Navigating The Ukraine Crisis

Key events list, day 931

Combating

• In a statement published on the messaging app Telegram, the Ukrainian Air Force claimed to have shot down 24 out of 26 drones launched by Russia during the course of the previous night across five locations.
• Russia’s counter offensive against Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region, according to Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ruder, is currently only “marginal”.
• Russia has been charged by Ukraine with employing strategic bombers to launch a missile attack on a civilian grain freighter in the Black Sea close to Romania, a NATO member.
• The incident was described as a “unprecedented escalation” by Russia in its war on Ukraine by Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• As part of the Ocean 2024 naval exercises, ships from Russia’s Northern Fleet fired cruise missiles at targets in the Barents Sea, according to the Ministry of Defense. The ships used Vulkan and Oniks anti ship missiles, which have respective ranges of around 200 and 180 kilometers (124 and 111 miles).

Diplomacy And Politics

• At their meeting on Friday in Washington, DC, US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are anticipated to talk about allowing Ukraine to utilize long-range missiles provided by the West against Russia, a move that Kyiv has long advocated for.
• The head of Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, has charged NATO with being a party to military action in Ukraine and said that the organization was already deeply involved in military decision-making.
• Volodin made his remarks in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warning that if the West let Ukraine to use long-range missiles manufactured in the West to attack Russian territory, that would change the course of the conflict and lead to direct combat between the two countries.
• While traveling to the US, Starmer said reporters that “Russia started this conflict”. Ukraine was unlawfully occupied by Russia. Russia can put a stop to this war right away. The right to self-defense belongs to Ukraine, according to reports in British media.
• The accreditation of six British diplomats was revoked, according to Russia’s FSB security service, for allegedly engaging in espionage and “endangering Russia’s security”.
• Weeks after two countries inked a defense treaty, Sergei Shoigu, the head of Russia’s Security Council, met Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, in Pyongyang.

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

Putin threatens to wage war on NATO if Ukraine uses long-range weapons.

In order to attack deep within Russia, Zelenskyy of Ukraine has pleaded with friends to ease limits on armaments supplied by the West.

President Vladimir Putin has issued a warning, stating that NATO will be “at war” with his nation if Western countries permit Ukraine to launch long-range missiles inside Russia.

This would fundamentally alter the essence of the fight. It would imply that the US, Europe, and NATO members are at war with Russia,” Putin stated on Russian official television on Thursday.

He continued, “And if this is the case, then we will make the proper decisions based on the threats that will be created for us, keeping in mind the change in the very essence of this conflict.”

His remarks coincide with the US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Friday meeting in Washington, DC, where it is anticipated that they will talk about granting Ukraine permission to strike targets within Russia in light of growing worries about its casualties in combat.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has frequently demanded the lifting of limitations on long-range weaponry supplied by the West so that his forces might target airfields, ammo stores, and command centers located deep within Russia, therefore raising the costs of the invasion for Moscow.

While traveling to the US, Starmer spoke with media and declared, “Russia started this conflict.” Ukraine was unlawfully occupied by Russia. Russia can put a stop to this war right away. The right to self-defense belongs to Ukraine, according to reports in British media.

Presumably, it will be the final gathering of US and British leaders before Biden leaves office and before November’s US presidential election, which will match Republican Donald Trump against Democrat Kamala Harris.

During a debate with Harris this week, Trump repeatedly refused to take sides in the conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, saying simply that he wanted the war to end.

As US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy made a rare combined visit to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, where they promised $1.5 billion in extra help, Biden said he was “working” on Ukraine’s request.

On Thursday, Blinken concluded his three-nation European tour with an emphasis on Ukraine in Poland, following repeated requests from Ukrainian leaders to employ weapons provided by the West for long-range strikes within Russia.

“We’ve adjusted as the battlefield and what Russia is doing have changed,” Blinken declared during a press conference in Warsaw.

In self-defense, Biden has permitted Ukraine to fire US-supplied missiles across the border into Russia, though he has mainly restricted their range.

One of the main demands from Ukraine is to launch Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) made in the United States.

The primary threat that Ukraine confronts, however, comes from long-range Russian glide bombs that are fired from more than 300 km (186 miles) away, beyond the reach of the ATACMS, as stated by the Pentagon.

Putin’s remarks did not worry Donald Tusk, the prime minister of Poland, a NATO member that borders Ukraine, on Friday.

“I would not attach excessive importance to the latest statements from President Putin, but it is necessary to take all events in Ukraine and on the Ukrainian-Russian front very seriously,” Tusk said at a news conference.

“They primarily highlight the challenging circumstances facing the Russians in the front.”

