Senate passes Russia sanctions as Putin presses Ukraine war and tests NATO's resolve
The US Senate has passed sweeping new sanctions on Russian energy revenues as Moscow escalates strikes on Ukraine and US intelligence warns the Kremlin may test NATO on its own territory.
The US Senate has overwhelmingly passed a sanctions bill targeting Russia's energy revenues, allowing tariffs of up to 500% on Russian imports and 100% tariffs on countries buying Russian energy. The measure, named for the late Senator Lindsey Graham, awaits a House vote expected no earlier than early September.
The US Senate has voted overwhelmingly to pass legislation imposing new sanctions on Russia and Iran, a bill named for the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who championed the measure before his unexpected death in July. The sanctions target Russia's energy revenues and would allow tough new tariffs on major importers of Russian oil and gas. The House of Representatives will not take up the bill until at least early September. The vote comes as the war in Ukraine grinds on. Russian attacks near Kyiv killed at least three people, including a child, and falling debris ignited fires on the city's outskirts, days after President Zelensky warned that Ukraine's stocks of missile interceptors were running low. Ukrainian drones, meanwhile, struck a Wildberries warehouse in Ekaterinburg, more than 2,000 kilometres from the Russian border. The stakes extend beyond Ukraine. US officials say intelligence assessments indicate Russia may be increasingly willing to authorize provocative actions on NATO territory to test the alliance, a warning sharpened by the discovery of an explosive drone near a parked Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig airport in Germany, an incident described as a possible Russian attack.
Senate passes Graham sanctions bill targeting Russia's energy revenues
The US Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass legislation imposing new sanctions on Russia and Iran, a measure named for the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who championed the bill before dying unexpectedly in July.
The legislation is aimed squarely at Russia's energy revenues, the financial backbone of its war effort in Ukraine. It would allow tough new tariffs on major importers of Russian energy, targeting the countries whose purchases of Russian oil and gas continue to fund the Kremlin's campaign. According to reports, the package would permit tariffs of up to 500% on Russian imports, as well as 100% tariffs on countries purchasing Russian energy. Those figures, if enacted, would represent one of the most aggressive economic measures Washington has taken against Moscow since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Graham had been the driving force behind the bill, pressing the case for secondary tariffs as a way to squeeze Russian export income without direct military escalation. His death in July lent the measure a new name and, colleagues suggested, fresh momentum. The overwhelming Senate vote reflected broad bipartisan support for tightening economic pressure on Moscow, even as the Trump administration has pursued its own diplomatic track with the Kremlin.
The bill's passage in the Senate does not make it law. The measure must still clear the House of Representatives, where its timing remains uncertain, and would then need the president's signature. For now, the Senate's action stands as a signal of congressional appetite for a harder line on Russia's energy trade — and as a posthumous legacy for the senator who built it.
House delays vote until at least early September
The sanctions bill now moves to the House of Representatives, which will not take it up until at least early September. That leaves the measure in limbo for weeks despite its overwhelming passage in the Senate.
The bill, named for the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who championed it before his unexpected death in July, would allow tough new tariffs on major importers of Russian energy. According to reports, the package would permit tariffs of up to 500% on Russian imports, with tariffs of 100% on countries purchasing Russian energy.
What remains unclear is considerable. The exact terms of the measure and which countries would be targeted have not been confirmed, and there is no firm date for House action beyond the early September marker. The delay matters because sanctions aimed at Russia's energy revenues depend on sustained political momentum; a bill that sits untouched for weeks gives opponents time to organise and events time to overtake it. For now, the Senate's vote stands as a statement of intent rather than settled policy.
Strikes on Kyiv and a drone hit deep inside Russia
Russia launched overnight attacks on Ukraine shortly after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the country's stocks of missile interceptors were running low. A missile attack near Kyiv killed three people, including a child, and falling debris ignited several fires on the outskirts of the capital, according to Ukrainian officials.
