Democracy is "part of what we are fighting for today," Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 18 that Ukraine and Belgium are working toward a "Drone Deal" as the two countries seek to expand defense cooperation and strengthen Ukraine's protection against Russian attacks.

The Russian-installed administration at the plant told the IAEA that 16 staff members and subcontractors were injured in the blast.

Despite increasingly stringent sanctions on Moscow, countries worldwide continue to import Russian fossil fuels. The flexibility and transportability of liquefied natural gas (LNG) are particularly significant, helping sustain the flow of energy revenues into the Kremlin's coffers. In July 2026, Belgium stood out for sourcing 100% of its LNG imports from Russia, mere months before a full EU ban on LNG imports comes into force. But if countries won't wean themselves off their addiction, how muc

Key developments on Aug. 18: * Zelensky formally taps Khmara as defense minister, ruling out Fedorov's return * Ukraine launches hundreds of drones towards Moscow in latest large-scale attack, reportedly damaging Wildberries warehouse * Russia threatens UK over supplying drones to Ukraine * Ghana asks Moscow to stop recruiting its citizens for war in Ukraine * SBU detains alleged Russian agent accused of registering Starlink terminals for Russian troops President Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug

At around 7:45 p.m. local time, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said debris from Russian drones had been reported at two locations in the Dniprovskyi district.

"London's actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer," the Russian Embassy to the U.K. said.

Arsen Zhumadilov, the director of the Defense Ministry's Defense Procurement Agency, is set to resign in the coming weeks, the Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported, citing its sources.

When we started this series in the spring, the idea was simple: every month, to take apart the five most notable Ukrainian strikes deep into Russia and see how Russians themselves are living through them. This is the third installment — and the format had to change substantially. In July, the five "most significant" strikes had already been racked up by around the middle of the month, and the list of noteworthy ones kept growing. So this time there is no strict ranking: first, briefly, about t

"The risks we identified at the time have not miraculously vanished. But we have no fundamental objection to this money being used to support the Ukrainian cause," said Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot.

A court in St. Petersburg has issued the city's first fine to a local resident over a video posted online following a Ukrainian drone attack on the city

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said that at least 180 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Moscow Oblast during the attack, with over 600 claimed to have been launched at the region.

Zelensky also nominated Andrii Sybiha to again take up the post of foreign minister.

In response to Russia's full-scale invasion, PepsiCo announced it would suspend production and sales in Russia in March 2022 — and yet, last year it still paid $237 million in income tax to the Russian state. PepsiCo, one of the largest food and drink producers in the world, remains Russia's fourth-largest foreign business — with 60,000 workers and 19 factories still producing Pepsi Cola for Russian shelves under new names, Lyubimaya Cola and Evervess Cola. That continued presence means more m

The Stuttgart court sentenced the man to one year and three months in prison, but ruled that his pre-trial detention would count toward the sentence, meaning he will now be released.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained a suspected Russian agent in Kharkiv Oblast who allegedly registered 27 Starlink terminals in the front-line city of Izium to coordinate Russian troops and drone strikes.

"Along with him, Ukraine has brought back a part of itself: its memory, its Ukrainian experience, and our national history — the history of all those who, at different times, lived and fought for Ukraine, for our independence, and for our sovereign state," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Russia's security service (FSB) blackmailed prominent Ukrainian volunteer Mykhailo Puryshev into cooperation, threatening to conscript his son into the Russian army, he claimed on Aug. 17.

According to Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, 62 of his country's citizens have been killed in Ukraine, and 15 remain missing.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces had deliberately struck a crowded intersection near a post office and shops, surrounded by residential buildings.

The Greek shipping company Dynagas accounted for 35% of all LNG shipped to the EU from Russia's Arctic Yamal terminal, according to the NGO Urgewald.

The figure includes 1,210 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.

The Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s Office announced arrest warrants in absentia for three Russian media figures on Aug. 17, accusing the suspects of issuing public calls for terrorism against the country.

Russian opposition figure Lev Shlosberg was sentenced to 11 years and one month in prison for making statements opposing the war against Ukraine, Russian political party Yabloko wrote on Aug. 17.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug. 17 appointed Yurii Pohrybnyi as commander of the Logistics Forces of Ukraine's Armed Forces, according to a presidential decree.

The Banderol is a small, low-cost cruise missile which is launched from a Kronshtadt Orion strike and reconnaissance drone.

"At a time when Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, systematically destroying our cities, cultural heritage and national identity, granting one of the world’s most prestigious cultural platforms to a project connected to the Russian state and its networks of influence sends an extremely troubling signal," the Foreign Ministry said.

Key developments on Aug. 17: * Over 239,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine identified by media investigation * Ukraine's acting police chief reveals scale of draft evasion investigations * New Russian drone launch pads near Ukraine put NATO countries in range, Telegraph reports * Russia, North Korea to continue cooperation 'in all sectors,' Putin says on Korean Liberation Day Russian independent media outlet Mediazona, in collaboration with the BBC Russian service, has confirmed the id

Europe's tourism industry is thriving, but the recovery has been uneven across the bloc. While western countries enjoyed a steady rebound after the pandemic and lockdowns, tourism in the EU's easternmost members was hit by another crisis: the war on their doorstep. Now, they're looking to EU support to give their tourism industries the boost they need to revive their economies and help their border regions flourish. Seven EU countries signed off on a joint appeal to the bloc on July 23, which

Maksym Tsutskiridze added that police have received 1.5 million requests from enlistment offices related to locating people suspected of evading mobilization.

Two large and heavily armed states locked in an existential armed struggle. Hundreds of thousands of casualties. Mass mobilization. Systematic long-range strike campaigns against the enemy's economy and infrastructure. Defense budgets swallowing huge proportions of state spending. All these factors evoke an image of "total war" — the kind of interstate conflict where state, society, and economy are all not only an active part of the war effort but also a target of enemy strikes. Russia's full-

"To the EU and its member states: please, do listen to Ukraine! Sadly, no other country in the world knows better why Moscow cannot be trusted in the atomic energy sphere," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.