Russo-Ukrainian war, day 1277: Ukraine strikes choke Russian refinery output as drivers queue for gas

Exclusives

Ukraine's Fire Point builds 100 attack drones every day, all day—aimed at Russia. Running nonstop, Fire Point will turn out 36,000 drones this year, nearly matching the Shahed swarms that Moscow sends by the thousands.

Ukraine's blue-yellow flag marks 33 years of independence symbolism. Ukraine's blue and yellow colors trace back to 1256 when Prince Danylo Halytskyi created Lviv's coat of arms - beginning a 767-year journey through persecution, space missions, and wartime victories.

Kostyantynivka's new morning routine: turn on the gas. Nothing. Russians are 3 miles away. Hours of bombing today destroyed gas lines. The postal service fled, saying it was "too dangerous".

Inside Human Safari: the film that captures Russia's drones hunting Ukrainians like prey. "A fantastic horror movie… our reality"

Military

Ukraine drone strike keeps Russia's only Rostov refinery burning for third day. The Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery processes 100,000 barrels daily. Locals now face water shortages, toxic air, and unpaid wages. Frontline report: Russian reinforcements walk for days to reach Sumy front — Ukraine hits them first. After massive armor losses in Kursk, Moscow's forces rely on infantry that often arrives too late to stop Ukrainian advances. Russian soldiers who killed civilians in Bucha blow up in occupied Luhansk Oblast. Russian soldiers were operating an air defense unit in occupied Luhansk Oblast when an explosion killed three and injured two others on 22 August Ukrainian MiG-29 pilot dies in landing crash after combat mission. A 44-year-old pilot from Kropyvnytskyi who had been conducting daily combat flights against Russian forces was killed in a MiG-29 crash while attempting to land after a mission.

Intelligence and technology

Ukraine must build "anti-Rubicon" hunter units to target elite Russian drone crews, says expert. Mariia Berlinska says offensive counter-strategy is urgently needed against 5,000-strong force. European Defence Commissioner "more optimistic" on investments in Ukraine's defence industry. Andrius Kubilius moved from spring concerns about lukewarm EU support for Ukraine's defence investments to declaring their intentions to tap €150 bn in EU defence loans "quite soon." Russia imposes fuel rationing on civilians: Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence. Assessment follows Ukrainian strikes on major refineries forcing Russian export bans.

International

"Forever grateful": US Orthodox Archbishop cosied up to Putin in Alaska, now he is sorry. Meeting Putin at Trump's Alaska summit, Archbishop Alexei's remarks drew backlash and forced him to clarify he acted alone, not for the Orthodox Church in America. Nearly two-thirds of Poles reject military mission to Ukraine, poll shows. A new survey reveals minimal Polish public support for participating in international peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, with 17.3% respondents backing the idea Italy's deputy prime minister tells Macron to "take a rifle" and go to Ukraine himself, sparking diplomatic row. France summoned Italy's ambassador after Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told Emmanuel Macron to "put on a helmet, take a rifle and go to Ukraine yourself" rather than send Italian troops China is ready to send peacekeepers to Ukraine under United Nations authorization – Welt. European officials face a dilemma over China's conditional offer, with some viewing Beijing's UN mandate requirement as both opportunity and potential espionage risk. NATO military chief: Foreign troop deployment in Ukraine "at minimum premature". NATO's top military official calls troop deployment talks "embryonic" as the alliance delivers $33 billion in weapons to Ukraine since January via new rapid-delivery system.

Humanitarian and social impact

Sumy State University lost 60,000 books due to Russian attacks in seven months. A 5-million-hryvnia diffractometer and 15,000 books were destroyed when Russia struck Sumy State University on 18 Aug., bringing total book losses to 60,000 volumes. 69-year-old British volunteer killed by Russian drone in Ukraine; body trapped in combat zone. British woman drove alone into Ukraine war zone to deliver aid, died in Russian drone strike as family battles bureaucracy for death certificate Fire in Mukachevo extinguished for third day after Russian strike. Thirteen Ukrainian rescue workers spent three days battling a fire that consumed 7,000 square meters of an American-owned factory after Russian missiles struck Mukachevo on 21 August. Read our earlier daily review here.