Dormant Saturday 1 August 2026 — Friday 21 August 2026 · 11 days
Russia and Ukraine escalate long-range strikes as fuel shortages hit Moscow
Russia and Ukraine trade escalating long-range strikes, with Moscow facing fuel shortages and Kyiv hit by deadly missile attacks.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Russia and Ukraine have escalated their long-range strikes, with Moscow facing fuel shortages and Kyiv suffering a deadly missile barrage. In the latest attack on the Ukrainian capital, at least 15 people were killed and more than 40 injured as ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles hit residential buildings, a hospital, a school and warehouses. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the deaths were due to a shortage of air defence missiles, as Ukraine's Patriot interceptor stocks run critically low.
Ukraine has continued its own deep strikes into Russian territory, targeting oil refineries and logistics hubs. A refinery in Perm Krai, more than 1,500 kilometres from the border, was hit, and drones have repeatedly struck warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer. The attacks have caused fuel shortages in Moscow, with long queues at petrol stations and some stations running dry. Russia has admitted the strikes are causing economic harm, but insists they have no critical consequences.
The UK has confirmed that British-made drones have been used in strikes inside Russia, prompting threats from Moscow. Russia's foreign minister said Britain's involvement would have consequences, while the UK prime minister insisted Britain would continue to support Ukraine 100 per cent. The exchange of attacks has intensified, with both sides suffering civilian casualties. Ukraine's air defences remain overstretched, and the US has rowed back on a promise to allow Ukraine to build Patriot interceptors, leaving Kyiv vulnerable to Russian ballistic missiles.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 5 or more of 6 channels | ||||||
| Nine people were killed in the attack. | ||||||
| Ukraine launched hundreds of drones at Russia in one of its largest aerial attacks of the war. | Reported by BBC One | Reported by Sky News | ||||
| Ukraine used British-made drones for the first time to strike targets inside Russia. | Reported by Sky News | |||||
| President Trump reversed a policy allowing Ukraine to build its own Patriot interceptor missiles. | Reported by Channel 5 | Reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Reported by a few · 2–4 channels | ||||||
| A drone attack on a Wildberries warehouse south of Moscow killed five people and set the warehouse alight. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | |||
| A Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv killed two people and wounded six. | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | ||||
| About 30 ballistic missiles were launched at Kyiv and none were intercepted. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |||
| Russia threatened the UK with consequences for the use of British drones in strikes on Russian territory. | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by Sky News | |||
| Ukraine said it lacks the means to defend its skies against Russian strikes. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News | |
| A double Russian missile strike in Pecheny near Kharkiv killed 10 people and wounded 17. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Russia reported three deaths in Belgorod from overnight strikes. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| UK Prime Minister reaffirmed support for Ukraine after Russia threatened consequences over reports of British drones used in strikes deep inside Russia. | Reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia killed 5-13 people. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| Zelensky is lobbying for expanded access to Starlink for long-range strikes. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |||
| 183 civilians have been killed in Russia this year, nearly two and a half times as many as in the same period last year. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| 293 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the year. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| A residential building was hit and partially collapsed. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Fedorov was the first senior Ukrainian political figure to call for elections during the war. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News | |
| President Zelensky visited Serbia for the first time, a traditional Russian ally and one of the few countries not to impose sanctions on Russia. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Russian strikes destroyed a book market in Kyiv. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| The British Ministry of Defence said Britain stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The UK has committed to supplying 150,000 drones to Ukraine this year. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Ukraine has only about a dozen PAC-3 interceptors left, while Zelensky says it needs about 300. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Ukraine reported damage to the seaport in Odessa and eight injuries. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Only on one channel | ||||||
| A border post near the Moldovan crossing in Odessa province was attacked by drones. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
| A metro station used as a shelter was built over 60 years ago and designed to withstand a nuclear war. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
| At least eight people have been killed in Ukraine. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| At least six people were killed in the drone attack. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| In July, 373 ballistic missiles were fired into Ukraine, more than twice as many as the previous month. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Inverclyde's council leader said migrants would bring benefits to the area. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| More than 800 drones were shot down overnight. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| NATO only intercepts Russian aircraft, which allows Russia to gather intelligence. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
