Ukraine War News Today - Top Stories and Breaking Updates from Kyiv Post

The loan is backed by an EU guarantee to secure gas supplies for winter after Russian attacks impair infrastructure.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is lending Ukraine’s state-owned gas giant Naftogaz €500 million ($586 million) to finance emergency natural gas purchases for the next heating season and beyond.

“The deal is the largest project the EBRD has ever signed in Ukraine and among the largest in its history,” CEO of Naftogaz Sergii Koretskyi wrote on Facebook.

Americans know Putin is a monster, and they know a partnership with Ukraine can stop that monster. History will remember whether Trump stood up to him or cowered.

In Alaska, Donald Trump will sit across the table from Vladimir Putin, a wanted war criminal, a terrorist in a suit, and one of the most dangerous men alive. This is not diplomacy. This is a high-stakes showdown between the President of the United States and a man who thrives on conquest, chaos, and human suffering.

Putin is not just another adversary. He has kidnapped more than 20,000 Ukrainian children, with many trafficked and sold across the globe. He has slaughtered hundreds of thousands of his own soldiers and countless civilians in a war driven by his obsession with empire. He has no regard for human life, not for Ukrainians, not for his own people, not for anyone.

The restrictions came amid a wider crackdown on internet use in Russia, as the Kremlin rolled out an officially sanctioned mega-app covering most aspects of online activity.

Russia has announced plans to restrict calls on WhatsApp and Telegram on Wednesday, two of the country’s most popular messaging services, unless the apps give law enforcement full access to user data.

Telegram, a social media platform developed by Russian-born tech mogul Pavel Durov, is widely used across Eastern Europe, including in Russia, while WhatsApp remains the messenger of choice in the country.

Russia’s elite face arrests as war drains funds – FSB shakes down governors, drone strikes choke rails, and fear ripples from Kremlin to front lines.

The US president now frames his upcoming talks with Putin on Friday as a preliminary conversation to determine the next steps – including a potential meeting where everyone can “get things done.”

WASHINGTON DC – US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Russia would face “very severe consequences” if Russian leader Vladimir Putin does not agree to a peace settlement for the war in Ukraine after their planned meeting on Friday.

The comments came after his call with European partners and President Volodymyr Zelensky to coordinate positions ahead of Friday’s talks in Alaska with Putin, with all parties ostensibly agreeing that a ceasefire is a precondition for any further talks. 

Germany’s chancellor also said Kyiv needs security guarantees and a ceasefire before settlement talks, following Wednesday’s coordination call ahead of Friday’s Trump-Putin meeting.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has hinted at a “common ground” on Ukraine following multiple calls on Wednesday, with a ceasefire presumably agreed as a precondition for further talks.  

“Today Europe, the US, and NATO have strengthened the common ground for Ukraine. We will remain in close coordination. Nobody wants peace more than us, a just and lasting peace,” von der Leyen wrote in an X update, describing the call as “very good.” 

Footage shows the shootdowns in the Kursk region, marking the first known case of a helicopter being destroyed by a drone in flight.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) last year shot down two Russian helicopters in flight – a Mi-28 attack helicopter and a Mi-8 transport – using a drone worth only $1,000.

According to UNITED24, which released video footage showing Ukrainian drones in action on Sunday, the engagements were carried out by the SBU’s Special Operations Center “A.”

US policy and President Trump’s understanding of the situation in Ukraine is all too often based on scant knowledge of Ukrainian history and its people. Kyiv Post speaks to a Washington insider.

On the eve of the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15, one might wonder what the US president’s opinion of Ukraine is. But it might be even more interesting to understand how well the US administration’s technical experts, who prepare these meetings and the information needed to make important political decisions, understand the complex situation in Ukraine.

Kyiv Post spoke with Natalia Khizhnyak, language instructor for the Pentagon-related programs and formerly BBC News Ukrainian correspondent in Washington DC, where she has lived for 18 years and has consistently promoted meetings between Ukrainian and the US politicians.

Around Putin’s Valdai residence — and that of his alleged companion Alina Kabaeva, air defenses have expanded from 2 to 12 positions, with Pantsir-S1 systems mounted on special towers a la WW II.

Around Vladimir Putin’s residence in Valdai, air defenses have been significantly reinforced: there are now 12 positions, mostly equipped with Pantsir-S1 systems mounted on special towers. By comparison, in 2023–2024 there were only two such sites.

According to Radio Svoboda, which analyzed new Yandex satellite images and photos from the Yandex.Mirror service, in Moscow and the Moscow region — home to over 20 million people — journalists counted 60 air defense positions.

This year’s executive education program, organized by Endeavor – a global entrepreneurship mentorship network – features Ukrainian tech entrepreneurs among its participants for the first time.

Ukrainian tech founders are among the participants of an executive education program this year organized by Endeavor, a global entrepreneurship mentorship network, for the first time.

The program is set to begin in August and feature six-day intensive programs in collaboration with Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB and MIT Sloan, with professors such as William Kerr (Harvard), Huggy Rao (Stanford) and Gary Gensler (MIT), among others.

