[Korrespondent] 22.12 Ukraine is ready for any format of negotiations to end the war, and work with partners is ongoing. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"We are in daily contact with representatives of President Trump, this is important. At the meeting in Washington, we talked about how we can create new circumstances so that there is real diplomacy. We are trying to implement all this. Budanov, Umerov, Arakhamia, Kyslytsia reported - each on their own elements of the negotiation track - where we are in the negotiations and what is happening in Moscow with the attitude towards the negotiations.
"We will be ready for all formats of meetings, we expect that now, in August, Witkoff and Kushner will be active," the head of state said.
Zelenskyy reported that work is ongoing with other partners, including in the Gulf countries, who can support diplomatic efforts and security needs.
22.00 Ukrainian company Fire Point announced the timing of the first interception of a ballistic missile within the Freyja project and explained the stage of development.
The company plans to carry out the first successful interception of a ballistic missile by mid-2027, Fire Point CEO Iryna Terek said.
According to her, 13 European industrial partners have already joined the project, and almost all key agreements have already been reached.
21.07 The Ukrainian Defense Forces have neutralized 131 Russian flamethrower systems since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.
A heavy flamethrower system is a multiple-fire system designed to engage manpower, cover, fortifications, and light armored vehicles. It uses thermobaric or incendiary munitions that create a powerful blast wave and high-temperature damage over a large area.
In particular, according to the General Staff, the Russian occupiers are armed with several modifications of the following systems: TOS-1 Buratino, TOS-1A Solntsepok, TOS-2 Tosochka, and TOS-3 Dragon.
20.56 Lieutenant General Guillaume N. Borper has become the new Commander of the NATO Security Assistance and Training Center for Ukraine (NSATU), the Alliance's press service reported.
He succeeded Lieutenant General Curtis A. Buzzard.
20.28 The EU Council decision on the extension of temporary protection for Ukrainians who left the country due to full-scale Russian aggression was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The updated rules provide for additional requirements for Ukrainians liable for military service who will apply for this status for the first time.
20.07 Russian troops have established themselves in the "gray zone" between the villages of Artilne and Shevyakivka in the direction of Ustinivka in the north of Kupyanskyi district. This was reported by the OSINT project DeepState.
"The enemy has advanced near Ustinovka," the report says.
19.50 In July, the front maintained a high intensity of fighting. Last month, 7,922 combat clashes were recorded. That is, on average, more than 250 battles took place daily. For comparison, 7,316 combat clashes were recorded in June. In July, the enemy carried out almost 97,000 attacks, including more than 1,300 with MLRS.
Also in July, the Russians used the largest number of KABs ever - more than 8,300 aerial bombs equipped with universal planning and correction modules. For comparison, in June, Russian aviation dropped 8,266 KABs.
| That does sound like things got a bit busy. |
19.26 The National Police has identified 159 places of deprivation of liberty - from basements, torture chambers and filtration camps to pre-trial detention centers and correctional colonies in the temporarily occupied territories and in Russia. Thousands of civilians and military personnel have passed through this system, some of whom remain in captivity to this day.
More than a thousand people involved in the illegal detention and torture of Ukrainians have already been identified. In the Kalinin Correctional Colony alone, more than 80 suspects have been identified, 42 of whom have reported suspicion. In total, 120 people involved in crimes in the occupied territories and in Russia have already been reported suspicious.
18.37 President Volodymyr Zelensky officially introduced the new Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Ihor Klymenko. The head of state announced this on Facebook.
According to him, Klymenko must ensure more effective interaction between the government, the Special Operations Forces, the military, and special services during Ukraine's preparation for the winter period.
17.59 There are more and more signs in the Russian information space that the Kremlin is preparing to increase mobilization readiness. This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
One of the key signals was the slowdown in the recruitment of contract soldiers. According to Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, in January-June 2026, about 200,000 people signed contracts with the Ministry of Defense, and another 16,000 joined volunteer units.
For comparison, last year, during the same period, these figures were over 210,000 and 18,000, respectively. According to the assessment of German researcher Janis Kluge, the real drop in recruitment rates in the spring could have reached 20%.
