Exclusive
 | Ukraine's most-bombed city just produced two world champions. The city sits 40 kilometers from Russia. Close enough to hear missile launches before sirens wail. Yet in one month, Kharkiv produced two world freediving champions. |
 | Russia spent a year hoarding tanks for big offensive—now they're burning near Pokrovsk. Tank warfare is back—but Russia's newest armor ran into Ukrainian mines, drones. |
 | Russia is desperate for tanks. Is it desperate enough to use T-64s?. 642 of Russia's last remaining 2,500 tanks are T-64s Russia can't easily use without massive investment. |
 | QUIZ: How much do you really know about Russia's threat?. The Kremlin is reportedly discussing a potential invasion of NATO countries. Western intelligence agencies have evidence that Russia is considering an attack against the Alliance, says Eurocommissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius. |
Military
Frontline report: Ukraine's kill zone takes shape in Sumy Oblast—Russians trapped in Yunakivka say hope is gone. Ukrainian drones and artillery isolate the last escape roads while intercepted messages reveal panic and starvation inside.
Partisans deep in Russian rear spark chain reaction of delays for Moscow's southern front in Ukraine. A precise attack on a critical railway hub by Atesh forces causes cascading disruptions to Russian military logistics in Rostov Oblast.
Two months later, Russia still can't clear a single destroyed train in occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. A Ukrainian drone strike on 19 August left a fuel convoy wrecked — and the only railway in ruins.
Ukrainian assault units liberate Mali Shcherbaky in southern Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Ukrainian forces didn't just take back Mala Shcherbaky—they also pushed into Russian-held territory across a 5-kilometer front.
Explosions rock Smolensk aviation plant that builds Kh‑59 missiles — videos show smoke rising near the site. Last night, locals captured a smoke plume rising near the Kh‑59-producing plant just after air defense fire was seen.
Intelligence and technology
Moscow pushes new solution in air defense as Ukrainian strikes create fuel shortages in Russia. The experimental batch of three airframes shows potential.
FT: American intelligence helped Ukraine attack over a dozen key Russian oil refineries since midsummer. The support allegedly allowed Ukrainian drones to bypass Russian air defenses and damage more than 1mn barrels of daily refining capacity.
No tanks, no problem: Russia's new combat model could bring war to NATO faster than expected, ISW says. Russia's focus on rapid adaptation, drone warfare, and flexible manpower may allow it to strike far sooner than Western planners anticipate.
Ukraine receives new Dutch minehunter — another to follow before the year ends. Ukraine's Navy chief says a second Alkmaar-class ship is expected by year's end as crew training begins.
International
Zelenskyy: Russia fears US Tomahawks — that fear can work for peace. Zelenskyy hails potential US Tomahawk deliveries as a "signal of strength," saying Russia's air terror and nuclear plant blockades prove it must be forced, not persuaded, toward peace.
Global democracy crisis: How Russia exploits West's loss of faith to win its war. Across the West and beyond, citizens lose hope in democratic systems, fueling populist movements and political instability.
Hungary's Orbán launches petition against EU defense policy, calls it a "war plans," targets Ukraine support against Russia. While offering zero support to Kyiv, the pro-Russian Hungarian leader launched a nationwide petition to block EU military aid for Ukraine.
Humanitarian and social impact
Up to 25,000 Cubans may be lured in Russia's war by pay, but Havana emphasizes it has no connection to foreign recruitment for Moscow. The Cuban Foreign Ministry calls the accusations baseless and slanderous.
Russia launches 1,360 bombs and 92 missiles on Ukraine in single week, while global attention is drawn to Middle East. While Israel and Hamas negotiate a pause in hostilities, Russian forces intensify strikes across Ukraine, hitting civilians and energy infrastructure with unprecedented volume.
Russia keeps targeting Ukrainian power grid, causing blackout in Donetsk Oblast and outages in Odesa's Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi. Russia launched 118 drones, 103 were downed overnight, Ukrainian Air Force reported. Russian attacks killed four people and injured nine in Donetsk Oblast.
Political and legal developments
Spiegel: Merkel-era Germany trained Russian troops just before Russia's 2014 Crimea invasion. German officers and Rheinmetall helped develop Russia's war simulation centers months before Putin seized Crimea.
Read our earlier daily review here.