Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is increasingly penetrating Russia's air-defence network, as both sides stepped up overnight strikes on energy, logistics and port infrastructure.
In an interview released on Saturday (8 August), Zelenskyy said Russia had concentrated three layers of air defence around Moscow, pulling systems from across the country to protect the capital and strategic facilities.
He said St Petersburg was also protected, although less heavily, while arguing that Ukrainian forces were finding ways to overcome Russian defences.
Zelenskyy also claimed that Russian energy infrastructure had suffered losses worth "trillions of roubles" following a recent Ukrainian operation, which he described as highly successful.
He said Ukraine's ability to develop drone technology had become essential to its defence, arguing that Kyiv had been forced to rebuild its military-industrial capabilities after losing much of the infrastructure inherited from the Soviet era.
The comments came as Russia and Ukraine reported a fresh series of overnight attacks.
Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched six ballistic missiles and 151 drones at Ukraine overnight (8 August). Ukraine's General Staff said its forces struck the Ilsky and Syzran oil refineries in Russia, with fires reported at both facilities.
Russia, meanwhile, said its forces struck fuel storage facilities in the Ukrainian Black Sea ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk, as well as sites near Odesa. The claims have not been independently verified.
Zelenskyy said the Russian attack damaged Odesa's seaport and wounded eight people. He also said Russian strikes on energy facilities in the Odesa region caused significant power outages, although electricity had been restored to 90,000 consumers.
He accused Moscow of targeting infrastructure critical to Ukraine's agricultural exports, saying Russia was thereby putting global food security at risk.
On the Russian side, the overnight (8 August) Ukrainian drone attack on Belgorod killed five people and injured 25 others, according to regional authorities.
Acting Belgorod Governor Alexander Shuvayev said the attack damaged numerous residential and non-residential buildings and sparked fires in two apartment blocks.
Russia's Defence Ministry said more than 150 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed over western Russia, Crimea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
In the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, drone debris damaged two facilities, according to the city's mayor. Three residential buildings were also damaged and one person was injured, local authorities said.
Elsewhere, Russian state media reported that a Ukrainian drone struck a building under construction and a crane in Ufa, in Bashkortostan.
The latest attacks came alongside continued fighting on the ground.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces had taken control of the villages of Vasyutinske and Toretske in Ukraine's Donetsk region. Reuters could not independently verify the claim.
Russian authorities also reported strikes on oil production facilities in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region.
Meanwhile, Pope Leo on Sunday (9 August) called for an end to the conflict, condemning the growing civilian toll in Ukraine and Russia. He urged both sides to respect international humanitarian law and stop attacks on civilian targets
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Global food commodity prices rose in July to their highest level since January 2023, driven by higher cereal, sugar and vegetable oil prices, accordin...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is increasingly penetrating Russia's air-defence network, as both sides stepped up overnight stri...
An agreement between Iran and the U.S. to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is expected "soon," a U.S. official has said. The deal would result in the resumption of commercial shipping through the sea passage and the lifting of an American naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 8th of August, covering the latest developments.
U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz are progressing and suggested an agreement with Iran could be reached “soon”.
U.S. President Donald Trump may have to accept concessions he previously opposed if he wants to secure a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to analysts, as negotiators move closer to a temporary agreement.
A deal on a new route for vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is "very close," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, while warning that the reopening of the waterway depends on the U.S. meeting other conditions, including paying compensation to Iran.
Global food commodity prices rose in July to their highest level since January 2023, driven by higher cereal, sugar and vegetable oil prices, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Türkiye has started restricting commercial ship traffic into the Black Sea due to the government's increasing concern about a surge in Russian and Ukrainian attacks on ships, Bloomberg News has reported, citing unnamed sources.
Taiwan’s cabinet is set to propose a 16 per cent annual increase in defence spending for 2027, taking the total above T$1 trillion ($31 billion) for the first time, according to the official Central News Agency.
Spain checked around 200 travellers arriving from Italy on the first day of reintroduced border controls, following a dispute between the two countries over irregular migration.
Typhoon Dolphin is expected to make landfall on China’s east coast overnight on Sunday, bringing torrential rain and powerful winds as authorities prepare for flooding and landslides across large parts of eastern China.
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