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

Downplaying the impact of Russia’s attack on Kyiv, the White House places onus on both sides, noting that Ukraine recently “dealt a blow to Russia’s oil refineries.”

WASHINGTON DC – The Trump administration on Thursday offered a nuanced, and at times detached, reaction to Russia’s overnight strike on Kyiv, which killed at least 23 people and injured several dozen more, stating that while President Donald Trump was “not happy” about the news, he was also “not surprised.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the attack, which Ukrainian authorities described as the second-largest of the war, by contextualizing the violence as part of a cycle of conflict. 

Russia’s latest attack on Kyiv claimed at leas 23 lives, wounded scores, and left six districts reeling as homes, schools, and workplaces burned through the night.

In the early hours of Aug. 28, Russia struck with one of its deadliest bombardments in months using ballistic and cruise missiles, hypersonic Kinzhals, and waves of Iranian-made Shahed drones. The assault left at least 18 people dead, including three children aged 2, 14, and 17, with dozens more injured as rescue operations raced to save lives amidst the rubble.

The devastation was felt across six of the city’s districts – Darnytskyi, Dniprovskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, Solomianskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, and Desnianskyi – where apartment blocks were split in two, buildings burned, and schools, kindergartens, and offices were either destroyed or severely damaged.

Russia launched a massive overnight strike on Kyiv on Aug. 28 with missiles and drones, killing at least 18, including three children, and setting fires across the city.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday she spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump following Russia’s massive overnight strike on Kyiv that killed at least 18 people and damaged the EU’s diplomatic mission in the city.

Von der Leyen wrote on X that she called Zelensky first and then Trump “after the massive strike on Kyiv which also hit our EU offices.”

Germany’s biggest arms manufacturer is up-scaling shell production for the Russo-Ukraine war at a dizzying pace. Meanwhile the Pentagon is mad US industry can’t do the same thing.

Europe’s biggest defense manufacturer Rheinmetall will open two plants in Bulgaria to produce artillery shells and gunpowder, deepening the German corporation’s position as a critical supplier of ammunition for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), recent news reports from Sofia said.

CEO Armin Papperger, during Tuesday meetings with senior Bulgarian politician Boyko Borissov, agreed Düsseldorf-headquartered Rheinmetall would construct a NATO-standard 155mm shell production line on the premises of Vazovski Mashinostroiteleni Zavodi, a major Bulgarian defense products manufacturer, the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency reported.

Azerbaijan’s president gave an interview in which he harshly criticized Russia. The shift represents a recalibration of his nation’s position toward Moscow.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has delivered one of the strongest anti-Russian statements ever heard from Baku, describing his country’s entry into the Soviet Union in 1920 as nothing less than a “Russian invasion and occupation.” His remarks on Aug. 26 in a Saudi TV interview not only challenge Moscow’s historical narrative but also resonate strongly with Ukraine’s own struggle against Russian imperialism today.

Rewriting history, rejecting Moscow’s narrative

Ukraine’s intel forces struck Russia’s Buyan-M missile ship in the Azov Sea on Aug. 28, damaging the Kalibr carrier and forcing it out of combat.

The fighters of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR) on Thursday, Aug. 28, damaged a Russian small missile ship of Project 21631 “Buyan-M” — a carrier of Kalibr cruise missiles, according to an official statement from the agency.

HUR reported that the operation was carried out jointly by the Department of Active Measures and the special unit “Prymary.”

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen addressed the press in Brussels following the strike, calling it proof “the Kremlin will stop at nothing” and vowing to uphold “maximum pressure” on Russia.

The EU summoned Moscow’s envoy in Brussels on Thursday after a massive attack on Kyiv killed at least 14 people and damaged the bloc’s diplomatic mission in the city.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen addressed the press in Brussels following the strike, calling it proof “the Kremlin will stop at nothing” and vowing to uphold “maximum pressure” on Russia.

The British Council’s offices in Kyiv were also hit in one of the largest aerial bombardments of Russia’s three-and-a-half-year-long invasion.

Poland’s top diplomat has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of “mocking” the US and Europe’s drive for peace following a missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital which damaged the EU’s HQ.

At least 10 people died in the overnight assault on Kyiv, with dozens injured. No EU delegates were harmed.  

European allies may receive US intelligence and command support to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses after a shift in Trump’s position.

The Trump administration has signaled a significant shift in its position on Ukraine, telling European allies that the United States could provide intelligence tools, command structures, and key systems to help Western forces ensure Ukraine’s air security after the war.

According to the Financial Times, European officials said the move marks progress on security guarantees, though no final decisions have been made. One major obstacle – President Donald Trump’s reluctance to assist – has reportedly been overcome.

Kyiv struck Russia’s Afipsky and Kuibyshev oil refineries and depots on Aug 28, sparking massive fires, while Russia shelled Ukrainian cities.

In the early hours of Thursday, Aug. 28, the Defense Forces of Ukraine carried out a series of strikes on strategic targets in Russia and in the temporarily occupied territories, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.

