Former Ukraine Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko
EA on WION: Putin Tries To Manipulate Trump’s Envoys Witkoff and Kushner
Monday’s Coverage: Trump Envoys Witkoff and Kushner Finally Visit Kyiv
UPDATE 1656 GMT:
The Kremlin says Vladimir Putin has spoken by phone with Donald Trump.
Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the two men talked about the visit of Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and and prospects for bilateral relations. Trump supposedly wanted to see US-Russia ties restored during his Presidency, and Putin assured him that he had no hostile plans towards Europe.
UPDATE 1649 GMT:
Germany will deliver Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine from its national stocks, confirms Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
“I decided to deliver urgently needed PAC-2 interceptor missiles from Bundeswehr stocks to Ukraine,” Pistorius said at a videoconference of defense ministers from countries supporting Ukraine.
Pistorius said Germany will step up the provision of air-to-air missiles and will continue to deliver drones and long-range ammunition to Ukraine.
He urged partners to help Kyiv prepare for winter as it faces “race against time”: “We can expect Russian air raids to increase again once temperatures drop and the damage will be even greater.”
UPDATE 1256 GMT:
Hungary is expelling 10 Russian Government staff.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar said, “They carried out activities in Hungary that are unacceptable for diplomats. We will defend our country’s sovereignty.”
The European Union spokesperson Christian Wigand said:
The European Union expresses its full solidarity with Hungary and reaffirms its support for the diplomatic and consular activities of all member states conducted in accordance with international law.
The European Union will continue to closely coordinate with Hungary and other member states, and remains committed to protecting the interests and the rights of EU citizens.
UPDATE 1249 GMT:
The Romanian intelligence service SRI says they “prevented the commission of a sabotage on national territory”, involving a Russian citizen in Romania, with a series of defense and critical infrastructure targets.
SRI said the suspect attempted to take photo and video documentation of “some communications centers and national military bases used by NATO allies”.
Authorities are seeking court approval to detain the 40-year-old for 30 days pending inquiries into his encrypted communications, which reportedly included photos of several Romanian and multi-national military bases.
UPDATE 1241 GMT:
The UK has committed £100 million ($135 million) for Ukraine’s air defenses this winter through the purchase of US military equipment.
The package, including Patriot missiles, is through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List scheme under which NATO members buy US weapons and transfer them to Kyiv. It also includes large-caliber artillery rounds and drones.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says Ukraine can buy parts for Patriot systems through the next €3.2 billion ($3.7 billion) disbursement from the European Union’s €90 billion support loan.
UPDATE 0727 GMT:
A scene from Kyiv this morning after Russia’s latest missile and drone attacks:
Instead of a thousand words.A mom is carrying her baby through the destruction in #Kyiv after they spent the night in the shelter, trying to stay safe during a massive Russian attack on the city.
: Yan Dobronosov/Telegraf
— Anton Gerashchenko (@antongerashchenko.bsky.social) September 8, 2026 at 8:04 AM
UPDATE 0636 GMT:
Ukraine has attacked the Saratov Oil Refinery, one of the largest in Russia, for the fifth time this year.
Saratov Governor Roman Busargin acknowledged an attack on “civilian infrastructure” without mentioning the refinery.
Owned by State firm Rosneft, the refinery processes almost 6 million tons of oil, 2.2% of Russia’s capacity.
The refinery was also attacked on March 21, May 31, July 8, and August 2, suspending operations.
Six major Russian refineries were disabled for repairs last month.
UPDATE 0612 GMT:
The Kremlin says it has not ruled out a resumption of talks with Ukraine and the US, after Saturday’s visit by Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia “does not rule out the resumption of the trilateral format”; however, “it is too early to say anything about the venue or the exact dates at this stage”.
US negotiators told European representatives during talks in Kyiv that Russia was showing a “new willingness” to negotiate over its invasion, the French Presidency said on Monday.
UPDATE 0607 GMT:
At least two civilians have been murdered and 10 injured as Russia resumed attacks on Kyiv overnight, following the departure of Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
The drone and missile strikes damaged buildings across the capital, including a five-story apartment block in the Solomianskyi district, and set vehicles on fire.
The Ukraine military said air defenses downed two ballistic missiles, 31 cruise missiles, and 142 drones. They did not give figures on how many missiles and drones made it through the defenses.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky posted:
Overall, our warriors downed 175 aerial targets overnight, but unfortunately, not all of them. Despite very good results against cruise missiles, ballistic missiles remain particularly difficult to intercept, and every day we make the case to our partners for our need for interceptors.
In Kyiv and the region, as well as in many other regions, efforts to deal with the aftermath of the Russian strike have been underway since last night. It was a complex attack that the Russians tried to plan to cause as much harm to life as possible – ballistic missiles, cruise… pic.twitter.com/A6QNY51ltd
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 8, 2026
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko resigned on Monday amid corruption allegations.
Denying the claims, Kravchenko said, “This is a political decision….I do not want the position of prosecutor general to be used as an instrument of political confrontation.”
Kravchenko had said earlier in the day that he had no plans to resign.
On Saturday the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced that they had uncovered an alleged criminal organization led by a senior official in the Prosecutor General’s Office.
The group alleged protected fraudulent call centers that laundered millions of hryvnias.
Investigators say the organization was created in mid-2025 and included serving prosecutors and associates outside the Prosecutor General’s Office. Suspects allegedly received bribes in exchange for allowing the call centers, targeting Ukrainians and foreigners, to operate without interference.
Proceeds from the scheme were laundered through property purchases, assets registered to third parties, and bank accounts belonging to associates, investigators assert. Five alleged members of the organization have so far been identified.
NABU has detained Serhii Kropyva, a deputy head of the Prosecutor General’s International Cooperation Department. On Monday the High Anti-Corruption Court remanded Kropyva in custody until November 2 and set bail at Hr 120 million ($2.7 million).
Kropyva is suspected of laundering assets worth more than Hr 89 million ($2 million). Bail for another suspect, Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko, was set at Hr 20 million ($450,000).
