Russia's defence ministry said early on Friday that it had thwarted an overnight drone attack by Ukraine on Novorossiysk, a Russian naval base on the Black Sea. A Ukrainian intelligence official told Reuters that a Russian vessel was damaged in the attack, although the regional governor had earlier stated that there had been no damage or casualties. Read our live blog to see how all the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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5:35pm: Lithuania to close two borders with Belarus over Wagner presence
NATO member Lithuania will close two of its six border crossings with Belarus amid concerns over the presence of Wagner mercenaries there, the Lithuanian deputy interior minister said on Friday.
"We are preparing the decision to shut down two checkpoints," Arnoldas Abramavicius told AFP, naming the Sumsko and Tvereciaus crossings as those to be closed.
Moscow-allied Belarus has been hosting Wagner fighters following their short-lived rebellion against Russia's top military brass.
Lithuanian and Polish leaders said earlier this week that around 4,000 mercenaries were stationed in Belarus already.
3:32pm: Chinese special envoy Li Hui to visit Jeddah for Ukraine talks
Chinese Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui will visit Jeddah for talks on Ukraine, China's foreign ministry said on Friday.
China is willing to work with the international community to continue to play a constructive role in promoting a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine, spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in a statement.
2:38pm: No explosives found on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant roofs, says UN nuclear watchdog
The UN nuclear watchdog has "finally" been granted access to areas of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine that it first requested a month ago and has found no explosives, the agency said in a statement on Friday.
"International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts have observed no mines or explosives on the rooftops of Unit 3 and Unit 4 reactor buildings and the turbine halls ... after having been given access yesterday afternoon," the IAEA said.
1:25pm: Ukraine confirms its drones attacked a Russian naval base
Ukrainian drones targeted a port in southern Russia used as a base by Moscow's Black Sea fleet in an overnight attack, a Ukrainian security source told AFP Friday.
The drone assault on the Novorossiysk base was prepared with the involvement of the Ukrainian SBU security service, the source said. AFP managed to obtain a video of the attack, which showed a naval drone speeding towards a warship before the connection was severed.
12:21pm: Ukraine security service says Russia planning 'false flag' attack at Belarus refinery
Ukraine's SBU security service accused Russia on Friday of preparing to stage a "false flag" attack at the Mozyr oil refinery in Belarus in order to blame Ukrainian saboteurs as part of an effort to draw Belarus into the war in Ukraine.
In a statement, the Security Service of Ukraine said its assertions were based on information obtained from several sources, including a captured Russian serviceman. The security sevice did not provide evidence for its assertions.
10:51am: Poland detains Belarusian suspected of spying for Russia
Poland has detained a Belarusian man on suspicion of being part of a "Russian spy ring", Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said on Friday.
"Belarusian Mikhail A. took part in reconnaissance of military facilities and ports. He also carried out propaganda activities for Russia," Kaminski said on Twitter, recently rebranded as X, adding the man was the sixteenth person held in connection with the alleged spy network.
9:38am: Ukrainian sea drone attack reportedly damaged Russian naval vessel
Ukraine damaged a Russian naval vessel during a sea drone attack at the Russian port of Novorossiysk that was conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Navy on Friday, a Ukrainian intelligence source said.
"As a result of the attack, the Olenegorsky Gornyak received a serious breach and currently cannot conduct its combat missions," the source told Reuters.
7:37am: Russian defence minister praises frontline troops for 'successful offensive operations'
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has visited a combat zone in Ukraine to inspect a command post and meet senior military officers, the army said Friday.
Shoigu got an update on the situation on the front and "thanked commanders and soldiers ... for successful offensive operations" in Lyman in eastern Ukraine, it said, without mentioning when the visit took place.
7:02am: Russia says it thwarted Ukraine attack on Black Sea naval base
Russia's defence ministry said early on Friday that it had thwarted an overnight attack by Ukraine on a naval base in the Black Sea.
"Tonight, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with the use of two unmanned sea boats, attempted an attack on the Novorossiysk naval base of the Russian Armed Forces," it said, adding that Russian ships had destroyed the naval drones.
7:00am: Russian defence minister visits troops in Ukraine
Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu has visited the frontline headquarters of the "Centre" army group involved in the Ukrainian conflict, TASS cited the defence ministry as saying on Friday.
Shoigu was briefed by group commander Andrei Mordvichev, it said, without disclosing the location of the meeting.
6:06am: No casualties from Ukrainian attack on Novorossiysk
No casualties or damage have been reported from the Ukrainian sea drone attack on Novorossiysk, the RIA news agency cited regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev as saying on Friday.
5:57am: Russia says it fended off Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea
Russian air defences downed 10 Ukrainian drones over Crimea on Friday morning and suppressed three more with electronic countermeasures, TASS cited the Russian defence ministry as saying.
4:57am: Blasts, gunfire reported near Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk
Russian social media users reported hearing explosions and gunfire near the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk on Friday morning.
Videos posted in a local online community and circulated by Russian online news outlet Astra showed the movement of ships just off the coast, with the sound of gunfire coming from the direction of the sea.
4:45am: Russian opposition leader Navalny faces 20 more years behind bars
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny faces trial again on Friday to hear whether he has been found guilty of a series of extremism charges that could see him spend 20 more years behind bars.
He is already serving a nine-year sentence in a maximum-security prison for "embezzlement", a charge that his supporters say was trumped up in retaliation for challenging President Vladimir Putin.
Navalny said he expected the court to hand him a lengthy, "Stalinist" prison sentence of about 18 years, and called on his supporters to resist Putin's rule in a statement Thursday.
"Please consider and realise that by jailing hundreds, Putin is trying to intimidate millions," he said.
2:00am: Zelensky decries 'revolting' corruption at recruitment centres
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday decried "revolting" practices exposed during an audit of Ukraine's military recruitment centres and pledged to fix the system by placing in charge people who understood the meaning of war.
Zelensky has expressed indignation at corruption uncovered during the audit last month after a high-profile incident of wrongdoing came to light in the Black Sea port of Odesa.
"We had a detailed conversation," Zelensky said in his nightly video address after meeting Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko and SBU security service head Vasyl Maliuk.
The probe of recruitment offices is part of a long-running campaign to root out corruption, a critical issue as Ukraine presses a campaign to join NATO and the European Union.
Zelensky said all the findings of the investigation would be made public and subject to criminal proceedings.
12:08am: African leaders call for unlocking of Russian grain exports
African leaders involved in peace talks over Ukraine have called for the unlocking of Russian grain and fertiliser exports to revive a key Black Sea grain deal, South Africa said on Thursday.
The group also called for the United Nations to take action to release 200,000 tons of Russian fertiliser blocked in European Union seaports, said Vincent Magwenya, a spokesman for South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa.
"The leaders called for specific steps to remove obstacles to Russian grain and fertiliser exports, thus allowing the resumption of the full implementation of the Black Sea package initiative," Magwenya told a press briefing in Pretoria.
Key developments from Thursday, August 3:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said Kyiv's troops were faced with brutal fighting against Russian forces all along the front lines.
The EU banned drone sales to Belarus, a close Kremlin ally, and sanctioned prominent state TV presenters there.
Read yesterday's liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