Against this backdrop, there has been a sharp increase in vacancies related to military registration in Russia. At the end of July, more than 2.5 thousand such ads were posted on the HeadHunter platform, with almost a third of them published in the last week alone.
The governor of the Moscow region has also expanded the powers of the regional headquarters in the event of mobilization or martial law, and the Russian Ministry of Labor recommends that regions prepare migrant workers in advance to replace workers who may be drafted into the army.
According to the SVR, in July the number of searches about mobilization in Yandex reached 1.2 million. Over the week, the share of Russians who assess the mood around them as alarming increased from 53% to 57%. At the same time, demand for rental housing in Armenia exceeded the level of February 2022.
Despite these signals, there are currently no signs of preparations for a large-scale call-up of reservists. Purchases of medical supplies and military equipment remain at about the same level as last year.
The SWR believes that the Kremlin is unlikely to dare to announce a new wave of mobilization before the parliamentary elections. Instead, the Russian authorities will probably try to compensate for the shortage of personnel with financial incentives, pressure on employers, and the transfer of military personnel between units.
17.48 Over the past 40 days, SBU soldiers have struck more than 100 strategic targets in the rear of the Russian Federation and more than 21 thousand targets at the front, and also eliminated almost 5 thousand occupiers. The special service reported this on Tuesday.
17.22 Russian attacks on the ports of Greater Odessa could cost Ukraine's agricultural sector between $1.5 billion and $3 billion if sea exports are significantly limited, said Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Taras Vysotsky, the ministry reported.
16.54 Russian aviation, based in temporarily occupied Crimea, has significantly reduced its activity over the Black Sea over the past two weeks. This may indicate that the Russian Federation is having difficulties in providing for the occupation contingent on the peninsula. This was reported by the spokesman for the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Dmitry Pletenchuk.
"In the last two weeks, you can see that they (the Russians - ed.) are having difficulties with this. The number of flights has decreased by an order of magnitude. If before it was dozens of times a day, now it's just a few," he said.
16.39 The temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP lost external power supply. The plant operated for about an hour on diesel generators, which are a backup power source to ensure nuclear and radiation safety. This was reported by the press service of NNEGC Energoatom.
16.11 Police officers identified three members of an illegal armed formation controlled by Igor Bezler, who were involved in war crimes against a civilian volunteer. The suspects include two citizens of Ukraine and a citizen of Russia.
Investigators have established the direct involvement of three defendants in the torture. They used physical and psychological violence against the woman, inflicted numerous injuries and mutilations on her, and also committed sexual violence. The purpose of the abuse was not only to obtain information, but also to punish the volunteer for helping Ukrainian servicemen and evacuating civilians.
After the torture, the victim was not released. She continued to be held without any legal grounds in the premises of the captured Horlivka prosecutor's office. In total, the woman spent more than three months in captivity - until September 2014.
National Police investigators have already identified seven members of two illegal armed groups involved in the consistent illegal detention, torture, and sexual violence against the victim in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Three members of the Bezler IAF have been notified of suspicion.
15.50 Russia is actively recruiting labor migrants for its criminal war: The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has identified another two foreign mercenaries - citizens of Kyrgyzstan - eliminated at the front.
The first is Alekseev Denis Yevgenyevich, born on May 4, 1986. He signed a one-year contract with the Russian army in Moscow on May 5, 2026. His position is rifleman of the 1st category. After a short training, he was sent to the Donetsk region, where within half a month, in mid-June, the Defense Forces of Ukraine eliminated him near the settlement of Lypove.
Before that, Alekseev had already been in the Russian Federation, probably as a labor migrant. In April, he lost his Kyrgyz passport and received a new one at the embassy.
The second - Tagaev Dastan Azhimudinovich, born on February 24, 1983. He was in Novosibirsk as a labor migrant. On September 10, 2025, during a raid in the city, Russian security forces issued Tagaev a decision on an administrative offense for illegal stay in the territory of the Russian Federation and imposed a fine of 5,000 rubles.