Previously, Polish Foreign Minister Radowslaw Sikorski stated that Kyiv should be let to defend itself with Western weapons since “Russia is committing war crimes by attacking civilian targets.”

“Bomber aircraft above Russian territory fire missiles that strike these civilian sites. These bombers take off from Russian airfields,” Sikorski remarked.

Russian military have increased airstrikes around the nation and intensified pressure on the battlefield in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

Following its unexpected cross-border incursion on August 6, Ukraine continued to attack the Kursk area of western Russia; however, Zelenskyy stated on Thursday that Moscow’s troops were launching a counteroffensive.

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

Key events list, day 930

Combating

• As part of a significant attack in the western Kursk region, Russian military commander Major-General Apti Alaudinov stated that his forces drove Ukrainian troops out of “roughly 10 settlements,” according to Russia’s TASS news agency.
• Regarding the purported Russian retaliation, Ukraine has not yet responded. The Institute for the Study of War called the situation “fluid” and stated that the “size, scale, and potential prospects” of the counterattack were “unclear.”
• Overnight, Russia launched 64 drones, of which 44 were shot down by the Ukrainian air force. The Ukrainian Air Force also stated in a statement published on the messaging app Telegram that five missiles were used by Russian forces.
• The village of Konotop in northeastern Ukraine was targeted overnight by Russian forces targeting both civilian and energy infrastructure, according to Sumy region officials via Telegram. According to the statement, at least 13 persons were hurt in the attack.

Diplomacy And Politics

• During a joint visit to the Ukrainian city of Kyiv with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Secretary of State Antony Blinken of the United States pledged more than $700 million in humanitarian relief for Ukraine.
• In Kyiv, Lammy reaffirmed that the UK would give Ukraine an additional $782 million in aid and loan guarantees. The majority of the aid from the US and the UK is intended to support the electricity grid, which has been bombarded by Russia and has lost 70% of its generation capacity.
• Reacting to the redoubled requests from Ukrainian officials for permission to launch strikes deeper within Russia using missiles supplied by the West, Blinken said he would “bring the discussion back to Washington to brief the president,” adding that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden would “no doubt” talk about the matter when they meet in Washington the following Friday.
• In an online article, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that he and Blinken and Lammy had had “very substantive” discussions and that it was “important that Ukrainian arguments are heard.” “This encompasses the long-range armaments, the provision of combat brigades at the front lines, and the comprehensive plan for attaining a fair peace,” the speaker stated.
• Russia’s “shadow fleet” of tankers, which it exploits to export oil and get under a Western embargo imposed following its invasion of Ukraine, is the target of additional penalties announced by the British government.
• There are now 25 ships that have been sanctioned in total as a result of the UK’s third attempt to crack down on what the foreign ministry described as “critical revenue sources funding [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war machine.” It stated that the ten ships that were the focus of this round were “high-volume offenders.”
• To mobilize support for Ukraine, Blinken is meeting with President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland on Thursday in Warsaw. He is anticipated to talk about cooperation with the nation, which has increased its purchases of US weapons since the invasion and serves as a vital logistical entry point for Western military support into Ukraine.
• In response to Western sanctions, Putin stated in remarks that were shown on television that Russia has to think about restricting its exports of nickel, titanium, and uranium. He added that other commodities might also be subject to the limitations, pointing out that Russia was a significant producer of gold, diamonds, and natural gas. However, he stated that action did not have to be made “tomorrow” and that it could not hurt Russia.

Weaponry

• Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, refuted claims made by Western nations that Tehran has given Russia ballistic missiles to deploy against Ukraine, saying that the US and its allies were acting based on “faulty intelligence.”
• He referred to the pronouncements made on Tuesday that the US, the UK, France, and Germany will be imposing sanctions, notably on the national carrier Iran Air, on the purported deliveries of missiles to Russia, calling them “sanctions addicts.”
• “Hundreds of additional air defence missiles, tens of thousands of additional artillery ammunition rounds, and more armoured vehicles to Ukraine by the end of the year,” Lammy declared during his visit to Kyiv.
• Following a Russian drone accident in Latvia last week, Lithuania’s Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas stated NATO planes stationed in the Baltic states should fire down Russian drones that stray into their airspace. He stated that in addition to patrolling, NATO aircraft “must destroy the drones, if necessary.”
• The friends of Kyiv on its western frontiers have been urged by the country’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, to shoot down Russian drones and missiles above Ukraine. “Russian aircraft have already violated the airspace of neighboring countries and NATO countries on multiple occasions,” he stated.
• Renowned Russian policy hawk Sergei Karaganov stated in an interview with the newspaper Kommersant that Russia ought to make it plain that it is prepared to use nuclear weapons against nations who “support NATO aggression in Ukraine”.
• “It’s time to say that we have the right to use nuclear force in retaliation for any significant attacks on our land. He stated, “This also applies to any seizure of our territory,” as reported by Reuters.

