As Russian war machines advance in eastern Ukraine, another attack is taking place far beyond the front line. Russia has stepped up nightly drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and civil infrastructure, and its strikes have intensified as it rapidly increases production of those weapons.

While many drones are not particularly high-speed or high-tech, they are cheap enough for the Kremlin to launch more than 700 in one night, to help the Kremlin overpower the Ukrainian air force and destroy civilian morale, experts say.

After obtaining Iranian designs for Shahed Attack Drones, Russia built its own giant factory to stir up thousands of weapons each month. Its evolving tactics force Ukraine to fight back with more expensive ammunition and innovation.

The rapid rise in drone strikes shows how war evolved to rely on these unmanned, self-driving cars.

Ukraine and Russia have been driven to improve drone capabilities to compensate for the deficiencies in air force capabilities, a dynamic that does not apply to all Western countries. However, experts say the US and its European NATO allies are actively working to improve drone and counter-drone operations to maintain advantages in future conflicts.

“NATO will probably use drones on a large scale, not on the same scale as Russia or Ukraine, because we have these large air forces that we invested in.

Taiwan is already considering developing a number of cheap attack drones, Tollest said. Non-state actors and drug cartels around the world are also increasingly dependent on drones. “These will pose a major challenge to unprepared troops around the world,” he added.

This is how Russia’s drone campaign operates and how Ukraine is working to fight back.

Russia is heading towards producing more than 6,000 Shahed drones each month, the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Agency told CNN. And it is much cheaper to produce attack drones within Russia compared to the early days of the war, when Moscow was buying them from Tehran.

“In 2022, Russia paid an average of $200,000 for one such drone,” a Ukrainian defense source said. “In 2025, that number reached around $70,000,” said large-scale production at an Arab Gadrone factory in the Tatarstan region of Russia.

However, cost estimates vary widely. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a DC-based think tank, has found that Shahed-136 estimates range from $20,000 to $50,000 per drone. In comparison, a single surface-to-air missile interceptor can cost over $3 million.

This relatively low cost allows the Kremlin to bolster nightly drone attacks and carry out more frequent, large-scale attacks. In the early days of the war, major missile and drone salvos happened once a month. CSIS analysis shows that on average it occurs every eight days.

For many civilians, the constant threat of drone attacks is horrifying.

Kyiv resident Bohdana Zhupanyna was seriously pregnant in July when her family’s apartment disappeared due to a Russian drone strike.

“Because such stress during nine months of pregnancy is extremely dangerous,” Zhupanyna, who then safely rescued the baby, told CNN shortly after the strike. “I lost a lot in this damn war. My father was killed by the hands of the Russians, my apartment was destroyed by the hands of the Russians, and my mother was almost killed by the hands of the Russians.”

And while Russia uses long-range drones to attack Ukrainian cities hundreds of miles from the frontline, it explains that civilians living in cities near Russia-controlled areas are plagued by daily FPV drone attacks. Residents in the Kherson area previously told CNN that FPV drone attacks had been reported on pedestrians, cars, buses and even ambulances, and the target appears to be out of reach.

Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians despite substantial evidence of the opposition.

Yasir Atalan, a data fellow at CSIS, said the percentage of drones that hit targets has nearly doubled, with hit rates of nearly 20% since April being nearly 20% over 2024, with targets being under 10% in 2024. And in the analysis, the CSIS analyst wrote: “It doesn’t matter whether an individual Shahed hits the target. What’s important is the combined effects of terrorist weapons on civilians and the stress that it puts on air defense.”

Russia’s tactic is to “maintain constant pressure,” Atalan told CNN. “Their strategy is now increasingly focusing on this type of attrition.”

Ukraine also fought back with frontline FPV drones and used long-range drones to attack infrastructure and weapons facilities within Russia.

“For all technological developments, both parties are already looking for solutions. And because the innovation cycle is so fast, (a) the 2-3-week issue already shows (a) the adoption of technology breakthroughs.”

“So some of the approaches that may be effective right now may not be as effective in the coming months,” Stefanenko said.

Currently, both Ukraine and Russia are working on developing AI-powered drones that can not only create interceptor drones that can be deployed as a cheaper way to counter air attacks than launching missiles, according to ISW, but can also make their own decisions on the battlefield.

