Russian citizens who left the country over opposition to the war and President Vladimir Putin are facing pressure from both Moscow and European states, according to a report published on August 18, 2026. Russia is moving to restrict the civil rights of government opponents abroad, while countries in Europe are making asylum and residence options more difficult.

Earlier this month, Putin enacted a law limiting passport renewals and other consular services for people convicted in absentia in political cases. The measures can also apply to accusations of violating the “foreign agent” law or “discrediting” the Russian army. Since Russia’s 2023 citizenship law, more than 4,500 people have had their citizenship revoked, raising concerns that exiled opponents could retain formal citizenship while losing practical access to passports and state protection.

Germany has narrowed access to humanitarian visas, while Finland has expelled more than 1,000 Russian citizens and rejected over 1,100 asylum applications since the Ukraine war began. Russian-Armenian activist Arshak Makichyan said anti-war Russians face obstacles abroad as well as from Russian authorities. The report says fears of another military mobilization may prompt more people to leave, despite the lack of secure asylum routes.

Six civilians were killed and four others, including a child, were injured in a Ukrainian missile attack on the village of Koloskovo in Russia’s Belgorod region, regional officials said Monday. Acting Belgorod Governor Alexander Shubayev said Ukrainian forces shelled the village. The report was published on August 17, 2026.

Shubayev said two of the injured received medical assistance but declined hospital admission. The remaining injured people, including the child, were taken to a local hospital. The source did not provide further details on the timing of the attack or the weapon used.

In Ukraine, two people were killed and three injured in overnight Russian attacks in the Zaporizhzhia district, according to regional Governor Ivan Fedorov. In a Telegram post, Fedorov said Russian forces carried out 1,217 attacks on 60 settlements in the region over a 24-hour period. The report did not identify the victims or provide further details about damage from the attacks.

Russia and Ukraine experienced major drone and missile attacks across several regions on Sunday. Moscow’s mayor said Ukraine launched 600 drones at Moscow overnight, describing it as the largest Ukrainian drone attack in recent times. Ukrainian officials said at least five people were killed in Ukraine during Russia’s overnight retaliatory strikes, while air-raid alerts remained in force in the capital until morning.

In Russia’s southern Rostov region, Governor Yuri Slyusar said five people were killed in Ukraine’s overnight attacks. He said several buildings were damaged and fires spread through two forested areas. The reported deaths in the two countries bring the stated toll from the attacks to at least 10 people.

Ukraine said it had shot down three Russian missiles and about 100 drones. Moscow’s mayor characterized the reported 600-drone assault as the biggest such attack carried out recently. The report did not provide further details on other damage, additional casualties, or subsequent measures by either side.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup Island in the Kuril chain, prompting a strong protest from Japan, according to a report published on August 13, 2026. The visit came one day after Russia conducted major naval drills in its Far East. It was Putin’s first direct visit to the Kuril Islands.

Russia and Japan have long disputed several areas in the Kuril Islands, including Iturup. Japan calls the islands its “Northern Territories” and says they are an inseparable part of its territory. Russia has controlled the islands since the end of World War II, and the dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a formal peace treaty.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the Northern Territories, including Iturup, are Japan’s territory under historical and international law, and that Japan was strongly protesting Putin’s visit. At the same time, Russia’s ally North Korea launched a ballistic missile east of the Korean Peninsula. The report said the visit could create fresh tension in Russia-Japan relations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the disputed Kuril Islands, prompting a strong protest from Japan. Russian state media reported the visit on Thursday, saying Putin traveled to an island in the chain claimed by both Moscow and Tokyo. The island he visited is known as Iturup in Russia and Etorofu in Japan.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said in a statement on social media platform X that the islands are historically Japanese territory and belong to Japan under international law. He said the Japanese government was strongly protesting Putin’s visit.

The Kuril Islands dispute has persisted between Russia and Japan for decades. The disagreement was the main reason Moscow and Tokyo did not sign a peace treaty after World War II. The source did not provide further details about Putin’s activities during the visit or any response from Russian officials to Japan’s protest.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia will retaliate if Russian commercial ships are seized. The warning, reported on August 12, 2026, was presented as a response to European plans to detain vessels from Russia’s oil-carrying “shadow fleet” and sell cargo confiscated from them.

