Source: Champion, a sports news platform within Ukrainska Pravda's holding company

Details: The continental championships concluded in Épinal, France. The competition ran from 3 to 9 August and brought together 356 athletes from 30 countries. Ukraine was represented by 11 canoeists at the European Championships.

Sixteen-year-old Arkhyp Krachko won silver in the individual junior kayak cross time trial. The Ukrainian completed the course in 39.26 seconds, recording the second-fastest time. Krachko finished just 0.12 seconds behind the winner from Poland.

This is the Ukrainian athlete's second silver medal at a major international event this season. At the end of June, Krachko became the junior world silver medallist in kayak cross.

Last year, Krachko finished sixth at the European Youth Olympic Festival.

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Source: European Pravda, citing LRT and the government's decision

Details: Under the plan, a 20-metre-wide counter-mobility belt will be established from the edge of the border patrol track into Lithuanian territory, while 150-metre-wide belts will be created in operational areas designated by the armed forces.

Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas told journalists that a specific plan had been developed outlining what the 5-, 20- and 50-kilometre zones would look like, what fortifications should be put in place and what decisions needed to be made.

Engineering equipment parks at locations designated by the Lithuanian military are to be completed by the end of 2028.

Under a government resolution adopted in 2024, the work was originally due to be completed by 1 April 2025. The Defence Ministry stressed the need to extend the deadline because the number of military counter-mobility engineering equipment parks has increased from 27 to 50.

The deadline was also extended for installing reserve obstacles on sections of nationally important roads and roadside areas, as well as engineering structures on bridges for attaching explosives. This work is now due to be completed by the end of 2028.

Background:

• Recently, officers from Lithuania's State Border Guard Service discovered another underground tunnel in Druskininkai Municipality that is suspected of having been used by irregular migrants to enter Lithuania from Belarus.
• It was also recently reported that Lithuania will acquire technology to help border guards detect tunnels used for irregular migration more effectively.
• Neighbouring Latvia closed its border with Belarus on the evening of 31 July, with people advised to use alternative routes to return to the country.
• On 11 August, Latvian security services also launched an operation to combat irregular migration, which will continue until the end of the month.

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Source: Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi on Telegram

Quote: "Following a recent conversation with Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tofan, we reached an agreement on a 50% discount on rail transit for Ukrainian cargo. The new arrangement has been in effect since 10 August and will remain in place until the end of 2026."

Details: Koretskyi said this was another practical measure to support Ukrainian exporters amid Russian attacks in the Black Sea.

In addition, from 17 August, under an agreement between the two countries, the route of the Kyiv-Chișinău train will change. Koretskyi said this would make transfers to Chișinău Airport more convenient and significantly faster for Ukrainians.

Background:

• Earlier reports indicated that Ukraine and Moldova were discussing the rail transit of grain to the Romanian port of Constanța. Kyiv had requested a 50% discount on transportation costs.
• On 23 July, ships stopped entering Ukraine's Black Sea ports due to the threat of Russian attacks. This followed weeks of aerial attacks on Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
• The intensity of Russian strikes on Ukrainian port infrastructure continues to increase: in July, 67 attacks on ports were recorded, along with 35 attacks on vessels in port waters and 22 attacks on vessels travelling through the Ukrainian maritime corridor.

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Source: Reuters, citing industry sources

Details: The Orsk refinery is located 1,900 km east of the Ukrainian border. Sources told Reuters that the drones have damaged the refinery's processing units.

The refinery has a nameplate capacity of 5.76 million tonnes per year, or around 115,200 barrels per day.

In 2024, it processed 4.2 million tonnes of crude oil, producing 1.8 million tonnes of diesel fuel, 600,000 tonnes of petrol, 500,000 tonnes of bitumen and 200,000 tonnes of fuel oil.

Background: Ukraine's General Staff reported earlier that on the night of 10-11 August, Ukraine's defence forces struck the Orsknefteorgsintez oil refinery in Russia's Orenburg Oblast.

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Source: NATO website, as reported by European Pravda

Quote: "The State Emergency Service of Ukraine has issued a request for international assistance for humanitarian demining equipment via NATO's emergency response mechanism, the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre."

Details: NATO also published the text of the request.

In accordance with its obligations, the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) is to forward the request to international emergency response points of contact in NATO member states and partner countries. Nations that are able to provide assistance, in full or in part, are invited to respond to the operational focal point in Ukraine.

The SES explained that Ukrainian territory has been significantly contaminated with explosive ordnance as a result of Russia's armed aggression, posing a serious threat to the civilian population and critical infrastructure.

"Demining and humanitarian demining of the territory of Ukraine is one of the strategic priorities of the Government of Ukraine and is crucial for the country's recovery, strengthening the capabilities of Ukraine's Security and defence forces, and ensuring the safety of Ukrainian citizens," the State Emergency Service request states.

