The Russian defence ministry said Saturday that one drone was destroyed close to the border in the Belgorod region, while another was intercepted, and a separate drone headed for Moscow in the early hours of the morning was also thwarted. Read our live blog to see how all the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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4:24pm: Three Ukrainian military pilots die in mid-air collision
Three Ukrainian pilots died after two L-39 trainer aircraft collided in mid-air in central Ukraine, the country's air force said in a statement on Saturday.
The loss of three pilots will be a blow to Ukraine, which is about to undertake a huge effort to quickly train up its air crews on Western-donated F-16 fighter jets, up to 61 of which have been pledged to Kyiv.
The crash occurred on Friday over the Zhytomyr region, which lies west of Ukraine's capital Kyiv. The air force said that one of the pilots killed, who used the callsign "Juice", had become well known after giving numerous interviews to international media.
"We express our condolences to the families of the victims. This is a painful and irreparable loss for all of us," the air force wrote on the Telegram app, adding that an investigation into the circumstances of the crash was taking place.
4:04pm: Second ship since grain deal expired leaves Ukraine's Odesa
The second ship to leave Ukraine's port city of Odesa since Moscow's withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal set sail for Bulgaria on Saturday, Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko said on the Telegram app.
Honcharenko posted a photograph of what he said was the ship leaving the port.
The Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Primus is moving from Odesa to the port of Varna in Bulgaria, news agency Interfax Ukraine reported, citing the MarineTraffic database.
Odesa's three seaports shipped tens of millions of tons of grain during Russia's invasion under a UN-brokered deal, which collapsed in July after Moscow withdrew.
Russian forces have since targeted Ukrainian ports with volleys of missiles and kamikaze drones.
3:04pm: Russia says a total of three drones downed over its territory
Russia said Saturday that it shot down two drones over its Belgorod region and one headed for Moscow, as it reported Ukrainian shelling wounded six people in a border town.
The Russian defence ministry said one drone was destroyed close to the border in the Belgorod region at 09:00 (0600 GMT), while another was intercepted over the region at 14:15 (1115 GMT).
A separate drone headed for Moscow in the early hours of the morning was also thwarted, the defence ministry said.
Moscow, which was rarely attacked during the early stages of the conflict, is now being targeted by almost daily drone strikes.
The drone attacks came as the governor of Russia's Belgorod region said Kyiv's shelling of the town of Urazovo, about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the Ukrainian border, injured six people.
2:28pm: US reporter Evan Gershkovich appeals extended detention in Russia
US reporter Evan Gershkovich has appealed a Russian court's decision to extend his pre-trial detention by three months, according to documents published by a Moscow court.
The Moscow City Court website showed the journalist's defence had appealed the judge's decision on Thursday to extend his detention until November 30.
Read moreFormer correspondents in Russia call for release of journalist Evan Gershkovich
1:52pm: EU's Dombrovskis calls on Russia to renew grain deal
A senior European Union official urged Russia on Saturday to renew a grain deal to allow the safe export of Ukrainian grain through Black Sea ports, after Russia quit the agreement last month.
European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said Russian restrictions on shipping of Ukrainian grains via the Black Sea were creating problems not only for Kyiv but for many developing countries.
Russia is using "grain as a weapon", said Dombrovskis, who is in India to participate in a G20 trade ministers' meeting.
"We support all efforts by United Nations, by Turkey on Black Sea grain initiative," he told reporters, adding the bloc was providing alternative trading routes, also called solidarity lanes, to Ukraine for grain and other exports.
1:04pm: New Zealand offers residency to Ukrainians fleeing war
New Zealand on Saturday announced a new pathway to residency for people fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Permanent residency will be available to people who travel to New Zealand on the temporary Special Ukraine Visa before March 15 next year, Immigration Minister Andrew Little said.
"Many of those who sought safety here in New Zealand would never have anticipated being here long term, but as war continues we have a humanitarian obligation to provide certainty to them."
"We're making it as simple as possible to apply for the residence pathway."
To maximise accessibility, applicants will not need to sit a language test, have access to suitable funds or be sponsored.
More than 1,500 Special Ukraine Visas have so far been granted since the special category was set up last year as part of the government's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
11:43am: Moscow airports suspend flights following drone strike
A new drone attack on Moscow early Saturday forced a temporary shutdown of all three major airports serving the city, Russian state media reported.
Officials blamed Ukraine for what appeared to be the latest of near-daily strikes on the Russian capital and the surrounding region.
According to Russia’s state Tass agency, the Sheremetevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports all suspended flights for over an hour early on Saturday.
10:48am: Two killed in Russian shelling in east Ukraine, local governor says
Two people were killed and another wounded on Saturday when Russian shelling hit a cafe in the village of Podoly in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, local governor Oleh Synehubov said.
"The enemy hit a civilian object – a cafe where local residents were during the day," Synehubov wrote on Telegram.
Podoly was occupied shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but the village was retaken by Kyiv in a counteroffensive last September.
Russian forces have been attempting to push forward on the Kharkiv region front line in recent weeks.
The Ukrainian army has acknowledged fighting there has become more difficult but says it is holding the line.
9:15am: Gazprom to ship gas to Europe via Ukraine on Saturday
Russia's Gazprom said it will send 41.5 million cubic metres of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Saturday, compared to 42.4 million cubic metres a day earlier.
8:48am: Russia downs drone over Belgorod region, defence ministry says
Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday that it had destroyed a drone over the Belgorod region which borders Ukraine and regularly comes under fire.
"An attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack with a drone against sites on Russian territory has been prevented," the ministry posted on Telegram.
5:23am: Russia conducts Barents Sea drills on repelling foreign ships
Russia's Northern Fleet conducted navy exercises in the Barents Sea this month aimed at preventing the passage of unauthorised and foreign ships, the Interfax news agency reported on Saturday.
The destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov "practised a case to repel the actions of a mock intruder vessel" in the Arctic Ocean off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia, Interfax reported, citing the Northern Fleet's press service.
The drills began on August 10, Interfax said, without citing an end date.
The fleet plans more exercises to "defend Russia's insular and continental territories in the Arctic, as well as to ensure the safety of maritime navigation and other types of Russian maritime economic activities in the Arctic zone", Interfax said.
2:03am: Russia downs drone approaching capital, Moscow mayor says
Russian air defences destroyed a drone as it approached Moscow, the city's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said early on Saturday.
"Tonight, air defense forces destroyed a drone on approach to Moscow in the Istrinskii district," Sobyanin wrote on Telegram.
"Preliminarily, there were no casualties or damage. Emergency services are working on the site," he added.
Moscow was rarely targeted during the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine though attacks have mounted of late.
The capital and other Russian regions have been targeted by a barrage of Ukrainian drone attacks in recent days after Kyiv vowed earlier this summer to "return" the conflict to Russia.
Key developments from Friday, August 25:
Russian investigators said Friday they had recovered flight recorders and 10 bodies from the scene of the plane crash presumed to have killed Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Earlier on Friday, a Kremlin spokesperson said "speculation" the crash had been ordered by the government was an “absolute lie”.
Meanwhile, the Ukraine military said Russia is regrouping in the Moscow-controlled eastern part of Ukraine with plans to resume an offensive.
Read yesterday's liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