In particular, the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region, which supplies fuel to the Russian army, was attacked. A massive fire broke out at the facility following the strike. The plant’s capacity reaches over 6 million tons of oil per year.

Putin and Kim Jong Un will join Xi Jinping at Beijing’s Sept. 3 military parade.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un will attend a military parade in Beijing, marking the first public appearance of the two leaders alongside President Xi Jinping in a show of collective defiance amid Western pressure.

No Western leaders will be among the 26 foreign heads of state and government attending the parade next week with the exception of Robert Fico, prime minister of Slovakia, a European Union member state, according to the Chinese foreign ministry on Thursday.

Ukraine’s FM Sybiha said Russia’s Aug. 28 strike damaged the EU mission in Kyiv, calling it a Vienna Convention violation and urging a strong international response.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha reported that as a result of Russia’s overnight missile strike on Aug. 28, the building of the European Union’s mission in Kyiv was damaged.

He wrote about this on social media platform X, noting that the attack also targeted diplomats, which he described as a blatant violation of the Vienna Convention.

Zelensky also urged Western allies to impose new sanctions, saying Moscow must feel responsible for “every strike, for every day of this war.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that Russia’s overnight missile and drone barrage on Ukraine’s capital was another deliberate attack on civilians and urged the world to respond with tougher sanctions.

Russia launched a massive overnight attack on Kyiv early Thursday, Aug.28, striking Kyiv with ballistic and cruise missiles, Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and waves of Iranian-made Shahed drones.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Limited Russian tactical forces recently infiltrated Ukrainian defenses in two border settlements in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast but have not established enduring positions in the area.
• Russian forces are using infiltration tactics in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast similar to those they used near Dobropillya (northwest of Pokrovsk) in early August 2025.
• The Kremlin appears to be resuming its drone and missile strike campaign targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of Winter 2025, likely in an effort to undermine Ukrainian will to resist Russian aggression.
• The Kremlin is attempting to undermine US and European joint efforts to determine appropriate security guarantees for Ukraine by seemingly demanding that Russia and the United States privately discuss such matters.
• The Kremlin signaled that Russian President Vladimir Putin remains unwilling to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unconditionally.
• Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev reiterated Azerbaijan’s continued support for Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty and condemned the Soviet Red Army for “invading and occupying” Azerbaijan in 1920 — further aggravating already deteriorating Russian-Azerbaijani relations.
• Russian forces recently advanced near Borova, Toretsk, and Pokrovsk and in eastern Zaporizhia Oblast.

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The latest attack also comes against the backdrop of renewed diplomatic maneuvering by US President Donald Trump.

[UPDATES] As of Friday, Aug. 29, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said the rescue operation had been completed, confirming that 25 people — including four children — were killed in the Russian attack on Thursday, Aug. 28.

Russia launched a massive overnight assault on Ukraine’s capital early Thursday, Aug. 28, firing ballistic and cruise missiles, Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, and waves of Iranian-made Shahed drones in one of the deadliest strikes on Kyiv in months.

The attack set fires across the city, ripped through residential neighborhoods, and killed at least 18 people, including three children aged 2, 14, and 17, Ukrainian officials said. At least 45 others were wounded, with the casualty toll expected to rise as rescue operations continued.

The announcement came after a group of stragglers – including Spain, Belgium and Italy – hastily announced plans to reach two percent ahead of a Hague gathering.

NATO on Thursday said all its members were finally set this year to hit the alliance’s previous defense spending target of two percent of GDP -- as they gear up for a far more ambitious goal.

The 32-nation military alliance agreed at a June summit in the Hague to massively hike defense spending over the next decade under pressure from US President Donald Trump.

As Trump administration reportedly floats a DMZ plan with Europe, a retired US Army Colonel with NATO experience suggests it could provide the only path to peace, despite widespread opposition.

Talks over Ukraine’s future security have recently intensified, but a significant rift has emerged between the US and its European allies over who will shoulder the long-term burden of the war-torn country’s defense.

A final framework for security assurances remains elusive, with the disagreements exposing a fundamental divide on the path forward.

A meeting between Marco Rubio and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi underscores the dual-front nuclear crisis facing the international community.

WASHINGTON DC – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog on Wednesday, a rare encounter that came as the international community confronts two mounting nuclear crises: one on the battlefields of Ukraine, and another threatening to re-impose international sanctions against Iran.

Escalating Tensions in Ukraine

New report by The Saratoga Foundation argues Russia’s rigid, centralized system is no match for Ukraine’s agile defense. The author tells Kyiv Post the long-term outcome hinges on systemic resilience.

Russia’s early military failures in Ukraine were not a series of tactical blunders but “the systemic collapse of a political-military machine,” according to a new report from The Saratoga Foundation, a US-based think-tank.

Speaking to Kyiv Post, the report’s author, Roger McDermott, explains how the conflict has become a clash between two fundamentally different military systems.The report, titled “Fractured Strategy: A Systems View of Russia’s Early Failure in Ukraine,” argues that the Kremlin’s decision to launch a “special military operation” (SMO) was a “political fiction” that “stripped Russia’s military of the fundamental tools needed for a large-scale conflict.”