Until the end of the year, Tagaev continued to work in Russia, but later, under pressure from the Russian police and due to the threat of imprisonment related to expired documents, he signed a contract with the Russian army.
Like other foreign mercenaries, the Kyrgyz underwent brief training, after which the Russians sent him to war. In June 2026, Tagayev was eliminated by the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine in the Zaporizhia direction.
15.49 US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has instructed US European Command (USEUCOM) to reorganize the Security Assistance Group for Ukraine (SAG-U) and reallocate roles and responsibilities between its components and the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) structure, according to a statement from the European Command.
As noted, the changes will not affect US support for Ukraine.
15.28 The aggressor country Russia has gone crazy, and its military enjoys killing peaceful Ukrainians, organizing "safaris", like today in Kherson. President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote about this on Facebook.
15.23 Russian troops attacked Balaklia in the Kharkiv region, three people were injured.
One of the Russian strikes damaged a cultural institution, a library, three shops and more than 10 private residential buildings. One woman was injured. The injured woman was hospitalized in a medical facility. Her condition is moderate.
Another enemy strike damaged a municipal apartment building, which suffered significant damage. The second strike injured two women, one of whom is in serious condition.
According to the Izyum District Military Administration, the Russians used Banderol ammunition.
14.55 Two more adjusters of the Russian shelling of Zaporizhia have been detained. One of them is the former head of the supply department of a local defense plant, and the other is an unemployed evader. The SBU reported this on August 4. As the investigation found out, the attackers acted separately, but were part of an intelligence group that had a common single curator from the Russian Federation. The main task that the enemy set for the defendants was to search for and transfer information about local enterprises of the defense-industrial complex, as well as the places of temporary basing of the Defense Forces.
14.36 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy heard a report by the acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Oleksandr Poklad, and approved new special operations against Russia. He reported this on Telegram.
The head of state also agreed to further steps to cleanse the internal structure of the special service "from those who work for themselves, not for Ukraine."
14.14 On Tuesday night, the Defense Forces of Ukraine struck a number of important military targets of the Russian occupiers. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
13.59 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law that defines the rights and conditions for military service for persons who were paroled from serving a sentence for contract service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is stated in the bill's summary.
The relevant bill No. 15225 amends the laws on social and legal protection of military personnel and on military duty and military service.
13.29 On Tuesday morning, Russian aggressors dropped two aerial bombs on the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk region. Four victims were immediately reported, but as of now their number has increased to 21, the local OVA reports.
On February 13, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykhailo Drapatiy, ordered a service check to be conducted in the 225th separate assault regiment. This was reported by the author of the investigation, Anna Kalyuzhna.
The investigation should establish whether there were any cases of illegal orders and the use of violence against military personnel.
The Main Communications Department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in response to the journalist's request, noted that an analysis of facts and documents is currently underway.
"If the facts of illegal actions are confirmed, the perpetrators will be held accountable in accordance with current legislation," the response stated.
12.47 Russian troops attacked one of the hospitals in Kherson with a drone this morning. Three medical workers were injured as a result of the strike. This was reported by the OVA press service.
The attack occurred at approximately 08:20. A 52-year-old nurse suffered a blast injury and concussion as a result of being hit by a Russian drone.
Later, it became known about two more victims. In particular, a 61-year-old hospital employee was diagnosed with concussion, acute stress reaction and closed head injury. She was prescribed outpatient treatment. Another 62-year-old hospital employee received an explosive injury, concussion and acute stress reaction. She will also be treated on an outpatient basis.
12.23 In the Kyiv region, law enforcement officers have exposed a group that was taking servicemen away from their places of duty and helping them hide for money. The organizer of the scheme, the law enforcement accomplice, and the driver face up to 12 years in prison. The press service of the State Bureau of Investigation reported this.
As it turned out, the scheme was organized by a resident of the Kyiv region. She also involved a law enforcement officer who searched for the drivers, coordinated the actions, and instructed the military personnel.