| President Zelensky said only one of 27 ballistic missiles fired at Kyiv was intercepted. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| President Zelensky said up to 30,000 North Korean troops are being deployed to Russia's border with Ukraine. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Putin admitted the strikes cause economic harm. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| Russia claimed it hit a factory producing components for Ukrainian cruise missiles. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Russia claimed the strikes targeted military industrial facilities and logistics. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Russia is having to import fuel from India. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Russia is using North Korean ballistic missiles in attacks on Ukraine. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Russian attacks on Zaporizhia and Khazan killed five people. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Serbian President Vucic reiterated that Serbia unequivocally supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and European path. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The attack occurred two days after a suspected Russian cruise missile landed in Poland. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The attack was the second massive round of Russian missile attacks in 48 hours. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| The founder of Wildberries called the strikes acts of terrorism. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| The legislation targets major buyers of Russian oil and opposes additional sanctions on Russian leaders and oligarchs. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Three people, including two children, were killed in the city of Sumy. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Ukraine denied targeting civilians. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| Ukraine hit a Russian oil refinery more than 1,500 kilometres from the border, confirmed by Zelensky, with the refinery located in Perm Krai. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
| Ukraine's long-range drones have hit every major oil refinery in Russia. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Ukraine's strikes on Wildberries warehouses aim to disrupt Russia's economy and military logistics. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| US stocks of Patriot interceptors have fallen from 2,330 to about 800. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Wildberries is Russia's largest online retailer. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| Zelensky said North Korean missiles were used in an attack on Zaporizhia. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Zelensky said the strikes are meant to bring the war back to Russia. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News focused on the strategic shift in the war, highlighting Ukraine's deep strike capability and the impact on Russian oil infrastructure and logistics. It also gave detailed analysis of the Patriot interceptor shortage and the political implications of Trump's reversal.
Key Quotes:
- “The red lines, well, they're gone.”
- “Ukraine's long range drones have now hit every major oil refinery in Russia, including the biggest one of all, which is way out there in Siberia called Omsk.”
- “In the attack on Kyiv last night, 27 ballistic missiles were fired and according to President Zelenskyy only one of those missiles was intercepted.”
BBC ONE West focused on the human impact in Russia, with reports from Moscow on how drone strikes on Wildberries and oil refineries are affecting ordinary Russians. It also covered the civilian casualties in Ukraine and the political fallout.
Key Quotes:
- “In Moscow, they woke to news there'd be more Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia. Three warehouses hit, and fatalities.”
- “This summer, Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries sparked a fuel shortage.”
- “All of this has brought the war much closer to home.”
ITV1 focused on the scale of the drone attacks, the destruction of civilian infrastructure like the book market, and the UK's role in supplying drones. It also highlighted the human cost on both sides.
Key Quotes:
- “Ukraine has launched one of its largest drone attacks on Russia since the start of the war, killing at least six people.”
- “Moscow's mayor says more than 800 drones were shot down overnight.”
- “At least eight people have been killed in Ukraine, following the latest wave of Russian strikes across the country.”
5 News focused on the UK's involvement and the Russian threats, framing it as a potential escalation. It also covered the drone strikes and the fuel shortages.
Key Quotes:
- “The UK will pay for sending weapons to Ukraine. That's the threat from Russia.”
- “It's now been confirmed some of the drones doing this damage have been supplied by Britain.”
- “Russia has issued a statement saying Britain is collaborating with what it calls the neo-Nazi regime in Ukraine.”
Channel 4 provided in-depth analysis of the Patriot interceptor shortage, the fuel queues in Moscow, and the strategic implications of Ukraine's deep strikes. It also included expert commentary on the war's trajectory.
Key Quotes:
- “Long queues for petrol here in Moscow after Ukrainian drones attacked Russian refineries.”
- “The Russians are now admitting that they are having to import fuel from India.”
- “To find petrol, you have to drive halfway across Moscow, says this taxi driver.”
Sky News focused on the military analysis of the deep strikes, the economic impact on Russia, and the political implications, including Putin's rare admission of harm. It also covered the NATO airspace incursions.
Key Quotes:
- “Ukraine have hit a Russian oil refinery more than 1,500 kilometres from the border.”
- “It's all part of the coherent strategy of trying to stop Russia earning money from revenue from oil, but it also leads to, there's a lot of long queues at petrol stations now.”
- “Putin has actually admitted that there is economic damage.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.