News from Ukraine, Eastern Europe

The AfD's victory in Saxony-Anhalt represents the first far-right state government in Germany since World War II.

"I have no involvement whatsoever in covering up illegal call centers, I have not issued any instructions to facilitate such activities, and I have not used the powers of the Prosecutor General for this purpose," Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said.

The figure includes 1,540 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

An oil depot in the Russian city of Sochi appeared to reignite three days after being struck by Ukrainian drones, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

The pro-Ukrainian saboteur reportedly contacted the Atesh group, a partisan force operating behind Russian lines, and burned through wiring in a communications tower around the Russian city of Perm, roughly 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) from Ukraine, in August.

The Orlivka–Isaccea crossing links Ukraine’s Odesa Oblast with NATO and EU member Romania across the Danube River, which has become Kyiv's primary grain export route amid Russian attacks.

The latest peace talks in Kyiv and Moscow did not appear to yield a diplomatic breakthrough. "We expect the war will continue," Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine is counting on U.S. energy and air defense support this winter.

Trump will consult with his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, before calling Putin and then speaking with President Volodymyr Zelensky, a U.S. official told the Kyiv Independent. The calls will likely take place on Sept. 7.

Russia's foreign minister claimed Germany has started "a real war" after his country was accused of launching explosive-laden drones at Leipzig Airport.

In this report, the Kyiv Independent's Nick Allard and Asami Terajima travel across Zaporizhzhia, a major industrial hub in southeastern Ukraine, to document how residents are adapting to increasingly frequent Russian attacks.

"In 2026, the U.N. should not need a reminder: Crimea is Ukraine," said Ukrainian lawmaker Kira Rudik.

"If women can fight, why not?... (but) they should volunteer to fight," said Meaghan Mobbs, the daughter of Keith Kellogg and president of an NGO helping foreign soldiers in Ukraine.

Russian attacks sparked fires in the Kyiv region overnight, but officials did not report any hits in the city of Kyiv as U.S envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to arrive to discuss peace talks.

Ukraine has now downed more than half a million aerial drones since the full-scale invasion began, according to the General Staff.