Drivers directly picked up soldiers from units and transported them to designated locations.
12.17 Russian aggressors launched a missile strike on the outskirts of Odessa. There is information about three casualties, the local OVA reported.
11.54 Two evaders tried to break through the state border of Ukraine with Moldova and attacked a border guard during detention. This was reported by the State Border Service of Ukraine (SBSU).
11.35 Russian special services have significantly intensified their attempts to eliminate Ukrainian military personnel using the so-called "honey trap" method : attempts to kill soldiers through online dating and fake dates with women. This was reported by the SBU.
11.11 The investigation is examining two main versions of the uncontrolled detonation of ammunition at the Khmelnytskyi training ground - violations during the transportation and unloading of ammunition or sabotage. The State Bureau of Investigation reported this.
Five servicemen are missing. Body fragments were found at the site of the explosions.
10.49 In the temporarily occupied Crimea in Sevastopol, a Russian serviceman shot his colleagues and civilians - four people were killed and four more were injured. This was reported by the so-called "head of administration" of the city, Mikhail Razvozzhayev, on social networks.
10.24 Russian troops have expanded the area of ​​control in the area of ​​the village of Ryasne, Krasnopil district, Sumy region. This is evidenced by data from the OSINT project DeepState.
"The enemy has advanced near Ryasne," the DeepState map update states.
The area of ​​the territory marked in red (permanent enemy control) increased by 0.98 sq. km - from 77.06 sq. km to 78.04 sq. km. At the same time, the area of ​​the "gray zone" increased by 4.33 sq. km - from 27.40 sq. km to 31.73 sq. km.
10.07 Wildberries warehouses in Chekhov, near Moscow, and the village of Krasny Bor, Leningrad Region, were attacked by drones. This was reported by the ASTRA TV channel and other public media outlets, publishing footage of the hits.
Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed damage to a warehouse area near the settlement of Krasny Bor in the Tosnensky district. According to him, 15 drones were shot down, later the figure was revised to 17, and one injured person was reported. Krasny Bor is home to several logistics complexes, including the 154,000 square meter Wildberries facility.
In Chekhov, near Moscow, drones attacked Wildberries warehouses, causing a fire in the private sector. According to Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov, the attack killed five people and injured six others.
9.47 Two people were injured as a result of a Russian strike on civilian infrastructure in the south of the Odessa region on August 4. This was reported by the head of the Odessa Oblast Autonomous Administration, Oleg Kiper.
According to him, the strike destroyed a private residential building. After the attack, a fire broke out, which was quickly extinguished by rescuers.
09.30 Over the past day, the Russian Armed Forces have struck Kharkiv and 18 settlements in the region, said the head of the regional military administration, Oleg Synegubov.
Thus, in the village of Berezivka, a 72-year-old man died, another 86-year-old woman was injured. In Zadonetsky, five local residents were injured, and in the village of Stary Merchyk, an 8-year-old boy was injured, and a 44-year-old woman suffered an acute stress reaction.
9.20 On the front of the past day, 226 combat clashes between the Defense Forces of Ukraine and the Russian invaders were recorded. The hottest is the Konstantinivka direction, where the enemy carried out 35 attacks. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on August 4. The missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces hit three UAV control points, 11 areas of concentration of manpower and another important object of the Russian invaders.
09.12 Over the past day, Russian troops have not stopped shelling the Kherson region. This was reported by the head of the regional state administration, Oleksandr Prokudin. The attacks killed two people, injured 18 more civilians, and destroyed dozens of buildings and infrastructure.
According to Prokudin, dozens of settlements in the region have been hit by Russian aviation, artillery, and drones, including Kherson, Beryslav, Bilozerka, Stanislav, Antonivka, Chornobayvka, Velyka Oleksandrivka, and other communities.
8.50 Air defense forces neutralized 117 drones, with which the Russians attacked Ukraine since the evening of August 3. This was reported by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Hits of a ballistic missile and 14 strike UAVs were recorded at 14 locations, as well as the fall of downed ones (fragments) at 3 locations.
