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Morning Headlines
Reuters: Russian attacks have destroyed Nova Poshta sorting centres near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and in the northern city of Sumy, the Ukrainian private postal and courier company said on Friday.
The Kyiv Independent: Kyiv recorded 13 air raid alerts over a 24-hour period on Aug. 27, setting a single-day record for the capital since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, officials reported. The alerts came amid an hours-long Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital.
ISW: Russia may conduct air, missile, or drone strikes or a limited incursion against one or more Baltic states to test and seek to break NATO’s resolve to invoke and respond under Article 5.
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Politico: Russia’s campaign against Europe looks increasingly brazen. Yet EU leaders remain reluctant to call it what a growing number of security officials say it increasingly resembles: war. Instead, they reach for a softer phrase — “hybrid war” — that allows the EU and NATO to avoid a military response.
Reuters: Trump said on Thursday that Putin will not attack a NATO country, and he played down media reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe warned Russian officials against such an attack earlier in the week.
The Hill: Trump shrugged off questions Thursday about whether countries are taking the U.S.’s “economic D-Day” threats seriously after reports that Putin is set to meet with Iran’s president.
The Kyiv Independent: Russia plans to mobilize 600,000 recruits in 2026-27 as growing public dissatisfaction with the war in Ukraine reduces the number of people willing to volunteer, Ukraine's President's Office said on Aug. 27.
Meduza: An iStories correspondent took a job at Voevoda, one of the major companies in a private recruitment market that has flourished since Russia began paying people to bring recruits into the army. Voevoda’s business works like multi-level marketing, and its enlisters (known as “recruiters”) can earn millions of rubles if they’re good at the job.
United24 Media: Major Russian raw material exporters, including state corporations and private companies owned by top oligarchs, have resumed the practice of retaining foreign currency earnings abroad.
The Moscow Times: French energy company TotalEnergies said Thursday that it has completed its exit from a Russian gas project sanctioned in the West.
AP News: The U.S. military is experiencing a “beyond critical” shortage of advanced missile interceptors in Europe largely driven by Trump’s war with Iran, a U.S. defense official in Europe and a NATO official told The Associated Press.
The Kyiv Independent: Estonia and Latvia on Aug. 27 reiterated that they remain vigilant, but their overall assessment of Russia's threat remains unchanged, despite media reports about the U.S. intelligence chief warning Moscow against possible provocations targeting NATO's frontier.
Business Insider: Russia fired an upgraded version of its Iskander short-range ballistic missile for the first time in a summer strike on the Ukrainian capital city, the country's military intelligence agency shared this week.
Sweden is providing an additional contribution of approximately SEK 270 million ($28 million) to a number of multilateral funds and initiatives with the aim of supporting Ukraine.
Reuters: An arson attack planned by three suspects in eastern Slovakia targeted drone maker Skyeton, prosecutors said on Thursday, while a little-known group describing itself as peace activists claimed responsibility. Skyeton, founded in Ukraine, says it produces drones for civilian and military use in Ukraine and other countries.
Reuters: Russian-speaking hackers used SpaceX’s AI coding assistant, Cursor, to help break in to a Belgian chemical company and at least six other firms earlier this year, according to data reviewed by Reuters and reports issued on Thursday by cybersecurity companies Gambit Security and CloudSek.
The Kyiv Independent: Denmark's Fayard shipyard is about to receive a third Russian-linked liquefied natural gas tanker this summer, even as the company is set to represent the country at an international trade fair.
Reuters: A car carrying a Russian military serviceman and his wife exploded in St. Petersburg on Thursday, killing the man instantly. The online Fontanka newspaper in Russia's second-largest city identified the man as a lieutenant colonel. It said his wife was rushed to hospital.
Reuters: Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it had declared a diplomat at Romania's embassy in Moscow persona non grata.
worth mentioning
Zelensky arrives in Chisinau for Moldova's Independence Day
Ukraine file complaint over FIA lifting Russia ban
Putin’s “wallet” Gennady Timchenko found to own 34% of Ozon retailer
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