Summary

  • Russia says attacks on its soil will not go "unpunished", after drone attacks hit six different regions overnight

  • The foreign ministry blamed Ukraine and claimed attacks so deep inside Russia would have required intelligence from the West

  • One of the strikes on Pskov airport, hundreds of miles north of Ukraine's border, set two military cargo planes on fire

  • Drone strikes have ramped up in recent months - though Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for any specific strikes

  • Meanwhile, two people have died in the biggest air attack on Kyiv in months

  • A huge fireball could be seen lighting up the night sky in the capital as a missile was shot down by Ukraine’s air defence. Several buildings were hit by falling debris

Live Reporting

Edited by James Harness

  1. A night of wall-shaking explosions

    Toby Luckhurst
    Reporting from Kyiv

    Staff clean up broken windows of a store damaged during a missile strike in KyivReuters

    Here in Kyiv, our team got little sleep last night as air raid sirens sounded - and then blasts overhead forced us down into the bomb shelter.

    It’s something Ukrainians have put up with for the last 18 months, since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

    Air raids are a regular part of life here, though they're becoming rarer as the country’s air defences have improved.

    But it doesn’t make it any less shocking to hear wall-shaking explosions when you’re lying in bed.

    Nobody gets a day off work just because Russia has launched a missile strike. As we travelled to report on damaged areas of the city, residents quickly and quietly got on with their days: sweeping up glass, giving statements to the authorities, and reopening shops gutted by the blasts.

    It can be a tough place to report - but we get to leave. It’s far, far tougher for Ukrainians who have had their loved ones killed and their normal lives torn apart.

    The team here in Kyiv is going to grab some downtime – I’m planning on taking a quick nap after being up since 02:00.

    Meanwhile, my colleagues in London are wrapping up this live coverage, but you can read all the latest in our main story here.

    Thanks for joining us.

  2. The latest headlines

    A woman sits inside a cafe, damaged with broken glass after a missile strikeEPA

    On day 553 of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it's safe to say drone attacks have become more frequent on both Russian and Ukrainian territory, and they continue to claim lives and damage infrastructure.

    Eight locations across Russia and annexed-Crimea were targeted in drone attacks over the last 24 hours.

    • In north-west Russia, hundreds of miles from the war's front line and near Nato-member Estonia, Pskov airport was hit and military aircrafts damaged
    • Bryansk and Oryol regions, the outskirts of Moscow, and the annexed-Crimean city of Sevastopol were also targeted
    • After the attacks, the Kremlin said Ukraine would "not go unpunished"

    Meanwhile in Ukraine:

    • Two people were killed in Kyiv following an overnight missile barrage, with several buildings damaged by falling debris
    • All but one of the missiles and drones were intercepted, Kyiv officials say
    Map showing the locations in western Russia of drone attacks
  3. Analysis

    Starve, stretch, strike: Ukraine's drone strategy

    Paul Adams
    Diplomatic correspondent

    Fire at the site of a missile strike in KyivEPA

    Kyiv authorities say several buildings were damaged by falling missile debris overnight

    It’s almost impossible to know what Russia’s targets were overnight, since all but one of the missiles and drones were intercepted by Ukraine’s increasingly capable air defences.

    But the logic behind Ukraine’s drone strikes inside Russia (assuming Kyiv was responsible) is much clearer.

    Part of Ukraine’s approach in the counter-offensive it launched earlier in the summer is to make it as difficult as possible for Russia to keep its frontline troops supplied.

    It’s the first component of a strategy Britain’s chief of the defence staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin recently described as “starve, stretch and strike”.

  4. Smaller, cheaper drones make sense in modern warfare - expert

    Pria Rai
    BBC Newsbeat

    A Ukrainian soldier holds a drone aloftGetty Images

    FPV (first person view) drones like the one held by a Ukrainian soldier are among the most common drones available to buy

    Drones have featured heavily in the news today, and war technology expert Dr Marina Miron says their use in conflicts is becoming more common, particularly between Russia and Ukraine.

    She tells BBC Newsbeat the use of drones goes back to the 1967 Six Day war - but says they've since become smaller and more cost effective.

    “Now the industry has been developing and it’s spilled over into the civilian sphere as well,” says Miron, a post-doctoral researcher at the War Studies Department at King’s College London.

    “Now drones are much more common. And so for both Ukraine and Russia it makes sense to use drones, especially the smaller, cheaper drones and to modify them for military purposes.”

  5. BBC Verify

    Latest drone strikes in Russia are most widespread this year

    BBC Verify has counted more than 190 suspected drone attacks in Russia and in Russian-controlled Crimea since the start of the year – based on tracking reports in Russia media.

    The latest strikes, which targeted at least six Russian regions, are the most widespread so far this year.

    Most attacks up to this point have been concentrated in Russia’s Bryansk, Belgorod and Kursk regions - near the western border with Ukraine - as well as in Russian-annexed Crimea.

