Russia had already fulfilled its annual production targets for the Zircon and Oniks missiles, with 33 and 60 units manufactured in the first seven months, respectively, Vadym Skibitskyi said.

In the early 1950s, a group of prominent, mostly Jewish doctors from Moscow was accused of plotting to assassinate Soviet leaders on orders from the West. The accused were fired from their jobs, arrested, and tortured. But after Joseph Stalin died in 1953, Lavrenty Beria — one of Stalin's longest-serving secret police chiefs, who oversaw the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD) in 1938–45 and spent decades filling the Gulags — called off the investigation. As it turned out, the sec

Europe's campaign to choke off Russia's ability to finance its war in Ukraine through oil revenues began with sanctions, legislation, and price caps. But as hundreds of ships helped Moscow evade those restrictions, Western governments increasingly backed those measures with aggressive maritime enforcement — deploying naval power and pirate-like tactics to disrupt the shadow fleet. As of May 2026, a Ukrainian government register has identified 1,404 vessels belonging to Russia's so-called shadow

The case was brought by the nationalist, pro-Kremlin Rodina party, which is also running in the election.

The attack struck the plant's central gas fractionation unit, according to the General Staff.

"This is a direct consequence of Russia's war, and it endangers us all," Moldovan President Maia Sandu said.

Ukrainian forces targeted a Russian oil refinery in Tatarstan as a blackout took place in occupied Simferopol and fires broke out in Donetsk Oblast amid overnight attacks on Aug. 10, monitoring channels reported.

"Moscow is implementing Rassvet, effectively a Russian analogue of the Starlink system. And they have begun launching it significantly faster than was envisaged in their plans," Skibitskyi said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

"No 'freeze' is possible without addressing the root causes of this crisis," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said.

Russia launched 126 Shahed-type and other attack drones, as well as one Kh-59/69 guided aerial missile and three Banderol loitering munitions, the Air Force said.

The figure includes 1,470 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day, according to the General Staff.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Aug. 9 condemned the U.N. Humanitarian Aid Organization for Children (UNICEF) for failing to recognize Russia's responsibility for Ukrainian civilian casualties in a recent statement.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 300,000 families in Odesa lost power due to the attacks.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry says the agreement "opens the way for a new phase in Syrian-Russian relations" following Moscow's support of deposed former President Bashar al-Assad.

The demonstrations come amid a surge in physical and verbal assaults against Ukrainians in Poland in recent months, fueled by a crisis in diplomatic relations between the neighboring countries.

In Serbia, Zelensky confirmed that Kyiv does not officially recognize Kosovo's independence. Officials in Kosovo said his stance was "deeply disappointing" given the country's support for Ukraine.

Key developments on Aug. 8-9: * Ukrainian-made ballistic missiles could hit Russia in the fall, Zelensky says * Another overnight Russian attack on Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast kills 4, including 3-year-old child * Kyiv strikes Russian missile system used in attack the previous day, Madyar says * Ukraine buys 70 ATACMS missiles, other US weapons from Turkey in major defense package * Ukraine says it struck 12 Russian shadow fleet vessels in Black Sea and Sea of Azov President Volodymyr Zelensky c

"Even wars have rules. One of those is that health must be protected," World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

"The S-400 position in Gelendzhik ... was ablaze and sputtering for three hours," the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, announced.

"There are things that do not depend on Ukraine, because it's like with Russian ballistics, there are elements from other countries," Zelensky said.

Did Ukraine's largest deep-strike campaign achieve its goal? In this episode of Ukraine This Week, Anna Belokur examines the results of Ukraine's 40-day campaign of long-range drone strikes deep inside Russia – whether it shifted the balance in the war, weakened Russia's economy, or changed the Kremlin's political calculations.

Overnight, Ukrainian forces downed 174 Shahed-type drones and five Banderol missiles, the Air Force reported on Aug. 9.

Ukraine's military reportedly launched a wide-ranging drone attack on the Russian city of Belgorod overnight on Aug. 9, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

The figure includes 1,130 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day, according to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Aug. 8 called on Russia and Ukraine to impose a moratorium on attacks on vessels in the Black Sea amid the increasing number of strikes on ships in the region.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 8 that he was "satisfied" with the result of a 40-day influence operation designed to compel Russia to "end the war," suggesting that Kyiv's forces will continue to strike Russian logistics beyond the limited timeline.

The drone entered Bulgarian airspace from Romania and exploded approximately 1 kilometer away from a compressor station on the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline. There were no casualties or damage.

The details come a few days after a Ukrainian cargo plane loaded with ammunition was targeted by a drone carrying explosives at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport late on Aug. 4, German media reported.

The package includes 70 M39 ATACMS missiles, 12 M270 multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), over 2,000 cluster munitions, and 47,000 howitzer rounds, according to a notice from the U.S. State Department.

Serbian President Alexander Vucic on Aug. 8 backed Ukraine's bid for EU membership on the second day of President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the country.

A Belgian factory continues to operate in Russia's special economic zone known as a key defense production site despite EU requirements to leave the zone by late January 2026.

The attack occurred at around 8 a.m. local time, according to the local branch of public broadcaster Suspilne.