The request says the equipment requested will be used by territorial units of the State Emergency Service in various regions of Ukraine, including those that have experienced the most intense Russian attacks.

The equipment requested by the State Emergency Service includes underwater metal detectors for mine clearance operations, Tethys One autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV/ROV) for surveys, search-and-rescue operations and monitoring in complex aquatic environments, robotic systems for reconnaissance and the remote neutralisation of explosive ordnance, underwater video cameras, communications equipment, and other items.

Background:

• Germany transferred an assistance package to Ukraine's State Emergency Service worth €5.7 million, which included robotic systems.
• In July, the State Emergency Service received 10 sets of rescue equipment from Germany to assist in saving people trapped under rubble.

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Source: Newsmaker, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Nosatîi stated that the specific model of the drone that exploded near Crokmaz on Sunday can only be confirmed after the technical examination is completed, but noted that early reports indicate that it is a Russian drone.

"Our experts are examining the object that exploded. Early reports indicate it is a Russian drone. It is a more 'advanced' model compared with the ones that have entered our territory before," the minister said.

"Russia continues to threaten Moldova's security. The last two incidents involving violations of our country's airspace have posed a threat to citizens' safety," he added.

Nosatîi noted that Moldova's military radars do not yet cover the country's entire airspace and that work is ongoing to strengthen air defence capabilities so that such drones can be not only detected, but also shot down.

Background:

• On 10 August, it was announced that the drone that exploded in Moldova on 9 August was a new type that had not previously landed in the country's territory.
• Moldova recalled its ambassador to Russia for consultations following the incident.
• Another Russian drone, likely a jet-powered Shahed, violated Moldovan airspace on 11 August.

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Source: Ukraine's General Staff

Details: According to the General Staff, the strikes also targeted a ground-based relay station used to control Geran/Gerbera attack UAVs near Olenivka in temporarily occupied Crimea and a Russian military repair unit near Mariupol in Donetsk Oblast.

"Striking these facilities weakens the enemy's ability to control attack UAVs, maintain military equipment and support the operations of its units," the General Staff said.

Background: Earlier, satellite imagery revealed the damage caused by a third Ukrainian strike in two months on infrastructure at the Hvardiiske airfield in occupied Crimea. The strike was carried out on the night of 6-7 August.

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Source: Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko; Air Force; air-raid warning map

Details: An air-raid warning was issued in Kyiv at 12:53.

A few minutes later, Klitschko reported that air defence systems were operating in the capital.

Details: The Air Force reported a jet-powered drone over Kyiv heading south, as well as a group of jet-powered UAVs approaching the capital from the east and north.

Update: At 13:53, Klitschko reported that a non-residential building in the Darnytskyi district had been damaged by the fall of a Russian drone.

Klitschko said there was no fire and emergency services were on their way to the scene.

At 14:33, an all-clear was given in Kyiv.

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Source: Human Rights Watch

Details: On 11 August, Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the US Congress to block the planned transfer of cluster munitions from Türkiye's stockpiles to Ukraine. According to HRW, Türkiye has asked the US for permission to transfer munitions that have been stored in its warehouses for decades. The US$256 million deal includes 12 M270 launchers, 70 M39 ATACMS ballistic missiles, 2,524 M26 rockets and 47,000 M509A1 203mm artillery shells. HRW has pointed out that these munitions contain more than 10 million submunitions in total.

HRW is calling on Congress to block the transfer, arguing that some of the munitions have been stored for over 30 years. The organisation believes that due to their age and unreliability, some of the submunitions may be duds and could pose a danger to civilians long after the war is over.

Quote from Nicole Widdersheim, deputy Washington director at HRW: "Dumping obsolete cluster munitions into a conflict creates a humanitarian liability for civilians that is tragically foreseeable."

Details: However, in a letter to Congress dated 6 August, a US State Department official said that "Ukraine seeks to acquire these systems to bolster its offensive and defence fire support capabilities as it resists the Russian invasion. Ukraine already possesses munitions of the same or essentially similar type."

The State Department also said that the US government is prepared to authorise the transfer, adding that Türkiye "seeks to reduce its inventory of older defence articles to focus its financial resources on modernisation and sustainment of existing systems".

HRW stresses that cluster munitions scatter large numbers of submunitions over a given area, some of which may fail to detonate during an attack and remain dangerous after hostilities have ended.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions bans the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of such weapons. However, Ukraine, Russia and the US are not parties to the convention.

The US has had legal restrictions on the export of cluster munitions in place since 2009. However, the Biden administration transferred munitions to Ukraine on at least seven occasions in 2023-2024, without disclosing the quantities.

