Aug 11, 2026, 03:00 PM UTC

Russian aerial bombardment across Ukraine killed at least 17 people in Kyiv, while glide bombs struck residential neighborhoods in Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western partners to provide additional air defense interceptors, asserting that Ukraine will not voluntarily yield territory in Donbas.

Concurrently, Ukrainian drone strikes targeted positions in Belgorod, Crimea, and near Moscow, as well as a Black Sea beach near Gelendzhik, resulting in multiple casualties. In response to repeated incursions, Russia redeployed air defense units to establish three defensive perimeters around Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Separately, an Italian naval vessel intercepted a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker near the island of Pantelleria.

Sources: ANSA, Corriere della Sera, Il Messaggero, La Repubblica, La Stampa.

Former Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte addressed a parliamentary commission of inquiry in Rome to defend his administration's management of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over a three-hour testimony, the Five Star Movement leader maintained that no unlawful acts occurred under his leadership and cautioned lawmakers against turning the probe into "plotoni di esecuzione."

Conte also announced that he submitted an anonymous document to Rome prosecutors regarding a 100-million-euro contract with JC Electronics for mask purchases, asking authorities to examine potential irregularities. Ruling coalition members questioned the timing of the submission and Conte's defense of emergency decrees, mask procurements, and vaccine purchases during the health crisis.

Sources: ANSA, Corriere della Sera, Il Messaggero, La Repubblica.

A teenage student launched a deadly shooting spree in Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok, after allegedly killing his grandparents at home and taking a handgun. The 14- or 15-year-old suspect then entered his secondary school and opened fire on teachers and classmates.

Factual details regarding casualties remain fluid across early reports. Outlets report between seven and eight fatalities, excluding the gunman, with victims including both students and teachers. Injury counts range from 15 to 23 individuals, with several in critical condition. While most sources indicate the shooter died by suicide at the school, initial police statements reported by La Repubblica suggested he was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Sources: Canarias7, Diário de Notícias (DN), El Mundo, Expresso, La Repubblica.

A Syrian court has sentenced former president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia following his conviction for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The ruling relates to atrocities committed during the country's 14-year civil war, which began in 2011.

Assad fled to exile in Moscow in December 2024 when opposition forces advanced on Damascus, ending his rule. The court also handed down death sentences to his brother, Maher Assad, who fled alongside him, and his cousin Atef Najib, who was physically present in the courtroom.

The verdict represents the first judgment against the deposed leader under Syria's interim administration, which has initiated legal proceedings targeting former regime officials.

Sources: Morgunblaðið, Vísir, Aftenposten, Berlingske, ORF

Cross-border aerial strikes between Russian and Ukrainian forces have intensified, causing widespread casualties and infrastructure damage across multiple regions.

Russian missile and drone attacks struck several Ukrainian cities, including Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and the capital, Kyiv. Regional officials reported at least 17 fatalities and over 40 injuries in the Kyiv region alone, alongside five deaths in Zaporizhzhia following heavy overnight bombardments.

Concurrently, Ukrainian long-range drones targeted infrastructure inside Russia. Strikes hit facilities owned by the e-commerce firm Wildberries in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, causing structural fires and at least five deaths. Additional drone strikes in the Belgorod region killed three people.

In a related regional development, Bulgarian authorities reported that an unidentified drone exploded in a field near the Romanian border, approximately one kilometer from a natural gas pipeline.

Sources: 8 Sidor, Dagens Industri, Dagens Nyheter, SVT, Svenska Dagbladet