In a social media update, the US president lambasted the media for its recent criticisms ahead of his meeting with Putin, following his suggestion that Kyiv’s concessions might be on the table.

US President Donald Trump made scathing remarks against the media on Wednesday ahead of his Friday meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, accusing the media of being “unfair” and likening them to “sick and dishonest people.”

Trump previously floated the idea of “swapping” Ukrainian territories during the upcoming talks, an idea firmly rejected by Kyiv and Europe as they are all Ukrainian territories. 

The EU’s 18th Russia sanctions are its toughest yet, but key banks seem minor, many shadow fleet tankers unnamed, and the oil price cap enforcement remains unclear.

The 18th package of sanctions against Russia comes into force, lowering the price cap for crude oil from $60 to $47.6 per barrel, and further increasing the list of bans against Nord Stream, Russian banks and petroleum products.

The EU approved the 18th package of sanctions against Russia on July 18 in response to the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The majority of the sanctions list became active after the European Commission (EC) announced it.

Latest from the British Defence Intelligence.

•  In July 2025 Russia launched approximately 6,200 one way attack uncrewed aerial systems (OWA UAS) against Ukraine, a new monthly high, surpassing the approximately 5,600 launched in June 2025.Russian OWA UAS continue to be combined with Russia’s premier missiles in attempts to increase the missiles’ survivability and complicate Ukrainian air defence efforts. Several daily highs for Russian OWA UAS use were also observed in July 2025, with significant numbers of decoy UAS employed alongside live warhead variants. This has become standard practice for Russia’s attritional air strategy.
• Russian Long Range Aviation (LRA) bombers have maintained their operational tempo, continuing to demonstrate the resilience and retained capability of the fleet following Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb on 01 June 2025. Seven LRA strike packages were observed in July, launching more than 70 of its premier munitions.
• Ukraine continues its own OWA US strikes deep into Russian territory, attempting to disrupt Russian military industry and fuel production. Russian air defence continues its struggles in protecting both military and industry locations within range of Ukraine’s ever improving US capabilities. However, it is likely that Russia will respond to Ukrainian successes both in kind, and with its more destructive LA fleet, with the Kremlin frustrated by Ukraine’s ability to penetrate its extensive defensive posture.

Vasyl Malyuk, head of Ukraine’s SBU revealed details of their Operation Spiderweb, which used 150 FPV drones and a covert network in Russia to destroy 41 strategic enemy aircraft.

Operation Spiderweb (Pavutyna), carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on June 1 this year, was one of the most high-profile attacks in the history of the Ukrainian special services. According to SBU head, Lt. Gen. Vasyl Malyuk, the success of the operation was ensured by a unique symbiosis of human intelligence and technical capabilities, implemented deep behind enemy lines.

“Pavutyna is a unique, multi-stage operation that includes a number of critically important components. It involves logistics – delivering 150 combat FPV drones into enemy territory, transporting ‘hunting’ cabins for their deployment, human intelligence work, communications, and more. Our work becomes most effective when there is the right symbiosis of human intelligence and technical components,” Malyuk said on Tuesday, Aug. 12, in an interview with the “We Are Ukraine” TV channel.

Compared to the big Russian push around Pokrovsk and Dobropillia, recent advances by Kyiv forces have been relatively modest.

Ukrainian troops have retaken lost ground in the northern Sumy region and elsewhere, but successful counter-attacks by Kyiv’s forces have been limited in scope over the past three days, news reports and unit statements said.

Ukrainian assault units operating in the northern Sumy region and southern Zaporizhzhia region have scored small but verified successes fighting outnumbered against Russian forces, bucking a trend of relentless Russian pressure and bloody but slow Russian advances prevalent elsewhere on the front.

If Kyiv and Moscow accept Trump’s so-called land swaps, here’s how much territory each controls as of Tuesday – three days before the talks.

If the rumored land swap deal is to go ahead on Friday, Moscow would relinquish just 5% of the territory it occupies in exchange for recognition of over 60% of each region it claims, Kyiv Post has found.

US President Donald Trump has floated “some swapping of territories” ahead of his Friday meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska to end the war. 

Shareholders approved the $2.2 Billion SPAC merger between Ukraine’s Kyivstar and Cohen Circle – paving the way toward a Nasdaq listing.

Cohen Circle shareholders on Tuesday, Aug. 12, approved a $2.2 billion merger with Ukraine’s Kyivstar, setting the stage for the country’s largest telecom operator to become the first Ukrainian company listed on the Nasdaq.

The deal will see Kyivstar merge with US-based special-purpose acquisition company Cohen Circle Acquisition Corp. The company will now prepare its listing documents for Nasdaq review – a process that could take from several days to weeks, according to Scroll.media. People familiar with the transaction describe the filing stage as passing through “every possible legal circle of hell,” with no margin for error.

Ukrainian kamikaze drones hit Druzhba, Russia’s largest pipeline hub – located in Bryansk region, just 40 km from Ukraine – sparking a massive fire and disrupting fuel supply to its military industry.

