Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin makes rare admission that Kyiv’s huge strikes are ‘causing us harm’

President Vladimir Putin has admitted that Ukrainian attacks are causing Russia harm, in statements made on Wednesday. "Of course, such attacks have not caused, and could not cause, critical consequences. However, they do inflict damage; this is obvious, and we fully understand and acknowledge it," he told a conference of ministers and business leaders on the economy. Ukraine has upped its long-range attacks on critical energy infrastructure over the last few months. People in Russia are withdrawing billions from the nation’s banks over fears that the Kremlin could begin to seize money to finance the war with Ukraine, a report says. According to The Washington Post, the country is seeing a record cash outflow amid intensifying drone strikes from Ukraine. Nearly 286.4bn rubles (worth $3.4bn) was withdrawn in the first two weeks of August, according to data from the Russian Central Bank, reported in The Post. That follows $7.3bn withdrawn last month and more than $4.5bn in June. Alexandra Prokopenko, a former adviser to the Russian Central Bank, said the withdrawals illustrated a level of fear among the Russian public. “This is all a consequence of the fear that the government will do something with the banking system, that it could nationalise deposits.”Comment: Putin is an open threat to the UK – will his admirer Nigel Farage finally say so? Vladimir Putin is displeased. British drones have been used by Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory. The Russian embassy has warned that “London’s actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer”. It said: “The deeper its involvement in the conflict, and the greater its support for Kyiv’s terrorist machinery, the higher the price it will pay.” Andy Burnham has responded robustly. He said today: “We support Ukraine 100 per cent against this illegal war led by Vladimir Putin. We are providing support so that Ukraine can defend itself, and that’s been the British position all the way through this conflict.” John Rentoul reports: Maira Butt19 August 2026 14:50Russians ‘withdraw billions from banks over fears Putin will seize deposits for war’ Russian citizens are withdrawing billions of roubles from the country’s banks over fears that the Kremlin could seize deposits to fund the war in Ukraine. Analysts say fears that the Kremlin could confiscate private savings to bankroll the conflict have triggered widespread panic, with more than 286.4bn roubles (£2.5bn) pulled from Russian banks during the first two weeks of August alone. A staggering £5.3bn was reported to have been withdrawn in July on top of a further £3.32bn in June, according to Central Bank data. Maira Butt19 August 2026 14:30Russia's Putin says Ukrainian attacks on Russian industry have no critical impact President Vladimir Putin has claimed that Russia has suffered no critical consequences from Ukrainian attacks on its industrial facilities. The leader played down the impact of the strikes, whose targets have included oil refineries and commercial warehouse of Russia’s top online retailer Wildberries, while addressing a conference of ministers and business leaders on the economy. Maira Butt19 August 2026 14:10Ukraine's parliament approves Yevhenii Khmara as new defence minister Ukraine's parliament approved the appointment of Yevhenii Khmara as new defence minister on Wednesday. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy nominated Khmara, whom he had earlier appointed as acting minister, after the ousting of Mykhailo Fedorov in July. The appointment was backed by 312 lawmakers, with 226 needed for a majority. Acting Ukraine's Defence Minister Yevgeniy Khmara addresses members of the Ukrainian parliament before they vote to elect Ukraine's new defence minister in Kyiv on August 19, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP/Getty) Maira Butt19 August 2026 13:50 Maira Butt19 August 2026 13:20Kanye West to become biggest western star to play in Russia since invasion of Ukraine The performance is set to take place in the Gazprom Arena, according to a Telegram post on Monday from the stadium. It comes after West, known as Ye, has faced a series of concert cancellations and performance bans across Europe after making antisemitic remarks, including praise for Adolf Hitler, and the ​use ⁠of Nazi imagery. Maira Butt19 August 2026 12:50The drones that the UK supplies Ukraine following Russia’s threat Ukrainian army sources told The Times that drones made by two British companies have been used in the past six months to attack targets including oil refineries in Volgograd and near Moscow and logistics hubs. Russia’s embassy to the UK said in a statement on Monday that the reports “confirm that London is deliberately opting for an escalation of the Ukraine crisis” and accused Britain of “seeking to contain Russia and inflict maximum damage on it by proxy”. Maira Butt19 August 2026 12:20Zelensky dismisses deputy head of presidential office amid corruption probe President Volodymyr Zelensky has sacked his deputy head of the presidential office Iryna Mudra on Wednesday, according to a decree published on the president’s website. A reason was not given for the dismissal but Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies had said earlier in the day that they had identified a group including a deputy head that they suspected of money laundering. Maira Butt19 August 2026 11:53Russia's Lavrov says Britain risks being seen as party to Ukraine war Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia had the right to regard the direct involvement of Britain in strikes on Russian territory as participation in the war in Ukraine. His comments came after the Times ⁠newspaper reported on Saturday that ​British-made ⁠drones had been ‌used for long-range strikes against Russia for the first ‌time. Following the report, Russia's ‌embassy in London warned Britain of unspecified "consequences" for supplying ⁠drones to Kyiv. PM Andy Burnham said on Tuesday that Britain would support Ukraine "100%" in its fight against Russia and stand by Kyiv "in ‌its hour of ​need". Moscow has previously ‌accused British specialists ⁠of involvement in attacks ⁠on Russian territory, saying Britain's role ‌would ​be taken "into account" ‌in its response. (AFP/Getty) Maira Butt19 August 2026 11:20EU welcomes decision by eight countries to back restrictive measures against Belarus The ⁠European Union has welcomed the decision by Albania, Bosnia, ⁠Iceland, ​Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North ⁠Macedonia, Norway and ⁠Ukraine to ​align with ⁠its restrictive ‌measures against Belarus, EU foreign policy ‌chief Kaja Kallas ‌said in a statement ⁠on Tuesday. In July, the EU Council decided to impose restrictive measures against the country "in ‌view of ​the involvement ‌of Belarus ⁠in the ⁠Russian aggression against ‌Ukraine". Maira Butt19 August 2026 10:50