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

Key events list, day 929

Combating

• 20 out of the 25 drones launched by Russia were shot down, according to the Ukraine Air Force, overnight into Wednesday.
• Despite Ukraine’s onslaught into western Russia, according to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Russian troops have advanced 1,000 square kilometers ( 390 square miles) into eastern Ukraine since early August.
• According to Russia’s national rail operator, “the intervention of non-authorized people” caused a freight train operating in the Belgorod region to derail close to the Ukrainian border.
• There were no confirmed casualties. Russia’s rail network, which is essential for getting troops and equipment to the front lines, has seen multiple attempts at sabotage since the invasion began in 2022.

Diplomacy and Politics

• In an unusual combined visit, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lamy are headed to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, who has pushed for further arms transfers and the lifting of limitations on their deployment farther into Russia.
• “What they need when they need it to be most effective in dealing with the Russia aggression,” according to Blinken, is something the US is committed to giving Ukraine.
• Zelenskyy declared, “we will do everything not just to defend our state and people, but to truly consolidate the world, “promising to lead a forceful international reaction against any nation aiding Russia in its war efforts.
• During their first presidential debate, former US President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris sparred over US policy during the war in Ukraine. If elected, Trump pledged to “just get this war finished and get it done.” According to Harris, Trump would “eat you for lunch” if he were to “give up” in response to pressure from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Weaponry

• The US imposed further restrictions on Iran, blaming it for providing Russia with ballistic missiles to deploy against Ukraine and for targeting ships and businesses it believed were connected to the country’s arms exports.
• Because of Tehran’s purported delivery of missiles to Russia, Britain, France and Germany declared they would terminate their aviation agreements with Iran and impose sanctions on the country’s national airline.
• Iran pledged to react to the new restrictions and denied that it was shipping missiles to Russia.
• The spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’, Nasser Kanaani, stated, “this action by the three European countries is the continuation of the hostile policy of the West and economic terrorism against the people of Iran, which will face the appropriate and proportionate action of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
• When asked if he will lift the prohibitions on Ukraine employing long-range weaponry inside of Russia, US President Joe Biden replied that his government is “working that out”.
• Ukraine accused Sergei Kobylash, the head of the Russian air force, of ordering an attack on a children’s hospital in Kyiv on July 8 that resulted in the deaths of two persons and extensive damage to the building.

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

Key events list, day 928

Combating

• Over 70 Ukrainian drones, including 12 that were en route to Moscow, were reportedly destroyed by Russia in the early hours of Tuesday. Three airports in the capital suspended flights due to the drones, and there were indications of an apartment fire in Moscow.
• The strategically significant city of Pokrovsk is located about 20 km (12 miles) east of the Ukrainian village of Memryk. According to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, the Russians have also taken control of at least two additional surrounding villages, destroyed Ukrainian soldiers, and repulsed eight enemy strikes in the Donetsk region. Memryk was not mentioned by Ukraine in their daily report.
• Following a nocturnal attack on Ukrainian river ports, Romania claimed to have discovered pieces of a Russian drone in a village close to the Danube River that borders Ukraine.
• A Russian drone discovered on Latvian soil over the weekend was identified as an Iranian-designed Shahed type drone that was armed with explosives, according to Lieutenant General Leonids Kalnins, Commander of Latvia’s National Armed Forces.

Diplomacy And Politics

• Tuesday’s talks between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy will take place in London and will cover topics including assistance for Ukraine.
• Leading opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Kara-Murza, told the AFP news agency in an interview that the only way to bring about peace was to overthrow Putin and advised the West not to give the Russian president a “face-saving” way out of the conflict with Ukraine. In a prisoner swap this month, Kara-Murza, who had been incarcerated in a Siberian penal colony for 25 years on charges of treason and other offenses related to his criticism of the war, was released.
• According to Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, will travel to Russia this week for a security meeting of the BRICS developing nations.
• During his visit to Riyadh, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. “Recent international and regional developments” were the topic of discussion, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