8.23 In Mykolaiv on the night of August 4, an 89-year-old woman died as a result of a Russian attack. Seven more people were injured. This was reported by the mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Senkevych. According to him, there is significant damage to private and apartment buildings.
7.55 Two children and an elderly woman were killed in Russian guided bomb strikes on Sumy, the head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, Oleg Grigorov, reported.
"Two children and an elderly woman died from strikes by Russian KABs in Sumy this night. The girls are 5 and 10 years old. The children's bodies were recovered from the rubble of their house," the head of the OVA noted.
According to him, residential buildings and non-residential structures were destroyed and damaged. The investigation and elimination of the consequences of the attack are ongoing.
7.24 The Armed Forces of Ukraine killed and wounded 1,240 Russian occupiers over the past 24 hours. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on August 4. The total combat losses of the Russian invaders from 02/24/22 to 08/04/26 were approximately 1,451,750 people.
06.38 On the night of August 4, drones attacked the Syzran oil refinery in the Samara region of Russia. After the explosions, a fire broke out on the territory of the enterprise.
In parallel, a fire is reported in the city of Chekhov, Moscow Region, after a drone attack. According to preliminary data, the Wildberries logistics complex may have been hit.
Also, according to monitoring Telegram channels, the Wildberries warehouse, previously known as Chervonyi Bir, was attacked in the Leningrad Region.
04.57 Russian troops struck an industrial facility in Zaporizhia at dawn on Tuesday, August 4. The attack caused a fire at the site. According to the head of the Zaporizhia OVA, Ivan Fedorov, according to preliminary data, no one was injured as a result of the attack.
04.28 Russia has sharply increased the use of A-50U long-range radar detection aircraft to control airspace and counter Ukrainian cruise missiles. After an almost complete absence of such flights in the first half of June, Russian aviation has switched to regular, and in some cases daily, operations. At the same time, Russia has changed the basing scheme of these aircraft. Previously, they mainly operated from Ivanovo and Ulyanovsk airfields, but now they are deployed to deeper rear bases, in particular in Perm (Bolshoe Savino), Orenburg and Chelyabinsk.
03.36 On the night of Tuesday, August 4, Russian troops launched a strike with guided aerial bombs on Sumy. The attack targeted civilian infrastructure and the private sector of the city. As reported by the head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, Oleg Grigorov, one person is currently known to have died, and there are also injured people. Hits were recorded at three locations in the Kovpakiv district. Russian aerial bombs hit private buildings and infrastructure facilities.
02.41 The Russian occupation administration has begun personnel reshuffles among the clergy in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Local priests who, after the beginning of the occupation, switched to the side of the invaders and worked under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate, are gradually being replaced by clergy from Russia. According to the Central Orthodox Church, some local priests are being transferred to remote regions of the Russian Federation, others are being removed from leadership positions or even removed from service. Instead, key positions in dioceses and parishes are being held by clergy who arrive directly from Russia.
02.12 Ukraine is moving from requests for military assistance to the development of joint production of weapons, localization of technologies and mutual interests with international partners. This was stated by the head of the Presidential Office, Kyrylo Budanov. According to him, diplomacy during war is a continuation of Ukraine's defense, and one of the key tasks of Ukrainian diplomatic missions remains the provision of resources to the Security and Defense Forces. At the same time, he emphasized that Ukraine is changing the format of cooperation with allies - from requests for assistance to the creation of joint production.
00.47 As a result of a Russian drone strike on the territory in the suburbs of Dnipro, a large-scale fire broke out in food warehouses. This was reported late in the evening by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk OVA, Oleksandr Ganzha.
00.23 The Cabinet of Ministers adopted the first decision from the emergency support package for the agricultural sector, prepared in response to Russian attacks on port infrastructure and ships in the Black Sea. According to Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky, the government has temporarily adjusted the minimum allowable export prices for certain types of agricultural products.
In addition, the Prime Minister instructed to promptly prepare a plan for the development of agricultural processing in Ukraine in order to increase the production of value-added products within the country.