UK hands over Storm Shadow tech to Ukraine as Kremlin threatens strikes; 10 POWs return via Belarus

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham used his first foreign trip since taking office to announce the transfer of secret technology for producing long-range Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles to Ukraine, a move the Kremlin denounced as deliberately sabotaging peace efforts.

Arriving in Kyiv on 24 August for Ukraine's 35th Independence Day, Burnham said the UK would hand over blueprints for key British components of the missile, allowing Ukraine and France to establish local assembly lines in Ukraine. The decision marks a significant deepening of Western industrial support for Ukraine's defence industry.

"Who started the fire? That's the question, isn't it?" Burnham told journalists when asked about the Kremlin's accusations that the technology transfer is "adding fuel to the flames," as reported by The Guardian.

Speaking at St Sophia Cathedral alongside other Western leaders, Burnham compared Ukraine's struggle to Britain's fight in the Second World War. "My nation kept the flame of European freedom alive in the 20th century, you hold that flame in the 21st," he declared, according to The Guardian.

Kremlin warns of strikes on production sites

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow views the UK's decision "extremely negatively" and accused London of doing everything possible "to prevent any progress at all in the peace settlement process," as reported by Ukrainska Pravda.

Peskov claimed the Russian military is already "carrying out the relevant work, obtaining the relevant data to identify the production sites of such missiles and other military equipment, and taking measures to destroy the relevant facilities."

10 Ukrainian soldiers return from captivity

On the same day, Ukraine brought back 10 soldiers who had been listed as missing in action, via a prisoner swap conducted through Belarus. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the return on X, saying the soldiers served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard of Ukraine and fought on the Donetsk front, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda.

"All of them had been considered missing in action. And it is very important that we managed to bring them back," Zelenskyy said.

The swap came five days after Ukraine secured the return of 103 service members on 19 August.

Russian strikes kill two, injure 16 on Independence Day

Russian forces struck multiple Ukrainian cities on 24 August. In Kharkiv Oblast, a Tornado-S multiple-launch rocket system hit the city of Izium around 08:15, killing a 46-year-old man and injuring nine people, including a 13-year-old girl, according to Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration. A separate drone strike on a petrol station in Kharkiv injured two people.

In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russian forces struck the town of Pavlohrad, killing one person and injuring two, as reported by Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the regional military administration. Another attack on the Nikopol district injured five people, damaging a school, an office building and a multi-storey building, according to Hanzha.

Coalition of the Willing to meet again in September

Zelenskyy said Ukraine has asked participants in the Coalition of the Willing not to take breaks between meetings and to convene again as early as September, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda. Following the meeting in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said partners pledged support through "military and energy aid packages."

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced a new aid package for Ukraine, reaffirming Rome's commitment to Ukraine's security and reconstruction, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda.

EU signals readiness to welcome Ukraine

European Council President António Costa, speaking in Kyiv on Independence Day, said Ukraine has helped build "a new, truly geopolitical European Union" that is ready to welcome Ukraine as a member, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda.

Ground drones surpass 100,000 missions in 2026

Ukraine's Ministry of Defence reported that Ukrainian forces have carried out over 100,000 logistics and evacuation missions using ground robotic systems since the start of 2026, with monthly figures rising steadily from 7,511 in January to 19,969 in July, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda.