Russia rains down more than 200 missiles and drones on Ukraine... but are NATO's Baltic states next in Putin's sights?

By INDERDEEP BAINS, CHIEF NEWS CORRESPONDENT Published: 00:38, 10 August 2026 | Updated: 00:58, 10 August 2026 Russia stepped up attacks on Ukraine over the weekend amid intelligence warnings that Putin could invade Nato countries in Eastern Europe. More than 200 missiles and drones hit Ukraine, which is running short of vital air defences, in a blitz on Saturday night. The coastal town of Odesa bore the brunt, with a dozen injured and the city’s largest sports arena, the Chornomorets Stadium, damaged. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the seaport had been hit, adding: ‘In this way, the Russians are at war with the world’s food security.’ Missiles also struck a high-rise apartment block in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, according to reports. Footage showed smoke rising from the ten-storey building as officials said three people had died and 37 were wounded in the eastern city. In response, Ukrainian drones killed five people and injured 24 in Russia’s border region of Belgorod. It came as US intelligence warned Vladimir Putin could order an attack on a Baltic state within weeks. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia was 'at war with the world's food security' after the latest round of strikes Ukrainian firefighters hose down a building on August 9, 2026 in the aftermath of a Russian strike on a residential building in Odesa  Scenarios range from a cyber attack to a small-scale land incursion, according to The Wall Street Journal. The move, which reports say could come between this autumn and 2029, is designed to challenge Nato’s commitment to Article 5, which states an attack on one member is an attack on all. Ukraine claimed three strikes on Russian oil tankers and other cargo ships in the Black Sea on Sunday as both sides ramped up attacks on the other's logistics. E-commerce warehouses and Ukrainian petrol stations have come under heavy attack over the summer. Ukrainian state oil and gas giant Naftogaz said attacks on its locations had increased significantly during recent days. Ukraine's energy ministry said Russia had attacked power facilities in the Odesa region, causing a 'significant amount' of the port city's residents to lose electricity on Saturday night. But it said power had already been restored to 90,000 residents. Russia's defence ministry said it hit fuel storage facilities 'used in the interests' of the Ukrainian military in the ports of Odesa and nearby Chornomorsk. Pope Leo renewed his calls for an end to the four-year war on Sunday at the Vatican, where he said: 'Tragic incidents are multiplying, causing an ever-growing number of civilian victims, including children.'