Zelensky has urged Trump and other American officials to facilitate Ukraine's access to Musk's Starlink to strike deep inside Russia
Ukrainian officials are seeking approval to use Starlink-equipped drones against ballistic missile launchers, according to a report.
The war-hit nation will need approval from Starlink chief Elon Musk, the FT reported. The world's richest man has offered to help Ukraine but also made comments critical of the country.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky urged Donald Trump and other American officials to facilitate Ukraine's access to Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communications system for guiding strikes within Russian territory.
Kyiv is looking for alternative strategies to reduce its reliance on US Patriot air defence systems, crucial for countering Russia's relentless missile and drone assaults but in short supply amid the US's own war on Iran.
Meanwhile, Russian drones struck a shopping centre in the city of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine on Friday, killing 14 people and wounding scores of others, authorities said.
The city is the hometown of Zelensky, who described the attack as a double-tap strike, in which an initial wave of drones hit the area, followed by a second wave as rescue workers responded.
Russia designates independent Mediazona news outlet as 'foreign agent'
Russia's Justice Ministry on Friday declared the independent Mediazona news outlet a "foreign agent", a designation used to label foreign-funded organisations that it says are engaged in political activity.
Mediazona "disseminated false information about Russia's law enforcement system" and a number of its staff have already been labelled as foreign agents, the ministry said.
The term "foreign agent" carries negative Soviet-era connotations and subjects those designated to extra government scrutiny.
Mediazona said via its channel on the Telegram messaging app that this was the second time that Russian authorities had declared it to be a "foreign agent".
Separately, its editor Yegor Skovoroda — who like the outlet's other journalists now works outside Russia — described the ministry's statement as "incredibly crazy".
The news outlet was first designated as a "foreign agent" in 2021, and the Justice Ministry removed it from the register of authorised media organisations in Russia.
Russian state communications regulator Roskomnadzor blocked Mediazona's website within Russia in March 2022, shortly after Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russian general Lyamin formally takes charge of new drone warfare branch
Colonel-general Denis Lyamin has assumed the duties of head of Russia's Unmanned Systems Forces, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday.
President Vladimir Putin on 5 August appointed Lyamin to lead the newly established branch of the military responsible for drone warfare.
The Defence Ministry said on Friday that Defence Minister Andrei Belousov had signed the relevant order, formally installing Lyamin in the post.
Zelensky condemns 'cowardly' Russian attack on shopping centre
Russian drones struck a shopping centre in the city of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine on Friday, killing 14 people and wounding scores of others, authorities said.
The city is the hometown of Volodymyr Zelensky, who described the attack as a double-tap strike, in which an initial wave of drones hit the area, followed by a second wave as rescue workers responded.
"Attacks like these are nothing less than terrorist acts," Zelensky wrote on social media.
Russian 'double-tap' strike on shopping centre in Ukraine kills 15 and wounds 130
At least 15 people were killed and more than 130 wounded on Friday when several Russian drones struck a shopping centre in central Ukraine, authorities said, with president Volodymyr Zelensky promising a response to what he called an "act of barbarism."
Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said that 22 children were among the wounded in the daytime attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih, which is Zelenskiy's hometown.
"There are 29 people in serious condition, including five children," Hanzha said.
Zelensky slams Russian attack on shopping centre in his home town
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called out Russia for a "cynical and despicable" attack on a shopping centre in his home town, Kryvyi Rig, on Friday that killed at least five people and injured more than 50.
"An absolutely cynical and despicable strike was carried out by the Russians against an ordinary shopping center in Kryvyi Rig," he said on X, adding: "Five deaths have been reported".
Russian fuel crisis worsens as 7 in 10 stations run out of petrol
There were queues of cars at petrol stations across Russia this week as the fuel crisis worsens due to Ukraine’s drone attacks on energy infrastructure inside the country.
Petrol was available at fewer than three in 10 petrol stations across Russia on Wednesday.
The monitoring app Gdebenz put nationwide petrol availability at 28% of filling stations, down from 41% a week earlier.
The shortage is leading to fights at the pumps, rationing, and even the arrests of people complaining publicly.
Tate brothers referred to counter terror police over alleged Russia propaganda trip
The manosphere influencer Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan, have been referred to counter-terror police in the UK over an alleged trip to Russia to train with Russian soldiers, LBC reports.
The MP Alicia Kearns has written to the Home Office and referred the matter to Counter Terrorism Policing.
She argues that there are grounds to examine whether the brothers were required to register under the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), part of the National Security Act, which requires individuals to register certain arrangements where they carry out activities in the UK under the direction of, or for, specified foreign powers.
In video footage from their trip the brothers are seen riding on and inside what has been identified as a Soviet-era T-80BV main battle tank, a gas-turbine powered vehicle still used by Russian forces in Ukraine and armed in military service with a 125mm smoothbore main gun.
They are also seen firing weapons on a range and throwing hand grenades from the cover of a trench.
It was posted in June during their visit to Russia and was presented as military training, with the brothers pictured surrounded by men in military-style uniform.
Both of them deny the allegations made by Kearns.
Russian envoy plays down mobilisation fears
The Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, has said military mobilisation is neither planned nor expected in Russia following the September elections.
Nebenzya made the remarks at a UN press briefing on Thursday when asked about reports of thousands of military-aged Russian men fleeing across the border into Georgia to avoid a potential draft.
It’s been reported that around 20,000 have fled across the Upper Lars border checkpoint between Russia and Georgia within a single 24-hour period.
"Don't worry about mobilisation in Russia,” Nebenzya said.
“I believe official statements have repeatedly made this clear: we do not need a mass mobilisation right now, and it is neither planned nor expected, as far as I know."
Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is preparing an autumn mobilisation expected to launch immediately following the parliamentary elections on 20 September.
Russia says its ready for "new ideas" for ending Ukraine war
Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov said that Russia is open to proposals that are in line with “realities on the ground,” in an interview published by News.ru on Friday.
He said that Russia was ready for “new ideas” for ending the Ukraine war, provided they were in line with President Vladimir Putin’s position.
“The Russian Federation is ready to listen to any reasonable proposals and ideas that are in line with the goals set by the Russian president and meet the ‘realities on the ground’,” the senior Russian diplomat said.
His remarks suggested he wanted the US to try to help with Russia’s agenda. Putin has previously said Ukraine must hand over the whole of the eastern Donbas region, demilitarise, and pledge it will not seek to join NATO.
“At this stage, it is more important to what extent Washington is able to influence the decisions of the Kyiv regime and its European sponsors, who still dream of a ‘strategic defeat’ of Russia,” Ryabkov said.
Finland summons Russian ambassador over spy plane
Finland's foreign ministry has summoned the Russian ambassador and requested an explanation regarding a violation of its airspace by a Russian spy plane.
The ministry wrote on X that it had "requested an explanation regarding a suspected violation of airspace.”
Reuters reported that the Finnish Border Guard said on Friday that it was a Russian reconnaissance aircraft model IL-20 that was suspected of violating Finnish airspace on Thursday afternoon for around three minutes in the Western Gulf, south of the island Uto.
The plane reached approximately 4.7 nautical miles (nine kilometres) into Finnish airspace, the border guard said, which has launched a preliminary investigation.
Finland shares a 1,340 kilometre (830 mile) border with Russia and has experienced a series of such incidents in recent years.
"Every suspected violation of air space is taken seriously," Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said in a statement.
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