September 1, 2026

Ukraine Watch

CIA Director Made Secret Moscow Trip to Warn Putin Against Attacking NATO: Report– slaynews.com

pgnewser August 28, 2026 0

CIA Director Made Secret Moscow Trip to Warn Putin Against Attacking NATO: Report– slaynews.com
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EXCERPT:

CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s mysterious trip to Moscow this week was reportedly intended to deliver a direct warning to Russia against attacking a NATO country amid U.S. intelligence concerns that President Vladimir Putin could eventually test the alliance with a limited military assault.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Ratcliffe’s surprise mission was connected to recent U.S. intelligence assessments indicating that Putin could attempt an attack against an allied nation in the coming years to gauge whether NATO would respond.

President Donald Trump, however, offered a different account of the closely guarded mission, describing Ratcliffe’s trip as “sort of semi-routine.”

Asked by conservative radio host Glenn Beck whether the CIA director had traveled to Moscow to warn Russia about NATO, potential strikes involving England, or sanctions against Iran, Trump responded that it concerned “none of the above.”

“Something may come out of it,” Trump added, saying his administration was “working very hard to get that war ended,” referring to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Ratcliffe’s visit nevertheless represented one of the highest-level contacts between Washington and Moscow in months.

Russia Threatens Escalation, Zelensky Says Elections Are Too Dangerous

pgnewser August 27, 2026 0

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has made it clear he has no intentions of hold elections during the war with Russia. He claimed election in wartime would put the country at risk. A trip by CIA Chief Scott Bessent to Moscow was triggered by Russia’s preparation to launch an attack on NATO, unnamed sources claim.

Holding election in wartime would risk destroying Ukraine, says Zelenskyy – The Guardian– news.google.com
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EXCERPT:

  1. Holding election in wartime would risk destroying Ukraine, says Zelenskyy  The Guardian
  2. Zelensky should be asked what he knew about government corruption, ex-minister Mykhailo Fedorov tells BBC  BBC
  3. Zelenskyy details rift with Ukraine’s dismissed defense minister Fedorov  PBS
  4. Zelensky Says His Ex-Defense Minister Was Wrong to Call for Elections  The New York Times
  5. Is the tide at home turning against President Zelensky?  The Times

 

Video. Russia’s overnight drone barrage ignites fires across Ukrainian cities– www.euronews.com

pgnewser August 27, 2026 0

Video. Russia’s overnight drone barrage ignites fires across Ukrainian cities– www.euronews.com
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EXCERPT:

In Sumy, strikes hit a residential area, sparking fires that damaged homes and commercial buildings. Emergency crews were deployed to three locations as residents surveyed the damage.

In Odesa, firefighters tackled several fires after what regional officials described as a large-scale attack lasting more than seven hours. A 16-storey residential building was among the structures damaged, along with a private house, garage, educational facilities, vehicles and a grain elevator.

Ukraine’s Air Force said its defences had shot down or suppressed 233 Russian targets during the overnight barrage, including 258 attack drones, two Oniks anti-ship missiles and several Iskander-M and KN-23 ballistic missiles. The force said around a third of the drones were jet-powered, while others included Shahed-type, Gerbera and Banderol systems, as well as decoys.

The attacks also caused damage in the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava and Zaporizhzhia regions. In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said four people were injured, with two taken to hospital, after falling drone debris and fires hit several districts.

‘Not an isolated incident’: Russian drones stalk Ukraine’s civilians in ‘human safaris’– www.france24.com

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

‘Not an isolated incident’: Russian drones stalk Ukraine’s civilians in ‘human safaris’– www.france24.com
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EXCERPT:

First, he freezes, caught off guard. Then the young Ukrainian cyclist begins to backpedal awkwardly, his eyes never leaving the Russian drone that hovers ahead of him. It moves closer, and he swings his leg over the bike and tries to run. He doesn’t make it.

Even though the footage, posted Friday on the official Telegram account of the 3rd Army Corps of the Russian armed forces, cuts off before the moment of impact, the video’s description leaves no doubt of the outcome. The Russian soldiers congratulate themselves on having taken out an “enemy combatant” in the Ukrainian district of Kramatorsk, not far from the front line in the northern Donetsk region.

