Ukraine war latest: War ‘returning to Russia’, Zelensky says after Moscow drone attacks

Although Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the strikes on Sunday, Mr Zelensky said such attacks were an “inevitable, natural, and absolutely fair process” of the war between the nations.

Earlier on Sunday, Russia blamed Ukraine for what it called an “attempted terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime” and said three drones targeted the capital, damaging two buildings in the Moskva-Citi business district.

Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to downplay not attending an economic summit in Johannesburg next month, following an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Cour, with Putin saying he doesn’t think his presence there is “more important than my presence here, in Russia.”

Putin’s remarks come more than a week after South African authorities said Putin would not attend the gathering on August 22-24 bringing together developing economies, known as BRICS, because of the warrant, even though he was initially invited.

The Kremlin said the Russian president will take part in the summit via video link, but didn’t provide a reason for the decision and didn’t say whether Putin had ever intended to attend in person.

Asked about his reasons for not going, Putin told Russian journalists Saturday that he’s “in contact with all colleagues,” referring to the leaders of Brazil, India, China and South Africa, which together with Russia constitute the BRICS bloc, and that he doesn’t “think my presence at the BRICS summit is more important that my presence here, in Russia, right now.”

President Zelensky says he expects Russia to resume its attacks on Ukraine’s energy system once cold weather returns later this year, and has vowed to do everything possible to protect the power grid.

Nearly 40 per cent of the Ukrainian energy system was damaged in Russian missile and drone strikes over the past winter, which plunged Ukrainian cities into darkness and cold. Moscow says it launched the attacks to reduce Ukraine’s ability to fight.

Strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have subsided since warm weather returned, in place of attacks on other targets, but Zelensky said he expected attacks on energy to resume during a visit to the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk on Sunday.

“It is obvious that this fall and…in the winter the enemy will try to repeat the terror against the Ukrainian energy industry. We should be ready for this in any case,” Zelenskiy told senior government, security and regional officials.

“At the government and security level, we will do everything possible.”

Zelensky said the government, security officials and energy workers were working to protect the energy system from physical damage, sabotage or cyberattacks. Every city and town in Ukraine should be ready to handle energy sector emergencies, he added.

Fast repairs, often relying on backup energy equipment sent by Kyiv’s Western partners, helped the country get through the past winter. Energy Minister German Galushchenko expressed confidence this week that Ukraine could meet its generation needs during the cold months.

Ten people – including three children – have been killed as high winds ripped through central Russia, emergency services and a local official reported on Sunday.

Eight of the dead were part of a group of tourists camping close to Lake Yalchik in the Mari-El region when the storm weather hit the area on Saturday, Russia’s emergencies ministry said. 

High winds caused a number of trees to fall in the area, including where the group’s tents had been pitched on a stretch of wild beach inside the Mariy Chodra National Park, regional leader Yuri Zaitsev wrote on social media. He said that three children were among the dead.

Russia’s investigative committee has opened a criminal case to determine whether unsafe or sub-standard services provided by the park’s management company contributed to the deaths.Across the wider Volga Federal District, 76 people were injured in the storm, with thousands of households losing power, emergency services said. 

Pope Francis on Sunday called on Russia to reverse its decision to abandon the Black Sea grain deal, under which it had allowed Ukraine to export grain from its seaports despite the ongoing war.

“I appeal to my brothers, the authorities of the Russian Federation, so that the Black Sea initiative may be resumed and grain may be transported safely,” Francis said during his weekly Angelus message.

Global wheat prices have spiked since Russia on July 17 quit the pact, which was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July 2022, and began targeting Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure on the Black Sea and Danube River.

Addressing crowds in St Peter’s Square, the pope urged the faithful to continue praying “for martyred Ukraine, where war is destroying everything, even grain,” calling this “a grave insult to God.”

The leader of the world’s nearly 1.4 billion Catholics said “the cry of millions of brothers and sisters who are suffering from hunger is rising up to the sky”.

Russia walked out of the Black Sea deal after saying its demands to ease sanctions on its own grain and fertilizer exports had not been met. Moscow also complained that not enough grain had reached poor countries.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to supply Africa with grain, some of it for free, but the chair of the African Union, Azali Assoumani, responded that this “may be not quite enough”.

This dramatic video shows the moment an explosion went off directly outside a Russian administration building in Donetsk, Ukraine.

In the video, we see a point-of-view from inside a vehicle driving along the road. Moments later, a huge explosion is triggered near the right side of the vehicle, outside a building.

This footage was allegedly shared on the social media website Telegram by a local journalist, showing the moment of the explosion.

As the explosion happens, the driver of the vehicle swerves around it and continues driving along the road.

The footage seems to indicate that something strikes at the location from above, dropping down and exploding on impact.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who has sometimes raised the spectre of a nuclear conflict over Ukraine, said on Sunday that Moscow would have to use a nuclear weapon if Kyiv’s ongoing counter-offensive was a success.

Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, a body chaired by President Vladimir Putin, said in a message on his official social media accounts that Russia would be forced to fall back on its own nuclear doctrine in such a scenario.

“Imagine if the.. offensive, which is backed by NATO, was a success and they tore off a part of our land then we would be forced to use a nuclear weapon according to the rules of a decree from the president of Russia. There would simply be no other option. So our enemies should pray for our warriors’ (success). They are making sure that a global nuclear fire is not ignited,” he said.

Medvedev, who has cast himself as one of Moscow’s most hawkish voices, appeared to be referring to part of Russia’s nuclear doctrine which sets out that nuclear weapons can be used in response to aggression against Russia carried out using conventional weapons which threatens the existence of the Russian state.

Putin said on Saturday that there were no serious battlefield changes to report in recent days and that Ukraine had lost large amounts of military equipment since 4 June. Kyiv says its forces are making some progress in their drive to retake territory, albeit at a slower pace than desired.

Kremlin critics have in the past accused Medvedev of making extreme statements in an effort to dissuade Western countries from continuing to supply Ukraine with arms.

Amid the ravages of war, Sergey, a seasoned Wagner mercenary, found himself grappling with the relentless violence that has become a way of life and death on the front line. The savage conflict, the sense of betrayal from the Kremlin, and rumours of plots, all combined to create an atmosphere of uncertainty and dread.

At the end he decided to abandon the Wagner group and the savage, meat-grinding combat of Donbas where corpses piled up, and towns and cities were razed.

With the future of the mercenary group in the balance after Yevgeny Prigozhin’s failed march on Moscow and fear of future retribution, Sergey cannot forget the terrible things he witnessed in the months of bloody conflict.