HRW notes that it is not publicly known whether the Trump administration has made a separate decision allowing these restrictions to be bypassed in the case of the Turkish stockpiles. Congress can block the transfer by adopting a Joint Resolution of Disapproval.

Previously: Ukraine has purchased 70 M39 ATACMS ballistic missiles, 12 M270 MLRS launchers and tens of thousands of cluster munitions from Türkiye. As the weapons are of US origin, their transfer to Ukraine must be separately approved by the US as part of the re-export process.

Background:

• On 7 July 2023, the US announced a US$800 million military assistance package for Ukraine which included cluster munitions for the first time.
• Washington's assistance drew criticism from NGOs and caused concern in several European countries and Canada, as cluster munitions are considered more dangerous to civilians, and many countries are party to the convention and therefore refuse to use and store them.
• US President Joe Biden admitted that approving the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine was a difficult decision, but said he believed it was the right thing to do given the shortage of artillery shells.
• On 20 July 2023, an unnamed Ukrainian official told The Washington Post that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had already begun using cluster munitions against Russian forces.

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Source: Novorossiysk's Autonomous Thermal Energy Company

Details: Due to the lack of cold water required for the stable and safe operation of heating equipment, hot water supplies were also suspended throughout the city.

Novorossiysk residents have been told that water supplies will be restored once there is "a technical possibility to restart the equipment".

Background: On the night of 11-12 August, Ukraine struck Russia's naval base in Novorossiysk with Palianytsia drones and Neptune missiles. The attack targeted air defences, piers and other port infrastructure.

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Source: Ukraine's State Emergency Service (SES)

Quote: "This morning, the occupation forces carried out a missile strike on the city of Balakliia in the Izium district. A fire has broken out in a two-storey residential building as a result of the impact. The roof of the building and a flat were on fire."

Details: Russian forces subsequently carried out a double-tap missile strike on a residential area in the city. Multi-storey residential buildings and houses were damaged in the attack, with a fire breaking out in one of the buildings.

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Source: Ukrenergo, Ukraine's state-owned electricity transmission operator

Details: Emergency repair work is ongoing wherever the security situation allows.

Ukrenergo also urged consumers to shift active electricity use to the period between 10:00 and 17:00, when solar power plants operate most efficiently.

People are being asked to avoid using high-powered electrical appliances between 19:00 and 22:00. In Odesa Oblast, electricity should be used sparingly throughout the day.

Background: On 11 August, Russian attacks caused power outages in five oblasts.

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Source: Russian propaganda agencies TASS, RIA Novosti and Interfax

Details: Putin is reported to have arrived in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and subsequently boarded the Varyag missile cruiser.

Quote from Putin: "We see that here, unfortunately, the potential for conflict is growing. NATO is penetrating the region, new military-political blocs are being established, and new weapons systems that pose a threat to Russia are being deployed and planned for deployment."

Details: Putin also said that "tension is being stoked in the neighbouring Arctic zone over the use of the Northern Sea Route".

He added that the Pacific Fleet marines fighting in the war in Ukraine "are acting boldly and professionally" and claimed that "there are no combat missions that the Pacific Fleet marines cannot carry out".

He also noted that Japan has imposed sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, but claimed that Russia "does not threaten Japan" and that "Moscow has no issues with Tokyo".

"Japan has claims against Russia regarding the Kuril Islands, although they are enshrined as belonging to Russia in international documents as realities following World War II," Putin stated.

He also threatened that "Russia will respond in kind if Western countries seize Russian merchant vessels".

"Russia will respond to the seizure of its merchant vessels in kind not only in the same waters, but anywhere, including in the Pacific Ocean," the Kremlin ruler said.

Pacific Fleet Commander Viktor Liina declared that Russian forces have all the assets and personnel required to "inspect vessels of unfriendly countries".

"We have conducted a detailed analysis of maritime traffic in the Asia-Pacific region. We know the routes, what is being carried, and whose ships they are. We have the forces to inspect and detain vessels of unfriendly states and their shadow fleet. Interagency coordination has been organised and we are ready to begin carrying out these tasks," Liina informed Putin.

Background: It was earlier reported that Russia has installed additional anti-drone netting on its submarines at a naval base in the Pacific Ocean, more than 7,000 km from Ukraine, satellite imagery shows.

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Source: Militarnyi, a Ukrainian military-themed media outlet, citing Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU)

Quote: "They have a relatively short range of around 500 km, so Russia effectively launches them from Crimea against Odesa."

Details: The missile was developed and is manufactured by the Russian company Kronstadt. Russian companies are reportedly operating in three shifts to maintain the reported production rate.

According to the DIU, the Banderol has a maximum speed of 620-650 km/h and a cruising speed of 520-560 km/h.

