The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
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Russia’s war against Ukraine
A woman walks past a heavily damaged residential building following a Russian strike in the town of Bilozerske, Donetsk Oblast on August 12, 2025. People in Bilozerske are evacuating as Russian troops make gains in the region. (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukraine takes ‘effective measures’ to stop Russian infiltration near Dobropillia, Pokrovsk, military says. The General Staff said more than 110,000 Russian troops are concentrated in the Pokrovsk area and are attempting to penetrate defenses by sending small infantry units between Ukrainian lines.
Ukraine says small Russian unit passed defenses near Dobropillia but denies breakthrough claims. The statement comes as the Ukrainian battlefield monitoring group DeepState reported that Russian forces made a push toward the Dobropillia–Kramatorsk highway in Donetsk Oblast.
Elite Azov Corps deployed to Pokrovsk sector amid Russian advances in Donetsk Oblast. The 1st Azov Corps described the situation along the Pokrovsk axis as “complex and dynamic,” with Russian troops attempting to advance.
Trump-Putin Alaska summit to be a ‘listening exercise,’ White House says. “This is a listening exercise for President (Donald Trump),” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
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Ukrainian drones strike ‘only Russian facility’ producing helium for rockets, HUR source claims. Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) drones on Aug. 11 struck the Orenburg Helium Plant, a key Russian facility lying some 1,200 kilometers from the front line in Ukraine, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent.
Second deep strike in days hits Shahed-type drone storage site in Russia, SBU says. The strike targeted a logistics hub in the village of Kizil-Yul, roughly 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from Ukraine, igniting a fire at the site.
Smoke reported near Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant cargo port. Ukraine’s Energy Ministry warned that any provocations or military activity in the area could trigger “unpredictable and catastrophic consequences for the entire continent.”
‘We went to hell and back to achieve this result’ – SBU chief on Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb strike on Russian bombers. To prepare for Operation Spiderweb, Ukraine’s Security Service adopted tactics used in fighting transnational organized crime, studying how international drug cartels move contraband past customs and border controls, SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk said in an interview aired on Aug. 12.
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Ukraine war latest: Ukraine takes ‘effective measures’ to stop Russian infiltration near Dobropillia, Pokrovsk, military says
Ukrainian forces are taking “effective measures” to halt Russia’s advance in the Dobropillia and Pokrovsk sectors of Donetsk Oblast, the General Staff said on Aug. 12, describing the situation as “complex and dynamic.”
Photo: Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images
Trump’s ‘land-swapping’ ideas dead on arrival for Ukraine
In the hours after Trump’s initial comments about land swapping, President Volodymyr Zelensky responded quickly and firmly, rejecting any plan that might involve handing over new territory to Russian occupation or recognizing occupied territory as Russian, citing Ukraine’s constitution.
Photo: Pierre Crom/Getty Images
‘About to be sold out’ — Fears mount in Ukraine ahead of Trump-Putin meeting
As U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, prepare to meet face-to-face in Alaska on Aug. 15, Ukraine is left to watch the talks that could shape its future.
Photo: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images
Why is Russia so obsessed with Alaska?
The scene of the planned Aug. 15 meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin — the U.S. state of Alaska — has played an outsized role in Russian propaganda and mythology.
Photo: NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology
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Human cost of Russia’s war
Ukraine strikes Russian command post in Donetsk Oblast, kills commander, military says. A Russian commander, identified by the call sign “Dniepr,” was among those killed in the strike, the Ukrainian military said.
Russian cluster munition strike against Ukrainian training ground kills 1, injures 11, military says. After the alarm sounded, a group of soldiers was struck by cluster munitions while heading for shelter, according to the Ground Forces.
Opinions and insights
EU remains mute on secondary tariffs, eyes Trump’s next move
The European Union said it was preparing the next sanctions package on Moscow ahead of looming US-Russia peace talks. The last-minute talks came just ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Alaska meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 15, which had spooked Kyiv’s Western allies as to what concessions Washington would be willing to make.
Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
War-hit Ukrainian employers expand recruitment in South Asia
Ukrainian businesses are increasingly recruiting workers from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal to fill the labor shortage brought on by Russia’s war, four Ukrainian labor and business organizations told the Kyiv Independent.
Photo: Aleksandr Gusev/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
How Ukraine is building a system of returning, reintegrating, and protecting children abducted by Russia
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, one of its most disturbing and least visible crimes has targeted Ukraine’s most vulnerable: our children.
Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images
As Trump, Putin weigh Ukraine’s east in talks, new book gives voice to war-battered region
When Russia launched its invasion into Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in 2014, the battle was not only over territory but also historical memory.
Photo: Yuri Kadobnov / AFP via Getty Images
International response
EU to prepare 19th sanctions package as Russia continues to reject ceasefire, Kallas says. “As far as Russia has not agreed to a full and unconditional ceasefire, we should not even discuss any concessions,” Kaja Kallas said.
Orban refuses joint EU statement backing Ukraine ahead of Trump-Putin meeting. “The only sensible action for EU leaders is to initiate an EU-Russia summit, based on the example of the U.S.-Russia meeting,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
‘Alaska opposes tyranny!’ — Pro-Ukraine rally planned ahead of Trump-Putin summit in US. The rally, scheduled for Aug. 14 in Anchorage, is being held to protest the “presence of an international war criminal” and as a show of solidarity with Ukraine, Stand Up Alaska said.
Poland expels 57 Ukrainians after concert riots while Tusk warns against anti-Ukraine sentiments. The Polish police detained more than 100 people over the weekend following an Aug. 9 concert of Belarusian rapper Max Korzh at Warsaw’s National Stadium.
Russia to hold emergency talks with oil firms as fuel prices surge, media reports. The move comes as gasoline prices in Russia have jumped nearly 50% since the start of the year, with Ai-95 setting record highs for five consecutive days.
Russia suspected of hacking US federal court filing system, NYT reports. Russian hackers are suspected of breaching a U.S. federal court filing system, just days before a meeting between Trump and Putin, the New York Times reported Aug. 12.
Zelensky, Erdogan discuss future peace talks in Turkey. President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who offered to host future peace talks in Turkey. The call comes just days before the Aug. 15 Trump-Putin summit on ending the war in Ukraine—without Ukraine’s participation.
Inside the US–Ukraine–Russia talks: Exclusive KI Insights Q&A
Exclusive Q&A for KI Insights subscribers
Amid extraordinary developments in US–Ukraine–Russia negotiations, KI Insights is hosting a closed-door online Q&A session, providing you with a sharper picture of the peace talks ahead.
In other news
Ukrainian defense firm Frontline integrates grenade launcher with Estonian robotic platform. Ukrainian defense company Frontline partnered with Estonian manufacturer Milrem Robotics to integrate weapon systems with unmanned ground vehicles, conducting successful test firings of equipment in Ukraine, Frontline announced.
European defense plants growing 3 times faster amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, FT reports. The Financial Times identified 7 million square meters of new industrial development after tracking changes at 150 facilities across 37 companies, namely those associated with ammunition and missile production.
Zelensky instructs government to consider easing border rules for Ukrainians under 22. The proposal aims to address concerns over the country’s declining student population and the growing risk of losing young talent abroad.
Ukraine’s Kyivstar conducts first Starlink direct-to-cell test in Eastern Europe. The technology provides connectivity when traditional cellular networks are unavailable, particularly during power outages from Russian strikes on critical infrastructure.
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