“There are many reports of Ukrainians testing some of these drones, but we haven’t seen them being deployed on a large scale,” Stepanenko said. “The development of interceptor drones will help unlock Ukrainian capabilities and help the Ukrainian forces maintain some of their (their) air defense missiles for missile strikes.”

When he rolled over a steep cliff in Norway, Alec Rune knew his life was in danger.

I remember thinking, “This is really bad. This is the beginning of a disaster movie,” Rune said in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “This is a moment when everything is really, really wrong.”

Rune, a 38-year-old climate journalist from Wisconsin, set out for a four-day lift in Forgefonna National Park in southwestern Norway in late July.

Rune, an experienced hiker who completed several solo trips in challenging circumstances, knows that cell service is uneven and warns his wife that communication from within the park is intermittent.

Things quickly failed.

On the first day of his hike, the only one of his left boots began to separate, and Rune patched the boots with athletic tape. Despite the early issues, Rune moved forward.

“I didn’t want to go back. It was just the beginning of the hike,” he said. “That was the first bad decision I made.”

Later that day, he reached his destination – the Bourbreen Glacier, the tongue of the third largest vast Forgehunna Glacier in the country. He then hiked to the ridge leading to a nearby valley.

“That’s when a disaster occurs,” Rune said.

The wrong step was that rune turned the side of the mountain.

“I remember first sliding down the mountains, rolling around the mountains, pinballing around the mountains,” he said.

When he finally stopped, Rune noticed that his left femur had snapped.

“My left foot was just floping, without direction,” he said. “I basically couldn’t move.”

His backpack was torn in the fall, with some belongings missing, including his cell phone and a water dining room.

It was Thursday and Rune realized he would likely need to survive in the wilderness for a few days. His wife did not expect any contact from him until Monday.

The first few days were “drought trials,” Rune said.

The sun dug a hole in the rune, which was barely protected from the heat.

He had some peanuts and granola bars but had a hard time eating without water.

“My mouth was so dry that the food turned into concrete in it, and I couldn’t swallow it,” he said.

Desperately hungry and dehydrated, Rune relies on drinking her own urine to survive in the end.

“The next time I had to pee, I peed on my water pouch,” he said.

Back in London, it turns out that his wife, Veronika Silchenko, was unable to board a return flight to the UK on Monday. She panicked and began notifying Norwegian authorities, Silkenko told CNN.

By the time Luhn’s search began, weather conditions at the park changed, and heavy rains hindered operations.

On the morning of Wednesday August 6th, Rune finally saw a faint glow of hope.

Things improved, and the Norwegian Red Cross mobilized a large team of volunteers, including specialized climbing teams and drones.

“I woke up in the morning. It was so cold and wet. There was a slight break in the weather, I could go through the valley and see a little sun coming in, and the helicopter came,” he said.

However, it was a tough six days in the wild, and Rune was experiencing hallucinations. He questioned whether the helicopter was the real thing.

Nevertheless, he shook it and cried out, trying to grab the crew’s attention. The aircraft moved without detecting Luhn.

Deciding not to miss a second chance at rescue, Rune pulls out a tent pole and ties it with a bandana to flag the helicopter.

After about 45 minutes it came back and began scanning the terrain.

“I was just waving, screaming on my own, and finally, the side door of the helicopter opened and someone turned to me,” Lu said.

After the rescue, Rune was treated at the hospital, where he was reunited with his wife.

“I said, ‘I love you,’ and she said,’ she said, ‘I’m going to tear you a new thing, but for now, I love you,’ Rune said.

This experience gave Rune a new lease in his life, he said.

“I was very lonely on that mountain. I didn’t see any other people nearby,” he said. “All the time I was there, I was thinking about how I would die on this hike I was trying to do. I never met my wife, parents, siblings or sisters again.”

“It was the most painful thing I could think of,” he said.

Seoul, Korea
–

North Korean leader Kim Jong gave emotional respect to soldiers killed while fighting for Russia in the war with Ukraine, saying he “stings my heart” with the rare tolerance of military losses.

According to North Korean state media KCNA, Kim made comments at a ceremony in Pyongyang on Thursday. He praised them as “heroic army,” and photos from state media show Kim pinning the awards to soldiers’ uniforms.

