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Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft has crashed into the Moon after spinning into an uncontrolled orbit, officials say. The unmanned craft was due to make a soft landing on the Moon's south pole, but failed after encountering issues as it moved into its pre-landing orbit. It was Russia's first Moon mission in almost 50 years. Roskosmos, Russia's state space corporation, said it lost contact with the Luna-25 shortly after running into difficulties.

Russia's Luna-25 has failed to enter its scheduled pre-landing orbit of the moon. The spacecraft ran into unspecified trouble while trying to enter orbit. It was due to enter the pre-landing orbit around the same time as the Chandrayaan-3 Lander Module, but the manoeuvre was unsuccessful. India's spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 is currently orbiting the moon and will likely attempt a landing near the pole this week. Watch the video for more.

Russian forces have bombed foreign mercenaries fighting alongside Ukrainian Army in Ukraine while also attacking an airfield with Kinzhal missiles. Russian military further reported that it has improved its position in Kharkiv region of Ukraine. Watch the video for more details.

Ukrainian pilots are not likely to complete training on F-16 fighter jets until next summer, reports Washington Post. The delay is reportedly due to West's instruction program for the combat aircraft. Washington is reportedly waiting for European officials to submit a final plan on training. Ukraine will now have to endure another year without the F-16 fighter jets. Watch this video for details.

The Russian Army has reportedly blown up two Ukrainian drone control centres in Donetsk amid Ukraine's counteroffensive. The New York Times reported that Ukraine had lost over 150,000 soldiers since the beginning of the war last year. Meanwhile, Russian forces shot down 20 Ukrainian drones over Crimea and thwarted a major attack early on Saturday. Watch this video for more updates from the Russia-Ukraine conflict zone.

West African leaders are expected to meet on August 10 to discuss their response to the crisis in Niger. Niger’s military junta has rejected the latest diplomatic mission from African countries to discuss the situation. The US has suspended its training of Nigerien forces and has even cut some other military assistance to Niger. The leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, has cautioned Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu against attacking Niger. Gen Moussa Barmou, Niger’s self-proclaimed chief of defence, has been the main diplomatic channel between the US and the junta. Barmou, who is known to have had an affinity for the US, has hosted US officers for dinner at his home in the past.

Western officials are sceptical about Ukraine's ability to penetrate Russian defences and turn the tide of the conflict in coming weeks. Rep. Mike Quigley, who returned from meetings in Europe with US commanders, said “this is the most difficult time of the war”. The primary challenge for Ukrainian forces is the difficulty of breaking through Russia’s multi-layered defensive lines. Ukrainian forces have incurred heavy losses , prompting Ukrainian commanders to hold back some units to regroup and reduce casualties. Watch the video to find out more.

Ukraine's Third Assault Battalion posted this footage of a firefight and trenches south of Bakhmut at the end of July. The Ukrainian troops take fire from Russians as they advance. Later Russian artillery also bombards the troops.

Half of Russia’s Elite Paratroopers Is lost in Ukraine. At least 50 precent of Russia’s elite paratroopers may have been killed and wounded during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) has said. In its daily intelligence assessment, the MoD cited figures made recently in a speech by the commander of the Russian Airborne Forces (VDV) which the Kremlin then frantically tried to hide.

Ukraine has said it shot down one of Russia's Ka-52 "Alligator" helicopters using a man-portable air defence system (MANPADS). Ukraine’s military said that it downed the Russian chopper near the southern frontlines. Kyiv said it has continued offensive operations near the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region. Ukrainian officials said the hotel hit by Russian missile strikes in Pokrovsk was closed and had been empty for five weeks. The attack is being described as a “double-tap” strike of two separate attacks on the same target, with a brief interval in between. A pro-Russian official said three people have been injured after coming under fire from Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk region. Russia said shrapnel from downed Ukrainian drones has damaged buildings in the Belgorod region. The Wagner group is reportedly building a tent city near the Ukrainian border. The Russian mercenary group is building the tent city for around 1,000 fighters at the Zyabrovka airfield. The US has praised China’s participation in the Saudi-led talks on the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi told his Russian counterpart that Beijing remains “impartial” on the war in Ukraine. Watch this video to know what's latest in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

Written in record time and praising the army: Moscow unveils new history textbooks ahead of children returning to the classroom for a second school year with troops fighting in Ukraine and ruptured ties with the West. The book writes the story of Russia's offensive in Ukraine "through the prism of the state's position on current events," says presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky at a press conference to mark the book's release.

Ukraine is set to receive dozens of Leopard 1 tanks fitted with modern weapons systems under a new European deal. Belgian newspaper De Standaard reported that a secret buyer had purchased 50 Leopard 1s from a private company in Belgium. Freddy Versluys, CEO of defence company OIP Land Systems, had bought the German-made tanks over five years ago. The Belgian military had sold off these 50 tanks to the company in order to cut down on the expenses. Watch the video to find out who has acquired the tanks?