Putin described the seizure of Russian ships as “piracy and banditry.” He said Russia would have to take comparable action in response, and warned that such measures could be taken anywhere in the world if considered necessary. The report did not specify particular European vessels or locations that could be targeted.

The report also said that a detained Russian ship suspected of transporting grain from Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia would be handed over to Ukraine. Putin’s warning was issued amid reports concerning that vessel and the broader European plans involving Russian oil tankers and seized cargo.

At least 13 people, including children, were killed and 39 others injured in a Ukrainian drone strike on Nizhnekamsk in Russia’s Tatarstan region, Russian officials said. Reuters reported the information on Monday, citing Russian officials. Ukrainian military authorities said the strike targeted Tatneft’s Taneko oil refinery in Tatarstan, about 800 kilometres east of Moscow. Local authorities described it as one of the largest recent attacks in Russia in terms of civilian casualties.

A fire spread at the refinery after the attack, while videos circulating on social media showed thick smoke rising above the facility. Russian investigators opened a criminal investigation, calling the incident a terrorist act. They alleged that Ukrainian forces had also targeted residential areas. Nizhnekamsk’s mayor said in a Telegram message that Tatarstan leader Rustam Minnikhanov expressed condolences over the deaths.

The Taneko refinery had previously been hit by a Ukrainian drone attack in early June. The report said Ukraine has been striking oil refineries and energy infrastructure across Russia for months to increase pressure on its energy sector, creating fuel-supply strain in some Russian regions. Russia and Ukraine both deny intentionally targeting civilians.

Russia said it intercepted and destroyed 605 Ukrainian drones during overnight attacks on Wednesday across several regions, including Moscow and the Black Sea. The Russian Defence Ministry made the claim in a statement. The report was published and later updated on August 6, 2026.

Black smoke was seen over the Russian city of Yaroslavl on Thursday morning after the Ukrainian drone attacks. Regional governor Mikhail Evraev said the area faced its largest-scale attack of the night. He claimed that 92 Ukrainian drones were destroyed in the Yaroslavl region.

Yaroslavl is home to one of Russia's largest oil refineries. Meanwhile, the report said three people were killed in a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Balakliia. It also reported that 12 people were injured in the Ukrainian city of Sumy following a Russian attack.

At least 26 people were reported killed in Russian and Ukrainian drone and missile strikes across several regions on Monday, according to the report published on August 4, 2026. The report said 11 of those killed were Russian and 11 were Ukrainian citizens, though the regional casualty figures later cited in the account indicate additional deaths.

Russian authorities said Ukrainian drone attacks caused casualties in Krasnodar, Belgorod and Crimea. Seven people, including three children, were killed and about 40 injured in Arkhipo-Osipovka in Krasnodar. Four people were killed and two injured in Crimea, while four were killed and 17 injured in Belgorod.

In Ukraine, an explosive-laden Russian drone struck a petrol station in Kryvyi Rih district, killing three people, including an emergency worker and his eight-year-old son. Russian drone and missile strikes in Zaporizhzhia killed eight people, including two children. Russia's Defense Ministry separately claimed control of Bilyi Kolodiaz and Uspenivka settlements in the Kharkiv region.

An explosion near the Balzi Rossi restaurant in Moscow’s Kudrinskaya Square killed at least three people and injured 21, Russian authorities said. The blast occurred at about 8 p.m. local time on Saturday near the entrance to the restaurant, located on the ground floor of a Stalin-era high-rise building.

Russia’s Interior Ministry said on the social media platform Max that the explosion came from a hand grenade or improvised explosive device carried by a woman. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee said she was stopped by a security guard while trying to enter the restaurant, and the device exploded at that point. It said those killed included the guard, the woman and a restaurant guest, though the account could not be independently verified.

Police initially reported three deaths and 15 injuries before the number of injured was updated to 21. Armed security forces cordoned off the area and barred public access to the restaurant. Authorities rejected early speculation of a gas-cylinder explosion and described the incident as an attack. They have not released the identities of those killed or injured, or named any additional suspects.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has claimed that Ukraine launched more than 6,000 drone attacks targeting the Russian capital during July. In a statement posted Saturday on the Russian social media platform Max, Sobyanin said aerial attacks directed at Moscow had increased significantly in recent months. The report, published by Amar Desh Online on August 1, 2026, cited Anadolu.

