Russia destroys 2 drones over Bryansk region, defense ministry says
From CNN's Josh Pennington
Russian air defenses destroyed two drones overnight over the country's western Bryansk region, Moscow's defense ministry said Monday.
Bryansk and other Russian regions bordering Ukraine have come under almost daily attack in recent months, with Russian officials saying Ukrainian drones and shelling have wounded or killed civilians.
The defense ministry's statement Monday came shortly after Moscow's mayor said a drone was also destroyed near the capital.
Just hours earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the coalition aiding Kyiv would not support moving hostilities to Russian territory. "I believe that this is a big risk, we will definitely be left alone," he told Ukrainian media.
Kyiv often declines to take explicit credit for assaults across the border, though last month, Zelensky said the war is "returning to Russia" following several drone attacks.
2:22 a.m. ET, August 28, 2023
Moscow airports operating normally after thwarted drone attack, state media says
From CNN's Josh Pennington
Flights have resumed at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow. Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
Moscow airports are operating normally Monday after flights were temporarily halted by a drone flying toward the city, state-run news agency TASS reported.
The capital's mayor said earlier that air defenses had destroyed the drone near Lyubertsy, southeast of Moscow. No casualties or damage were reported.
The Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports servicing the capital temporarily halted flights, TASS reported earlier, citing aviation services.
During the overnight restrictions, 10 flights landed at alternate airfields, TASS said, citing Russia's federal aviation authority.
1:42 a.m. ET, August 28, 2023
Russian strikes kill at least 1 in Kherson, officials say
From CNN's Maria Kostenko
Russia launched strikes across Ukraine overnight, killing at least one person and damaging homes and infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said Monday.
In Kherson, at least one person died and two others were injured after Russian forces shelled residential areas, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the southern region's military administration.
"The enemy carried out 69 shellings over the past 24 hours, launching 395 shells from mortars, artillery, tanks, Grad MLRS, UAVs, and aircraft," Prokudin said on Telegram Monday.
In central Ukraine, Russian strikes hit infrastructure in the Poltava region, said Dmytro Lunin, the head of its regional military administration.
Missiles attacks damaged homes in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, while nearby Nikopol district was shelled, according to Serhii Lysak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk region military administration.
Ukrainian air defenses destroyed four cruise missiles over the past day, the military said Monday.
11:59 p.m. ET, August 27, 2023
It's morning in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
From CNN staff
Russian investigators say genetic tests have confirmed that Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was among the 10 people killed when their plane crashed last Wednesday.
Also killed was Dmitriy Utkin, a trusted lieutenant of Prigozhin’s since the beginning of the Wagner Group, and Valeriy Chekalov, a senior aide to Prigozhin.
The crash came two months to the day after Prigozhin’s attempted mutiny against Russia’s military leadership.
As questions now swirl around the Wagner Group's future, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that requires Russian volunteer forces and those defending the country's territory to swear allegiance to the Kremlin.
Here are the latest developments in Russia's war in Ukraine:
Zelensky warning: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday the coalition aiding Ukraine's fight against Moscow's invasion would not support Kyiv if it were to move the hostilities to Russian territory. "I believe that this is a big risk, we will definitely be left alone," he said in an interview with national media, where he was asked if it was time for such a move to Russian soil. Recent months have seen a rise in strikes on Russian territory, though Ukraine often declines to take explicit credit for attacks across the border. Early Monday, Moscow's mayor said another drone had been destroyed near the Russian capital.
September diplomacy: Zelensky also said Sunday that Ukraine is preparing for a "productive" September, as it prepares to take part in several international events, including the UN General Assembly. Meanwhile, Kyiv is "expecting decisions" on defense packages, he added.
Battlefield updates: Ukraine said it made more gains along a key section of the southern front in the Zaporizhzhia region, while Russian shelling has escalated in villages around Kupiansk in the northeast. Russian shelling around Kupiansk has been so intense in recent weeks that it has prompted one of Ukraine's largest-scale evacuations of the conflict.
Russian attacks: At least two people were killed and 10 others wounded following Russian strikes across Ukraine over the weekend, Ukrainian authorities said. A 42-year-old man died following attacks in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, while shelling killed another person in nearby Kherson.
Pilot mourned: The Ukrainian Air Force is paying tribute to a well-known pilot who was one of three people killed in a plane crash during a combat mission Friday. Andriy Pilshchikov, who went by the call sign "Juice," and two other pilots died when two L-39 combat trainer aircraft collided in the air, the air force said.
Corruption crackdown: The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has detained four more employees of military enlistment offices as part of an ongoing crackdown on corruption, the agency said Saturday. Those detained areemployees in military enlistment offices and heads of military medical commissions "who 'helped' evaders to avoid conscription and escape abroad," the SBU said.
Bad vacation: With Kyiv’s counteroffensive underway, Crimea is no longer the safe haven Russian holidaymakers had become accustomed to since Moscow annexed it in 2014. Read how Putin's war is forcing Russians to ditch a favorite holiday destination here.
11:06 p.m. ET, August 27, 2023
Russian air defenses destroy drone near Moscow, mayor says
From CNN's Josh Pennington
Sergey Sobyanin attends a forum in Saint Petersburg, Russia on June 15. Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
A drone flying toward Moscow has been destroyed by Russian air defense forces, the city's mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Monday.
