Fire at the ZapSibNeftekhim plant in Russia’s western Siberia following a Ukrainian drone attack, August 10, 2026 (Exilenova Plus)

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Wednesday’s Coverage: 5+ Civilians Murdered, 35 Injured By Russian Attacks on Kyiv

UPDATE 1407 GMT:

Russia is deceiving and exploiting foreign nationals to send them to fight in Ukraine, concludes Amnesty International.

In many cases, the practices amount to human trafficking, the human rights organization assesses.

Russia primarily targets people from low-income countries in the Global South, luring them abroad under false pretenses. They exploit the precarious situation of migrants in Russia by weaponizing overstayed work visas or supposed criminal offenses, offering military service as an alternative to detention or deportation.

Once victims sign the paperwork, often in a language they do not understand, military commanders restrict their movements, deploy them to the front lines with minimal preparation, and threaten those who seek a way out.

Russian recruiters misrepresent the “work”. They offer lucrative payments and pathways to Russian citizenship as incentives that rarely are fulfilled.

UPDATE 1244 GMT:

French President Emmanuel Macron has hosted Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb for talks on “Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, European security, and ways to strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy”.

“Finland and France are closer than ever before. France is an important partner for Ukraine and the whole of Europe,” Stubb said.

Visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said:

Russia’s brutal attacks against Ukraine are unrelenting. Russia is suffering enormous losses, now estimated at more than 40,000 killed or seriously wounded every month. Think about it for a moment. Over 40,000 every month.

Despite those heavy losses, Putin shows no willingness to bring the war to an end.

Instead, Russia repeatedly strikes Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, often targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, and at the same time, the list of Russia’s malign hybrid activities across Europe grows longer and longer: cyber-attacks, sabotage, arson, airspace violations, drone incidents.

UPDATE 0848 GMT:

Following Ukraine’s strikes on Russia’s largest online retailer Wildberries, almost all sellers have begun storing their goods in their own warehouses.

The share of sellers shipping directly nearly doubled to 97.4% by the end of August. A share of those who had used Russia’s second-largest online retailer Ozon rose by 7.8% to 73.1%.

UPDATE 0825 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Canada, posting:

Canada has been and remains one of our closest partners. We value all the support from Canadians and the decisions that help Ukraine stand strong and protect our people.

Important meetings and agreements are planned that will shape our cooperation and solidify the already strategic level of our relationship for years to come.

UPDATE 0745 GMT:

Ukraine and Moldova have downplayed claims that a plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was almost hit by a drone as it flew to Oslo.

Officials said Zelensky’s departure for Norway was delayed when authorities closed Moldovan airspace because of a drone ⁠alert. The plane was cleared for takeoff from Moldova as soon as it was established ⁠that the drone was down. In all, three ⁠departures and four arrivals were delayed.

Earlier this week Russian drones entered Moldovan airspace and attacked a border crossing with Ukraine, killing two people and wounding three.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu, denounced the drone intrusions as a “serious threat to people’s lives”.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine struck a natural gas plant 3,200 km (1,988 miles) inside Russia on Wednesday.

Special Operations Forces (SSO) carried out Kyiv’s deepest strike during Russia’s full-scale invasion on the Novy Urengoy Gas Condensate Treatment Plant in northwest Siberia.

“Until today, this area was considered completely safe territory for the aggressor,” the SSO posted.

The Nova Urengoy facility processes 19.5 million tons of crude oil and natural gas annually, with diesel fuel and other petroleum products for Russia’s military. The record-breaking Ukrainian strikes also targeted the nearby Purovsky Gas Condensate Processing Plant.

A Ukrainian statement described the ‌two plants as “crucial for the gas condensate industry….Previously, this was considered an absolutely safe area away from the front ​for the aggressor.”

Ukrainian weapons manufacturer Fire Point said its FP-1 drone was used. Footage from residents showed fires and smoke billowing from Novy Urengoy, with the release of excess gas through flare stacks to prevent further explosions.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky also noted an attack on the Black Sea naval base in Novorossiysk in southwest Russia. Drones struck a terminal used to load oil, military port facilities, and warships carrying cruise missiles.