    The Moscow region - which is about 450km (280 miles) from the border with Ukraine - has also been targeted in recent months.

    There have also been about a dozen sea drone attacks on Russian targets in the Black Sea, including on naval bases and the Crimean bridge.

    Read more about what we know about drone strikes in Russia here.

  6. Analysis

    Drones take aim at Russia's war machine

    Paul Adams
    Diplomatic correspondent

    A handout photo made available by the Governor of Russian Pskov region Mikhail Vedernikov Telegram channel shows smoke billowing and explosions lightGovernor Of Pskov Region

    The vast Ilyushin 76 transport planes damaged at Pskov is a long-range cargo plane, ideal for transporting troops and equipment over long distances.

    The fuel depot at Kaluga is just the latest in a series of Ukrainian attacks on logistics targets involved in keeping Russia’s war machine rolling.

    And components manufactured at the microelectronics factory in Bryansk will have found their way into a variety of Russian weapons systems.

    Kyiv hopes that attacks like these, and long range artillery and missile strikes well behind Russia’s front lines in southern Ukraine will ultimately make it possible for Ukrainian forces to push though those lines and achieve some measure of success before the year it out.

  7. Where recent drones attacks hit Russia

    Let's turn now to the overnight attacks on Russia, when Pskov airport in the northwest of the country was hit.

    That was one of eight different locations across Russia and annexed Crimea which were the targets of drone attacks over the last 24 hours.

    These are:

    • The Pskov airport, where at least one military aircraft caught fire
    • Several across central Russia, including the Bryansk and Oryol regions
    • One on the outskirts of Moscow
    • And one by the Crimean city of Sevastopol

    Take a look at where these are located on the map below.

    A map shows the location of drone attacks: one in Pskov in the north west, Once close to Moscow, another five to the south and south-west of Moscow and one at the southern tip of Crimea.

  8. WATCH: BBC gets as close as possible to Prigozhin's grave

    Sticking with Yevgeny Prigozhin, our Russia editor Steve Rosenberg managed to get to the perimeter of the cemetery where the Wagner chief was buried, after a day of rumours and counter-rumours over the location of his grave.

    Take a look at his one-minute report:

    Watch: BBC gets as close as possible to Prigozhin grave

  9. Wagner boss Prigozhin buried in private ceremony

    A Wagner soldier stands by the grave of Yevgeny Prigozhin in St PetersburgReuters

    A private burial ceremony took place in St Petersburg yesterday for the Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.

    Most of the first group of people to visit the grave were members of the press, with only a handful of members of the public and people wearing Wagner insignia seen at the burial site, according to Reuters.

    Secrecy surrounded arrangements for the closed funeral, meaning the event could not turn into a large-scale show of support for Prigozhin - whose massive mutiny in June amounted to the largest-ever threat to President Vladimir Putin's rule.

    Putin did not attend yesterday's burial ceremony, according to the Kremlin.

    Last week, Prigozhin was on a plane which crashed killing all ten people on board. Russian authorities have not said why the plane crashed, but the Kremlin has rejected speculation Putin ordered Prigozhin's death.

    Two security officials on patrolReuters

  10. There'll be no international probe into Prigozhin's death - Kremlin

    A view shows a portrait of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at a makeshift memorial in Moscow, Russia August 24, 2023.Reuters

    Some more lines coming out of the Kremlin. It says the probe into Yevgeny Prigozhin's death last week is a Russian investigation - and there is no question of an international investigation.

    Speaking to reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Moscow's investigation took into account the possibility that the crash had been caused deliberately.

    The Wagner group leader was killed alongside nine others after their private jet crashed north of Moscow.

    His death sparked widespread discussion, with some analysts alleging that Russia's highest authorities were to blame. The Kremlin vehemently denies these allegations.

  11. Russia working out how to prevent further strikes - Kremlin

    We've just had some comments from the Kremlin following the drone strikes across six regions overnight.

    In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin receives constant updates about such strikes.

    According to Reuters, Russia is working out where the Ukrainian drone attacks are being launched from in order to prevent further such strikes.

    Ukraine is yet to comment on the overnight strikes which hit the regions of Moscow, Pskov, Bryansk, Kaluga, Oryol and Ryazan.

  12. Ukraine's actions will not go unpunished - Russia
    Breaking

    Drone attacks on Russian territory overnight "will not go unpunished", a spokeswoman from Russia's foreign ministry says.

    Maria Zakharova tells journalists Ukraine is responsible, and says attacks so far inside Russia would have required intelligence from Western countries.

    Some of the drones which attacked Russia overnight struck an airbase in Pskov, 600km (400 miles) from Ukraine.

    We haven't heard from Kyiv on this - they rarely comment on attacks on Russian soil.

  13. Video appears to show fiery skies in Pskov after attack

    As we've been reporting, a small airport was hit overnight in Russia's northwestern city of Pskov - not far from the Estonian border and several hundred miles away from Ukraine.

