Russia yet to achieve breakthrough in Ukraine, expert says

Russian artillery fire between 10:30 a.m. and 11:50 a.m. killed five men and three women.

"If Zelensky is ready, let him come to Moscow," Vladimir Putin told journalists during his briefing in Beijing.

The offer may also be made available to those already serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, President Volodymyr Zelensky's Deputy Chief of Staff Pavlo Palisa said.

Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, assesses the state of Russia’s war in Ukraine three and a half years into the full-scale invasion.

The statement came in apparent reaction to an investigation published by lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak, who claimed that at least Hr 200 million (nearly $5 million) were embezzled in last year's fortification contracts.

Russia's male life expectancy is just 67 years, while most of Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle is of similar age.

The spill originated on Aug. 29 at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium Marine Terminal near Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai.

Ukraine has one of the world's highest rates of cryptocurrency ownership, with around 16% of the population holding crypto assets before Russia's full-scale invasion, comparable to the U.S.

The new sanctions target figures and groups accused of organizing or facilitating the deportations, including the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation and its president, Aymani Kadyrova.

Russia launched a wave of drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities overnight on Sept. 3, killing at least one person and injuring five, officials reported.

According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russian forces launched 502 Shahed-type attack and decoy drones, along with 16 Kalibr and eight Kh-101 cruise missiles overnight. Ukrainian air defenses reportedly intercepted 430 drones and 21 missiles.

The move does not mean the abolition of individual parishes, which can become independent or join another church, said Viktor Yelenskyi, head of Ukraine's State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience.

"I would like to note that your warriors fought bravely and displayed heroism. We will never forget the sacrifices made by your armed forces and the families of your servicemen," Putin told Kim Jong Un during a bilateral meeting in Beijing.

President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Denmark on Sept. 3 to meet with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and take part in the Nordic-Baltic Eight summit.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the Financial Times on Aug. 31 that European capitals were preparing "pretty precise plans" for potential deployments in postwar Ukraine.