Photos released by KCNA showed Kim pinning the badge to the photo frame of the deceased soldier.

“My heart is bitter because I am faced with the reality that I can meet a noble person who has given up precious life for great victory and glory through photographs on the memorial wall,” he said in his speech, according to the KCNA.

“I don’t know how to express my regret and apologies for not being able to protect our precious son when I stand in front of the family of the bereaved soldier.”

The ceremony was shed tears, according to images released by North Korea. Kim met with the bereaved families who saw her sob and paying homage to the photographs of soldiers on the wall. In some images, Kim is seen accepting crying children and accepting soldiers.

Authorities then held a banquet to celebrate more of the returning troops, KCNA reported.

After a high-profile meeting between Kim and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, North Korea began sending numerous troops and equipment to support Russia’s war against Ukraine last year, bringing the authoritarian Asian power hidden at the heart of the European war.

Both Russia and North Korea initially refused to confirm the deployment, but have since publicly acknowledged the involvement of Pyongyang’s military.

Kim and his administration are nervous about reports that North Korean soldiers sent to fight in Kursk have suffered a major loss.

The Ukrainian and US intelligence agency suggests that Russia has around 12,000 North Korean troops, the first of which was sent in the fall of 2024.

Of that initial deployment, about 4,000 soldiers have been killed or injured, according to Western officials.

North Korea is one of the most militarized societies on the planet, with an estimated 1.2 million armed personnel and forced military service from the age of 17, but its forces have barely engaged in aggressive battles since the Korean War, when an armistice brought the enemy in 1953.

Pyongyang soldiers lack real-world fighting experience in modern war theatres and face unfamiliar terrain. However, some analysts have warned against the underestimation of North Korean forces fighting for Russia, saying they probably come from elite and highly indoctrinated forces.

In an interview with CNN, Ukrainian special operations forces described brutal and almost scientific tactics seen from North Korea on the battlefield. These include soldiers who exploded a hand-enlarged bullet next to their heads, rather than being captured. Others who remove helmets and heavy protective body armor to move faster when attacking Ukraine’s position.

Despite the great losses, cooperation between North Korea and Russia continues. Since the war began, Pyongyang has sent thousands of ammunition or munitions-related materials to Russia, and Moscow’s troops have launched North Korean missiles in Ukraine, US officials said.

New information from Ukrainian authorities in July suggested that North Korea would triple the number of Russian troops. This will send another 25,000-30,000 soldiers to support Moscow in the coming months.

Officials from the Western Intelligence Agency have confirmed the estimates, saying they saw information differently from the Ukraine rating, which shows the same numbers.

This also raises fear among international observers of what Moscow is offering Pyongyang in exchange for fear of advanced space and satellite technology, as well as technology that can boost the country’s nuclear weapons programme.

Epping, UK
–

Bell Hotel in Epping Just outside of London, there are no new reservations, but they’re full every night. That’s because since 2020, it has been used by the government to house thousands of asylum seekers who have arrived on England’s southern coast each year and are trapped in administrative scope.

Save the hoteliers. No one is happy with the current system. They have to cut a large amount of money to pay a favorable contract, not a government or local council. I’ve lived for years in a small room waiting to learn whether I’d be able to stay in the UK, not asylum seekers. And recently, some people feel that in the case of Epping Hotels, rather than locals, are not feeling safe by a group of young men living in town.

Sometimes these complaints boil. In Epping, the flash point came last month after an Ethiopian asylum seeker was charged with sexually assaulting a female student on a local high street. He has been charged with other crimes and is awaiting trial. He denies the allegation.

Many residents were furious. Some held protests outside the hotel – fueled by the fierce right people, which became violent.

But the protesters were given something to cheer on Tuesday when the council won a landmark High Court ruling that blocked Bell Hotel owners from asylum seekers in their homes. The 138 people living there will need to be deleted next month.

The court’s ruling avoided the three-star hotel in the heart of a political fire and the centre of a major headache for the labor government. Where these asylum seekers go, next raises the most troublesome issues for Kiel Prime Minister Stage.

But for Nigel Farage, the leader of the firefighting world of the Right Rights Reform British Party, the verdict was a source of celebration.

Farage, once the driving force behind the British Brexit movement and now a member of Parliament, praised what he called a “great victory.” He sought similar protests outside immigrant hotels across the country, “putting pressure on local councils to go to court” and attempting to block asylum seekers from their homes.

