Summary

Live Reporting

Edited by Rorey Bosotti and Tinshui Yeung

  1. Russian strike on Kharkiv train station kills two, governor says

    A Russian strike on a train station in Ukraine's Kharkiv region has killed two people and injured eight, the regional governor has said.

    Oleh Syniehubov says in a post on Telegram that some of the injured were in serious condition.

    Numerous schools, government offices and homes in Ukraine have been hit by Russia in recent weeks.

    Ukraine has also increased its attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure, including power facilities.

    Both sides have denied deliberately targeting civilians.

    Firefighters work at the site of a private house destroyed during overnight Russian drone strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Balakliia, in Kharkiv region, UkraineState Emergency Service Of Ukraine

    Firefighters work at the site of a house destroyed during overnight Russian drone strikes in the town of Balakliia, Kharkiv region

  2. The war is now in its fifth year - how did we get here?

    It started when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbour on 24 February 2022.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin said his goal was to "demilitarise and denazify" Ukraine - he has repeatedly painted the country as a Nazi state. Our explainer looks at the distortions and untruths that Russia has previously spread about Nazis in Ukraine.

    The Russian leader has long questioned Ukraine's right to exist, claiming that "modern Ukraine was entirely created by Russia" after the communist revolution in 1917.

    Four-panel map titled “How military control of Ukraine has changed,” comparing territorial control at four points in time. In February 2022, before the invasion, Russia controls Crimea and Russia-backed separatists hold small areas in eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. By March 2022, areas under Russian military control expand rapidly across southern Ukraine and parts of the north and east, with limited Russian control shown around Kyiv and other front lines. In November 2022, Ukraine has regained much of the north and west, leaving Russian-held territory concentrated in the south and east, including a land corridor to Crimea. By August 2026, Russian-controlled territory remains in eastern and southeastern Ukraine and has expanded slightly westward around the front line near Pokrovsk. Key cities marked include Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol, Kherson, Pokrovsk and Kursk. The legend distinguishes Russia-backed separatist-held areas, Russian military control, areas of limited Russian control, and Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Source: ISW and AEI’s Critical Threats Project.

    In February 2022, troops moved in quickly, accompanied by dozens of missile strikes on cities across Ukraine.

    Within a few weeks, Russian forces were in control of large areas of eastern, northern and southern Ukraine - and had advanced to the suburbs of the capital Kyiv.

    However, they met strong Ukrainian resistance - and by November 2022 the picture had changed dramatically. Ukraine had regained ground in the north and Russia failed to take Kyiv.

    Since then, progress on both sides has slowed. In recent months, Russia has been gradually expanding the amount of territory controls - particularly in the east - but gains have been minimal.

  3. BBC Verify

    Verified material shows several smoke plumes at Yaroslavl refinery

    By Paul Brown, Peter Mwai and Fridon Kiria

    We have verified multiple videos and images shared on social media showing huge smoke plumes rising from one of Russia’s biggest oil refineries at Yaroslavl, some 280km (170 miles) north-east of the capital, Moscow.

    Ukrainian media reported the facility was set ablaze following a drone attack early on Thursday.

    In one of the verified images on social media there appear to be at least four fires at the site, which is about 700km (430 miles) from the border with Ukraine.

    Four large smoke plumes rising from an oil refineryTelegram

    Most of the clips appear to have been captured by people living in the city of Yaroslavl itself, several miles away from the refinery.

    Three large smoke plumes rising from a refineryTelegram

  4. Ukraine hits two Russian oil refineries - Zelensky
    Breaking

    Ukraine's President Volodymyr ZelenskyEPA

    Ukraine has struck two oil refineries in Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky says.

    In a social media post, he writes that Ukraine's Defence Forces struck the Slavneft-Yanos refinery in Yaroslavl and the Bashneft-Novoil refinery in Bashkortostan.

