Ukraine-Russia war: Kyiv says it controls 100 Kursk settlements as Russian oil depot set on fire

This year’s annual Burning Man festival features a powerful art installation by Ukrainian artist Oleksiy Sai about humanity’s growing insensitivity to the damage of war.

Titled “I’m Fine,” the massive 7-meter high and 19-ton installation is made up of various real war artifacts from liberated territories, according to Ukrainian World Congress. Among the objects that make up the sculpture’s enormous lettering are shattered fences, satellite dishes and street signs peppered with bullet holes.

Its message is said to be a play on the Ukranian response to the question: “How are you?”

Our culture reporter Inga Parkel has more details:

Russia has launched a major barrage of missiles and drones across Ukraine, killing four people, injuring more than a dozen and damaging energy facilities in what has been called its biggest attack of the war.

The bombardment, condemned as “vile” by Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky, involved the firing of more than 100 missiles and a similar number of drones at more than half the country on Monday, with Ukraine’s air force commander describing it as Moscow’s biggest air assault of the war so far.

In attacks that began at around midnight and continued through daybreak, Ukraine’s air force said swarms of Russian drones fired at eastern, northern, southern and central regions were followed by volleys of cruise and ballistic missiles.

Ukrainian drones have set a number of oil tanks on fire at the Glubokinskaya depot in Russia’s Rostov region, according to several Russian Telegram channels.

Rostov’s governor, Vasily Golubev, said that four Ukraine-launched drones were destroyed over the region, but made no mention of an attack on an oil depot.

Kyiv has taken control of 100 Russian settlements as troops continued its offensive into Russia’s Kursk region, a top military commander claimed.

Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukrainian troops control 1,294 sq km (500 sq miles) of Russian territory and has taken 594 prisoners of war.

Last week, President Zelensky said Ukraine controlled more than 1,250 sq km of Russian territory.

Ukraine claims to have taken control of 100 settlements in Russia’s Kursk region during its surprise cross-border assault – while facing massive airstrikes from Russian forces for the second day running.

Kyiv’s top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said his troops now control 1,294 sq km (500 sq m) of Russian territory in Kursk with up to 594 Russian prisoners of war taken.

Colonel General Syrskyi said Kyiv’s objective in Kursk of distracting Russian troops by pulling them back from eastern Ukrainian regions like the Donbas had been successful.

However, Col Gen Syrskyi also warned Moscow was building up its forces on the eastern frontline, around the important logistics hub of Pokrovsk, where Russian troops have been advancing.

Our reporter Alexander Butler has more in this report:

The NATO-Ukraine council will meet on Wednesday at Kyiv’s request, a spokesperson has confirmed.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will convene the meeting which will brief allies on the frontline situation, spokesperson for the Western military alliance said on Tuesday.

“The meeting will be held at ambassadorial level,” said the spokesperson, Farah Dakhlallah. “Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov is expected to brief Allies via video-link on the battlefield situation and priority capability needs,” she added.

The NATO-Ukraine Council was established last year to enable closer coordination between the alliance and Kyiv. Ambassadors from NATO’s member countries and Ukrainian officials normally attend meetings of the council.

“Tomorrow’s meeting comes after recent waves of heavy Russian strikes against Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure,” Dakhlallah said in an emailed statement seen by Reuters.

Ukraine has announced that it will temporarily suspend payments on GDP warrants – an instrument created to restructure its debt following Russia’s annexation of Crimea – starting from May 2025.

According to JPMorgan, Ukraine owes around $2.6bn on this instrument, which is linked to its economic output growth and was created in 2015 as a sweetener to Kyiv’s creditors. Some $700m is owed to US firm Cargill, while the state grid company Ukrenergo has a government guarantee on a $830m note.

Kyiv will also temporarily suspend payments for loans from Cargill Financial Services International, Inc, starting from 3 September, and on government-guaranteed bonds of Ukrainian power firm Ukrenergo starting from 9 November, according to a document on the Ukrainian government website.

The GDP warrants and private debt obligations are not part of the country’s sovereign restructuring deal that Kyiv is expected to finalise imminently, Reuters reports.

Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed Ukraine used Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets to down Russian drones and missiles during recent attacks.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, the Ukrainian prime minister urged Ukraine’s allies to send more of the jets. Kyiv received the first batch earlier this month.

“Nobody talked about it, but we destroyed already, in this huge attack of Russians, we destroyed already some missiles and drones using F-16,” he said.

“I will not share how many, but we did it thanks to partners who gave us F-16, provided to us. But again it’s not enough, we have a small number of F-16.”

A sixth person has now died in Ukraine after Russia launched an overnight attack for the second night in a row.

Three people were killed when a hotel was “wiped out” by a missile in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, regional officials said. Five people were injured and one person was still missing after the strike, Serhiy Lysak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region that includes Kryvyi Rih, said on Telegram.

Separately, three people were killed in drone attacks on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia.

Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed Ukraine will respond after Russian launched 10 missiles and 81 drones during the assault.