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The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
Russia’s war against Ukraine
Burned books are seen on Aug. 17, 2026 following a fire at Ukraine’s largest book market, caused by a Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv a night earlier. (Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Ukraine launches hundreds of drones towards Moscow in latest large-scale attack, reportedly damaging Wildberries warehouse. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said that at least 180 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Moscow Oblast during the attack, with over 600 claimed to have been launched at the region.
New Russian drone launch pads near Ukraine put NATO countries in range, Telegraph reports.Using satellite imagery and leaked documents, the publication identified at least 59 newly constructed “launch rails” spread across 10 locations, some repurposed from old military bases and civilian airports, while others were created in the countryside.
Zelensky appoints new Logistics Forces commander following meeting with military leadership.President Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug. 17 appointed Yurii Pohrybnyi as commander of the Logistics Forces of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, according to a presidential decree.
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Ukraine war latest: Over 239,000 KIA Russian soldiers identified by media investigation
Russian independent media outlet Mediazona, in collaboration with the BBC Russian service, has confirmed the identities of 239,354 Russian military personnel killed in Ukraine.
Photo: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty ImagesArtem Priakhin/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Analysis: Russia doubles down in Ukraine, setting stage for ‘total war’
“Total war” — the kind of interstate conflict where state, society, and economy are all not only an active part of the war effort but also a target of enemy strikes.
Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva / AFP / Getty Images
Europe’s tourism boom has left the east behind. The EU wants to change that
Europe’s tourism industry is thriving, but the recovery has been uneven across the bloc. While western countries enjoyed a steady rebound after the pandemic and lockdowns, tourism in the EU’s easternmost members was hit by another crisis: the war on their doorstep.
Photo: Stockfoto via Getty Images
Human cost of war
Russian attacks kill 9, injure 43 across Ukraine over past day, as jet-powered drone hits shopping center in Odesa Oblast. Alongside the attacks on Odesa Oblast, Russian forces launched 128 drones across Ukraine overnight on Aug. 17, the Air Force said.
‘They will simply kill my son’ — Prominent Ukrainian volunteer claims FSB blackmail, travels to Russia. Russia’s security service (FSB) blackmailed prominent Ukrainian volunteer Mykhailo Puryshev into cooperation, threatening to conscript his son into the Russian army, he claimed on Aug. 17.
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International response
Ukraine urges EU to finally sanction Russia’s nuclear giant Rosatom after new safety failures. “To the EU and its member states: please, do listen to Ukraine! Sadly, no other country in the world knows better why Moscow cannot be trusted in the atomic energy sphere,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
Ukraine condemns inclusion of controversial Russian film in upcoming Venice Film Festival. “At a time when Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, systematically destroying our cities, cultural heritage and national identity, granting one of the world’s most prestigious cultural platforms to a project connected to the Russian state and its networks of influence sends an extremely troubling signal,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Russian Banderol missile enters Moldovan airspace, Ukraine claims, explosion reported near village. The Banderol is a small, low-cost cruise missile which is launched from a Kronshtadt Orion strike and reconnaissance drone.
Azerbaijan issue arrest warrants for 3 Russians over ‘public calls to terrorism.’ The Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s Office announced arrest warrants in absentia for three Russian media figures on Aug. 17, accusing the suspects of issuing public calls for terrorism against the country.
In other news
Ukraine’s acting police chief reveals scale of draft evasion investigations. Maksym Tsutskiridze added that police have received 1.5 million requests from enlistment offices related to locating people suspected of evading mobilization.
Russian court sentences opposition figure to 11 years in prison. Russian opposition figure Lev Shlosberg was sentenced to 11 years and one month in prison for making statements opposing the war against Ukraine, Russian political party Yabloko wrote on Aug. 17.
Meet the collection inspired by Kyiv’s embroidery
Two collaborations, one enduring Ukrainian tradition. Created so you can carry a piece of Kyiv with you, wherever you go.
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