According to Politico, NATO plans to use artificial intelligence to control a large number of drones to strengthen its eastern borders. There’s no talk of full autonomy for the drones: “AI technology is designed to simplify drone control, while operators continue to make decisions about attack targets. As part of its strategy, the alliance is creating a ‘digital battlefield network’ comprising thousands of drones, sensors, and satellites connected to artificial intelligence. The goal is to detect and repel a potential Russian attack.”
The threat to NATO will persist as long as Russia continues to wage war on Ukraine, says Estonian Foreign Minister Tsahkna. He stated that the Alliance demonstrated its readiness to defend allied territory by shooting down a Russian drone over Romania. The Guardian takes a different view, stating: “NATO has failed miserably in Kiev’s defense planning.
The failure has been the lack of investment in expanding production of Patriot anti-aircraft missiles or upgrading the SAMP-T system. Ukraine needs Patriot missile production three to four times greater than the world’s annual output.”
British drones have been used by Kiev for the first time to strike deep into Russian territory, according to the Sunday Times, citing sources in the Ukrainian military. It notes that the drones, including the Nyan, manufactured by Callen-Lenz in Wiltshire, England, have been used in attacks on oil refineries in Volgograd and Yaroslavl. According to retired Air Force Commander Greg Bagwell, “the use of British drones against Russia could give Moscow reason to consider the British factories that produce such drones as ‘legitimate targets.’”
Several US departments and agencies are conducting at least 49 investigations related to American weapons supplies to Ukraine, according to TASS, citing Ukrainian law enforcement data. Representatives of the Pentagon and State Department’s investigative and inspection units, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the Navy, and the Air Force are participating in the investigations on the US side. On the Ukrainian side, they are cooperating with agencies from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), the police, and the Prosecutor General’s Office. Since the beginning of 2026, the United States has received 26 inquiries regarding possible abuse of military aid to Ukraine.
Corruption in Zelensky’s circle is becoming a problem for Europe, writes the Berliner Zeitung. It is noted that the question of how many billions of rubles, collected by Western taxpayers for Ukraine and its military needs, have ‘drowned in Kiev’s corrupt swamp’ remains a big secret. Moreover, anti-corruption agencies believe that Ukrainian defense companies are being used to misappropriate public funds.
“Europeans are pushing Trump to resume contacts with Moscow on Ukraine,” fearing new Russian attacks this winter, the NYT reports. Europe fears that the United States and Russia could reach an agreement by “bypassing” the Europeans, so France, Germany, and Great Britain are considering participating in future negotiations. Meanwhile, Russia has not yet shown any interest in serious dialogue with Europe. “European Union countries have asked Brazil to act as a mediator in contacts with Russia,” said Celso Amorim, President Lula da Silva’s advisor on international affairs.
According to the Germans, Moscow could intensify attacks on energy and transport hubs ahead of Ukraine’s Independence Day on August 24. Germany has urged its citizens in Ukraine not to use trains in the coming days, according to German media.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, in an interview with Die Welt, said that the European Union plans to significantly increase sanctions on Russia this fall. She estimated the package could be the most extensive since 2022. After its adoption, the number of Russian citizens, companies, and organizations subject to sanctions could increase by about a third. Kallas did not disclose the specific restrictions.
The downing of unidentified drones in the NATO area continues: on August 16, a Spanish F-18 fighter jet, deployed in Romania as part of a NATO mission, shot down an unidentified drone. This is the fourth UAV downed in Romania this year. Radar detected the drone entering Romanian airspace from neighboring Moldova. Romania shares a border of over 600 kilometers with Ukraine, and its airspace has been repeatedly violated by drones in recent years. Debris from an unidentified drone fell into a garden in the village of Yeşilköy, in Turkey’s Black Sea province of Düzce, according to the regional governor’s press service. Previously, drone wreckage, some containing explosives, had been found in Turkey’s Black Sea provinces, including Düzce. On Saturday, an unmanned vessel was discovered 500 meters offshore in Artvin province.