Over 50 people have been injured after an explosion at a fireworks warehouse in Sergiyev Posad outside Moscow. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, held the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Staff meeting with the military. The meeting saw participation from military personnel like Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi and several others. Russia has vowed response to "threats" on the western border from countries like Sweden, Poland and Finland.

German arms maker Rheinmetall has reportedly bought nearly 50 old Leopard tanks from Belgium to arm Ukraine. Rheinmetall is likely to re-equip 30 of these tanks in Germany before sending them to Ukraine. Watch this video to find out how Putin's war is draining West and NATO's arsenal.

The Ukrainian soldiers are facing a fresh problem with regards to the use of the U.S.-sent cluster munitions. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Russian soldiers have learnt how to dodge the damage from these bombs. Several Ukrainian soldiers from the frontline to the WSJ that in some cases the Russian have dug 7-feet deep trenches to avoid the damage. Watch this video for more details.

The U.S. is "losing faith" in the ability of Ukraine to penetrate Russian defences. U.S. officials, in conversation with an American media house, admitted that Kyiv can't turn the tide. The Ukrainian counteroffensive is "highly unlikely to succeed," said U.S. officials. U.S. Congressman Mike Quigley, who recently met with American commanders in Europe, said reports from the battlefield have become increasingly "sobering." Ukraine has been trying to retake territories from Russia since the start of June. However, Kiev has failed to break through Russia's multi-layered defence lines.

Poland has decided to send an additional 2000 troops to the border with Russia's closest ally, Belarus. Poland's move comes after a renewed rise in illegal border crossings aided by Belarusian border guards and after soldiers from the mercenary Wagner Group appeared near the frontier. Watch this video to know more.

A powerful explosion rocked a factory in the town of Sergiyev Posad, outside of Moscow. Videos on social media show a cloud of smoke rising from the factory. The videos show windows shattering in buildings nearby the factory. The incident took place on the territory of the Zagorsk optical-Mechanical plant. Moscow Region's Governor said that 43 people had been taken to a local hospital. Watch the video for more.

Latvian President Edgar Rinkevics visited the border with Belarus and Russia on Tuesday (August 8), where he spoke with guards stationed along the fence separating the Baltic country from its eastern neighbours. Rinkevics stated that the "significant amount" of provocations from Russia and Belarus has led his country to enhance its border surveillance, especially in the context of Wagner troops being relocated to Belarus.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is fearing that US-led Western nations may ramp up pressure to force him to negotiate a peace agreement with Russia. According to the New York Times report, Zelensky told this to his diplomats in an emergency strategy session in Kyiv before peace talks in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom held peace talks with representatives of 42 nations, excluding Russia, hoping to draw a conclusion on key principles for a peaceful end to the Russia-Ukraine war. Watch this video to know more.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, the Ukrainian Air Force has suffered the loss of at least 60 fighter jets. A leaked Pentagon document recently revealed that this figure accounts for roughly 40% of their pre-war fleet, leaving Kyiv with approximately 80 active aircraft. Meanwhile, Russia is claimed to have around 500 aircraft designated for the war, mostly with superior radar and longer-range munitions compared to Ukrainian fighter jets. Fortunately, despite this advantage, Russia has not been able to assert complete control over the skies above Kyiv. Yet, the overall stability of the air power balance has been compromised. Also, the Soviet-era MiG and SU aircraft currently deployed by Ukraine are somewhat modernized and improved but remain considerably outdated. Many of these jets are inoperative and mainly serve as spare parts. To tip the scale against Russia, Ukraine requires more fighter jets with an entirely new fleet!

CNN's Fred Pleitgen breaks down new developments in Russia's war in Ukraine. CNN's Wolf Blitzer discusses with a panel of experts.

Ukraine's president has accused Russia of bombing a blood transfusion centre, describing it as a "war crime". There has been no response from Russia, which maintains that it never targets civilian buildings.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s top aide has warned that friendship between Poland and Ukraine will not last forever. According to Mikhail Podoliak, Warsaw and Kyiv will begin “competing” after the war ends between Russia and Ukraine. The senior official made the remarks on August 4 during a live appearance on Ukraine’s Dom TV channel. Watch the video to find out how did the growing relationship between Poland-Ukraine has been strained by a bitter dispute over agricultural products?

Russia claimed to have struck a command post in the Eastern Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk. Moscow said that it targeted the Ukrainian Army's infrastructure in the city of Pokrovsk. However, Ukraine alleged that the Russian attack had hit civilian targets, killing at least seven people. Kyiv officials said that residential and administrative buildings, hotels, and shops were destroyed. Watch the video for more.