Drone shot down over Latvia as Ukraine hits Russian oil refinery
Bryony Gooch15 August 2026 17:00
Recap: Russia and North Korea cooperating across regional security, state media reports
Russian president Vladimir Putin told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that Moscow and Pyongyang were cooperating across all areas and coordinating efforts to ensure regional security and stability, North Korean state media KCNA reported on Saturday.
Putin said in a message to Kim marking the anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule that he was confident Russia and North Korea would continue “constructive joint work” on bilateral and international issues, KCNA said.
Kim had visited Pyongyang’s Liberation Tower on Friday to pay tribute to Soviet soldiers who fought Japan in World War Two, KCNA reported. A wreath at the tower in Kim’s name bore the words: “We do not forget the feats of the Soviet army martyrs.”
Kim said the legacy of blood ties and combat friendship between the two countries had become a cornerstone of their expanding relations, KCNA reported.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev also sent Kim greetings, KCNA said.
Bryony Gooch15 August 2026 16:00
Russia seeks explanation from US and Turkey over reports of possible arms transfer
Russia has asked Washington and Ankara to explain reports of possible plans to transfer to Kyiv a “substantial arsenal” of US weapons and ammunition held by Turkey, the spokeswoman for Russia’s foreign ministry said on Saturday.
Such a transfer would cause “serious harm … to our bilateral relations with Washington and Ankara,” spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
Bryony Gooch15 August 2026 15:30
Baby killed in drone strike in southeastern Ukraine
A Russian strike on an apartment block in southeastern Ukraine on Saturday killed a three-month-old baby and wounded 11 people, local officials said.
Drones hit the building in the town of Marhanets, said Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense also said that it had targeted warehouses and infrastructure at the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Izmail and Yuzhnyi.Ukraine’s Air Force said that Russia launched 152 drones over the country Saturday, of which 124 were destroyed.
Bryony Gooch15 August 2026 15:00
Russian troops claim to control 19 settlements in Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia
Russian troops have taken control of 19 settlements in southeastern Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions over their summer campaign, the Russian defence ministry said on Saturday.
In a statement, the ministry cited a report by Pyotr Bolgarev, commander of the eastern group of forces. It did not name the settlements.
Separately, the ministry said its forces had recently taken control of the settlement of Rybalskoye in Zaporizhzhia region, news agency Interfax reported.
Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield reports.
Russian advances on the frontline have slowed this year even as Moscow has intensified its ballistic strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said his forces had recaptured 745 square km (288 square miles) of Russian-held land this year across the southeastern front.
Bryony Gooch15 August 2026 14:00
Breaking: Rocket centre hit by Ukraine supports Russia’s Starlink-style satellite internet
Ukraine said on Saturday its long-range strikes had hit a Russian military airfield and a rocket centre that Kyiv says supports Russia’s nascent Starlink-style satellite internet network.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Flamingo cruise missiles struck the rocket facility, about 900 km (560 miles) from Ukraine’s border, as part of Kyiv’s campaign to pressure Moscow to end the more than four-year war by targeting sites deep inside Russia.
“It is important that Russia’s war potential be reduced. Peace is needed, and this must be evident in Russia – through concrete damage to specific facilities,” he said in a post on X.
He said the airfield hosted aircraft used to attack Ukraine.
Bryony Gooch15 August 2026 13:13
Russian plot to kill American citizen in Warsaw stopped by Poland
Bryony Gooch15 August 2026 13:00
Recap watch: Ukrainian firefighters run for their lives as Russian drones attack trucksUkrainian firefighters run for their lives as Russian drones attack trucks
Bryony Gooch15 August 2026 12:30
Zelensky shares footage of long range strikes on Russia
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky shared footage of long range strikes on Russian facilities.
He said: “Our plan of long-range sanctions against Russia for this war is being implemented, and it is important that Russia’s war potential be reduced. Peace is needed, and this must be evident in Russia – through concrete damage to specific facilities. Glory to Ukraine!”
Bryony Gooch15 August 2026 12:00
In pictures: protesters demonstrate to reinstate Fedorov as defence minister on Friday
Protesters hold placards as they demonstrate for a reform of the defence sector and to demand the reinstatement of the tech-savvy defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was sacked a month ago, in central Kyiv on August 14, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(AFP/Getty)
(AFP/Getty)
Bryony Gooch15 August 2026 11:30