Editor's note: This story is being updated. Key takeaways: * Investigators release tapes implicating top officials in money laundering * The suspects include former presidential Deputy Chief of Staff Iryna Mudra, lawmaker Vadym Stolar, former lawmaker Maksym Mykytas, and top executives of state-owned Sense Bank * The suspects are accused of laundering Hr 150 million ($3.4 million) and transferring the funds through Sense Bank to post bail for former Justice and Energy Minister Herman Halush

The 83-year-old was found with a gunshot wound to the head in his apartment according to Russian outlets.

Governor Oleh Hryhorov said one of the strikes directly hit the building, injuring six residents, including a 16-year-old girl.

Four years since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian House has been allowed to continue operating at its location on Friedrichstrasse, one of Berlin's most famous streets.

The soldiers had been sent to Germany for training before returning to Ukraine to fight Russia, according to Die Zeit.

The 27-year-old man may face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of attempting to engage in intentional foreign interference.

The meeting will take place on Ukraine's Independence Day and be the third time the grouping has met in Kyiv since it was established by France and the U.K. in March 2025, with the aim of agreeing on security guarantees for a post-ceasefire Ukraine.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses shot down 325 Ukrainian drones overnight.

The figure includes 1,390 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Russia’s UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya claimed on Aug. 20 that mass mobilization of Russian soldiers is not currently planned, while stopping short of ruling out its possibility following next month's Russian parliamentary election.

The report follows an uptick in Russian military flights near NATO's eastern border, which NATO countries describe as "provocations" and acts of aggression meant to test the country's air defenses.

Among the targets of the latest measures are former lawmaker Yurii Ivanyushchenko and the creators of the animated Russian series "Masha and the Bear."

Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi announced that the Finance Ministry has been instructed to sell Sense Bank and transfer the proceeds to the military.

The attack has killed at least 15 people and injured dozens more, along with damage to a kindergarten, children's hospital, apartment buildings, and food warehouses.

PAVLOHRAD, DNIPROPETROVSK OBLAST — When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, the city of Pavlohrad in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, roughly 75 kilometers (45 miles) from the front line, became a relatively safe haven for those fleeing the war further east. But as the war drags on and the range of Russian weaponry increases, those living there fear their home now faces the same fate as cities in neighboring Donetsk Oblast, many of which Russia has reduced to rubble. Just a month ago, on July 20, t

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that during the daytime attacks, a critical infrastructure facility in Kyiv was "deliberately targeted" for the first time in several months.

Key developments on Aug. 20: * At least 15 dead after hours-long Russian missile, drone attack on Kyiv, children's hospital damaged * Ukraine strikes Russia's Taneco oil refinery, Tamanneftegaz terminal, General Staff confirms * Ukraine hits Russian drone-launch airfields in Primorsko-Akhtarsk, occupied Donetsk, HUR says * Russia still has 50 Kinzhal missiles after pausing production, HUR claims * Defense ministry procurement chief announces early resignation after new minister takes offic

HUR operators struck Russian drone storage and launch sites, as well as two radar systems — the 55Zh6U Nebo-U and 55Zh6UM Niobiy, the statement read.

The tapes feature President Volodymyr Zelensky’s former Deputy Chief of Staff Iryna Mudra, lawmaker Vadym Stolar, and former lawmaker Maksym Mykytas, a law enforcement source told the Kyiv Independent.

Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has broken one of Ukraine's most politically sensitive wartime taboos by publicly calling for elections, bringing into the mainstream a debate that Kyiv had largely rejected when raised by Russia and the United States. Fedorov said Ukraine needs a "safe and realistic mechanism" to hold elections during wartime that protects the voting rights of soldiers, Ukrainians abroad, and people in front-line regions. "We must not let Putin decide when Ukrainians c

As Russia's war against Ukraine grinds on with seemingly no end in sight and the Russian leadership rejecting any talk of ceasefires or meaningful negotiations, there has been a growing chorus arguing that Kyiv must face reality, admit that military victory is impossible, enter negotiations, and agree to territorial concessions. "Land for peace" might be a "difficult choice," or so the argument goes, but it is the only way to avoid a crushing defeat. Even setting aside the question of whether

According to evidence gathered by investigators, the man allegedly acted on behalf of the Russian secret services.

The New Safe Confinement, a protective shelter covering the remains of Chornobyl's destroyed reactor, was damaged by Russian drones in February 2025.

Video posted to social media showed a Romanian F-16 diving towards the suspected Russian drone and strafing it with its cannon.

Oleh Klots, former director general of the state-owned Medical Procurement of Ukraine, will serve as interim head of the agency pending the appointment of a permanent successor by Ukraine's new defense minister, according to Arsen Zhumadilov.

Ukrainian drones reportedly struck an oil refinery in the Russian Republic of Tatarstan and an oil terminal in Krasnodar Krai overnight on Aug. 20, as Ukraine continues its campaign targeting Russian oil infrastructure.

"As of July 2026, the Russian Federation has about 50 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles and about 50 North Korean ballistic missiles of the KN-23 series, including the KN-24 and KN-30 variants," HUR said in a statement to Ukrainska Pravda.

The figure includes 1,480 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.

The strike comes just over a week after Russia attacked Zhytomyr and the surrounding region with jet-powered drones overnight on Aug. 9.

Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov dropped a bombshell of a video on Aug. 18, calling for elections in Ukraine and becoming by far the most high-profile person to advocate for such a move during Russia's full-scale invasion. In an address posted on YouTube, Fedorov said Ukraine needs a "legal, safe, and realistic mechanism" for holding elections during a prolonged war while ensuring voting rights for military personnel, Ukrainians abroad, and people living in front-line regions. "We must

An object believed to be a drone has exploded at a Turkish police station in Trabzon, damaging cars and buildings

Key developments on Aug. 19: * Ukraine brings home 103 POWs in latest exchange with Russia * Russian drone strike on police headquarters in Zhytomyr kills 2, injures at least 20 * Deadly drone strike hits minibus in Kherson as Russian attacks kill 17, injure 54 across Ukraine over past day * Ukrainian drones reportedly target oil refinery in Russia's Ufa, attack Tula, Nizhny Novgorod oblasts * Ukraine hits rocket and space center, aircraft plant in Russia's Samara Oblast, General Staff con