Two years of ‘human safaris’

But the cyclist was visibly unarmed, wearing civilian clothes and looked like any other young man riding his bike down a country road. Independent Russian media outlet Astra quickly accused the Russian military of trying to pass off an unarmed cyclist as a Ukrainian combatant.

The video spread swiftly across social media as influential accounts, including prominent Kremlin critic and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, reposted the footage to denounce the Russian military’s apparent cruelty.

Putin Wants to Draft 300K New Troops, Zelensky Says– www.themoscowtimes.com

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

Putin Wants to Draft 300K New Troops, Zelensky Says– www.themoscowtimes.com
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EXCERPT:

Ukraine thinks Russia is planning to draft an additional 300,000 troops for its war effort after Russian parliamentary elections in mid-September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Moscow’s forces are pressing ahead with an effort to capture the rest of eastern Ukraine’s industrialized Donbas region, where its troops have ground forward at what Kyiv says is a great cost.

In comments to reporters released on Sunday, Zelensky said Russia could draft more troops in 2027 to reach an overall goal of 500,000, part of what he described as a “peripheral mobilization” targeting Russia’s far-flung regions.

“We believe it will not take place in the central cities,” he said. “But I don’t think they will be able to hide it very well.”

Parliamentary elections in Russia are set for Sept. 18-20.

As fighting rages around the strategic city of Kostiantynivka, Zelensky said Russia was losing a “maximum” amount of troops in its bid to advance into Ukraine’s so-called fortress belt of eastern cities.

He also hailed recent gains by Kyiv’s troops in southeastern Ukraine, adding that the amount of territory occupied by Russia and liberated by Ukrainian forces in 2026 would be equal.

CIA chief travels to Moscow for unannounced talks, US media reports– www.bbc.co.uk

pgnewser August 26, 2026 1

CIA chief travels to Moscow for unannounced talks, US media reports– www.bbc.co.uk
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EXCERPT:

The trip is thought to be Ratcliffe’s first trip to Russia as CIA director, although he has maintained contact with his intelligence counterparts in Moscow.

John Foreman, who served as a British military attaché to Moscow between 2019 and 2022, told Radio 4’s PM programme that the visit could be focused on “escalation management” given speculation recent drone activity in Germany could be linked to Russia.

He said: “The Americans don’t normally send such a high ranking official to Moscow unannounced at short notice unless something is up.”

Foreman said the trip could also concern the release of US detainees currently being held in Russia.

Ratcliffe played a role in negotiations for the release of Russian-American citizen Ksenia Karelina, who was jailed in Russia for over a year after being accused of providing support to Ukraine.

Russia, Ukraine working toward new large POW exchange — ombudswoman – Russian Politics & Diplomacy– tass.com

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

Russia, Ukraine working toward new large POW exchange — ombudswoman – Russian Politics & Diplomacy– tass.com
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EXCERPT:

MOSCOW, August 26. /TASS/. Russia and Ukraine are currently working to agree on lists for another “quite large” prisoner of war exchange, Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova told TASS.

“We are preparing another quite large [POW] swap, with lists being agreed,” Lantratova said.

A previous major POW exchange took place on August 19 when Russia returned 103 servicemen from the Kiev-controlled territory and handed over 103 prisoners of war to Ukraine. The Pervy Informatsionny television channel of Belarus reported on August 24 that Russia and Ukraine carried out a ten-for-ten prisoner exchange in Belarus’s southeasternmost Gomel Region.

 

NATO fighters jets scrambled from Europe as Russia launches onslaught on Kyiv– www.mirror.co.uk

pgnewser August 21, 2026 0

NATO fighters jets scrambled from Europe as Russia launches onslaught on Kyiv– www.mirror.co.uk
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EXCERPT:

NATO fighter jets were scrambled in Poland and Romania overnight as Russia staged massive strikes on Kyiv.

At least 12 people were killed and 34 wounded in a missile and drone onslaught on the Ukrainian capital in some of Vladimir Putin’s most intense strikes of the entire war lasting more than seven hours.

A children’s hospital and apartment blocks were damaged as Russian source claimed to have hit Ukrainian missile and drone plants, logistics hubs, and railways.

In the early morning, people were rescued from the rubble as a woman was seeing weeping over the body of a relative on a debris-strewn street.

NATO F-18s were scrambled when a suspected Russian drone crashed in Romania and burst into flames.

