Russo-Ukrainian war, day 1302: Ukraine ratifies century-long UK pact

Exclusive

Putin needs Pokrovsk to unlock the Donbas—but it's costing him everything. With 602 tanks lost, the Donbas fortress city is becoming this war's Stalingrad

Brussels completes Ukraine screening as farm politics threatens EU unity. Ukraine completes final EU agricultural screening while farmers battle war, misconceptions, and rising grain prices.

Deaths outpace births 3-to-1 as Ukraine raises baby bonuses. Ukraine's fertility hits 0.8 as experts doubt financial fixes.

Military

Ukrainian partisans near Yekaterinburg cut all Russia's strategic supply lines 2,087 km from frontlines. ATESH saboteurs disrupt ammunition, fuel, and troop movements. Four-pronged Russian attack fails to crush Ukraine this summer — Zelenskyy reveals staggering losses. Even in one of the war's fiercest fronts, Moscow's overextended army hits wall after wall of Ukrainian resistance. Kenyan athlete says he was lured to Russian army, but Ukrainian fighters who captured him aren't so sure about that. Signed papers he couldn't read, trained under threats, and vanished into forests to survive. US military officers attend Zapad-2025 exercises in Belarus for first time since full-scale invasion. Two American defense attachés accepted an invitation to the Russian-Belarusian military drills.

Intelligence and technology

Ukrainian forces burn three Russian air defense systems worth $80–90 million with "innovations". Tor-M2 and Buk systems worth tens of millions burned, but Ukraine's Nemesis promises the full story will come later. Russian propaganda seeks to shift blame for NATO drone strikes to unexpected country. Staged videos and fake debris appear online as Moscow masks its own incursions into Western skies.

International

Ukraine's Plan A: peace, but Russia doesn't want it. Plan B: $60 billion for 2026 from allies — Zelenskyy. With Russia demanding surrender and Washington withholding aid, Ukraine braces for an unsustainable financial cliff. Kyiv ratifies century-long pact with UK, while security guarantees hang in balance. The majority of Ukrainian deputies vote for the historic agreement between the two states.

Humanitarian and social impact

"Stayed indoors for nearly three years": Ukraine brings kids home from jaws of occupation — yet 19,546 remain abducted by Russia. Zelenskyy's humanitarian program reunites the most vulnerable, while Russia continues to steal children for its war machine.