Weaponry

• Fazlollah Nozari, a senior commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, dismissed as “psychological warfare” rumors that Tehran had given Russia ballistic missiles. The reports were deemed “credible” by a representative for the European Union. It was claimed by The Wall Street Journal on Friday that Iran has supplied missiles with short range to Russia.
• The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine announced that it had called Shahriar Amouzegar, Iran’s charge d’affaires, to warn of “devastating and irreparable consequences” for bilateral ties in the event that the rumors turned out to be accurate.
• In its yearly report, the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) stated that since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, more than 1,000 people had been killed or injured by cluster munitions. The CMC also urged all nations to outlaw the weapons.
• Sweden will provide further military assistance to Ukraine totaling 4.6 billion Swedish crowns ($443 million), according to Minister of Defence Pal Jonson. Along with acquisitions that would make it easier to transfer Gripen fighter jets in the future—which should be agreed upon—the new package would contain ammunition for infantry fighting vehicles that Sweden has already supplied.
• Germany’s top military officer, General Carsten Breuer, stated that North Korea’s arms sales to Russia had bolstered Moscow’s position in Ukraine and enabled it to maintain fully supplied internal arsenals.

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

Key events list, day 927

Combating

• According to Governor Vadym Filashkin, Russia used cluster bombs to attack the village of Cherkaske in the eastern Donetsk area, resulting in at least three fatalities and one injury.
• A Russian air strike on the Sumy region resulted in two fatalities and four injuries, including two children, according to the regional military administration. In the northeast of Ukraine, Sumy borders Russia.
• After three more persons passed away from their injuries, the number of fatalities from a missile attack on a military school facility in the Ukrainian city of Poltava increased to 58.
• About 12 kilometers (7 miles) from Pokrovsk, a strategically significant town in eastern Ukraine, Russia claimed to have gained control of Novohrodivka. Prior to the war, Novohrodivka had 14,000 residents.
• The Ukrainian military’s General Staff reported severe fighting in the Pokrovsk area, including Novohrodivka, in its weekly update. It stated that seven skirmishes remained and that 29 Russian attempts at advance had been thwarted.
• According to the Ukrainian Air Force, air defense forces shot down one guided air missile and 15 out of 23 Russian attack drones. According to the Air Force, three additional missiles and two of the drones failed to hit their objectives.
• NATO allies Romania and Latvia, who sided with Ukraine, announced they were looking into Russian drones that had crashed into their airspace. The incidents, according to NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoana, were “irresponsible and potentially dangerous.”

Diplomacy And Politics

• Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, demanded that further diplomatic attempts be made to bring about peace in Ukraine “more quickly.” In an interview with ZDF, Scholz stated that he and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, had recently discussed the necessity of holding a new peace conference that would include Russia.
• According to an order posted on the president’s website, Zelenskyy named Oleksandr Kamyshin, a former minister of arms production, as an external adviser for strategic matters. In a significant shake-up of the cabinet, Kamyshin resigned from his position as minister of strategic industries.
  
  Weaponry
• Zelenskyy once more pleaded with the friends of Ukraine to loosen restrictions on the use of weaponry supplied by the West against targets within Russia. “Russia has used more than 60 missiles of various types, nearly 300 Shahed drones, and over 800 guided aerial bombs against our people in just one week,” he said on Facebook.

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

The head of Ukraine’s armed forces claims that the Kursk offensive is operating and that Russia’s advance has stopped.

Oleksandr Syrskii acknowledges that the Pokrovsk situation is “very problematic,” but he maintains that the Kursk attack is having the desired impact.

The head of Ukraine’s armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskii, has justified his country’s invasion of Russia’s Kursk region, claiming that the offensive was successful since Russia had not made any progress on a crucial section of the country’s eastern front for six days.

Beginning its unexpected assault on Kursk on August 6, Kyiv claims to have taken control of dozens of communities as well as an estimated 1,300 square kilometers (502 square miles) of land.

According to officials, the operation was a part of a plan to impede Russia’s progress into the strategically significant town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine.

In an interview with CNN, a US broadcast network, Syrskii stated that Ukraine was making “every effort not to lose Pokrovsk.”

“The enemy hasn’t moved a single meter toward Pokrovsk over the last six days,” he declared. Stated differently, our approach is effective.

Verification of the front-line situation and the assertions made by both sides was not feasible.

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, stated earlier on Thursday that the Kursk attack had simply weakened Ukraine’s defenses in Donetsk and had failed to stop Russia’s advance.

Few soldiers from the eastern region of Ukraine have reportedly been relocated by Russia to Kursk, where its forces are bolstered by militants of Chechen descent and conscripts.

It has persisted in asserting its advances into Pokrovsk, claiming to have taken control of neighboring Myrnohrad and a number of small settlements east of Pokrovsk. There is an evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.

Syrskii stated that the Kursk attack was having the desired impact, but acknowledging that the situation in Pokrovsk was “the most problematic for us” in his interview, which was conducted at an undisclosed location near the front line.