US Senate approves sweeping Russia sanctions bill targeting energy income– www.euronews.com

pgnewser August 10, 2026 0

US Senate approves sweeping Russia sanctions bill targeting energy income– www.euronews.com
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EXCERPT:

The US Senate has overwhelmingly approved a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia’s energy revenues, including Russian officials, oligarchs, financial institutions and the so-called shadow fleet.

The bipartisan legislation, which passed the Senate 86-11, would allow US President Donald Trump to set tariffs of up to 500% on Russian imports, including gas and oil.

It would also penalise countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas and other exports, allowing Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from major purchasers of Russian oil and gas, including countries such as China and India.

US sanctions would also expand to target older, reflagged oil tankers that Russia uses to circumvent existing US sanctions on Russian oil and energy revenues.

The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives, though a vote there will not take place until at least early September due to the congressional summer recess.

Ukraine’s losses from port blockade exceed $1 bln – Business & Economy– tass.com

pgnewser August 7, 2026 0

Ukraine’s losses from port blockade exceed $1 bln – Business & Economy– tass.com
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EXCERPT:

MOSCOW, August 6. /TASS/. Ukraine has lost about $1.05 bln in foreign exchange earnings due to the blockade of its seaports since July 22, according to TASS calculations.

Ukraine’s main commercial ports – Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny – remain idle. Shipping schedules show that large foreign merchant vessels are not calling at these ports.

Ukraine conducts maritime trade solely through the port of Izmail, where logistics are constrained by the capacity of both the harbor and the railway network serving it. Even when operating at full capacity, Izmail can handle no more than 20 mln metric tons annually, compared with about 13 mln metric tons under normal conditions. The Greater Odessa ports, meanwhile, have a combined annual capacity of over 40 mln metric tons. Ukraine is losing around $70 mln daily, primarily because of a sharp decline in exports of agricultural products and steel.

Available vessel traffic data do not account for deliveries of military cargo to the Ukrainian armed forces. The Russian Defense Ministry regularly reports strikes on dry cargo ships at the port of Nikolayev used to support Ukrainian troops.

 

Zelensky dismisses Ukrainian ambassador to US – World– tass.com

pgnewser August 7, 2026 0

Zelensky dismisses Ukrainian ambassador to US – World– tass.com
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EXCERPT:

“To dismiss Stefanishina Olga Vitalyevna from her position as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United States of America,” Zelensky’s decree reads.

Stefanishina served as Ukrainian ambassador to the United States since August 27, 2025. A new ambassador has not yet been appointed.

Shortly after Zelensky’s decree was posted on his website, Stefanishina said the decision was her own. “Today, I decided to step down as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States. This is my own decision stemming from personal circumstances that were mentioned earlier,” she wrote on Facebook (Facebook is banned in Russia due to its ownership by Meta, which has been designated as extremist).

She posted a photo of her letter of resignation where she also cited “personal circumstances” as the reason for her leaving the post. At the same time, she promised to provide comments on the probe against her in the near future. “As for the issues going around about me in the mass media, I will comment on them specially and publicly soon,” she added.

Reports on Stefanishina’s voluntary resignation appeared in Ukrainian media back on July 13. According to Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) member Alexey Goncharenko (designated as a terrorist and extremist in Russia), Stefanishina has already returned to Kiev and may be charged by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU). The RBC-Ukraine agency also mentioned NABU’s probe against Stefanishina as a possible reason for the government reshuffle initiated by Zelensky.

Russian attacks kill 17, exploiting Ukraine’s lack of missile interceptors | Russia-Ukraine war News– www.aljazeera.com

pgnewser August 5, 2026 0

Russian attacks kill 17, exploiting Ukraine’s lack of missile interceptors | Russia-Ukraine war News– www.aljazeera.com
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EXCERPT:

Russia has pounded Kyiv and surrounding areas with ballistic missiles and drones, killing at least 17 people, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns lives could have been saved had allies replenished its stocks of missile interceptors.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said on Telegram that cleanup operations were under way following what it described as a “massive attack”, which took place overnight on Tuesday. Among the sites struck were warehouse facilities in the city of Brovary, while a fire broke out at another warehouse in the city of Bucha.

