Russian invasion of Ukraine

The Ukrainian armed forces’ attack on the Russian city of Kursk is becoming a turning point in the two-year-plus war between Russia and Ukraine, potentially disrupting the previously established balance of power on the battlefield.

A Russian military convoy was destroyed near the town of Rylsk, located in the Kursk region, resulting in significant casualties. The Belarusian channel NEXTA estimates that between 200 and 490 Russian soldiers may have been killed in the attack.

In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state owned Sputnik agency, Russia's President, Vladimir Putin (L) attends a remote meeting with Kursk Region Governov, Alexei Smirnov via video call in Moscow, on August 8, 2024.

“It started in the early hours of Tuesday and resembled one of those attacks by the ‘Free Russia Legion’ that fights alongside Ukrainians,” says Clarke, referring to previous incursions by groups—rather than Kyiv itself—against the Kremlin.

Russia has declared a state of emergency in the Kursk region due to escalating Ukrainian offensives, according to Politico. Acting Governor Alexei Smirnov announced via Telegram that the emergency measures took effect on August 7, aiming to address the impact of enemy forces entering the region.

Ukraine pressed on with a major cross-border incursion into Russia, where state media and local officials on Friday reported a fire at a military airfield and "massive" drone attacks hundreds of kilometers from the border.

This handout photograph taken and released by Ukrainian Presidential Press Service on July 29, 2024, shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visiting the command outpost of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in the area of Vovchansk, Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Yevgeniy Serebryakov, who was arrested on suspicion of involvement in a bomb attack on a car carrying a Russian military officer north of Moscow.

A Russian citizen detained in southwestern Türkiye following a bomb attack in Moscow has been extradited to Russia by Turkish authorities.

Ukrainian convicts Volodymyr Barandich (C) and Arthur Kachurovsky (L) and a guard (R) wait in a courtyard of the Boryspil penal colony outside the town of Boryspil, Kiev region, on July 4, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Artur Kachurovsky is one of thousands of Ukrainian prisoners who have taken up the offer to join the army and fight the Russians in return for a pardon.

Russia has launched fresh attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure using drones and missiles, escalating tensions amid the ongoing war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, attending the NATO summit in Washington, expressed gratitude for promised air defense systems to bolster Kyiv's defenses.