He declared, “We’ve eliminated their capacity to maneuver and send in reinforcements.”

“We are aware that both the offensive’s intensity and quantity of artillery fire have dropped.

“I believe this approach was well-chosen and will yield the intended outcome.”

Ukraine has increased pressure on the US and its allies to provide it more air defenses and permits it to use long-range weaponry supplied by the West against military targets within Russia. This is in response to the ongoing conflict and a recent wave of Russian bombardment that has claimed dozens of lives over the past week.

When members of the Ukraine Defense Contact body (UDCG), a body that offers military assistance to Ukraine, meet later on Friday in Germany, such topics are probably going to be covered.

In order to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense capabilities, the United Kingdom declared before to the summit that it would provide 650 lightweight multirole missile (LMM) systems, with the first deliveries scheduled for the end of the year.

UK Defence Secretary John Healey said in a statement, “We have seen the tragic cost of Russia’s indiscriminate strikes on Poltava and Lviv in recent days.” “Ukraine will be able to defend its people, infrastructure, and territory from Putin’s vicious attacks with the help of these new missiles made in the UK.”

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

The head of Ukraine’s armed forces claims that the Kursk offensive is operating and that Russia’s advance has stopped.

Oleksandr Syrskii acknowledges that the Pokrovsk situation is “very problematic,” but he maintains that the Kursk attack is having the desired impact.

The head of Ukraine’s armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskii, has justified his country’s invasion of Russia’s Kursk region, claiming that the offensive was successful since Russia had not made any progress on a crucial section of the country’s eastern front for six days.

Beginning its unexpected assault on Kursk on August 6, Kyiv claims to have taken control of dozens of communities as well as an estimated 1,300 square kilometers (502 square miles) of land.

According to officials, the operation was a part of a plan to impede Russia’s progress into the strategically significant town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine.

In an interview with CNN, a US broadcast network, Syrskii stated that Ukraine was making “every effort not to lose Pokrovsk.”

“The enemy hasn’t moved a single meter toward Pokrovsk over the last six days,” he declared. Stated differently, our approach is effective.

Verification of the front-line situation and the assertions made by both sides was not feasible.

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, stated earlier on Thursday that the Kursk attack had simply weakened Ukraine’s defenses in Donetsk and had failed to stop Russia’s advance.

Few soldiers from the eastern region of Ukraine have reportedly been relocated by Russia to Kursk, where its forces are bolstered by militants of Chechen descent and conscripts.

It has persisted in asserting its advances into Pokrovsk, claiming to have taken control of neighboring Myrnohrad and a number of small settlements east of Pokrovsk. There is an evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.

Syrskii stated that the Kursk attack was having the desired impact, but acknowledging that the situation in Pokrovsk was “the most problematic for us” in his interview, which was conducted at an undisclosed location near the front line.

He declared, “We’ve eliminated their capacity to maneuver and send in reinforcements.”

“We are aware that both the offensive’s intensity and quantity of artillery fire have dropped.

“I believe this approach was well-chosen and will yield the intended outcome.”

Ukraine has increased pressure on the US and its allies to provide it more air defenses and permits it to use long-range weaponry supplied by the West against military targets within Russia. This is in response to the ongoing conflict and a recent wave of Russian bombardment that has claimed dozens of lives over the past week.

When members of the Ukraine Defense Contact body (UDCG), a body that offers military assistance to Ukraine, meet later on Friday in Germany, such topics are probably going to be covered.

In order to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense capabilities, the United Kingdom declared before to the summit that it would provide 650 lightweight multirole missile (LMM) systems, with the first deliveries scheduled for the end of the year.

UK Defence Secretary John Healey said in a statement, “We have seen the tragic cost of Russia’s indiscriminate strikes on Poltava and Lviv in recent days.” “Ukraine will be able to defend its people, infrastructure, and territory from Putin’s vicious attacks with the help of these new missiles made in the UK.”

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

Key events list, day 924

Combating

• Following the conclusion of their search and rescue effort at a military educational facility in the Ukrainian town of Poltava that was struck by a Russian missile on Tuesday, emergency services in Ukraine reported that at least 55 persons had been confirmed deceased and 328 injured.
• One civilian was killed in Ukrainian firing on the town of Shebekino in the southern border region, according to Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod Region.
• According to the Ukrainian air force, during a nighttime strike, Russia launched 78 drones, 60 of which were shot down. It further stated that one ballistic Iskander-M missile from Russia was also deployed in the onslaught.
• Oleksandr Syrskii, the head of Ukraine’s armed forces, told CNN that Russia had not advanced on a crucial area of the eastern front for six days and that Kyiv’s foray into the southern Kursk region of Russia was successful.
• Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, had earlier declared that the assault had not halted Russia’s march into eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. Putin claimed that seizing control of the Donbas was the “primary” objective of Russia’s full-scale assault.
• A train scheduled to evacuate citizens of Pokrovsk, in eastern Donetsk, was canceled by Ukraine because to concerns about a potential Russian strike. The city is only ten kilometers (six miles) away from Russian forces. The 27,000 residents who still reside there are being urged to leave by officials.
  
