Russia launched a significant series of strikes on the night of August 27 to 28, killing at least 21 civilians, including children, and damaging civilian infrastructure and European diplomatic facilities, according to The Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The August 27 to 28 strike series was the second largest of the war and the largest since the August 15 US-Russia summit in Alaska, supporting ISW's assessment that Russia stockpiled drones and missiles in the lead-up to the summit while conducting smaller strikes to appear as a good-faith negotiator. ISW stated that Russia is likely to escalate strikes in the coming weeks, resuming a campaign to target Ukrainian infrastructure before fall and winter. In parallel, France and Germany announced they will provide Ukraine with additional air defense systems and deepen security cooperation, according to a joint statement following a Franco-German ministerial summit attended by Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Emmanuel Macron, as reported by The Guardian. Separately, Ukrainian fighters were documented in Moskalivka, Kharkiv Oblast, with satellite imagery confirming their presence after August 10th, potentially around August 27th or 28th, based on a burnt field near their position. Local reports from Moskovka (formerly Myrove) indicated the village was cleared by Ukrainian forces about a week prior, around August 20th. Peugeot Landtrek pickups equipped with twin M1910 machine guns have been observed in Ukrainian service, with approximately a dozen recently delivered to Ukraine's 111th Territorial Defense Brigade, likely for use as weapons platforms. In other news, the gaming platform Roblox recently removed the games "Nuclear Power Plant" and "Chernobyl: Night Of The Disaster" after the Russian government considered banning the platform.
