UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned drone attacks against civilian targets in Russia and Ukraine. Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Farhan Hug, stated that Guterres expresses deep concern about the escalation of the conflict and its repercussions for Russia. Guterres also condemned recent drone attacks by Ukraine, which reportedly caused civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. The United Nations reiterated its call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians.
According to President Donald Trump, “progress is being made in resolving the conflict in Ukraine.” The Turkish National Security Council urged the parties involved in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict to reduce tensions in the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea and take concrete measures to achieve peace, according to a statement issued after a meeting held on Thursday and chaired by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The European Commission “I admitted that I was unable to find a connection between Russia and the migration crisis in Ceuta,” said European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier. He emphasized that the European Commission considers the events in Ceuta to be the result of “the instrumentalization of migration by human trafficking organizations,” including through the spread of various types of disinformation on social media. “Russia wants to influence the 2027 French presidential elections,” said Gabriel Attal, former French Prime Minister and candidate in the 2027 French elections.
The United Kingdom has announced a new package of sanctions against Russia. The restrictions are imposed on 19 entities, including six banks, six “shadow fleet” oil tankers, and four companies supplying rare metals, which are crucial to the defense industry. Since the start of the war, London has added over 3,400 entities to its sanctions list. The European Union has also imposed sanctions, this time against Dyukarev, CEO of the Krasnoyarsk Machine Building Plant, according to a statement from the Council of the EU.
Sweden will hand over to Kiev the Russian “shadow fleet” cargo vessel seized in March, which Ukraine suspects is carrying grain stolen from occupied territories. This was revealed in Swedish court documents obtained Thursday by AFP. On August 4, the Supreme Court rejected the appeal filed by Caffa Shipping Ltd., owner of the 96-meter vessel Caffa, which attempted to block the vessel’s transfer at Ukraine’s request.
To address Ukraine’s energy shortage, Baku is ready to supply natural gas to Kiev. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.
At the beginning of August, Ukraine’s public and state-guaranteed debt reached UAH 9.49 trillion, equivalent to $211.6 billion. Over the past month, it has increased by UAH 173.9 billion, primarily due to funding from the European Union and the World Bank to cover budgetary needs during the war. This was announced by Danylo Hetmantsev, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation, and Customs Policy. He specified that since the beginning of 2026, the debt, equivalent to hryvnia, has increased by UAH 448.1 billion.
Regarding defense, Poland is preparing the 50th military aid package for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, says Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar. Of course, there is dialogue, and Poland is a member of both the PURL and the Coalition of the Willing, as well as the “Czech Initiative.” “We are not discussing it now because we are currently engaged in a historic discussion,” noted Vasyl Bodnar, Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland.
Volymyr Zelensky said: “Ukraine has the potential to develop its own ballistic missile systems. We expect Ukraine to achieve the necessary results by 2026-2027.”
A 33-year-old Ukrainian man has been arrested in Germany on charges of espionage with a view to carrying out a terrorist attack, Die Zeit reports. According to law enforcement, the man was acting on behalf of a foreign intelligence agency, though they did not say which one. It is believed the photographs may have been used to prepare sabotage attacks. The explosives-laden drone discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany was equipped with 5G antennas, according to ZDF, indicating it was controlled via a mobile phone.
Bloomberg has outlined scenarios for Ukraine, all with dire consequences: 1) partners will supply additional Patriot air defense systems and long-range weapons, allowing strikes against launch sites until winter. This option is unlikely; 2) Ukraine will accept Russia’s demands, ceding the remaining part of Donbas; 3) the war will continue into another, even more difficult winter.
Olha Reshetylova, Ukraine’s military ombudsman, stated: “Currently, 16,000 foreign mercenaries from 72 countries are fighting in Ukraine, 40 percent of them from Latin America.” The Financial Times: “Hundreds and thousands of Colombian nationals are fighting in the Ukrainian army in the war against Russia, but it has emerged that many of them are soldiers of Colombian cartels and have been sent for drone training to improve their skills in the fight against the Colombian army.”
