The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
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Russia’s war against Ukraine
Ukrainian soldiers in Kherson, Ukraine, on Aug. 8, 2025. (Fermin Torrano / Anadolu via Getty Images)
Trump says Putin ready to make a peace deal with Ukraine. “I believe now he’s convinced that he’s going to make a deal. He’s going to make a deal. I think he’s going to,” U.S. President Donald Trump said.
Putin to present Trump with ‘historical materials‘ framing Ukraine as artificial state, Kyiv claims. The package includes geographical maps intended to justify Russia’s territorial claims and ongoing military aggression, Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation claimed.
Anchorage security ramps up before Trump-Putin talks on Ukraine’s future, Bloomberg reports. Security arrangements follow strict reciprocity protocols, with each side matching the other’s personnel and resources — from motorcade composition to the number of translators and secure waiting rooms.
Russia unveils delegation for Putin-Trump Alaska meeting, expects no agreement signed. The Russian delegation will include Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and Russian Direct Investment Fund head Kirill Dmitriev.
Russia may be preparing to test nuclear-powered missile ahead of Trump talks, Reuters reports. Planet Labs imagery showed stacks of shipping containers, cranes, and a helicopter at the launch site, as well as two radar-equipped aircraft parked at Rogachevo military airfield since mid-July, Reuters reported.
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84 Ukrainians return from Russian captivity in latest prisoner swap — some held since 2014. Ukraine has secured the return of 84 soldiers and civilians from Russian captivity in a fresh prisoner swap with Moscow, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Aug. 14.
Drone reportedly hits apartment building in Russia’s Rostov-on-Don, officials say 13 injured. Residents heard the sound of an incoming drone before an explosion, Telegram channels reported. The blast occurred in the city center near Voroshilovsky Avenue, according to the independent Russian Telegram channel Astra.
Ukrainian drone strike sets fire to Russia’s Volgograd oil refinery, Kyiv confirms.
The facility processes over 15 million metric tons of oil every year, amounting to 5.6% of Russia’s refining capacity, the Ukrainian military said.
Russian Su-30SM fighter jet likely down near Snake Island, Ukrainian Navy says.
The twin-engine, two-seat aircraft – designed for both air superiority and ground attack – crashed for unknown reasons, the Ukrainian Navy said.
Zelensky meets Starmer in UK day before Trump-Putin summit. President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the latter’s residence in Downing Street on Aug. 14, Sky News reported, citing Starmer’s office.
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Ukraine war latest: Trump says Putin ready to make a peace deal with Ukraine
The talks in Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, will be the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since Trump returned to office and Putin’s first visit to the U.S. in a decade.
Photo: Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images
Trump doesn’t have enough leverage to stop Russia, Ukrainian soldiers say ahead of Alaska talks
The U.S. and Russian leaders are set to meet in Alaska on Aug. 15, with Trump saying the talks could involve some “swapping” of territories between Ukraine and Russia.
Photo: Roman Pilipey / AFP via Getty Images
Can Trump offer Ukraine’s minerals to Putin? Not without unraveling the global legal order, experts warn
President Donald Trump is reportedly considering offering Moscow access to Ukraine’s natural minerals in the Russian-occupied territories, a move Ukrainians say would be illegal and damaging to Washington’s reputation.
Photo: Pierre Crom / Getty Images
Ukrainian soldiers on fighting to reclaim their homes from Russia
For Ukrainian soldiers born and raised on lands occupied by Russia, the fight for their home is deeply personal.
So much so that some say their decision to serve was driven by a desire for revenge as by a sense of civic duty and justice.
Photo: Oleg Pereverzev/NurPhoto via Getty Images
We choose to stay in Ukraine — to bring the world the truth about Russia’s brutal war.
If you think the truth matters — here’s your chance to stand for it.
Human cost of Russia’s war
July saw highest civilian casualties in Ukraine since 2022, UN says ahead of Trump-Putin summit. “Only the first three months after the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine saw more killed and injured than in this past month,” said Danielle Bell, head of the U.N. human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine.
Russian attacks kill at least 8, injure 18 across Ukraine over past day. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 45 Shahed-type drones, other UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), and two S-300/400 missiles overnight from several directions.
Alaska talks
From ‘war criminal’ to US guest — Trump invites Putin out of isolation
After Moscow launched its full-scale invasion, Putin limited travel largely to close allies and regional partners, Iran, China, and North Korea, avoiding Western capitals entirely.
Photo: Contributor / Getty Images
Trump may entertain Russia’s ‘land swap’ plan, but Ukraine won’t
Various media outlets reported that Moscow had proposed Ukraine’s handover of the remaining part of its eastern Donetsk Oblast in exchange for a ceasefire.
Photo: Pierre Crom / Getty Images
International response
US sanctions Russian crypto exchange over cybercrime — day before Trump-Putin summit in Alaska. The U.S. Treasury Department has re-designated the Russian-linked cryptocurrency exchange Garantex Europe OU, accusing it of directly enabling ransomware gangs and other cybercriminals by processing over $100 million in illicit transactions since 2019.
Trump prefers talks over new Russia sanctions but has ‘many measures’ ready, White House says. “What comes after that meeting is up to President Trump,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News. “He wants to sit down and look the Russian president in the eyes and see what progress can be made.”
India shifts oil purchases away from Russia before Trump-Putin Alaska meeting, Bloomberg reports. This week, state companies Indian Oil Corp. and Bharat Petroleum Corp. secured supplies from the United States, Brazil, and Middle Eastern producers for September-October delivery, Bloomberg reported.
Japan says Russian military obtained banned machine tools via Chinese firms.
Japanese authorities found that over 300 precision machine tools made by Tsugami Corp., sold to seven Chinese firms, had gone missing and were later used by Russia to produce weapons components.
In other news
Poland detains Ukrainian teen accused of vandalizing monuments on Russia’s behalf. According to Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak, the teenager vandalized monuments of victims of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and defaced buildings with anti-Polish slogans on behalf of foreign powers.
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