Influential Russian war observers known as 'milbloggers' have criticised the defence ministry and army chief General Valery Gerasimov for exaggerating battlefield progress in Ukraine, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Gerasimov claimed on 30 August that Russian forces had seized 3,500 sq km of territory and 149 settlements since March 2025. However, ISW assessed that Russian forces had gained only roughly 2,346 sq km and seized 130 settlements in that period.
The US thinktank said Russia's territorial gains remain 'disproportionately limited and slow relative to the high losses incurred'. As a result, the Kremlin is intensifying a propaganda campaign to influence Western decision-making, including accusing European states of prolonging the war, making nuclear threats, and claiming that Russian victory in Ukraine is inevitable.
Russia is believed to have jammed the GPS signal of a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over Bulgaria, according to reports. The plane landed safely. Commission deputy spokesperson Arianna Podestà said Bulgarian authorities suspected Russia, adding that the EU is 'aware and used to the threats and intimidations that are a regular component of Russia's hostile behaviour'.
Heads of state from the European-led 'coalition of the willing' will meet virtually on Thursday to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, the French presidency announced. Meanwhile, a civilian was killed in a Russian airstrike on Bila Tserkva, and a Russian drone attack started a large fire in Sumy. Artillery shelling killed a 73-year-old man in the Kherson region, and a 14-year-old girl was hospitalised after drone attacks in Chernihiv.
Ukrainian authorities said Russia was linked to the assassination of former parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy. A suspect has been arrested in Lviv. National police chief Ivan Vygivsky said: 'We know that this crime was not accidental. There is a Russian trace in it.'
Ukrainian parents sent their children to underground schools in Kharkiv on the first day of the school year. About 17,000 children are attending seven such schools. One parent, Anastasia Pochergina, said: 'The school is three floors down, and we were told it is the deepest school in Kharkiv. That's why I believe it is safe.'
