Ukraine-Russia war latest: At least 3 dead after explosion near cafe in Moscow

Russia pounded Kyiv with ballistic missiles, killing at least nine people and injuring 28 others in the second such intense barrage in a week. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said a residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district was partially destroyed, trapping people inside. The first and second floors of the building partially collapsed. More than a dozen explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital, sparking fires across the city and causing power outages in some areas. The assault came just a week after a similar attack killed nine people, including six members of one family, among them children. The latest strike came as US president Donald Trump said he was "not sure" he would allow Ukraine to build Patriot surface-to-air interceptor missiles under licence, casting doubt on Kyiv's hopes of reducing its reliance on Washington for critical air defences. "It's a very extraordinary weapon, and we have to be a little bit careful of who we license to," the president told the Financial Times on Thursday, weeks after offering to share the production licence for the coveted air defence system with the war-hit nation. Ukraine has repeatedly asked the US for Patriot missile systems to help intercept Russian missiles, drones and aerial bombs.Russia claims attacks on Ukrainian military targets Russia's defence ministry has claimed that its overnight missile strikes targeted Ukraine's military-industrial infrastructure rather than civilian sites. Without evidence, it claimed that it hit radio-electronics factories in Kyiv that it claims manufacture components for Ukrainian missiles and drones. It claimed to have struck a facility allegedly producing electronic warfare (EW) equipment, including systems designed to jam the guidance of precision weapons. Also, "two dry cargo ships were struck yesterday while transiting the sea south of Odessa; they were delivering military cargo to one of Ukraine’s ports," the military said. However, Ukrainian officials reported damage to residential neighbourhoods. Images from the capital showed a residential complex engulfed in flames as emergency crews responded to the strikes. Shweta Sharma1 August 2026 14:45'It's getting worse', residents describe rising Russian attacks Liudmyla Nakonechna, 64, who is undergoing cancer treatment, said she was woken up by loud explosions at 1.30am tonight. "I ran into the corridor and was standing there when the bathroom door was blown off its hinges and struck me in the leg," said Nakonechna, who was in a basement shelter where she was taking cover as a second air alarm sounded for another wave. "I heard the sound of shattering glass. My balcony was covered in glass and it was completely blown apart, while the windows in my bedroom were also blown out." An employee of a restaurant sweeps glasses of broken windows following massive Russian ballistic missile strikes in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv (AFP/Getty) Nakonechna had not taken cover in a shelter since Russia's full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, but the stress became too much, she said. "It's getting worse by the day," Nakonechna said. "Whereas before there was an attack once every two weeks, or maybe once a week, now it happens practically every day. It is incredibly hard to bear this psychologically." Shweta Sharma1 August 2026 14:15Latest picture capture damage and destruction across Ukraine Russia slammed Ukrainian cities with missile and drone attacks on Saturday, killing nine people and causing damage to residential buildings. A five-story residential building in the city's Solomianskyi District was damaged by falling debris and a fire broke out. Rescue workers evacuated 35 people from the upper floors of the building and two people died, with eight reported injured, including two children, according to Ukraine's state emergency service. In the Darnytskyi District of Kyiv, seven people were killed and another 14 injured after the attack caused fires and damage to houses, vehicles, an administrative and non-residential building, the emergency services said. Elsewhere, emergency workers extinguished a fire in a non-residential building in the capital's Shevchenkivskyi district. Shweta Sharma1 August 2026 13:45Zelensky says latest attacks show Ukraine's need for Patriot missiles President Volodymyr Zelensky has pressed the US and other Western partners regarding Ukraine’s need for more Patriot anti-ballistic missile defence systems to counter aerial attacks from Russia. “Every package of ballistic missile interceptors saves the lives of our people. And every night without them results in more casualties,” he wrote on X following the latest attacks. The Ukrainian leader late Friday said he spoke to US vice president JD Vance and discussed a meeting with president Donald Trump earlier this week in Washington, which Zelensky described as “positive and productive.” “The Russian air strikes on our country continue and air defence, specifically interceptors for Patriot systems against ballistic missiles, remains a top priority,” Zelensky said on Friday in a post on Telegram. Adam Withnall1 August 2026 13:15Lithuania's embassy in Kyiv damaged by missile strike Lithuania’s foreign minister says the country’s embassy in Kyiv was damaged when missiles struck nearby overnight. Russia’s defence ministry claimed it had launched a “massive strike” against “Ukrainian military-industrial complex facilities and logistics centres in Kyiv.” Adam Withnall1 August 2026 12:45Nine dead across two Kyiv districts in intense Russian barrage More details are emerging on the impacts across Kyiv from Russia's overnight missile and drone attack. A five-story residential building in the city's Solomianskyi District was damaged by falling debris and a fire broke out. Rescue workers evacuated 35 people from the upper floors of the building and two people died, with eight reported injured, including two children, according to Ukraine’s state emergency service. In the Darnytskyi District of Kyiv, seven people were killed and another 14 injured after the attack caused fires and damage to houses, vehicles, an administrative and non-residential building, the emergency services said. Elsewhere, emergency workers extinguished a fire in a non-residential building in the capital’s Shevchenkivskyi district. There was no additional information about earlier reports by the district mayor that people were trapped in another residential building. Damage to commercial and residential buildings was reported in two other city districts. Adam Withnall1 August 2026 12:15Russian troops 'capture two more villages' in Ukraine Russian forces took control of two more villages across two Ukrainian regions, the Interfax news agency reported on Saturday, citing the defence ministry. The villages are Olgivka in the northern Kharkiv region and Lyubytske in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region. The battlefield reports have yet to be independently verified. Sam Rkaina1 August 2026 11:59'Ukrainian drones' sink Rosatom vessel in Black Sea Two Ukrainian drones hit and sank a civilian vessel owned by Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom sailing in the Black Sea overnight, the company's head, Alexei Likhachev, said in a statement on Saturday. All 17 crew members survived the attack on the ship, which was transporting goods such as frozen food and construction materials, Likhachev added. "Such an attack can only be described as piracy and maritime robbery," he said. Both Russia and Ukraine have stepped up attacks in recent weeks on ships that they say are aiding the other side's war effort. Adam Withnall1 August 2026 11:04Ukraine downs just one of 27 ballistic missiles fired overnight, Zelensky says Ukraine only succeeded in downing one of 27 Russian ballistic missiles fired during this morning’s aerial assault, Volodymyr Zelensky says. Zelensky said Russia launched a total of 35 missiles, including 27 ballistic missiles and 185 attack drones. The capital Kyiv was the primary target of the attack, he said. The Ukrainian president has repeatedly called on allies including the US to help support his country’s air defences, with supplies of US-made Patriot interceptor missiles critically low. Adam Withnall1 August 2026 10:00Why Ukraine is targeting Russia’s ‘Amazon’ Wildberries with major strikes Ukraine launched a wave of drone strikes deep into Russia this week, hitting a major logistics hub belonging to e-commerce Wildberries in the Ryazan region. Ukrainian drones struck two more warehouses belonging to Russian online retailer Wildberries overnight on Thursday, sparking fires at both sites, the company and a regional official said. Ukraine has attacked about a dozen Wildberries sites since July 18 in a bid to disrupt the operations of the company, a linchpin of the consumer economy that is often described as Russia's answer to Amazon. Kyiv accused the firm of helping to bolster Vladimir Putin’s war machine. Shweta Sharma1 August 2026 09:30