If councils across the UK choose to take similar legal action, it could pose major problems for the government. Around 210 hotels are used in the UK to accommodate around 32,000 people. If other councils win a ruling like Epping, their claims about their asylum craze the British system while the government must find another place to house them within months.

Mohamed Kador said it took three years to reach England from Somalia. The longest time at 24 was everywhere, but in Austria he worked as a washing machine temporarily, but most were constantly moving. When he arrived in Dunkirk in northern France, he saved about $1,000. It was enough to buy him space for abandoned dinghy, and there were about 70 others who were hoping to see the white cliffs of England soon. The journey across the channel is “terrifying, painful and cold,” Cador told CNN.

When he arrived four months ago, he was taken to a processing centre. He has since lived at Bell Hotel.

At first, he said things were “normal.” While the locals were playing cricket he was playing football with others who were staying at the hotel. “We went out. No one bothered me,” he said.

Then came what he called an “incident.”

The “incident” seemed to have become a touchstone for the town’s collective mind.

In July, Hadush Kebatu, 38, from Ethiopia, was charged with sexual assault, harassment and engaging in sexual activity by a girl. She was 14 years old.

Eddie and Elaine, a couple who have lived in the area for 15 years and refused to give their last name, said the past few weeks were a turning point after years of relatively calm.

“It’s the worst thing that has problems this summer,” Elaine told CNN. “No one would really recommend that you have 150 men in such a place, at the corner of town, right next to the school.”

The day after the court’s decision, many people in the town made their feelings known. Dozens of people passed the Bell Hotel and rang the horns with apparent celebrations. Others call on “take the stars,” and “for time, remove “em.” “There were several loud chants of “Niiigel,” which supports Farage. This is one of the choices of British politicians who the public feels they know by their first name.

For Cador, the “incident” also changed everything. He said people threw beer cans at him while he was walking to the local store. Others scream “scum” as they drive.

“They say you’re innocent until you’re proven guilty. That’s the opposite now. It seems guilty until you’re proven innocent. At this point, you’re just an immigrant. You’re guilty.”

The road from the town centre to the Bell Hotel has been lined with white and red from the St. George Cross Flag in the past two weeks.

“I think it’s great,” said one passerby. “These are ours.”

But others were quietly plagued by the nationalism exhibition. One man said he didn’t want to be quoted because he feared that if he expressed support for immigration he would be a target for protesters on a recent night demonstrated outside the hotel.

“It’s a small town. People talk. Everyone knows where everyone lives,” he said.

Farage calls for “peaceful” demonstrations across the UK, but recent protests have not always been peaceful.

Last summer, the UK saw protests deviate from exacerbated violence and utter racism when misinformation helped promote anti-immigrant riots across the country. Dozens were arrested last July for the murder of three girls in Southport, northern England, in a Taylor Swift-themed yoga class, causing widespread anxiety. In one instance, protesters set fire to a hotel used to house asylum seekers while people were still inside.

Far-right activists have been accused of using social media platforms to spread disinformation, and have mistakenly claimed that Southport attackers, particularly those who have illegally arrived in the UK. In fact, the man convicted of murder was a teenager born to a Rwandan immigrant in Cardiff, Wales’ capital.

Since Labour came to power last summer, around 38,000 people have arrived at the small boats. It has been down since its peak in 2022, but more than a third of the previous year. Many of them are housed in hotels.

Recent policies such as “one one” deal with France cannot solve the central issues. Thousands of people risk their lives every year as they travel through the channel.

Coupled with frustration over the slowing of UK economic growth, the high levels of frustration with immigration provided a fertile foundation for naturalism.

“We’re a small country,” Eddie said. “You can only absorb it before changing the entire environment. But in reality, I was raised here by my parents after World War II.”

He was asked where he thought he was staying at Bell Hotel, and said, “I think there should probably be camps made for purposes. They have been around for years to think about this… They should absorb the influx and build some camps to deal with them.”

Following the court’s ruling, the government said it was considering a “appropriate accommodation range” to accommodate asylum seekers in the UK. The Home Office, which attempted to carry out an 11-hour intervention to halt the trial, warned that the court’s decision would “significantly affect” its ability to accommodate asylum seekers in hotels in the UK.