Ukrainian emergency workers report a growing pattern of Russian drone attacks on hospitals and ambulances, adding pressure on medical services already strained by more than three years of war.
Ukraine responded with a long-range strike of its own. Ukrainian drones hit a warehouse operated by Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, in Ekaterinburg — more than 2,000 kilometres from the Russian border. The distance of the strike underscores the reach Ukraine's domestically produced drones have achieved, bringing targets deep inside Russian territory within range.
The exchange of attacks comes at a precarious moment for Ukraine's air defences. Zelensky's warning about interceptor supplies was a rare public acknowledgment of the strain on the country's ability to protect its cities, and the overnight barrage that followed illustrated the cost of any gap in coverage. Kyiv and other major cities have relied on Western-supplied systems to shoot down incoming missiles and drones, and Ukrainian officials have repeatedly pressed allies for faster deliveries.
Russia has not commented publicly on the Wildberries warehouse strike. Ukrainian officials have said such attacks on logistics and commercial infrastructure are intended to disrupt the economic machinery supporting Moscow's war effort.
Intelligence warnings of Russian provocations on NATO territory
American officials say intelligence assessments point to a growing Russian appetite for risk beyond Ukraine's borders. According to those officials, the assessments indicate Moscow may be increasingly willing to authorize provocative actions on NATO territory in order to test the alliance's cohesion. The reported concerns extend to hybrid operations and cyberattacks, though officials have not publicly detailed specific plots or targets.
One incident in Germany has drawn particular attention. An explosive drone was found hovering near a parked Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig airport, in what was described as a possible Russian attack. The briefing does not establish when the incident occurred, and no attribution has been confirmed by authorities.
Separately, an analysis found that accounts linked to the Russian military promoted far-right messages following the mass arrival of migrants in Ceuta, the Spanish enclave on the North African coast. According to the analysis, those accounts reached more than 500,000 people. The activity fits a pattern Western officials have long attributed to Russian information operations: exploiting migration and social tensions inside European countries to deepen political divisions.
Taken together, the warnings from US officials, the Leipzig incident and the Ceuta findings describe what analysts see as a broadening campaign of pressure on the alliance, conducted at a level intended to remain below the threshold of open conflict. None of the intelligence assessments has been independently verified, and the claims rest on accounts provided by officials and analysts rather than on confirmed findings.
Putin reshuffles command and creates a drone warfare branch
The Kremlin has carried out a series of military changes following criticism over what reports describe as Russia's slowest territorial gains in years. According to those reports, Putin appointed new commanders for the war in Ukraine and announced a restructuring of logistics and other military units under a unified command intended to support the campaign.
The most striking of the reported changes is the creation of an entirely new branch of the armed forces. Putin has named Denis Lyamin to lead the newly established Unmanned Systems Forces, a branch responsible for drone operations, according to the reports. The move reflects how central drone warfare has become to the conflict, with both sides relying heavily on unmanned aircraft for strikes and reconnaissance.
None of these appointments or structural changes has been independently confirmed beyond the initial reporting, and the Kremlin has not publicly detailed how the unified command will function in practice. Nor is it clear whether the shake-up will alter the pace of Russian operations on the ground, where the war has settled into a grinding contest of attrition. The reported reshuffle nonetheless signals that dissatisfaction with the military's performance has reached the highest levels of the Russian leadership, and that Putin is looking to organisational change rather than a shift in strategy to answer it.
A crypto law and eased deposit rules at home
At home, President Putin has moved to tighten the state's grip on digital finance. According to reports, he signed Russia's first comprehensive law regulating cryptocurrency exchanges, custodians, brokers and mining operations. The measure legalises crypto trading while keeping a ban in place on using digital currencies for payments inside the country. Under the reported terms, only firms entered on a state registry will be permitted to operate exchanges after July 1, 2027, giving the authorities a licensing lever over the entire sector.
