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Ukraine just built a European-gauge railway during the war. Ukraine builds European railway cheaper and faster than peacetime EU projects—despite the war.

Military

Ukrainian forces hit Russian command centers in Donetsk — and weaken Moscow’s fall offensive before it begins. The attacks undermine Moscow’s planning and prevent consolidation of forces ahead of fall operations.

Main oil pipeline reportedly blown up in Russia’s Saratov Oblast. An oil pipeline with capacity of 82 mn tons per year that supplied petroleum products to Russian military was reportedly damaged in an explosion

Explosion rocks Russian National Guard base linked to Ukraine war crimes. A new strike deep inside Russian territory hits Khabarovsk, as Ukraine’s intelligence targets forces responsible for atrocities against civilians in 2022

Frontline report: Ukrainian hackers turn Russian security cameras into targeting systems for missile strikes. Ukrainian forces discovered massive Russian troop concentrations by infiltrating security camera networks near key bases, then launched preemptive strikes that destroyed entire convoys before they reached the battlefield.

Russia buried its 41st Army command in a Donetsk research lab—Ukraine blew it up with domestic cruise missiles (video). Three separate command centers were reportedly hit in one night late on 8 September, including one hidden deep inside civilian infrastructure in occupied DOnetsk.

ISW: Russia’s playbook for invading Ukraine now aimed at Finland — same lies, same threats, new target. The Kremlin begins repeating old propaganda lines, but this time against a NATO country.

Intelligence and technology

Kallas: EU aims to deliver 2 million shells to Ukraine by October. The EU has achieved 80% of its commitment to supply Ukraine with 2 million artillery shells, with member states working to deliver the final 400,000 rounds by October

Rheinmetall to manufacture Skyranger mobile anti-drone systems for Ukraine. Ukraine will receive Skyranger mobile air defense systems capable of creating four-kilometer “drone-free zones”

Russian Iskander missile that hit Ukraine’s Cabinet days ago may contain US, UK, Japanese parts. A presidential adviser says the weapon had over 30 foreign components despite sanctions.

International

German politicians visit Kyiv — and vote against delivering more air defenses to Kyiv. Despite a €4.5 billion proposal to compensate for suspended US aid, CDU and SPD factions blocked the allocation in the budget committee.

Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska was never about peace — its real purpose was to strengthen Moscow’s power globally. Levada Center polls show 79% of Russians viewed the summit as a personal success for Putin, boosting domestic confidence.

CNN: Trump’s repeated calls to Putin failed to slow Russia in Ukraine. During the last eight months, Russia has consolidated gains, from Chinese and North Korean support to unchecked advances in Donetsk and Kharkiv.

Poland finds what appears to be a Russian drone near Belarus border—officials won’t say if it was tracked on radar. Authorities found styrofoam fragments scattered across the field 300 meters from a Polish border checkpoint. The drone had Cyrillic tags.

“Kremlin’s soft power”: London Royal Opera refuses to cancel concerts of Putin-linked soprano despite protests. Anna Netrebko is set to perform in London on 11 September, as Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK writes that “her voice on stage drowns out the real cries – the cries from destroyed maternity hospitals in Mariupol, schools in Kharkiv, kindergartens in Kramatorsk.”

EUROJUST dismantles Belarus spy network across Europe, Moldovan ex-diplomat to Ukraine among suspects. Authorities in Romania captured the 47-year-old after secret meetings with Belarusian KGB officers in Budapest

Ukraine faces $7 billion defense crisis despite aid surplus. Billions in civilian aid sit unused while Ukrainian army faces funding crisis.

Concert of Russian pianist and Putin ally cancelled in Athens after online outcry. Ukrainian diaspora groups and their local supporters are increasingly using online campaigns to block performances by Russian artists tied to the Kremlin.

Polish president calls discussions about Ukraine’s accession to the EU and NATO “premature”. “Simply impossible:” Polish President Karol Nawrocki described Ukraine’s NATO membership aspirations while the war continues, marking a shift in Warsaw’s stance on Kyiv’s Euro-Atlantic integration.

Trump administration ends Biden-era anti-disinformation pact with European allies. The Trump administration has pulled the US out of agreements with 22 European and African countries designed to combat disinformation from Russia, China and Iran

Xi pledges deeper China-North Korea ties after Beijing parade. China will deepen cooperation with North Korea through enhanced communications and exchanges, President Xi Jinping announced

Trump links Charlotte Ukrainian refugee murder to national security crisis. President Trump expressed condolences Monday to the family of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed on Charlotte’s light rail system, while announcing a new Justice Department task force targeting anti-Christian bias

Humanitarian and social impact

Russian airstrike targets civilians in Yarova, Donetsk Oblast – 24 killed. Civilians targeted while standing in line to receive pensions, with most victims reportedly of retirement age, in what Ukrainian officials describe as a deliberate act of terror.

66-year-old woman injured as Russian forces launch dual drone strike on Zaporizhzhia. Russia continues its pattern of drone attacks on Zaporizhzhia, with the latest overnight assault, striking civilian areas and causing both property damage and human casualties

Political and legal developments

Russia rehearses caution in demobilization from war in Ukraine—but 1989 Afghan lesson haunts Kremlin. Veterans with combat experience, prison records, and psychological trauma could spark unrest reminiscent of the 1990s.

Moscow cuts another lifeline to Europe’s human rights system as Putin moves to exit anti-torture convention. The step shields Russian prisons from international inspectors, raising fears for Ukrainian POWs and abducted civilians.

Read our earlier daily review here.