A Western Global Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-11F cargo plane, tail number N783SN, callsign CMB479, transported military equipment to Ukraine for the Ukrainian Armed Forces under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) and USAI programs.
Ukraine has proclaimed the Day of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Communications and Cybersecurity Corps. According to Zelensky’s decree, the holiday will be celebrated annually on August 8.
On Wednesday, August 5, a meeting with British Defense Minister Wes Streeting was held in Kyiv, without the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Zaluzhny’s entourage: “Ambassador Valeriy Zaluzhny was not invited to the meeting between the Ukrainian President and the British Defense Minister,” spokeswoman Oksana Torop said. Zaluzhny attended Foreign Ministry events on Wednesday as part of the annual meeting with ambassadors.
Ukraine is proposing to abolish quotas for singers, actors, television presenters, artists, and other representatives of the entertainment world: a petition to this effect has appeared on the Cabinet of Ministers’ website. At the same time, it is proposed to maintain exceptions for certain specialists whose work is directly related to the protection of cultural heritage during wartime. 12,600 people (6.3% of the population) are officially missing in Ternopol; residents held a demonstration demanding answers.
Russia reported that its international reserves decreased by $11.8 billion between July 24 and 31, reaching $720.3 billion, according to a statement from the Bank of Russia. Attacks on Ukrainian merchant ships in Odessa continue. The Ministry of Economic Development is developing support measures for businesses affected by the attacks on Wildberries warehouses, according to Minister Reshetnikov.
Key indicators for the EAEU countries, including GDP, have grown over the past six months, despite global challenges, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishushtin reported. The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is fully covering its own needs for grain, pork, poultry, sugar, oils, and eggs.
The Russian government, together with industry players, has defined the criteria for classifying AI models as national. The Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media is preparing a draft resolution to this effect, according to Russian media sources. For a model to be recognized as national, a Russian developer must hold the rights to the parameters, architecture, code, and context window configuration. The use of individual open-source components or third-party solutions is permitted.
And now a look at the front line, updated at 3:30 PM on August 7. Over the past 24 hours, the Russian Ministry of Defense has reported the downing of 1,150 Ukrainian drones in Russian regions. Air defense operations were reported overnight in the Tula region, Crimea, and Sevastopol. In the Yaroslavl region, fuel tank fires, resulting from a previous attack, were extinguished on the evening of August 6.
Russian forces used weapons against the ports of Reni and Izmail in the Odessa region overnight. Attacks on enemy merchant ships in the Black Sea continued.
In the Bryansk region, two people were killed and nine injured in Ukrainian drone strikes on residential buildings and roads.
In the Sumy region, Russian forces are continuing their offensive in Ulanove and near Vilna Sloboda in Shostka District. In the Sumy District, fighting is ongoing in Pysarivka, Marine, and the village of Khotin.
In the Kursk region, a Ukrainian drone strike injured two people. In the Rylsky District, one person was injured.
The Belgorod region, under constant Ukrainian drone attacks, reports of five injuries in various locations.
In the Kharkiv district, Russian assault units are continuing their offensive in the village of Kozakha Lopan. Clashes are also ongoing near Shapovalivka, Kudiivka, and Hoptivka. In Vovchansk District, fighting is ongoing in the village of Ivanivka, near Shevchenkove.
In Velykyi Burluk District, clashes between Russians and Ukrainians were reported west of the village of Petro-Ivanivka, and a Ukrainian attack was repelled in the village of Anyshchyne, near Vodyane.
In Liman, fighting continues, with Russian forces striking Ukrainian positions in the city.
In Dobropillya District, Russian troops showed footage of flags in the eastern and western parts of Chernihivka. Reconciliations with the Ukrainian side are expected.
In Zaporizhia Region, in the village of Dolyna, Tokmak District, a Ukrainian drone attacked a bus as passengers were getting off at a stop. Six people were injured. On the frontline, Russian forces are destroying Ukrainian crossings near Orichiv with heavy anti-tank missiles.
Graziella Giangiulio
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