Reports also suggest Putin exempted foreign nationals and the Russia-based branches of foreign companies from recently imposed deposit restrictions, easing rules governing so-called Type C accounts. Those accounts have been used to hold funds belonging to investors from countries Moscow designates as unfriendly, and the restrictions had limited how the money could be moved or withdrawn. The reported exemption would soften that regime for foreign holders, though the precise scope of the changes has not been officially detailed.
A critic departs as Putin's quarter-century in power continues
Boris Nadezhdin, one of the few prominent critics of Vladimir Putin still living in Russia, has left the country after being barred from running for parliament. Nadezhdin had criticized the war in Ukraine and attempted to challenge Putin in the 2024 presidential election. His departure removes one of the last visible opposition figures from domestic Russian politics.
Nadezhdin's exit comes as Putin's hold on power extends well past the quarter-century mark. Putin has served continuously as either president or prime minister since 1999 — prime minister from 1999 to 2000, president from 2000 to 2008, prime minister again from 2008 to 2012, and president since 2012. A former intelligence officer, he has been characterized as Russia's de facto leader throughout that period.
The war Putin launched in 2022 has generated extensive nonfiction filmmaking about life under siege, but relatively little dramatic storytelling. That gap is addressed by "I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming," a German-Ukrainian film that brings fictional narrative to a conflict so far documented mainly through the lens of documentary cinema.
Vladimir Putin became Russia's prime minister, beginning his continuous hold on the office of president or prime minister.
Putin began his first tenure as President of Russia, which lasted until 2008.
Putin returned to the role of prime minister, serving until 2012.
Putin began his current tenure as President of Russia.
Russia invaded Ukraine, a war that has since generated extensive nonfiction filmmaking about life under siege.
Boris Nadezhdin, a critic of the war in Ukraine, attempted to challenge Putin in the presidential election.
Senator Lindsey Graham, champion of the Russia sanctions bill, died unexpectedly.
The US Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass the Russia and Iran sanctions bill, named for the late Senator Graham.
The US House of Representatives is not expected to vote on the Russia sanctions bill until at least this point.
Under Russia's new crypto law, only firms on a state registry may operate exchanges after this date.
Frequently asked questions
What is the new Russia sanctions bill passed by the US Senate?
The US Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass legislation imposing sanctions on Russia and Iran, aimed at Russia's energy revenues. The measure would allow tough new tariffs on major importers of Russian energy, with reports suggesting tariffs of up to 500% on Russian imports and 100% tariffs on countries purchasing Russian energy. The bill was championed by Senator Lindsey Graham, who died unexpectedly in July, and was named for him. The House of Representatives will not vote on it until at least early September.
What happened in Russia's latest attacks on Ukraine?
Russian attacks on Ukraine killed at least three people, including a child, with a missile attack near Kyiv and falling debris igniting several fires on the outskirts of the capital. The overnight attacks came after President Zelensky warned that Ukraine's stocks of missile interceptors were running low. Ukrainian emergency workers also report increasing Russian drone attacks on hospitals and ambulances.
Did Ukrainian drones strike inside Russia?
Ukrainian drones struck a Wildberries warehouse in Ekaterinburg, more than 2,000 kilometres from the Russian border. The strike demonstrates Ukraine's ability to hit targets deep inside Russian territory.
Who is Boris Nadezhdin and why did he leave Russia?
Boris Nadezhdin is a critic of the war in Ukraine who attempted to challenge Vladimir Putin in the 2024 presidential election. He had been one of the few prominent Putin critics still living in Russia. He left Russia after being barred from running for parliament.
Is Russia planning actions against NATO territory?
According to US officials, intelligence assessments indicate Russia may be increasingly willing to authorize provocative actions on NATO territory to test the alliance's cohesion, including hybrid operations and cyberattacks. Separately, an explosive drone was found hovering near a parked Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig airport in Germany, an incident described as a possible Russian attack.
Compiled from reporting by 12 independent outlets. How we source our reporting.
