Russia spent Wednesday into Thursday pounding Kyiv around the clock — ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones killed three people and wounded seven, before fresh overnight strikes set a café and warehouse ablaze. Thursday morning brought two more drone strikes near the supports of the Pivdennyi Bridge, suspending metro traffic — and, more ominously, Russia reportedly used a shaped-charge warhead for the first time this week, purpose-built to cut through high-voltage pylons and steel bridge structures. The Air Force confirmed Capt. Marat Mambetov of the 40th "Ghost of Kyiv" Brigade was killed Thursday when his MiG-29 was hit by a Russian missile mid-strike; he ejected but didn't survive his injuries.
Zelensky responded by ordering an urgent review of F-16 ammunition and air-defense supply agreements with every partner, due back within a day, saying "it is crucial that we receive additional missiles in October." The numbers explain the urgency: Russia's jet-powered Shahed launches have gone from roughly 350 in June to about 2,850 in August.
Sweden, meanwhile, is quietly abandoning two centuries of strict neutrality. The head of its Air Warfare Center said Stockholm will hit targets deep inside Russia — logistics, command centers, air bases — if attacked, using Taurus cruise missiles on its Gripen fighters while it shops for longer-range systems reaching out to 2,000 km.
Back in Moscow, Stefan Korshak's latest analysis is worth the read in full: 46 veterans of the invasion of Ukraine are now sitting in the new State Duma as United Russia deputies, including one wanted by Ukrainian authorities for allegedly ordering the execution of a Bucha civilian in 2022 — before being profiled as a national hero on Russian state TV in 2024.
Closing out: a Lviv court sentenced 20-year-old Viacheslav Zinchenko to life in prison for the July 2024 assassination of linguist and former Svoboda MP Iryna Farion, convicting him on forensic, digital and surveillance evidence that included a 99.999% scent match from three separate dogs.
By Jeremy Dirac
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