Vira Kravchuk

Joint internal audits by Ukraine's Defense Ministry and State Customs Service have exposed a critical gap in the humanitarian aid supply chain. Over 400 vehicles and hundreds of tons of goods cleared customs but cannot be accounted for by military units, raising questions about the integrity of aid distribution.

Matthias Schmale, the newly appointed UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, experienced firsthand the impact of Russia's large-scale attack on 26 August, as he sought refuge in a shelter alongside millions of Ukrainians. He stressed the importance of respecting international humanitarian law.

Ivan Liubysh-Kirdei, a Ukrainian journalist working for Reuters, is in critical condition following a Russian Iskander-M missile attack on the Sapphire hotel in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast.

A substantial 63% of Americans sympathize with Ukraine in its war with Russia, according to a recent YouGov survey. This overwhelming support comes despite varied opinions on which side is currently winning, with only 3% of respondents expressing sympathy for Russia.

It still remains unclear if Ukraine was involved in the explosion at Russia's biggest oil refinery, located over 2,000 km (1242 miles) from the Ukrainian border, but this incident comes amidst increased Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil infrastructure.

The Ukrainian military's ability to sustain its eastern defensive positions is at risk as Russian forces close in on Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast. The town's strategic railway junction and road network are vital for moving troops, equipment, and evacuating wounded soldiers from the front lines.

This POWs exchange includes 82 defenders of Mariupol, captured in the early months of the full-scale invasion. President Zelenskyy thanked military units for replenishing Ukraine's "exchange fund," enabling the return of 115 defenders.

On Ukraine's Independence Day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed the country's latest military innovation - the "Palianytsia" missile-drone, that has been already successfully used against Russian forces. He emphasized that, “It's difficult to counter, but very easy to understand why.”

A Russian drone strike killed a married couple in Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, which borders Russia's Kursk Oblast, where Ukraine launched a surprise incursion earlier this month.

Snake Island, site of the famous "Russian warship, go f*ck yourself" declaration, was targeted by Russian forces with four Kh-22 cruise missiles.

Ukrainian officials frame expanded long-range weapons access as a defining moment for President Biden's legacy, emphasising that the administration will be remembered either for aiding Ukraine's victory or for failing to do enough due to imposed limitations. This argument hasn’t yet worked on the US decision-makers.

Russian authorities claim to have intercepted five drones in Voronezh Oblast overnight, but falling debris sparked a fire at a munitions storage site, forcing the evacuation of 200 residents.

The impact of recent events extends beyond Kursk Oblast, with neighboring Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov describing his region's socio-economic situation as continuously "difficult."

The Russian securities services announced that CNN's Nick Paton Walsh, along with two Ukrainian journalists Olesia Borovyk and Diana Butsko, are accused of illegally crossing into Russian territory to report on Ukrainian military activities in Kursk Oblast.