  Diplomacy And Politics
• Following the resignation of Dmytro Kuleba, the previous foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha was accepted by the Ukrainian parliament. This shift is a part of the largest reorganization of the Ukrainian administration since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
• Putin stated that preliminary agreements struck by Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in the early weeks of the war might serve as the basis for negotiations and that China, India, and Brazil could serve as intermediaries in any future peace talks over Ukraine.
• Five Russian military officers were prosecuted by the US for allegedly hacking into Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure in the years before the country was invaded. The US Justice Department revised an indictment from June to include claims that “large-scale cyber operations” were initiated as early as 2020 by a branch of Russia’s military intelligence service.
• Dimitri Simes, a Russian television contributor located in Virginia, and his wife Anastasia Simes were accused by the Justice Department of money laundering in two different schemes to circumvent US sanctions placed on Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine.
  
  Weaponry
• The British government said that it will give Ukraine 650 light multipurpose missiles for 162 million pounds ($213 million) to help defend against Russian bombing and drone attacks. By the end of the year, they should be delivered.
• The Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which consists of military chiefs from over 50 nations, will meet in Germany under the direction of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General CQ Brown. In order to guarantee Kyiv’s long-term assistance, the US stated that the meeting’s top priorities would be to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses and energize “the defense industrial bases” of partners.
• The US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations declared that it would question four semiconductor companies at a hearing the following week over US-made chips used in Russian weaponry used in the conflict in Ukraine.

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

Key events list, day 923

Combating

• The western Ukrainian city of Lviv, which borders Poland, was the target of a Russian missile and drone attack that claimed the lives of at least seven people, three of them children. The family that lost four members was the same. Schools, hospitals, and other city center buildings were damaged, according to the prosecutor’s office, and at least forty people were injured.
• As attacks were launched against Lviv, Poland hurried to secure its borders with fighter jets.
• According to Ukrainian emergency services, a hotel was damaged when fragments from a downed Russian missile fell on the city of Kryvyi Rih, injuring at least five persons.
• The air force of Ukraine claimed to have downed 22 out of 29 drones and seven out of 13 missiles fired by Russia during an attack on vital infrastructure and energy sites spread over nine Ukrainian provinces.
• Russian military shelled a residential sector of Kostiantynivka, an eastern Ukrainian town northeast of Pokrovsk, a strategically significant town that Russia is attempting to seize, resulting in at least one fatality and three injuries.
• About 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Pokrovsk, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that its forces had taken over the communities of Prechystivka and Karlivka.
• Following Ukraine’s shelling of a village in the Russian border region, three persons were reported dead and two injured by Belgorod Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
• The Russian Defense Ministry admitted that it had struck a hospital and military school in Poltava. According to Ukraine, the incident on Tuesday left 271 people injured and at least 51 dead. According to Russia, it was intended at drone operators, foreign instructors, and military.
  
  Diplomacy And Politics
• According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine needed “new energy,” therefore he issued an executive order reorganizing the administration. Four of the six ministers that tendered their resignations were accepted by parliament. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba was one of those who tendered their resignation, although it was not formally approved by parliament.
• Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, reaffirmed Germany’s military and political support for Ukraine. “Germany will continue to support Ukraine.” In order for Ukraine to be able to completely rely on us going forward, we have made preparations, reached [defense] agreements, and obtained the financing in a timely manner, according to Scholz.
• The Swiss government announced that, as conditions there were not anticipated to change anytime soon, it would provide shelter for Ukrainian refugees until at least 2026.
• According to the Kremlin, Moscow’s legitimate security interests were being ignored while the US and its allies were “provoking tension” and “stoking the hot war in Ukraine,” prompting Russia to modify its nuclear strategy. In February 2022, Moscow began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
• The state-run All-National TV network in Belarus announced the arrest of a possible Japanese spy. According to the channel, the purported agent was seen recording military installations and was attempting to learn more about Chinese investment in Belarus as well as the circumstances around Belarus’ border with Ukraine. Minsk did not release an official announcement regarding the arrest.