The missile is equipped with a 114.3-kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead containing 49.5 kg of explosives.

Background:

• Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine's defence minister and radio technology expert, said earlier that Russia aims to produce 120 Banderol missiles per month but has not yet reached its planned production rate.
• DIU has also released technical details of the S8000, a new Russian Banderol cruise missile, on its War&Sanctions portal.

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Source: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X (Twitter)

Quote: "Last night, Ukraine's defence forces carried out a unique operation targeting the naval base in Novorossiysk – the last major stronghold of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, more than 300 km from the front line.

Our Palianytsia jet-powered drones, Neptune missiles and unmanned naval systems successfully struck the designated targets. Hits on air defence positions, piers and seaport infrastructure have been confirmed."

Background:

• Users on Russian Telegram channels reported that Russian air defences were repelling a drone attack in Novorossiysk overnight.
• On the night of 11-12 August, the occupation authorities of Sevastopol also reported a large-scale drone attack and claimed that Russian air defences had shot down over 30 UAVs. Fires broke out in the city.

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Source: Tymur Tkachenko, Head of Kyiv Oblast Military Administration

Quote: "The enemy attacked Kyiv Oblast with strike drones yet again this morning. In the Brovary district, a fire has broken out in warehouse buildings as a result of the enemy attack."

Details: A 65-year-old man sustained shrapnel wounds in the attack. He has been taken to hospital and is receiving medical treatment.

From 10:00, Ukraine's Air Force reported that jet-powered UAVs were moving towards Kyiv Oblast, while an air-raid warning was already in effect in Kyiv and the oblast.

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Source: Reuters

Details: "The terminal has ​suspended operations and ​an assessment of the damage is ‌underway," an industry source told Reuters.

The terminal's owner, Demetra Holding, also confirmed the damage but did not specify its nature and declined to comment further.

Up to a third of Russia's grain exports pass through the port of Novorossiysk.

Background: Ukrainian strikes in the Sea of Azov have disrupted Russian grain exports. Russian exporters were projected to ship 1.5 million tonnes of wheat abroad in July – a third less than in the same month a year earlier (2.1 million tonnes) and half the five-year average (3.1 million tonnes).

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Source: the latest IBRiS poll for Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita

Details: The poll found that 67.2% of respondents support the deportation of Ukrainian men without legal employment, while 23.4% oppose it.

The data show that support for the proposal increases with age. Among respondents aged 18-29, 43% support it, compared with 80% of those in their 50s. Religious respondents were also more likely to support the PiS proposal than their non-religious counterparts.

The survey was conducted on 7-8 August 2026, immediately after PiS unveiled the proposal, and polled more than 1,000 respondents.

Law and Justice has presented a new migration policy plan, one of the key proposals of which is to deport Ukrainian men of conscription age (25-60) if they do not have legal employment in Poland. The proposal has sparked widespread debate among politicians and the public.

"Law and Justice's plans to deport Ukrainians of conscription age are populism," said Karolina Gałecka, spokesperson for Poland's Ministry of the Interior and Administration. She also said that 95% of Ukrainian men in Poland are legally employed.

Background: On 30 July, the Council of the EU approved, by written procedure, an extension of temporary protection for Ukrainians in EU countries, introducing a new provision under which newly arrived Ukrainian citizens liable for military service will be eligible for the status only if there are no issues with their military registration documents.

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Source: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine

Quote: "The use of this component may indicate that artificial intelligence technologies are being implemented in the missile."

Details: DIU has released data on 35 electronic components identified in samples of Russian weaponry in the Foreign components in weapons section of its War&Sanctions portal.

Among them are components of a passive radar seeker that the Russians have begun installing on Shahed-type loitering munitions. According to DIU, it is designed to detect and strike air defence missile systems and radar stations operated by Ukraine's defence forces.

DIU also identified a Chinese-made Honpho TS130C-01 camera in the Shahed-4 jet-powered drone and components of the active seeker used in the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missile.

Ukrainian intelligence noted that together with Ukrainian research institutions, it is continuing to examine Russian weaponry and establish the origin of its electronic component base.

The intelligence agency estimates that Russia has still been unable to fully replace foreign high-tech components with domestically produced equivalents. Releasing information about the components is intended to help Ukraine and its partners identify foreign technologies critical to Russian weapons and strengthen efforts to block their supply to the Kremlin.

According to the manufacturer's data, the NVIDIA Jetson Orin is a compact computing module designed for use with artificial intelligence systems, computer vision, robotics and autonomous machines.

Background: Earlier, DIU released a detailed breakdown of the new Russian Shahed-4 jet-powered attack drone on War&Sanctions: an interactive 3D model, information on its components and foreign-made parts, and key technical specifications.

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