Latest war news. The Pope’s appeal: ‘No more civilian and child casualties’. Kyiv buys ATACMS missiles from Turkey. Russian air strikes

So far, Kyiv has responded to Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian logistics with strikes against military targets, but if Moscow continues, it will face stronger retaliatory strikes against Russian logistics. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with United News. “Logistics is not a weak point for Ukrainians, but for everyone,” he added. “It is a matter of life, of daily routines. We are leading a normal life, a routine we have not had since the start of the Russian aggression. And Russia does not realise this... I would not advise Russia to continue attacking Ukrainian logistics, because we have come to fully understand what Russian logistics entails.” Zelensky explained that Russia’s weaknesses in this area are well known, so Russian consumers will face a shortage of goods that will not reach them due to logistical problems.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is reportedly set to purchase US-manufactured weapons from Turkey, including 70 ATACMS missiles and 12 M270 MLRS multiple launch rocket systems. This is reported by the Ukrainian military news website Militarnyi, which states that the order includes more than 2,500 227-millimetre rockets with cluster munitions and 47,000 203-millimetre artillery shells with cluster munitions. The news is based on an official notification from the US State Department to Congress dated 6 August. The agreement will be deemed approved if neither the Senate nor the House of Representatives raises any objections within 15 days. As for the ATACMS missiles, these are M39 missiles with a range of 165 kilometres.

Meanwhile, mutual attacks have continued over the past few hours. A regional headquarters of the Russian intelligence service, the FSB, is reported to be among the three buildings damaged by a Ukrainian drone attack in Belgorod. This was reported by the independent Russian Telegram channel Astra, which added that a building approximately 600 metres from the city’s thermal power station was also hit. The toll provided by Russian sources puts the figure at three dead and 25 injured, with several blocks of flats and non-residential buildings damaged, as reported by the acting governor of the Belgorod region, Alexander Shuvaev. “Belgorod is once again under heavy attack from Kyiv’s terrorist drones. At present, 13 people, including two children, are reported to have been injured as a result of the attacks,” Shuvaev wrote on his Max channel.

In contrast, Russia launched a missile attack on Odessa overnight, damaging residential buildings and injuring at least six people. Photos and videos posted on social media show fires raging in several residential high-rises and homes across the city. Sehrii Lysak, head of the military administration of the city of Odessa, reported that several buildings had been damaged in various neighbourhoods across the city. Fires involving cars were also reported. He added that rescue teams were providing assistance to the injured. A Russian attack in the Saltivskyi district of Kharkiv, Ukraine, struck several residential buildings, killing two people and injuring others. This was reported on Telegram by the mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, according to Ukrinform. “An enemy attack has been recorded in the Saltivskyi district. According to preliminary information, which is still being verified, the enemy struck a residential building,” said the mayor of Kharkiv. Terekhov later added that the attack on a residential building had been confirmed and that the seventh to tenth floors had been destroyed.

Later, another attack was reported in the Saltivskyi district. “The enemy has struck another skyscraper in the vicinity, deliberately targeting residential buildings. Get to safety and seek shelter. We are verifying the details of the consequences of the second attack,” wrote Terekhov. According to the mayor, some people were trapped inside the building and a rescue operation has been launched at the scene.