Ukraine News Updates - August 21, 2025
Australia Joins Ukraine Damage Registry
Australia became the 45th member of the International Register of Damage caused by Russia's aggression against Ukraine, joining as an associate member. The Registry, established under the Council of Europe following a UN General Assembly resolution, serves as the first step toward creating a compensation mechanism for war victims. Based in The Hague and led by executive director Markiyan Klyuchkovsky, the Registry will feed into a compensation commission expected to launch by late 2025 to process claims and award payments to those affected by Russian aggression.
Ukraine Unveils Long-Range Flamingo Missile
Ukraine has revealed its domestically produced "Flamingo" cruise missile with a range exceeding 3,000 kilometers, now in serial production. Photojournalist Yefrem Lukatsky published images taken on August 14, 2025, at an undisclosed location showing the missiles at a facility operated by defense company Fire Point. The photographs were taken at one of the country's leading defense manufacturers, though no additional technical specifications or operational details have been disclosed at this time.
Russia Deploys New LTE-Connected Drone
Ukrainian military intelligence reports Russia is actively using a new drone equipped with LTE communication and remote-control capabilities across multiple front sections. The drone features a delta-wing design similar to Shahed-131 but smaller, with dual LTE modems enabling real-time video transmission through mobile base stations. It can function as a reconnaissance, strike, or decoy aircraft to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses. The drone uses jam-resistant satellite positioning with four patch antennas and resembles the Russian-made Italmas loitering munition.
Svyrydenko Presents New Government Action Plan
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko unveiled the new government's 12-point strategic plan covering security, economy, and reconstruction. Key initiatives include allocating half the defense budget to domestic weapons production, EU accession negotiations by the end of 2025, anti-corruption reforms, and veteran support programs. The plan targets healthcare improvements with doctor salary increases to 35,000 hryvnias, education reforms for 100,000 teachers, business investment attraction of over 5 billion euros, and winter energy stability through 13.2 billion cubic meters of gas accumulation.
Kyivstar Lists on Nasdaq Exchange
Ukraine's largest digital operator, Kyivstar, completed its public listing on Nasdaq under the ticker KYIV through a SPAC merger with Cohen Circle Acquisition Corp. Parent company Veon retains 89.6% ownership, with the listing expected to raise $50-200 million. Kyivstar serves 23 million mobile subscribers and 1.1 million fixed internet users, reporting 36.1% revenue growth in the first half of 2025. The company operates digital services, including medical platform Helsi and ride-hailing service Uklon.
Dropla Tech Raises €2.4M for AI Mine Detection
Danish-Ukrainian startup Dropla Tech secured €2.4 million from EIFO (Danish Export and Investment Fund), Maj Invest, and Final Frontier to develop AI technologies for mine detection. Founded in 2023 by four Ukrainians, the company employs over 35 specialists across Denmark and Ukraine. Their flagship BLUE EYES system autonomously detects mines in real-time without external server access, integrating with various drones for enhanced military safety. The company also develops DROPLA VISION, a multisensor mapping platform combining optical, thermal, and other sensor data for humanitarian demining operations.