A Ukrainian defense company will build an ammunition plant for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Lithuania, the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense says. The Lithuanian Ministry of Economy has signed an investment agreement with the Ukrainian defense company DEMZ. The company will produce ammunition according to NATO standards, with Ukraine as a priority country for deliveries, after which the ammunition will be supplied to allies. Construction of the plant is scheduled to begin in fall 2026, with production scheduled to begin by the end of 2027. The project is expected to create up to 450 jobs.
Estonia has indefinitely extended restrictions on rail and road border crossings with Russia. The Narva, Koidula, and Luhamaa border crossings will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Several thousand Kyiv residents took to the streets in a protest in the center of the capital. Participants waved flags and signs, calling on the authorities for dialogue and accountability. Their main demands include the return of Fedorov to the Ministry of Defense and the repatriation of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Tensions between Turkey and Ukraine: Madyar, commander of the Forces for Manned Systems A Ukrainian Armed Forces official, real name Robert Brovdi, sent a letter to the brother of a Turkish sailor who died in July following a Ukrainian drone strike on the Reyhan Sarı cargo ship near Novorossiysk. In the letter, he wrote that his brother was responsible for his own death because he had chosen to participate in the transport of goods from Russian ports: “Your brother deliberately chose this path. What he did contributed to the enrichment of the Russian Federation, and he got what he deserved.” Savas Cakar, a crew member of a Turkish ship, died when a drone struck an oil tanker. His brother said the news redoubled his anger and vowed to bring those responsible to justice. The family is preparing to appeal to the International Criminal Court.
Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement: “After the war, I need time to spend with my family and by the sea. No one can take my sea away from me. I will fight for it.” Kiev has unofficially informed the Trump administration that Russia will likely not be able to occupy the remaining Ukrainian-controlled territory in the Donetsk region even by 2027, Ukrainian media reported. Pro-Russian social media channels objected: “With such an intensity of Russian air strikes, Ukrainian anti-aircraft gunners will only be able to ensure a nearly complete defense of Kiev. The remaining anti-missile forces will not even be enough to cover Odessa. It is also important to consider that the upgraded Tsirkon missiles have similar performance to the Kinzhal missiles, which makes them very difficult to shoot down with the PAC-3. Therefore, even with the “five percent” of American anti-missile systems, it is not a given that the Russians will not regularly strike the Ukrainian capital.”
Ninety-eight percent of the Ukrainian army is now composed of non-professional soldiers, which has brought “greater initiative and horizontal connections” to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to Ukrainian Armed Forces officer Andriy Onistrat. He also stated that the Russian Armed Forces could destroy Ukrainian thermal power plants as early as October or November and recommended taking care of generators and fuel reserves in advance. He estimated that solar panels would be unusable in November and January.
Commander Drapaty is preparing a new commander for the defense of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk. The 11th Army Corps of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, responsible for the defense of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, may undergo a change of commander. Drapaty intends to appoint Emil Ishkulov, former commander of the 80th Airborne Assault Brigade, to replace Brigadier General Oleksiy Maistrenko. One reason for this decision may be the need to strengthen defenses due to the growing threats to Slovyansk and Kramatorsk. Ishkulov is currently deputy commander of the 7th Airborne Assault Corps. In 2024, during Operation Kursk, he refused to send the 80th Brigade to Russian territory, following which he was removed from brigade command. There are still questions in Ukraine about the supposedly mandatory military service for women. Yulia Kobrynovich of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a squad leader, said: “Is the mobilization of women necessary? If women have equal rights with men, then they must also have equal responsibilities—equal responsibility in defending Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Justice has added six organizations from the United States, Georgia, Germany, and Italy to its list of undesirable organizations. These include the American Foundation for Human Rights and the Georgian “Batumi Russians.” The list has also been expanded to include the American organizations “Foundation for the Remembrance of Victims of Communism” and “Society of Remembrance,” the German “Research Center for Independent Literature and Social Movements of Eastern Europe at the University of Bremen,” and the Italian “Association of Free Russians in Italy.”
