Here are the key events from day 1,364 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Fighting
– Russian drones struck Slobidskyi and Osnovyansk districts in Kharkiv, injuring five people in an apartment building and causing a fire. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said 22 residents were evacuated from part of the damaged building. A separate drone struck near a medical facility, injuring a doctor and damaging the building and vehicles.
– Kharkiv region governor Oleh Syniehubov said 11 drones were used in the attack and seven people were injured in total.
– Russia’s civil aviation authority temporarily halted flights at Krasnodar International Airport for flight safety reasons.
– Russian air defences shot down four Ukrainian drones heading to Moscow, the city’s mayor said. Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo airports halted air traffic briefly before reopening.
– Ukrainian drone strikes severely damaged the power grid in Russian-occupied Donetsk, leaving about 65 percent of consumers without power, Denis Pushilin, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, said.
– Ukraine’s drone forces commander, Major Robert Brovdi, said his units hit the Starobeshivska and Zuivska thermal power plants in Russian-occupied Donetsk.
– Ukraine said it struck military targets in Russia using US-supplied ATACMS missiles, calling the use of long-range strike capabilities “a significant development” and saying such strikes will continue.
– Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov inspected troops in eastern Ukraine, with state media showing him presenting awards.
Military aid
– The US approved a $105m arms sale to Ukraine to maintain Patriot air-defence systems, including upgrades from M901 to M903 launchers to allow more missiles to be fired simultaneously.
– Spain announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth 615 million euros ($710m). Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said, “Your fight is ours,” and accused Vladimir Putin’s “neoimperialism” of threatening Europe.
Regional security
– UK MPs warned the country lacks a defensive plan for military attack, while at least 13 sites across the UK were identified for new munitions and explosives factories.
– Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said two Ukrainian nationals who had collaborated with Russia were identified as responsible for an explosion on a Polish railway route to Ukraine, calling the sabotage attempts intentional and aimed at causing a catastrophe.
– The Kremlin accused Poland of succumbing to Russophobia after Warsaw blamed the explosion on Ukrainians allegedly recruited by Russian intelligence.
– NATO soldiers practiced counterdrone tactics in Nowa Deba, Poland, with troops from the US, UK, Romania and Poland participating. The US-made, AI-powered counterdrone system MEROPS was demonstrated.
– The European Commission will propose an initiative to speed development and procurement of innovative defence technologies, according to a draft seen by Reuters.
Ceasefire
– President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine will try to reactivate diplomatic talks to end the war and planned a trip to Turkiye to pursue talks with Russia. No face-to-face talks have occurred since meetings in Istanbul in July.
– US special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to join Zelenskyy in Turkiye, a Ukrainian official told AFP.
– Ukraine plans to claim $43bn in climate compensation from Russia to fund a green rebuild after the war, Deputy Minister Pavlo Kartashov said at the UN climate conference in Brazil, warning that the war’s climate impacts will be felt beyond Ukraine.
Politics and diplomacy
– One of Ukraine’s main opposition parties blocked parliament from voting to dismiss two ministers over a corruption probe, demanding the removal of the entire cabinet instead.
– Zelenskyy made a one-day visit to Spain and viewed Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, a painting depicting the horrors of war and the bombing of civilians.
Economy
– Rostec, the Russian state conglomerate, said defence exports have fallen by half since 2022 as domestic military orders have taken priority. Rostec chief Sergey Chemezov said production has been redirected mainly to supply Russia’s army.
– Russian lawmakers approved a key second reading of a bill to raise value-added tax from 20% to 22% as Moscow seeks new revenue during nearly four years of war.
Sanctions
– US oil firm ExxonMobil is considering options to buy parts of sanctioned Russian oil firm Lukoil’s international assets, joining Chevron in studying potential purchases, sources told Reuters. Exxon is reportedly looking at Lukoil stakes in Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak and Tengiz fields, where US and Russian firms are partners.