Story summary
Russia has been warning Britain that it will face consequences for supplying drones to Ukraine, which have been used to attack targets on Russian territory. In response to reports of British-made drones being used in strikes against Russia, the Russian embassy in London said "London's actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer". The UK has been a strong supporter of Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, committing around 25 billion pounds ($47 billion) in support, including 16 billion pounds in military aid.
The use of British-made drones against Russia is believed to be the first time they have been used for long-range strikes against Russian territory. Ukraine has been using these drones to hit oil refineries and logistics facilities, causing significant economic damage, with reports suggesting that the attacks have caused over £35bn in economic damage.
The UK's Ministry of Defence did not confirm whether British drones had been used, but a spokesperson said that "Britain stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and we are committed to providing the equipment Ukraine needs to defend itself against Putin's illegal invasion."
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, at least five people have been killed and more than 10 injured in the latest wave of Russian strikes, officials have said. The attacks caused fires across the capital, Kyiv, including at a book market. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of targeting civilian infrastructure.
Separately, a Russian missile attack killed 10 people on Tuesday in a village in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, Ukrainian authorities said. The attack damaged 10 private buildings, a cafe, a post office, a store and at least seven cars.
Written for “Russia-Ukraine Conflict Escalates” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 26 other(s) covering the same event.
- Published
At least 13 people have been killed and 40 injured in the latest Russian strikes targeting the Ukrainian capital, Ukraine's prime minister said, as Kyiv continues to face a shortage of air defence missiles.
Apartment blocks and warehouses were struck across the city overnight, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said, while a children's hospital and school were also damaged.
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hospital → publish → Ukraine
The deaths were the result of a shortage of air defence missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, which Kyiv relies on western allies to supply.
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Kyiv → say → allies
Speaking to BBC News at a wrecked apartment block in Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Ukraine needed "ammunition, anti-missile systems - we need support from our partners".
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we → speak → partners
Klitschko was in Solomianskyi district to assess the damage.
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Klitschko → assess → damage
Around him, emergency workers continued to sift through rubble and people stood outside their destroyed homes.
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people → continue → homes
Among them was Valeria Bondaruk, who moved to Kyiv after her home in southern Ukraine was bombed, believing it would be safer for her and her daughter.
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it → move → her
Now she has been driven from her home for the second time during this war.
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she → drive → war
A shard of glass embedded in her bedroom wall served as a sign of how close this was.
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this → embed → sign
She hid in a hallway overnight as they have no bomb shelter.
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they → hide → shelter
She told the BBC she fears for her 13-year-old daughter's future and is considering leaving Ukraine.
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she → tell → Ukraine
Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko told the BBC that Ukraine is "absolutely unprotected" from ballistic missile attacks and "can't do anything" without interceptors.
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Ukraine → tell → interceptors
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said: "Russia is using this trying to destroy as much infrastructure as possible.
"
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Russia → speak → infrastructure
For us it's very painful because we are dying here every day without these interceptors."
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we → die → interceptors
Writing on Telegram, Zelensky said "as long as Ukraine does not have enough anti-ballistics, Russia will not seriously think about peace".
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Russia → write → peace
He added: "The interceptors for the Patriots have not yet been replaced, and they are needed every day.
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they → add → Patriots
Each additional missile saves the lives of our people."
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missile → save → people
An update released by the Ukrainian Air Force on Thursday morning implied that none of the Russian ballistic missiles used overnight were intercepted.
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none → release → missiles
The Russian defence ministry said it used air, land and sea-based weapons to target military facilities and warehouses.
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it → say → facilities
Ukraine has relied on American supplies of Patriot interceptor missiles to combat Russian ballistic missiles, but the US has used much of its stockpile during the war in the Middle East and has been supplying Ukraine with less.
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US → rely → less
Zelensky's renewed plea for more military aid came as he faced a direct political challenge from the popular ex-defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who has called for an election and launched a scathing attack on the government by claiming corruption has deprived the military of weapons.
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corruption → renew → weapons
The latest strikes on Kyiv began around midnight local time as air raid sirens sounded across the city, followed by the impact of around 20 Russian missiles.
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sirens → begin → missiles
The strikes cut power to thousands of properties, plunging parts of the Kyiv region into darkness.
A day of mourning for those killed overnight was declared on Friday.
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day → cut → Friday
At a local school in the Solomyanski disctrict, the windows were knocked out and its playing fields were left covered in debris.
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fields → knock → debris
A nearby storeroom was totally ruined, exposing the basement.
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storeroom → ruin → basement
The BBC was told it was a laundry and boiler house supplying heating to the surrounding apartment blocks.
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it → tell → blocks
Wednesday night's attack was the kind Ukraine's deputy intelligence chief told the BBC that Russia was planning ahead of the winter in order to make life difficult, even for those who haven not seen their homes destroyed.
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homes → tell → those
Russia used 168 drones and 44 missiles in the attack, mainly targeting Kyiv, Ukraine's air force said, adding that air defences shot down 146 drones and 39 cruise missiles.
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defences → use → drones
Anastasiia Kovtun, 31, sat with her partner next to the ruins of her flat, which was part of a nine-storey building.
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which → sit → building
The primary school teacher said she felt like her "head was going to blow" when she heard the explosions in her area from the shelter.
"It's so frightening to realise it's your house, you never think you're going to be next," she told the BBC.
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she → say → BBC
When asked if she would ever be able to live in her flat again, she said: "Even if were able to move back in, we wouldn't want it after this.
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we → ask → this
If we stayed in the flat for ten minutes more we might have been killed."
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we → stay → minutes
Elsewhere in the broader Kyiv region, an attack in the Brovary and Boryspil districts killed one man and wounded seven.
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attack → kill → seven
One person was killed and 11 injured in Donetsk Oblast, a local official said.
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official → kill → Oblast
In Russia, the defence ministry said that 726 Ukrainian drones had been shot down after being launched at various regions across the country.
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drones → say → country
Romania's defence ministry said a drone crossed into its territory at the northern border with Ukraine, triggering an air alert siren before crashing into an "uninhabited area".
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drone → say → area
The Polish military also said it had launched "defensive air operations" to protect its airspace.
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it → say → airspace
Recent weeks have seen both sides in the war carrying out massive air strikes, resulting in dozens of deaths.
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sides → see → deaths
Ukraine has stepped up its attacks deep inside Russia and targeted the capital Moscow with a wave of 600 drones at the weekend.
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Ukraine → step → weekend
Two separate attacks on Russia this week killed at least 16 people, including one child.
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attacks → kill → child
Since July, Ukraine has repeatedly targeted facilities belonging to the online retailer Wildberries, Russia's equivalent of Amazon.
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Ukraine → target → Amazon
…and 3 more, not listed.