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

Key events list, day 922

Combating

• In the bloodiest single attack of the war this year, two Russian ballistic missiles struck a military academy and a neighboring hospital in the central Ukrainian town of Poltava, inflicting at least 51 fatalities and 271 injuries. Many people were heading to a bomb shelter when the air raid alert went out, and that’s when the missiles struck, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defence.
• The Zaporizhia region hotel where a mother and her eight-year-old son were staying was struck by a Russian missile attack, resulting in their deaths. According to Ukrainian authorities, her spouse and daughter suffered injuries.
• Three workers were hurt in a Russian drone attack on a power plant in the northern Chernihiv district, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy.
• Russia targeted rolling stock and railroad infrastructure in the central Dnipropetrovsk region and the northeastern province of Sumy, according to the official railway operator of Ukraine.
• In response to fresh attacks close to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in central Ukraine, Rafael Grossi, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), declared the situation there to be “extremely fragile.” It’s Wednesday that Grossi will visit the factory.
• The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that in response to persistent Ukrainian attacks, more air defense systems had been installed in the Belgorod region.
  
  Diplomacy And Politics
• In advance of a trip to the US later this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy organized a significant reorganization of his administration. Oleksandr Kamyshin, the Minister for Strategic Industries who oversaw weapons manufacturing and is anticipated to assume a new position in the defense sector, was one of several resignations on Tuesday. There are now more over one-third of the cabinet’s posts open.
• Zelenskyy called Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, and requested that he intensify efforts among Ukraine’s Western allies to let Kyiv to launch military strikes on targets located deep within Russia.
• The incarceration of French scholar Laurent Vinatier, who is suspected of gathering military intelligence that might be useful to foreign intelligence agencies and of not registering as a “foreign agent” in Russia, was prolonged by a Moscow court on Tuesday. Vinatier has been classified as “arbitrarily detained” by France.
• Unaffected by Ulaanbaatar’s disregard for an International Criminal Court arrest order for the Russian president, Vladimir Putin concluded his formal visit to Mongolia.
• The United Nations Human Rights Office stated that it was looking into Kyiv’s decision to forbid the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has ties to Russia, citing grave concerns about religious freedom. Last month, the Ukrainian parliament decided to outlaw the church.
  
  Weaponry
• According to a person involved in the negotiations, Germany intends to give Ukraine six more IRIS-T SLM air defense systems. This information was reported by Reuters.
• A law authorizing the transfer of one of Romania’s two operational Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine was adopted by the lower house of parliament. Romania and Ukraine have a 650 km (400 km) border; Romania has been a member of NATO since 2004.
• According to three government officials cited by the Reuters news agency, the United States is close to reaching an agreement to supply Ukraine with Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM), long-range cruise missiles that may penetrate far into Russia. They stated that delivery would likely take several months.

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

Key events list, day 921

Combating

• On the first day of classes, Russia launched a bombardment of Kyiv in the early hours of the morning using hundreds of drones and missiles. The attack resulted in damage to a boiler house at a water plant in Kyiv, as well as to the entrance to a metro station that was being used as an air raid shelter, and at least three casualties.
• The Russian air force also attacked other regions of the nation. According to Ukrainian troops, during the capital and the provinces of Kharkiv, Dnipro, Poltava, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhia, they have destroyed 20 out of 23 attack drones and 22 out of 35 missiles.
• Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov of Kharkiv said that at least 13 people were hurt when four Russian guided bombs struck a residential area, while Regional Governor Serhiy Lysak of Dnipropetrovsk reported that one person was killed and three injured in a Russian missile strike on Dnipro.
• Russia claims to have conquered the village of Skuchne, which is a part of the district of Pokrovsk, a strategically significant town that Russia hopes to occupy. Fighting has continued to be violent on the front lines in eastern Ukraine. Despite Russia having made “no advance for two days,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that his country was having trouble competing with “the most combat-focused Russian brigades” on the eastern front.
• August saw Moscow’s largest monthly advance on Ukrainian territory since October 2022, covering 477 sq km (184 sq miles), according to statistics analyzed by the AFP news agency and provided by the Institute for the Study of War.
• During a visit to the Tuva area of Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that his country’s troops were regaining land in the Kursk region “by square kilometers” and that Kyiv’s entry into the region on August 6 had failed to halt Russia’s advance into the Donetsk region of Ukraine.
• Following the destruction of a daycare center by a Ukrainian attack, regional governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, announced that several kindergartens in the Russian city of Belgorod, which is adjacent to Ukraine, would close for a week and that courses at several other schools would be held virtually.
  