    Earlier, we reported that black smoke was rising from the direction of the Yaroslavl oil refinery after Ukrainian drone attacks. Yaroslavl Governor Mikhail Evraev says the Ukrainian drones attacking the region have been destroyed, but falling debris has caused three houses to catch fire.

    Zelensky says they also struck two military patrol boats and vessels from Russia's shadow fleet in the Black Sea.

  5. Houses catch fire in Ukrainian drone attack as casualties unconfirmed - Yaroslavl governor

    We can now bring you more from Yaroslavl Governor Mikhail Evraev.

    He says that while all the Ukrainian drones attacking the region have been destroyed, falling debris has caused three houses to catch fire and has shattered windows in several apartment buildings. He also describes damage to vehicles.

    Information on casualties is being "clarified", he says.

    Smoke seen rising from the direction of the oil refinery in Yaroslavl, in a social media video verified by the BBCSocial media

    Smoke seen rising from the direction of the oil refinery in Yaroslavl, in a social media video verified by the BBC

  6. Three killed and several injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine, officials say

    A man extinguishes a fire in a smouldering smokey buildingState Emergency Service of Ukraine

    In Balakliya, houses were set on fire after Russian attacks, according to officials

    As Ukraine launched more than 600 drones at Russia overnight, attacks continued the other way.

    In the Ukrainian city of Balakliya, the state emergency service says three were killed as Russian drones attacked a residential neighbourhood.

    It adds that fires broke out in homes as a result of the attacks.

  7. Yaroslavl region targeted multiple times in recent months

    ZelenskyGetty Images

    President Zelensky, speaking last month

    This is not the first time energy infrastructure in Yaroslavl has been targeted by Ukrainian strikes.

    "Deep strikes" were carried out on oil facilities in the region last month, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a Telegram post on 27 July.

    He described the attack as part of an effort to "reduce Russia's ability to finance the war". He also describes having struck an oil facility in the region in a Telegram post on 14 June.

    Meanwhile, Russia's Mikhail Evraev - governor of Yaroslavl - has described drone attacks on the region on multiple occasions in recent months, including on 6 July, 10 July, 16 July and 23 July, although his posts do not reference the refinery directly.

  8. Yaroslavl refinery 'makes 15m tonnes of crude oil annually'

    Two men with hard hats on stand on a balcony and look out, surveying a huge industrial complex which has tanks and chimneys with smoke risingReuters

    Slavneft-Yanos pictured in 2012

    The Slavneft-Yanos refinery is based in the city of Yaroslavl, hundreds of miles from the border with Ukraine.

    It's one of the top five largest refineries in Russia, and was built in 1961.

    It has been attacked by Ukraine before throughout the conflict.

    Its website claims that it "makes about 15 million tonnes of crude oil annually", and its products include fuel for cars, jet fuel, and a wide range of oils.

    It employs 3,500 people.

    Map of western Russia highlighting the location of Yaroslavl. The city is marked northeast of Moscow with a red label and pointer. Belarus lies to the west and Ukraine to the southwest.

  9. Russia destroyed 605 drones overnight, defence ministry says

    The Russian defence ministry says overnight, air defence forces intercepted and destroyed 605 Ukrainian drones.

    This occurred over several territories, including the Moscow Region and the Black Sea, as well as Yaroslavl - home to the Slavneft-Yanos oil refinery.

  10. Black smoke rises in Russian city after Ukrainian drone attack
    Breaking

    Thick black smoke is rising over the Russian city of Yaroslavl this morning following a Ukrainian drone attack.

    The region’s governor Mikhail Evraev says the region faced its largest-ever enemy attack, adding that they destroyed 92 drones.

    Yaroslavl is home to one of the largest oil refineries in Russia and has been targeted by Ukraine in recent months.

    Meanwhile, in Ukraine, three people were killed in Russian strikes on the city of Balakliya, according to officials, and 12 were injured in Sumy.

    The Russian Defence Ministry says it struck two vessels transporting military goods in the port of Odesa last night.

    We’ll continue to bring you updates from our teams across the region - stick with us.