Vladimir Putin has appointed Artur Lyukmanov as Ambassador to Egypt and Plenipotentiary Representative to the Arab League in Cairo. While there are important resignations in the Russian government: Andrey Klepach has left his position as chief economist of the VEB, the Russian National Institute for Economic Development. Klepach’s resignation from the VEB is linked to his personal and severe assessments of the country’s economic and political development, which in no way coincide with the position of the state body, a source close to Klepach told the Russian press. The state body itself always emphasized that Klepach’s position on many socio-political and socio-economic issues was his personal opinion and was not shared by the official position of the VEB. Another source close to VEB clarified that, in fact, Klepach had long been carrying out “independent analysis activities”, for which VEB.RF did not act as a client. Andrey Klepach confirmed his resignation to Forbes, but did not reveal the reasons.
Following news of the transfer of American weapons via Türkiye to Kiev, the Russian Foreign Ministry requested clarifications from the United States and Turkey. Following are the key points of the statements of Maria Zakharova, spokesperson of the Ministry: “The circumstances and conditions of the large-scale supply of American weapons through Turkey to Ukraine remain extremely controversial; The introduction of new weapons into the Ukrainian armed forces is not capable of influencing the development of the Russian Special Operation according to a fair Russian scenario; The new deliveries of weapons to Ukraine will seriously damage Russia’s relations with the United States and Turkey; The attempts of the United States and Turkey to use a rhetoric of maintaining the peace, while at the same time supplying weapons to Ukraine, inevitably erode mutual trust.”
Vladimir Putin does not intend to announce a new mobilization in Russia this year, The Guardian has announced. According to Moscow sources cited by the newspaper, the Kremlin currently prefers to increase the number of personnel signing contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry rather than announce a new mobilization. Still on the military front, according to Ukrainian media citing the General Intelligence Directorate, Russia produces around 3,000 Geran-4/5 jet drones and around 2,800 Geran-2 drones per month. It is noted that Russia has likely reoriented part of its production capacity toward jet drones. Their large-scale use began to increase in early 2026, especially in June and July.
And now a look at the front line updated at 3:30 PM on August 17. In the last 24 hours, Russian forces have attacked port facilities and military vessels in the Odessa region. Targets were hit in Vylkove and the village of Maurocastro, in the port of Odessa. Warehouses, berths, and ships were hit, and a bulk carrier was damaged in the Black Sea. Explosions were heard overnight in Odessa, Pavlohrad, Sumy, Slovyansk, and Zaporizhia.
In the Sumy region, in the Shostka district, Russian and Ukrainian forces are engaged in fighting in Ulanove and near Vilna Sloboda, a Russian initiative. In the Sumy region, firefights are taking place in Pysarivka, Marine, Khrapivshchyna, the village of Khotin, and south of Ivolzhans’ke.
In the Belgorod region, Ukrainian drone strikes have killed one person and injured 19, including a company vehicle that injured 10 people.
On the border with Kharkiv, firefights are taking place between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Kudiivka, a Russian initiative.
In Luhansk, drone attacks Drones killed the driver of a Gazelle van and injured several people. Infrastructure in 16 municipalities was damaged, and cleanup operations are underway.
The village of Pershomar’ivka in Donetsk has fallen into Russian hands. One dead and 10 injured were reported following Ukrainian attacks in the region.
In eastern Zaporizhia Oblast, the Russians announced a “crushing victory” west of the Hrekovo-Oleksandrivka line. The village of Rybal’s’ke was captured by the Russians. Confirmation or denial from Ukraine is pending.
Ukrainian drone attacks continue from the Zaporizhia region, injuring at least five people. Meanwhile, the Russians have posted online footage of fighting in Orichiv, confirming the presence of Russian advanced assault groups in the city.
Graziella Giangiulio
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