Ukraine is seeking $1 billion a month for US weapons purchases - Zelensky

Ukraine is seeking to secure at least $1 billion per month from its allies to purchase U.S.-made weapons, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Aug. 25 during a press conference in Kyiv with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. He noted that Norway had joined NATO’s Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program, allowing participating countries to procure arms from the U.S. Zelensky emphasized that consistent funding and expanded drone production are critical to pressuring Moscow and advancing Ukraine’s long-term security framework. Kyiv has already proposed a $90 billion U.S. weapons procurement plan, paired with a $50 billion partnership for drone production, framing the initiative as both a security necessity and a major investment opportunity for Western partners.

Three children and an young man were brought back from Russian occupation

Three children from Russian-occupied territories and a young man forcibly taken to Russia have been successfully returned to Ukraine, the Bring Kids Back UA initiative reported on Facebook. The children, aged 6 to 15, had been separated from their families for extended periods — some without parental care, others cut off by the occupation and unsafe evacuation routes. The young man, previously a resident of the Oleshky orphanage in Kherson Oblast, was taken first to occupied territory and later moved illegally to Russia.

Russia launched a large-scale drone attack on Sumy

Russian forces launched a large-scale drone attack on the Sumy hromada overnight on 24–25 August, causing at least 10 strikes and sparking fires in residential areas. According to Oleh Hryhorov, Head of the Sumy Oblast Military Administration, and Serhii Kryvosheienko, Head of the Sumy City Military Administration, both the Sumy and Romny hromadas came under attack. Hryhorov said early reports suggest no fatalities, though information on casualties is still being verified. Emergency services are working to extinguish the fires and assess the damage.

Russia made Mariupol and Berdiansk accessible for foreign ships

Russia has declared the occupied Ukrainian ports of Mariupol and Berdiansk open to foreign vessels, according to the Centre for Transport Strategies (CTS). The order, signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, is seen as a move to expand the export of stolen goods from occupied territories. Representatives of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic said the decision will boost shipments from Donbas and occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Mariupol has traditionally handled cargo such as metal, coal, and grain. CTS noted that Russia intends to increase the export of stolen Ukrainian grain and coal through these ports. It previously reported that 40,000–60,000 tonnes of mineral resources are shipped monthly via Mariupol, while over 300,000 tonnes of looted grain were exported from Berdiansk last year.