The drone was destroyed near Lyubertsy, southeast of the capital, he added.
"Preliminarily, there are no casualties or damage. Response teams are working at the scene," Sobyanin said.
Earlier, the Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports servicing the Russian capital temporarily halted flights, state-run news agency TASS reported, citing aviation services.
3:33 a.m. ET, August 28, 2023
Allies will not support Ukraine if it moves hostilities to Russia, Zelensky says
From CNN’s Mariya Knight
Volodymyr Zelensky arrives to attend a meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine on August 25. Ercin Erturk/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
The coalition aiding Ukraine's fight against Moscow's invasion would not support Kyiv if it were to move the hostilities to Russian territory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday.
"I believe that this is a big risk, we will definitely be left alone," he said in an interview with national media, where he was asked if it was time for such a move to Russian soil.
Zelensky said Ukraine’s fight to reclaim its own territory has been critically aided by its relationships with allies.
The progress and responsibility for Ukraine on the battlefield “is always bilateral,” Zelensky said, adding that international partners are a part of any victory, any hold-up in the counteroffensive, any defensive actions and any weakness.
Zelensky also said he believes it is possible to "push for the demilitarization of Russia" in Crimea by political means.
Some context: The past several months have seen a rise in strikes on Russian soil, with Russian officials saying Ukrainian drones and shelling are responsible for attacks that have at times wounded or killed civilians.
Officials in Kyiv have alluded to the incidents — Zelensky said after drone attacks last month, for example, that the war is "returning to Russia" — but Ukraine often declines to take explicit credit for attacks across the border.
Moscow seized the peninsula and declared it annexed Russian territory in 2014, in a move denounced as illegal by Ukraine, the US and international bodies. Kyiv has said its goal of driving Russia out of Ukraine includes reclaiming Crimea.
8:44 p.m. ET, August 27, 2023
Ukraine claims more gains on southern front as Russia intensifies attacks in the northeast
From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva and Radina Gigova
Ukraine's forces are making more progress in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, while Russian troops have intensified attacks in areas surrounding the embattled city of Kupiansk on the eastern front line, the Ukrainian military said Sunday.
Here's a roundup of Ukrainian accounts from the battlefield:
Around Kupiansk: Russian forces have "significantly increased" attacks in the area, according to Illya Yevlash, a spokesperson for Ukraine's forces on the eastern front. "However, the enemy's emphasis has changed somewhat. They are shifting their focus from the Kupiansk sector to Novoiehorivka," Yevlash added, referring to a village northeast of Kupiansk. Ukrainian forces repelled 10 attacks in the area over the past day, the spokesperson said. Russian shelling around Kupiansk has been so intense in recent weeks that it has prompted one of Ukraine's largest-scale evacuations of the conflict.
Near Bakhmut: Ukraine remains on the offensive, advancing "meter by meter," Yevlash said. "The enemy is resorting to counterattacks, trying in vain to regain lost ground," he said, noting that Russia's tactics "remain virtually unchanged" in the area. Since the Wagner private military group claimed to capture the eastern city in May, Ukraine has maintained that it is still fighting for Bakhmut and picking up gains in territory immediately surrounding the city.
Zaporizhzhia region: In southern Ukraine, Kyiv's forces continue to advance near the village of Robotnye, said Oleksandr Shputun, a military spokesperson. Ukrainian troops are advancing in the direction of Novoprokopivka — another village, located just south of Robotyne — and north toward the settlement of Mala Tokmachka, Shputun said Sunday. "Recently, the enemy has increased the number of airstrikes," he said. "But this also means that other firepower is no longer able to hold back the progress of our troops." Ukraine has claimed successes in Robotyne and surrounding areas over the past several days, with social media video and images showing troops had entered the village. Almost no buildings are still standing in Robotyne, Kyiv's forces say.
11:01 p.m. ET, August 27, 2023
September will be a busy month for diplomacy, Zelensky says
From Yulia Kesaieva and Radina Gigova
Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine on August 24. Yevhen Kotenko/Ukrinform/Future Publishing/Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday his country is preparing for a "productive" September, as several international events are set to take place and Ukraine is "expecting decisions" on defense packages.
"We are preparing Ukraine's participation in international events, including the UN General Assembly. The next (Kyiv) Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen is a way to build up Ukraine's soft power. Global food security is a constant priority," Zelensky said in a Telegram post.
"The free world needs more power to defend itself. Together we have this potential and we will demonstrate it," Zelensky added. "In September, there will be even more unity."
9:54 p.m. ET, August 27, 2023
Russian strikes across Ukraine kill at at least 2, injure 10 others
From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva and Josh Pennington
At least two people were killed and 10 others wounded following Russian strikes across Ukraine over the weekend, Ukrainian authorities said.
The head of the military administration in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia said Sunday morning that a 42-year-old man was killed and four others were hurt during Russian attacks in the past day.
To the west, in the southern region of Kherson, another person was killed and four more were injured during Russian shelling. The strikes hit regional settlements, infrastructure, a medical institution, a national park and some warehouses, authorities in Kherson said.
And in Kyiv, the capital, two people were injured and 10 homes were damaged in missile attacks overnight, the head of the Kyiv military administration said Sunday.
