Ukraine-Russia War: 2026-08-29 — Live Updates

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday he ordered Ukraine's military to increase long-range drone strikes on Russia to about 1,000 per day, up from roughly 300. "There needs to be more: there is a concrete goal, and we will fulfil this task," he said in his evening address, according to The Guardian.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 28 August that Ukrainian forces struck a Tu-95MS strategic bomber at Engels-2 air base in Saratov Oblast. The Institute for the Study of War cited purported satellite imagery showing damage to the aircraft's right wing. Tu-95MS bombers are regularly used to fire cruise missiles at Ukraine.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was informed of three drone incidents at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant earlier this week. One strike near the cooling pond on 25 August reportedly injured two plant workers; two drones on 26 August reportedly hit spent-fuel storage and sprinkler equipment. Radiation levels remained normal, the agency said.

Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi said Russian air attacks have destroyed roughly 90% of food logistics operated by Ukrainian retail chains. He told reporters the figure does not mean Ukrainians will be left without food. Both sides have intensified strikes on economic targets, including warehouses and major retailers.