Sobyanin said that 6,225 drones approached the Moscow region between 12 a.m. on July 1 and 11:59 p.m. on July 31. Of those, Russian air defense systems shot down 780 drones in Moscow airspace, he said. He described the total as substantially higher than during the same period last year.

According to Sobyanin, the number of Ukrainian drones approaching the Moscow region in a month had previously ranged from several dozen to a few hundred at most. The report said Ukraine has recently intensified long-range drone attacks on Moscow and other regions inside Russia. Russian authorities regularly claim to intercept drones headed toward the capital, while such incidents often disrupt flight operations at Moscow airports.

Russian scientists reported promising initial results from the first use of Neoncovac, a personalized mRNA vaccine developed to treat melanoma skin cancer. The first experimental recipient developed the intended immune response and is currently well, according to a report published on July 31, 2026. The vaccine was first administered in April at Moscow’s Herzen Oncology Research Institute to a 60-year-old man with stage-three melanoma and metastases.

Alexander Ginzburg, scientific director of the Gamaleya National Research Institute, said the vaccine activated immune mechanisms needed to fight the tumour. The patient’s physical condition remains normal and treatment is continuing. Doctors plan to administer two further doses while closely monitoring the effectiveness of the patient’s immune system throughout the treatment.

The approach uses genetic analysis of samples from a patient’s tumour and healthy tissue to create an individual vaccine intended to target cancer cells. Ginzburg said vaccines are being prepared for 10 more patients and may be ready for use within one and a half to three months. Russia’s Health Ministry approved two personalized cancer-treatment technologies last year, including Neoncovac and the peptide-based colorectal cancer drug Oncopepti.

More than 390 drones attempted to target the Moscow region overnight, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. In a Telegram message on Tuesday, Sobyanin said the drones flew toward the region from 8:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. local time. The reported attacks came hours before a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump, the report said.

Sobyanin said most of the drones were neutralized by air defenses before reaching the city. He added that 81 unmanned aerial vehicles described as belonging to the enemy were destroyed while approaching Moscow. AFP reported the information from Moscow.

Moscow region Governor Andrei Vorobyov also reported damage from the drone attack. He said residential buildings in the city of Chekhov and the village of Vaulovo were damaged. The report provided no information on casualties, the extent of the damage, or responsibility for the attacks.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that Ukraine launched more than 400 drones toward the Moscow region overnight, most of which were intercepted by Russian air defense systems. In a post on the state-supported social media platform Max, Sobyanin stated that the attacks occurred between 8:30 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. local time, and 85 drones were destroyed before reaching the city. The report was carried by AFP.

According to the Russian state news agency TASS, six people, including three foreign nationals, were injured in explosions in the Moscow region. The injured were hospitalized in Domodedovo, an area south of Moscow that hosts one of the capital’s main international airports. However, it was not immediately confirmed whether the injuries were directly linked to the drone attacks.

The source noted that Ukraine has intensified drone and missile strikes inside Russia in recent months, describing them as retaliatory actions for more than four years of Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory.

At least seven warehouse workers were killed and dozens injured in a series of Ukrainian drone strikes across several Russian regions, according to local governors on July 18, 2026. The attacks also triggered a fire at an oil depot in the wider Moscow area. In Tambov region’s Kotovsk city, about 475 kilometers southeast of Moscow, a drone hit a warehouse of Russia’s largest online retailer Wildberries, injuring 25 people. Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov said seven night-shift workers died at the scene and that 28 drones had been shot down before impact.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukrainian forces targeted two Russian logistics facilities used for supplying drone components and navigation equipment, as well as an oil installation. In Moscow’s Elektrostal city, another Wildberries warehouse was struck, injuring 24 people, according to regional governor Andrei Vorobyov. Wildberries CEO Tatyana Kim described it as a “terrible night” for Russia and the company, expressing condolences to victims’ families.

Vorobyov added that debris from a downed drone caused a fire at an oil depot in Noginsk, injuring two and prompting the evacuation of a nearby maternity hospital.