Ukraine targets Russian university involved in developing drone technology - report

Ukrainian drones reportedly carried out overnight strikes on multiple targets in Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea, including a university in Russia’s Belgorod region reportedly involved in developing drone technology and several locations across Crimea.

According to Ukrainian and Russian sources cited by the Kyiv Post, drones struck the Belgorod State Technological University, where automated drone control systems were reportedly being developed, triggering a fire that destroyed one building.

Russian authorities have not officially confirmed the attack.

Ukrainian drones also targeted several locations in Russian-occupied Crimea, including Feodosia, Kerch, Simferopol and the Saky district.

Explosions were reported, and a fire broke out near Kerch port, and traffic on the Crimean Bridge was temporarily suspended, the outlet reported.

Maroosha Muzaffar3 August 2026 10:10

Ukraine says Russian military losses hit 2026 monthly high in July

Ukraine’s general staff said Russian forces suffered 42,860 personnel losses in July, the highest monthly total of 2026 and the first time this year that reported losses have exceeded 40,000.

The figures include soldiers killed, wounded, missing and captured, The Kyiv Independent reported.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Moscow is preparing to expand military mobilisation to offset mounting casualties, saying Russian losses are outpacing recruitment.

According to Zelensky, Russia had enlisted about 221,000 troops in 2026 by late July while sustaining nearly 225,500 military losses.

He also claimed Moscow is preparing to receive an additional 30,000 North Korean troops to support its war effort.

The casualty figures could not be independently verified.

Maroosha Muzaffar3 August 2026 09:40

EU naval mission boards a sanctioned Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker in the Mediterranean

An EU naval mission led by Italy boarded a sanctioned Russian “shadow fleet” tanker in the Mediterranean on Sunday, the second such operation in less than two weeks as Europe increases efforts to stop Moscow from evading oil sanctions.

Italy’s defence ministry said the tanker, Toa Payoh, was intercepted west of the Sicilian island of Pantelleria while sailing from Benin to Istanbul.

The ship, which switched to a Cameroonian registry last week, was boarded after its captain initially refused to provide documents.

Italian forces, backed by a Greek naval vessel and a Polish patrol aircraft, inspected the tanker to verify its identity, according to The Kyiv Independent.

“I wish to commend the crew of the Thaon di Revel and all military personnel involved in the operation for the professionalism, preparedness, and resolve they demonstrated,” Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto said.

“This activity serves as further concrete evidence of Italy's contribution to security in the Mediterranean and to the European Union’s efforts.”

Maroosha Muzaffar3 August 2026 09:10

US to cede command of Nato group coordinating military aid to Ukraine

The US plans to hand over command of the Nato-led Security Assistance Group-Ukraine (SAG-U) to another Nato ally within the next year as part of a broader strategy to reduce its military leadership role in Europe and shift more responsibility to European allies.

The SAG-U coordinates military aid, training and long-term planning for Ukraine’s armed forces.

The current commander, Lt Gen Curtis Buzzard, is stepping down and will be replaced by another US general to oversee the transition before the US relinquishes command, The Kyiv Post reported.

US officials said arms deliveries to Ukraine will continue and are not expected to be affected by the leadership change.

“SAG-U was always meant to be temporary,” the Pentagon statement read.

“This effort is aimed at burden shifting within the Alliance to support Ukraine and to align US resources in accordance with the National Defence Strategy.”

Maroosha Muzaffar3 August 2026 08:40

One killed and 31 injured in Russian attack on residential building in Zaporizhzia

A Russian daytime glide bomb struck a multi-storey apartment building in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on Sunday, killing at least one woman and injuring 31 others, according to regional governor Ivan Fedorov.

Rescue teams were searching the partially collapsed building for survivors, while authorities also reported damage elsewhere in the city.

Located about 20km (12 miles) from the front line, Zaporizhzhia has come under frequent Russian bombardment throughout the war due to its proximity to the fighting.

Maroosha Muzaffar3 August 2026 08:10

Ukrainian drone attack sets Wildberries warehouse ablaze in Russia’s Vladimir region

A Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at one of Russian online retailer Wildberries’ warehouses in the Vladimir region on Monday, prompting the evacuation of staff, the company said.

Wildberries said firefighters were responding to the blaze and that logistics operations had been rerouted to other facilities to ensure deliveries and shipments continued as usual.

The company’s warehouses have been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian drone strikes in recent weeks.

Vladimir region governor Alexander Avdeyev said a young man sustained a non-life-threatening head injury and was taken to hospital.

A woman living nearby also suffered minor leg injuries, he said.

Maroosha Muzaffar3 August 2026 07:40

Two UK volunteers plan to donate truck to Ukraine for evacuating wounded soldiers

Two men from Wolverhampton, Steve Morris (64) and Brian Gunter (58), are raising £7,000 to buy a truck that will be donated to Ukraine’s military for evacuating wounded soldiers from the front lines to hospitals.

They plan to drive the truck to Lviv in late September as part of a convoy organised by the charity Driving Ukraine, the BBC reported.

After handing over the vehicle and aid supplies, they expect to return by train.

The pair previously delivered about £10,000 worth of food and medical supplies to Ukraine in 2022.

Their motivation is personal: Gunter made Ukrainian friends through buhurt (medieval combat competitions), and several of those friends were killed fighting in the war.

“A lot of people who were part of the Ukraine [buhurt] team, Brian’s friends, are or were of fighting age.“Some of them didn’t come back.”

He said that Gunter was “pretty close to friends who died on the battlefield”.

“One is too many, and more than one is more than too many,” Morris said.

According to Morris, Ukrainian forces use remote-controlled tracked vehicles - similar to small tanks - to retrieve wounded soldiers from the battlefield and move them to a safe location where medics can administer first aid.

The evacuation truck that Morris and Gunter hope to deliver would then transport the injured soldiers to hospital.

Maroosha Muzaffar3 August 2026 07:10

‘I can live without fear for the first time’: Inside the camp in Italy helping Ukraine’s traumatised children

The war has upended normal life for hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children, with many seeing their homes destroyed. The No Sirens camp, run by Hope for Ukraine, tells Alex Croft that they aim to help restore the joy of childhood that has been lost:

Maroosha Muzaffar3 August 2026 06:40

Over 236,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine identified by Russian media investigation

Russian independent outlet Mediazona and the BBC Russian Service say they have identified the names of 236,066 Russian troops killed since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Their database, compiled from obituaries, relatives’ posts, regional media reports and official announcements, suggests the real death toll is likely to be considerably higher because many military deaths are never made public.

The confirmed fatalities include more than 86,600 volunteers, 26,200 former prisoners, 19,600 mobilised troops and 7,465 officers.

The figures have not been independently verified.

Ukraine’s military estimates Russia has suffered about 1.45 million total military casualties – including those killed, wounded, missing and captured – while a recent study by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated Russia had sustained around 1.4 million battlefield casualties, including up to 450,000 deaths, by June 2026.

Maroosha Muzaffar3 August 2026 06:22

Man arrested after shooting injures four Ukrainian military recruitment officers in Odesa

A 32-year-old man was arrested after allegedly opening fire on military recruitment officers in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa on Sunday, injuring four people, police said.

The suspect was detained at the scene and his pistol was seized, while authorities launched an investigation into the shooting.

The incident occurred during a mobilisation operation and is the latest in a series of attacks targeting Ukraine’s Territorial Recruitment Centres (TCCs).

Police say attacks on enlistment officers have risen sharply since Russia’s full-scale invasion, with 118 incidents recorded in the first four months of 2026 alone, according to The Kyiv Independent.

Maroosha Muzaffar3 August 2026 06:02