These impacts could be even greater as other councils are considering whether to submit their own legal assignments. Farage said 10 councils run by British reform would do “all power” to win similar rulings. Even some Labor Councils have announced similar plans.

All 80 rooms, which accommodate 138 people, must be empty by the evening of September 12th.

For Kador, a Somali, this means many more months before he can resume his life, perhaps as he sees it. Asylum seekers are not granted the right to work while their application is pending.

“I just want to prove that I am not a criminal. Prove that I can contribute. I am not a freeloader,” he said.

But whether he is in another hotel or in a different type of accommodation, there is little difference at all. “It’s going to be the same everywhere,” he said.

At least 14 people were killed Thursday after attacks on Colombian National Police helicopters and suspected car bombing near a military base.

It is unknown if the event is related.

Police said that they were attacked by a drone in the province of Antioch, and wounded two uniformed officers, as they supported the manual eradication of illegal crops in the area.

The governor posted a video that appeared to show the helicopter crashing into the hill.

Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Arunruco Sanchez said the attack was carried out by opponents of the former Revolutionary Army of Colombia (FARC), an opponent of Mayor Estado’s (EMC) 36th Front (EMC).

At least eight people have been killed and eight more injured, according to President Gustavo Peter.

Previously, he suggested that the powerful Crime Syndicate Bay clans could be involved, noting that the attack occurred after the seizure of 1.5 tonnes of cocaine in the Uraba region of Antioch. However, he later denounced the EMC’s 36th front.

National Police Carlos Fernando Triana Bertrand described the incident as a “terrorist act” and said police forces were treating the injured.

News of the helicopter attack came on the same day as the explosion near the air base of Marco Fidel Suarez in Cali.

At least six people have been killed and 50 injured in the explosion, the local health office said.

Colombian aerospace forces described it as a “terrorist attack” and said it was committed by a car bomb.

Police are currently securing the city’s entrance and exit, the mayor’s office said.

Mayor Alejandro Edder said emergency services are treating the injured. He has announced a reward of 400 million pesos (less than $100,000) to anyone providing information about the attack.

So far, no one has argued for responsibility for the explosion.

In June, a string of attacks in Kali and other towns in the Kali region killed at least seven people and injured 28 people. At the time, the prosecutor’s office said the attack was in response to the 2022 death of a local FARC opposition leader.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered negotiations for the release of all hostages and has ordered the end of the war in Gaza “on conditions that are acceptable to Israel.”

The Israeli military is planning to move forward with plans to control Gaza, Netanyahu said.

The Israeli leader’s remarks appeared in a video recorded Thursday ahead of a high-level security meeting called with the city of Gaza and the defense chief and Cabinet minister, focusing on approval of the operational plan to “decisively defeat Hamas.”

Netanyahu emphasized that Israel is now at a critical time.

“We’re at a critical stage,” he said.

This is the first time Netanyahu has publicly addressed the Gaza War Cerez-fire talks as Hamas actively responded to the latest proposals raised by Qatar and Egyptian mediators earlier this week.

Still, the Israeli Prime Minister did not avoid escaping the current proposal framework for whom he gave the order to commence immediate negotiations.

Israeli officials believe 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with at least 20 being believed to be alive.

In a recent official statement and official briefing, Netanyahu emphasizes that Israel is seeking a comprehensive agreement that will ensure the release of all hostages and meet Israel’s conditions to end the war.

He continued to push forward with plans for a massive attack on Gaza city and directed the military to shorten the operation’s timeline despite concerns from Gaza residents who described Israel’s plans as “the beginning of a new war” on Wednesday.

Israel has called tens of thousands of reserves to take part in the imminent military operation. According to a spokesman for the Israeli Secretary of Defense (IDF), Israeli troops are already located on the outskirts of Gaza.

“We are in the decision stage,” Netanyahu said at the video address. “Today I came to the Gaza Division and approved the plan (the Israeli Defense Force) presented to me, and approved it to the Minister of Defense for controlling Gaza City and defeating Hamas.”

At the same time, Netanyahu refrained from officially referring to the mediator’s proposal, revealing the possibility of a partial agreement.

According to two Israeli sources, Netanyahu manages development under strict secrets and confidentiality.