on Russian energy and power infrastructure this year, saying it wants to bring the price of Russia's war home to ordinary Russians. Ukraine's own cities have been under repeated attack since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022.
Russia's top court bars anti-war party from parliamentary vote
01:00 , James ReynoldsRussia's Supreme Court on Monday barred the liberal Yabloko party from contesting September's parliamentary elections, sidelining the only officially registered party that opposes Moscow's war in Ukraine.
More than four years after Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine, the decision highlights the authorities' intolerance of anti-war views and further narrows the already limited space for dissent in Russian politics.
"Excluding Yabloko from the election means refusing dialogue with people who ask questions that are uncomfortable for the authorities," Nikolai Rybakov, the party's leader, said, vowing to appeal the decision.
The court ruled in favour of a lawsuit filed by the small pro-Kremlin nationalist party Rodina, which sought Yabloko's exclusion from the election. Rodina alleged that Yabloko had received undeclared campaign support, including from Western sources, among other accusations.
During a day-long hearing, Rybakov said there was no evidence to support the allegations and described the case as an unconstitutional attack on freedom of thought by political opponents seeking to clear the field of rivals.
Where have peace talks been left?
Tuesday 11 August 2026 00:00 , James ReynoldsPeace talks between Russia and Ukraine have been on hold since February, when the United States shifted focus to its new war in the Middle East.
Moscow and Kyiv walked away from talks in Geneva no closer to a deal, as Ukraine suggested the US was unfairly demanding Kyiv alone make concessions to end the war.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, said the last round of direct talks had been “difficult” and accused Russia of deliberately stalling, with the issue of territory still in dispute.
What does either side want?
Russia insists on its demands for Ukrainian territory and the withdrawal of forces from its borders.
Ukraine insists it needs clear security guarantees from allies to stop Russia reopening the conflict and says it cannot and will not give up territory sought by Russia.
The lands in the east include industry heavy regions and Ukraine’s belt of ‘fortress cities’ to protect against invasion.
Will talks start again?
Volodymyr Zelensky said late in April that he was keen to meet with Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart, in an effort to restart negotiations.
While Ukraine claimed a string of wins on the ground, Zelensky warned that US attention on the war with Iran was soaking up resources and leaving Ukraine with critical shortages of air defences.
But the Kremlin said Putin would only meet Zelensky in Moscow for the purpose of finalising agreements on the conflict.
Turkey said it was making efforts to restart talks and bring together the leaders, after hosting delegations in July 2025.
Moment Ukraine’s Black Forest Brigade destroys Russian air defence command centre
Monday 10 August 2026 23:04 , James ReynoldsExplosive video footage purportedly shows the moment a Ukrainian drone destroyed a Russian military vehicle used to coordinate vital air defences.
Ukraine’s ‘Black Forest’ Reconnaissance Brigade claimed to have struck what it said was the command-and-staff vehicle for a Soviet-era S-300 surface-to-air missile system.
Video published on Sunday showed the moment of impact from above as a loitering drone hit the side of the truck with devastating effect, sending smoke billowing from the wreckage.
Moment Ukraine’s Black Forest Brigade destroys Russian air defence command centre
What are Patriot interceptors and why do they matter?
Monday 10 August 2026 23:00 , 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.
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.
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.
