War between Ukraine and Russia: Kiev claims it controls 100 settlements in Kursk while Russian oil depot is set on fire

According to several Russian Telegram channels, Ukrainian drones set fire to several oil tanks at the Glubokinskaya depot in Russia's Rostov region.

Rostov Governor Vasily Golubev said four drones launched from Ukraine had been destroyed over the region, but made no mention of an attack on an oil depot.

A senior military commander claimed that Kiev had taken control of 100 Russian settlements amid troops' ongoing offensive in Russia's Kursk region.

General Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukrainian troops controlled 1,294 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian territory and had taken 594 prisoners of war.

Last week, President Zelensky said Ukraine controls more than 1,250 square kilometers of Russian territory.

Ukraine claims to have seized control of 100 settlements in Russia's Kursk region during its surprise cross-border attack – while coming under massive airstrikes from Russian forces for the second day in a row.

Kyiv's top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said his troops currently control 1,294 square kilometers (500 square meters) of Russian territory in Kursk and have taken up to 594 Russian prisoners of war.

Colonel General Syrskyi said Kyiv's goal in Kursk to divert Russian troops by withdrawing them from eastern Ukrainian regions such as Donbass had been successful.

However, Colonel General Syrskyi also warned that Moscow was building up its forces on the eastern front line around the important logistics hub of Pokrovsk, where Russian troops are advancing.

Our reporter Alexander Butler Read more in this report:

The NATO-Ukraine Council will meet on Wednesday at Kyiv's request, a spokesman confirmed.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will convene the meeting to inform allies about the situation at the front, a spokesman for the Western military alliance said on Tuesday.

“The meeting will take place at ambassadorial level,” said spokeswoman Farah Dakhlallah. “Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is expected to brief the allies via video link on the battlefield situation and priority capability requirements,” she added.

The NATO-Ukraine Council was established last year to facilitate closer coordination between the Alliance and Kyiv. Ambassadors of NATO member countries and Ukrainian officials usually attend the Council's meetings.

“Tomorrow's meeting comes after recent waves of heavy Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure,” Dakhlallah said in an emailed statement seen by Reuters.

Ukraine has announced that it will temporarily suspend payments under GDP warrants – an instrument created to restructure the country's debt following Russia's annexation of Crimea – from May 2025.

According to JPMorgan, Ukraine owes about $2.6 billion on the instrument, which is tied to economic growth and was created in 2015 as an incentive for Kyiv's creditors. About $700 million is owed to U.S. company Cargill, while state-owned grid operator Ukrenergo has a state guarantee on an $830 million promissory note.

Kyiv will also temporarily suspend payments on loans from Cargill Financial Services International, Inc. starting September 3 and on government-guaranteed bonds from Ukrainian energy company Ukrenergo starting November 9, according to a document on the Ukrainian government website.

Reuters reported that the GDP guarantees and private bonds are not part of the deal to restructure the country, which Kyiv is expected to conclude soon.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that Ukraine used Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets to shoot down Russian drones and missiles in its recent attacks.

At a press conference on Tuesday, the Ukrainian prime minister called on Ukraine's allies to send more of these fighter jets. Kyiv received the first delivery earlier this month.

“Nobody has talked about it, but we have already destroyed some missiles and drones with F-16s in this massive Russian attack,” he said.

“I won't reveal how many there are, but we managed it thanks to our partners who provided us with F-16s. But it's not enough, we only have a small number of F-16s.”

A sixth person has now died in Ukraine after Russia launched a second nighttime attack in a row.

Three people were killed when a hotel in the central city of Kryvyi Rih was “obliterated” by a rocket, regional officials said. Five people were injured and one person is still missing after the attack, Serhiy Lysak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, which includes Kryvyi Rih, said on Telegram.

In addition, three people were killed in drone attacks on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a response from Ukraine after Russia fired ten missiles and 81 drones during the attack.

The CEO of Ukraine's largest state-owned energy company said new solutions are needed to ensure energy security in Ukraine and Slovakia.

Oleksiy Chernyshov, CEO of Naftogaz, made the remarks at a meeting with Slovak officials on Tuesday.

“At the moment, the priority is to implement new solutions for the energy security of our countries. It is about new suppliers and, in the future, the export of Ukrainian fuel,” Naftogaz quoted Chernyshov as saying at a meeting with Slovak officials in Bratislava.

Slovakia and Hungary said last month they had stopped supplying oil to key Russian supplier Lukoil, whose exports via Ukrainian territory had been banned by Kyiv.

The Slovak oil transporter Transpetrol stated at the time that deliveries from other Russian exporters continued to reach Slovakia via Ukraine.

Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz calls for new solutions to secure energy supply