Former European and Russian Officials Held Secret Talks in Austria – Bloomberg– www.themoscowtimes.com

pgnewser August 5, 2026 0

Former European and Russian Officials Held Secret Talks in Austria – Bloomberg– www.themoscowtimes.com
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EXCERPT:

Former diplomats and national security officials from Europe and Russia met secretly in Vienna last month to explore potential terms for holding peace talks with Ukraine, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The Western figures included former British national security adviser Tim Barrow, former German State Secretary Markus Ederer and veteran French diplomat Pierre Vimont. The former Russian official’s identity was not disclosed.

The Kremlin has not commented on the reported meeting.

Ederer and Vimont sit on the board of the Swiss-based conflict resolution group Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, which was said to have organized the talks.

Seven killed as drone hits packed Russian beach and tourists run for their lives– www.mirror.co.uk

pgnewser August 4, 2026 0

Seven killed as drone hits packed Russian beach and tourists run for their lives– www.mirror.co.uk
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EXCERPT:

Drone dive-bombs beach in southern Russia killing tourists

At least seven people have been killed, including three children, as a “downed” Ukrainian drone crashed and exploded onto sunbathers on a Russian beach.

Forty people were also injured, with 21 of them taken to hospital, as the unmanned device exploded in Arkhipo-Osipovka. The drone was seen dive-bombing onto tourists at the popular beach as temperatures reached 29C.

Beachgoers have claimed no warning sirens were heard before the incident as some sheltered under sun loungers.

Russia launches ballistic missile attack on Kyiv, officials report– www.foxnews.com

pgnewser July 30, 2026 0

Russia launches ballistic missile attack on Kyiv, officials report– www.foxnews.com
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EXCERPT:

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Russia launched a ballistic missile attack on Ukraine’s capital early Thursday, with multiple explosions reported across Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to seek shelter as blasts rocked the city. Reuters, citing a witness, reported hearing multiple explosions.

The Ukrainian Air Force also said Russia was targeting the capital with ballistic missiles.

An explosion lights up the sky over the city during a Russian missile and drone strike amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, July 2, 2026. (Gleb Garanich/Reuters)

Klitschko later said several non-residential sites caught fire following the strikes. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The attack came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia appeared to be preparing a major overnight assault.

“I received a report from Air Force Commander Anatolii Kryvonozhko,” Zelenskyy wrote on X Wednesday, saying Russia had prepared a “massive attack several days ago” and that there was a “high probability” it would be carried out overnight.

Missile that left crater deep inside Poland was probably Russian – Polish PM Tusk– www.bbc.co.uk

pgnewser July 30, 2026 0

Missile that left crater deep inside Poland was probably Russian – Polish PM Tusk– www.bbc.co.uk
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EXCERPT:

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said an object that crashed into a field in eastern Poland in the early hours of Thursday was probably a Russian missile.

The unidentified object caused a 10m-wide (33ft) crater a short distance from the village of Tarnawa Kolonia, about 100km (62 miles) from the border with Ukraine during a Russian attack on the city of Lviv.

“All the indications are that it was a Russian Kh-101 ballistic missile, but we want to be 100% certain about the type of missile and who launched it,” Tusk said during a specially convened meeting in nearby Lublin.

Ukraine’s acting Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said earlier on Thursday that a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile had “crossed into Poland as part of Russia’s massive strike against Ukraine, violating Nato airspace”.

Tusk said he was in contact with fellow European leaders before heading to the scene of Thursday’s incident.

There were no reports of casualties in Thursday’s incident, he said, but it was being treated as serious. There was no immediate threat as it had not landed in a built-up area, Tusk added: “We were prepared to shoot it down if had continued its flight.”

Ukraine Calls Out Russia, Urges India To Act After Attacks On Sailors– www.ndtv.com

pgnewser July 30, 2026 0

Ukraine Calls Out Russia, Urges India To Act After Attacks On Sailors– www.ndtv.com
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EXCERPT:

Ukraine has publicly urged India to take a tougher stand against Russia, accusing Moscow of repeatedly putting Indian seafarers in danger through attacks on civilian ships and port infrastructure in the Black Sea.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Wednesday, the Ukrainian Embassy in India questioned whether New Delhi would once again summon Russia’s representative, as it had after an earlier deadly attack involving Indian sailors.

13 Indian Crew Members Still Trapped

According to Kyiv, 13 Indian crew members remain stranded aboard the cargo vessel MV AMIR 1 at the Port of Chornomorsk, where the threat of Russian missile and drone strikes continues.