    The attack damaged two military transport planes according to Russian news agencies, and the local governor posted the video following on Telegram, which we're working to verify.

    Take a look:

  14. Broken glass cleared from Kyiv's streets

    We've just had these pictures sent to us from our colleague Toby Luckhurst, who is on the ground in Kyiv, which shows people already busy clearing up broken glass after last night's attacks.

    Take a look:

    A woman in black gloves picks up broken glass
    A damaged shop front and pharmacy with shattered glass on the floor and insulation hanging from the wall
    Men clear up debris outside a shop
    Broken windows carry shards of broken glass, with red and white tape across the front of the yellow building

  15. How Russian media reported the Pskov drone attack

    Turning to the news of an overnight strike on Russia's Pskov airport, here's a look from BBC Monitoring at how Russian media reported it.

    This morning, Gazprom-Media's NTV was the only one of the three major Russian channels to report on a drone attack on the Pskov airport.

    "Our military have repelled attempts by the Ukrainian armed forces to attack the Pskov airport," its presenter said in a brief report.

    The Russian Emergencies Ministry earlier announced that Il-76 military transport aircraft had "caught fire" in the western city of Pskov on the same night a drone attack was reported in the region.

    Tass news agency reported, citing sources in the emergency services, that four aircraft were damaged in the attack.

    Later, Russian media outlets reported, citing the regional office of the Emergencies Ministry, that two aircraft were damaged. However, there is no mention of the number of planes damaged on the ministry's website.

  16. In pictures: Kyiv residents clean up after aerial attacks

    Debris from the numerous drones and missiles destroyed over Kyiv overnight has rained down over residential areas - and residents have been spending the morning cleaning it up.

    A young woman stands in a shop among shattered glass and toppled shelvesEPA

    The shock wave of an intercepted missile strike shattered windows and toppled shelves in this shop

    A woman sits on a chair, framed by the jagged remains of a glass doorEPA

    A window was completely blown out of this cafe

    A woman sweeps a footpath, others around her transport goods and survey damageEPA

    Outside, people swept broken glass from the street

    People stand outside garages that back onto a street, debris scattered around themEPA

    Debris rained down on residential properties near the site of the explosion

  17. WATCH: Missile explodes over Kyiv

    Orange balls of fire dropped from the night sky as targets destroyed by Ukrainian air defences fell on several buildings in Kyiv, exploding into large clouds of fire and smoke.

    Authorities in the capital said several buildings were damaged by debris, while officials in the wider region reported that several houses were also damaged by missile fragments.

    Missile debris rains down from the Kyiv night sky

  18. Cruise missile debris scattered across Kyiv park

    Toby Luckhurst
    Reporting from Kyiv

    Two men examine shards of warped metal on a grassy area near a gravel path

    Authorities are now photographing the debris from the intercepted Russian missile

    We've made it to the site of one of the Russian attacks here in Kyiv.

    Air defences managed to intercept what authorities have described to the BBC as a cruise missile.

    The debris landed here in a park north-west of the city centre.

  19. Analysis

    Even without official comment from Ukraine, the message is clear

    Steve Rosenberg
    Russia editor

    Today's news follows a pattern.

    In recent weeks we’ve seen a rise in drone attacks across Russia, sometimes deep inside Russian territory.

    Earlier this month, a long-range supersonic bomber was destroyed in a drone strike on an airfield in Novgorod region, hundreds of miles from the border with Ukraine.

    Kyiv rarely comments on such attacks. But even without official comment, the message from Ukraine to Russia is pretty clear: you attacked us, so we will attack you and have the capacity to do so.

    There is an irony here. One of the justifications President Putin gave for his ‘special military operation’ (the full-scale invasion of Ukraine) was the need to boost Russia’s national security, which the Kremlin claimed was being threatened by Ukraine, America, Nato, and the West in general.

    In reality, the invasion has led to greater insecurity for Russia and the Russian people.

  20. Analysis

    Many Russian attacks thwarted, but presumed Ukrainian drones hit targets

    Paul Adams
    Diplomatic correspondent reporting from Kyiv

    Another night of aerial attacks deep inside Ukraine and Russia. But, only one of the warring parties seems to have enjoyed much success.

    Ukrainian officials say “almost all” of the 44 Russian missiles and drones were destroyed before reaching their targets.

    Two security guards here in Kyiv were killed, but there are no reports of significant damage. Ukraine’s air defences now have an impressive record of thwarting Russian air attacks.

    In Russia, meanwhile, what are presumed to be Ukrainian drones - as usual, the government in Kyiv has not commented - appear to have hit a number of key targets.

    With transport planes in flames at Pskov, a microelectronics factory hit in Bryansk and a fuel depot targeted at Kaluga, Ukraine’s coordinated drone attack seems to have been highly effective.

    Staff clean up broken windows of a store damaged during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on UkraineReuters

    Staff clean up broken windows of a shop damaged by a strike in Kyiv