Andy Burnham has arrived in Kyiv to honour Ukraine’s Independence Day, just hours after at least three people were killed in a Russian attack on the outskirts of Kharkiv.
It is the first overseas visit for the British prime minister, more than a month after entering Downing Street, and it comes as Kyiv and Moscow continued to exchange devastating attacks overnight.
He is set to announce that Britain has agreed to allow European missile manufacturer MBDA to release classified information on UK-made components used in the SCALP long-range cruise missile, according to his office.
“Ukraine’s security is our security,” Burnham said in a statement, adding that Britain would stand by Ukraine “for as long as it takes”.
In Kharkiv, emergency services have rescued and evacuated eight people, some of whom were injured, governor Oleh Syniehubov said, adding the search was ongoing to identify any other possible casualties.
Meanwhile, two people were killed and two more injured in a Ukrainian drone strike on the Russian border region of Belgorod, local authorities said.
Ukrainian also hit another online retailer, setting fire to Ozon’s logistics hub in Makhachkala in the Russian republic of Dagestan.
Kyiv has repeatedly targeted facilities belonging to Russia’s largest online shop Wildberries, accusing it of providing logistics support to Vladimir Putin‘s armed forces.
Ozon said it also paused operations at two warehouses in the nearby regions of Stavropol and Adygeya in the North Caucasus amid a drone attack alert.
Earlier, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Putin intends to draft 300,000 new troops to join the war from next month in a bid to seize territory.
Zelensky said that the Russian leader would start the drive after elections in September, as Moscow pursues its main goal of capturing the rest of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
EU unveils further £5.2 billion in aid for Ukrainian defence
The European Commission has unveiled a further £5.2 billion in aid for Ukraine – for new defence systems, such as air defence, missiles, ammunition and radars to repel the worsening Russian attacks.
This latest aid package comes on top of £13.6 billion of previously approved procurement plans, of which £7 billion had already been disbursed, the EU said.
“As Russia intensifies its attacks, we are stepping up to help Ukraine protect its people and defend its skies. Europe stands with Ukraine and we will deliver what it needs, when it needs it,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a statement.
Gergana.Krasteva24 August 2026 09:05
Why is the SCALP missile so important for Ukraine?
The SCALP missile is the French-manufactured version of the prized British Storm Shadow.
It is a long-range, air-launched cruise missile, designed to hit high‑value fixed or fortified targets with precision and low observability.
It has a strike capability of over 155 miles , which means that it would potentially allow Ukraine to attack targets deeper into Russian territory.
This will be a massive boost to Ukraine in its efforts to target military sites in Russia.
Downing Street said the decision will allow France and Ukraine to go ahead with assembly of the missile on Ukrainian territory.
It follows efforts by the two countries to expand local production of long-range weapons, so it does not have to rely entirely on deliveries of complete missiles from abroad.
Britain was the first country to provide Ukraine with Western long-range strike missiles when it supplied Storm Shadow back in 2023.
Gergana.Krasteva24 August 2026 08:45
In photos: PM Andy Burnham arrives in Ukraine
Minister says Ukrainian elections are ‘internal matter for the people of Ukraine’
A UK government minister has insisted whether to call an election on Volodymyr Zelensky premiership is an “internal matter for the people of Ukraine”.
Zelensky has faced pressure to call an election in recent weeks after sacked defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for a contest.
Defence minister Luke Pollard told Sky News: “When to have an election is an internal matter for the people of Ukraine, the government of Ukraine.
“If I look at the parallel with the United Kingdom during the Second World War, while there was war waging in Europe, we didn’t have elections, but that will be a matter for them. B
“But having spoken to both President Zelensky and the former defence minister you mentioned in the past, I know that both of them are committed to the defence of their nation and seeing through their nation to get to a peaceful conclusion to the conflict. It is up to them and their system about how they handle those internal affairs.”
Athena Stavrou24 August 2026 08:00
Germany’s Wadephul to urge Rubio to take more active role on Ukraine
German foreign minister Johann Wadephul plans to speak to his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, by phone today to urge him to become more personally involved in diplomatic efforts related to the war in Ukraine, he told radio broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.
Wadephul, who was recently in Ukraine, told the broadcaster that US diplomacy had so far been handled largely by presidential envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.
Negotiations between Russia and the US to bring about an end to the conflict in Ukraine have largely stalled amid the war in Iran, and the Kremlin said last week that it had no information yet on a possible next visit by Kushner and Witkoff.
Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov had said in an interview on Friday that Russia was ready to listen to Rubio’s new ideas and continue dialogue with Washington.
“I may be able to encourage him (Rubio) myself to do more there,” the German minister said, adding that Berlin was pursuing other channels to help restart negotiations.
Ukraine hit Russian fighter aircraft and two vessels in Black Sea
The Ukrainian military struck a Russian MIG-29 fighter aircraft and two Russian vessels in the Black Sea overnight, Ukraine’s drone forces commander Robert Brovdi said on Monday.
Brovdi said on Telegram that one of the vessels attacked was a tanker, and the other was a bulk carrier.
Attack on another Russian logistics hub tanks company’s shares
Shares in Ozon fell by as much as 12 per cent on the Moscow Exchange on news of the attack, while shares in its major shareholder, private equity firm AFK Sistema, fell by almost 13 per cent.
Ozon has become Russia’s second e-commerce giant, after rival Wildberries, to be targeted in Ukrainian drone attacks. Work at a logistics centre in the Samara region was halted after the first Ukrainian strike on the company’s facilities on 22 August.
Russia’s Ozon says four logistics hubs targeted by Ukrainian drones
At least four logistics hubs owned by Russia’s second-largest online retailer Ozon in southern Russia were targeted in Ukrainian drone attacks, the company said on Monday, bringing the number of targeted facilities to six since 22 August.
Ozon said its logistics hub in Makhachkala, Dagestan, was on fire after a drone attack, while workers at warehouses in Adygeysk, in the Adygeya region, and Nevinnomyssk, in the Stavropol region, had been evacuated.
“According to preliminary information, several people were injured,” Ozon said in a statement, referring to the facility in Makhachkala, which had halted operations.
Russia downs 351 Ukrainian drones overnight
The Russian defence ministry said on Monday its forces had intercepted and destroyed 351 Ukrainian drones overnight over a number of regions.
Officials said the attack has caused damage at the Russian online retailer Ozon’s logistics hub in Makhachkala in Dagestan which was set ablaze.
Russia typically reports only how many drones its air defences say they downed, not how many Ukraine launched, and rarely discloses the full extent of damage unless civilians are killed or civilian sites are hit.
Russia says its forces hit tanker carrying fuel near Ukraine’s Odesa
The Russian defence ministry said it had hit a tanker carrying fuel and lubricants for Ukrainian troops in the port of Pivdennyi near Odesa, as well as port infrastructure facilities used for unloading and storing military cargo.
Arpan Rai24 August 2026 06:38NewerOlder