Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vučić, Belgrade, August 8, 2026

EA-Ukraine Special: A Sitdown in Dublin to Analyze Russia’s Invasion

Saturday’s Coverage: Russia Murders 4, Including A Child, and Injures 8 in Kyiv

UPDATE 0813 GMT:

At least two civilians have been murdered and 21 injured by Russian strikes on Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv.

The fatalities were men aged 50 and 66. Among the wounded is 5-year-old boy. Four of the injured were hospitalized.

The men were killed when a missile demolished the 7th to 10th floors of a residential high-rise in the Saltivka district. Firefighters carried seven residents down from the upper floors, some with blast wounds, others with carbon monoxide poisoning.

The Russians struck a neighboring high-rise and later a nearby park.

UPDATE 0736 GMT:

An explosive-laden drone found at the airport in Leipzig, Germany likely belonged to Russia, assesses US intelligence.

The drone was discovered on Tuesday near a Ukrainian cargo plane by an airport bus driver, who disabled the quadrocopter before it could detonate.

A second “unidentified flying object” collided with an incoming DHL cargo plane. Authorities are still investigating the origin of that UAV.

UPDATE 0731 GMT:

Ukraine has denied targeting Bulgaria after a drone exploded close to the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline near the Romanian border.

The drone entered Bulgarian airspace from Romania and exploded about 100 meters inside the country. There were no casualties or damage.

Bulgaria’s Defense Ministry said the drone was of a type “widely used by the Ukrainian military”. The Foreign Minister summoned the Ukrainian Ambassador for a meeting.

Ukraine said it was “in close contact with the Bulgarian side to clarify the circumstances” of the incident. “We can say with certainty that the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not intentionally direct any assets toward Bulgaria,” Ukraine Foreign Ministry spokesperson Georgiy Tykhyi said.

UPDATE 0725 GMT:

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has called for a moratorium on attacks by Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea.

Fidan said in an interview with Türkiye’s State news agency Anadolu, “To begin with, they targeted the ports and the military ships. Now, they are attacking all commercial shipping without distinction.”

Ukraine has struck more than 200 vessels of the Russian shadow fleet in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov since July 6. Russia is trying to blockade Ukraine’s Black Sea ports with attacks on shipping, including Turkish-owned and Turkish-flagged vessels.

The Russian attacks have halved Ukraine’s grain exports through the ports in the Odesa region.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed his two-day visit to Serbia, citing productive meetings with President Aleksandar Vučić.

Zelensky posted about discussions over the strengthening of infrastructure, including ports and railways, in both countries; as economic development; reconstruction; and job creation.

“We are working to have everything ready by the end of this year to conclude an agreement on a free trade area,” the President wrote.

Referring to talks on “the challenges of the coming winter” amid Russian attacks which have knocked out thermal power plants, Zelenky noted a Serbian package of humanitarian support in areas such as energy and health care and energy.

Vučić has been sympathetic to the Kremlin in the past; however, both Serbia and Ukraine are candidates for European Union membership.

Zelensky said, “We will be glad if Serbia’s path toward EU membership accelerates.” Vučić responded:

We want Ukraine to open all clusters [for EU accession] as soon as possible, to close them as soon as possible. We have already said that this is the wish of the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian leadership, and as far as we are concerned, we have not had or will not have any problem with that in the future.

On the contrary, we will do everything we can to help Ukraine on the European path.

Pointing to the possibility of cooperation in drone production, Vučić invited Zelensky to return to Serbia to attend the opening of a drone factory which Belgrade has built in cooperation with Israel.