Ukrainian kamikaze drones struck a strategic oil and gas facility in Russia in the early hours of Wednesday, Aug. 13. The target was the Unecha oil pumping station (LDS “Unecha”) on the Transneft Druzhba main pipeline, located in the town of Unechka in Russia’s Bryansk region.

According to Kyiv Post’s sources in Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence Directorate (HUR), the operation was carried out by HUR in cooperation with other units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

Germany is hosting Zelensky for bilateral talks with Chancellor Merz before they join together for a transatlantic video summit with Trump, NATO, and EU leaders.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will arrive in Germany on Wednesday, Aug. 13, where he will take part in a video conference with US President Donald Trump.

According to the Bild news outlet, Zelensky will arrive in Berlin today for an online meeting alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The stakes are enormous. The pressure is real. And the outcomes could reshape the war in Ukraine.

Here are four key scenarios – not ranked by likelihood, but all very possible.

Scenario 1: vicious circle

A question and answer with columnist Timothy Ash.

Given all the focus on the upcoming Trump-Putin summit in Alaska on Aug. 15 – and the considerable uncertainty therein – I thought it perhaps useful to lay down some of the facts around the state of the war and potential peace. I always find a Q&A format is simplest – both for me writing and perhaps for readers.

First things first, where are we in terms of the state of the war?

Answer: Well, I am no military strategist, but those I read that are (Michael Kofman, amongst the best), suggest that we are in something of a stalemate where neither side is able to deliver a winning or decisive blow.

European and Ukrainian leaders will hold a series of online meetings with Trump before his Alaska summit with Putin, aiming to safeguard Kyiv’s interests and prevent a one-sided ceasefire deal.

Leaders from Ukraine and across Europe will hold three high-level online meetings with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, Aug. 13, ahead of his summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

The talks are aimed at underscoring the risks of sidelining Kyiv in pursuit of a ceasefire deal, according to a Reuters report. 

Russia launched 49 Shahed drones, decoy UAVs, and two ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight, striking multiple regions.

Russian forces launched a massive overnight attack on Ukraine with 49 Shahed strike drones, decoy drones, and two ballistic missiles early Wednesday morning, Aug. 13.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the assault began at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 12.

“Alaska stands with Ukraine, and we don’t appreciate authoritarian dictators being invited to our state,” said one of the protest organizers Erin Jackson-Hill.

Rallies planned in downtown Anchorage on the eve and day of the upcoming summit between U.S. and Russian leaders will carry clear messages for both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin—who, organizers say, has no place on American soil.

Erin Jackson-Hill, Executive Director of Stand UP Alaska and one of the protest organizers, shared details in an exclusive comment to Ukrinform.

China called the visit a “provocative action” that undermines Beijing’s sovereignty.

China will cut off engagement with Czech President Petr Pavel over his meeting with the Dalai Lama last month, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.

“In disregard of China’s repeated protests and strong opposition, Czech President Petr Pavel went to India to meet with the Dalai Lama,” said ministry spokesman Lin Jian. 

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Russian forces continued to infiltrate Ukrainian defenses east and northeast of Dobropillya (northwest of Pokrovsk) using limited sabotage and reconnaissance groups on August 12. Russian forces have yet to be able to deploy reinforcements to hold and exploit this tactical penetration and will likely face obstacles in trying to do so.
• Russian milbloggers, who often overinflate Russian advances, questioned Russia’s ability to exploit the tactical penetration.
• The Russian tactical penetration in the Dobropillya direction was not immediate but came rather after months of Russian preparation and condition setting using new drone innovations and tactics at scale.
• Russian advances in the Pokrovsk direction are also only the most recent result of over 17 months’ worth of protracted campaigning.
• Russian officials are attempting to exploit the tactical penetration near Dobropillya to influence the upcoming US-Russia summit in Alaska, but the Kremlin’s overall strategic objective is to break the will of Ukraine, the United States, and Europe to achieve Russia’s longstanding demand for full Ukrainian capitulation.
• Ukrainian intelligence indicated that North Korea recently deployed 11,000 soldiers to Russia to facilitate Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, further demonstrating Russia’s commitment to leaning on its anti-Western partners to protract the war in Ukraine.
• Russian forces recently advanced near Velykyi Burluk, Borova, and Pokrovsk.

Putin and Kim spoke by phone in a “warm comradely atmosphere” and confirmed “their will to strengthen cooperation in the future,” a North Korean state media agency said on Tuesday.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un have vowed to strengthen cooperation, days ahead of Putin’s summit in Alaska with Donald Trump, Pyongyang’s state media reported Wednesday.  

Putin and Kim spoke by phone in a “warm comradely atmosphere” on Tuesday and confirmed “their will to strengthen cooperation in the future”, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. 

From Washington to Brussels, the Anchorage meeting is seen as either a bold gamble for peace or a dangerous game of concessions, with the future of Ukraine hanging in the balance.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As US President Donald Trump prepares to meet with the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska on Friday, a wave of apprehension is spreading, with diplomats fearing a deal that undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty and analysts warning that the White House lacks a viable strategy to end the conflict.

European allies are sounding the alarm, insisting that any peace deal for Ukraine must not be decided without Kyiv at the negotiating table.