The war in Ukraine, which broke out in February 2022 with Moscow's invasion of its neighbor, shows no sign of ending as both sides intensify attacks to gain control of contested regions.
Read our latest updates here. For all our coverage, visit our Ukraine war page .
Maldives: Small island nation with big role shipping chips to Russia
Russia grain deal exit hurting 345m vulnerable people: WFP chief
Russian ex-oil tycoon expects new rebellion to follow Wagner
Russia's grain deal exit to gradually hit Asia food supplies
Special report: Russia buying civilian drones from China for war effort
Note: Nikkei Asia decided in March 2022 to suspend its reporting from Russia until further information becomes available regarding the scope of the revised criminal code. Entries include material from wire services and other sources.
Here are the latest developments:
Monday, Aug. 21 (Tokyo time)
6:00 a.m. The Netherlands and Denmark have announced they will give F-16 warplanes to Ukraine in a long-awaited announcement that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called an important motivation for his country's forces that are embroiled in a difficult counteroffensive against Russia. The timeline depends on how soon Ukrainian crews and infrastructure are ready for the powerful U.S.-made jets, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told Zelenskyy as the two visited a Dutch air base. Zelenskyy welcomed the ''historic'' announcement and praised Rutte for making the Netherlands the first country to offer the planes.
Sunday, Aug. 20
7:10 p.m. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the Netherlands on Sunday in an ongoing push to boost Ukraine's air defenses, days after the United States approved the possible delivery of F-16 fighter jets by the Netherlands and Denmark. The Netherlands, together with Denmark, has in recent months led international efforts to train Ukrainian pilots for F-16s and to ultimately deliver the jets to help counter the air superiority of Russia, whose forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
"The main issue is F-16 for Ukraine to protect our people from Russian terror. We are getting stronger," Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram.
6:00 a.m. Training has begun for Ukrainians to operate U.S. F-16 fighter jets, but it will take at least six months, or possibly longer, to complete, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov says, two days after a U.S. official said the fighter jets would be transferred to Ukraine once its pilots were trained.
Reznikov says six months of training is considered the minimum for pilots, but it was not yet known how long it would take to train engineers and mechanics. Ukraine wants the sophisticated U.S.-made warplanes so it can counter the air superiority of Russia. "Therefore, to build reasonable expectations, set a minimum of six months in your mind, but do not be disappointed if it is longer," he says in a TV interview.
Saturday, Aug. 19
Rescue workers at the site of a Russian rocket strike in Chernihiv, Ukraine. © Reuters 8:30 p.m. Seven people, including a 6-year-old child, are killed and more than 120 wounded by a Russian missile attack in the northern city of Chernihiv, according to the Ukrainian interior ministry.
"A Russian missile hit right in the center of the city, in our Chernihiv. A square, the polytechnic university, a theatre," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is on a working visit to Sweden, posts on Telegram.
7:15 p.m. A Ukrainian drone targeted a military airfield in Russia's Novgorod region, causing a fire and damaging one warplane, Russia's Defense Ministry says. According to the ministry, nobody had been hurt and the fire was quickly extinguished.
5:30 p.m. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits Sweden, saying he is there to meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the royal family and other officials to thank them for supporting Ukraine amid Russia's invasion.
1:30 p.m. President Vladimir Putin visited the commander of Russia's operation in Ukraine and other top military brass, the Kremlin says, a meeting that came after Ukraine claimed counteroffensive gains on the southeastern front. "Vladimir Putin held a meeting at the headquarters of the special military operation group in Rostov-on-Don," the Kremlin said in a statement. Russia, which launched its invasion in Ukraine in February 2022, calls its actions a special military operation. The Kremlin added that Putin, Russia's supreme commander-in-chief, listened to reports from Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff of the Army in charge of Moscow's operations in Ukraine, and other top military commanders and officers.
For earlier updates, click here .