  Diplomacy And Politics
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine chastised Mongolia for not detaining Russian President Vladimir Putin upon his arrival on Monday. In response to allegations of war crimes, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest order for Putin last year. If the Russian president steps foot on one of the 124 member states of the court, he must be arrested and sent to The Hague to stand prosecution. Mongolia is a member of the ICC. The inability of Mongolia to apprehend Putin, according to spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Heorhii Tykhyi, is “a heavy blow to the International Criminal Court and the system of criminal law.”
• Mongolia is required by rights organization Amnesty International to detain and turn over Putin to the ICC. Amnesty International Mongolia’s executive director, Altantuya Baldorj, stated in a statement that “Mongolia’s international legal obligations are clear.”
• Major General Valery Muminjanov was detained by Russia on accusations of bribery; this arrest is the most recent in a series connected to allegations of corruption inside the Ministry of Defense. According to investigators, he took bribes in exchange for facilitating the granting of public contracts to private firms that provided army uniforms. In recent months, he is the seventh prominent military person to be apprehended on allegations of fraud, bribery, or abuse of position.
• Zelenskyy promised to meet International Atomic Energy Agency director Rafael Grossi in Kiev. Following Grossi’s tour of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which was taken over by Russian soldiers shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the meeting will take place.
  
  Weaponry
• Zelenskyy stated that the Western supporters of Ukraine ought to provide Kyiv with more long-range weapons in addition to permitting their weapons to be used for strikes deep within Russia. Following a meeting in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia in the southeast with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv was “more positive” about the likelihood of obtaining such authorization.
• A draft bill on the transfer of a Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine was approved by the coalition government of Romania. In June, Bucharest announced that, if its allies replaced it with a comparable air defense system, it would send one of its two operational Patriot systems to Ukraine. The law must now be put to a vote in parliament.

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

Key events list, day 920

Combating

• The second-biggest city in Ukraine, Kharkiv, was attacked by Russia, injuring at least 47 persons. According to officials, Russia launched at least ten missiles into the city, striking several locations, including a mall. In an effort to lessen Moscow’s military threat, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy once more pleaded with Kyiv’s allies to permit Kyiv to launch missiles supplied by the West farther into Russian territory.
• Russian shelling on Kurakhove, a town in eastern Ukraine located about 35 kilometers (22 miles) south of Pokrovsk, resulted in at least three fatalities and nine injuries, according to officials.
• Russian shelling on Ukraine’s Sumy area along their shared border resulted in at least one death and four injuries. Nine districts in the region, which was also targeted by drones, were attacked, according to the local Sumy administration.
• According to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, there was at least one fatality and over a dozen injuries inflicted by Ukrainian bombardment of the southern Belgorod region of Russia.
• Russia claimed to have neutralized at least 158 drones in 15 different parts of the nation, including two over Moscow, as part of a “massive” air strike against Ukraine. There were no confirmed casualties.
• Two more settlements in eastern Ukraine have been taken by Russian forces, according to the Ministry of Defense of Russia. Ptyche is located around 21 kilometers (13 miles) southeast of Pokrovsk, while Vyimka is another settlement in the Donetsk region.
• Oleksandr Syrskii, the head of Ukraine’s armed forces, described the circumstances surrounding Russia’s main push in eastern Ukraine as “difficult.”
• Two members of the Ukrainian helicopter crew perished in the crash of the aircraft when it was being used for military training, according to the Kharkiv Air Force University. The cause of the crash is being investigated by the Defence Ministry.
  
  Weaponry
• In reaction to what it sees as a Western escalation in the conflict in Ukraine, Russia plans to modify its nuclear weapons doctrine, deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov was quoted as saying by state media. The effort is at a “advanced stage,” according to Ryabkov.

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

Key events list, day 917

Combating

• At least one person was killed and six injured in Russian shelling of the eastern Ukrainian town of Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Governor Vadym Filaskhin said. Kostiantynivka is miles from the front line, but comes under attack almost every day, he added.
• Oleksandr Syrskii, the top commander of Ukraine, described the battle in the eastern Pokrovsk front as “exceptionally tough” after claiming to have spent several days there. He stated that despite Ukraine’s unexpected entry into Kursk, Russia was pushing all into the war, with the most intensive fighting occurring near Krasnyi Yar, some 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from Pokrovsk.
• According to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Russian troops have taken control of two villages in eastern Ukraine: Stelmakhivka in the neighboring Luhansk region and Mykolaivka in the Donetsk region, which is around nine miles (about 15 km) from Pokrovsk. The military of Ukraine had earlier declared that its soldiers were fending off attacks near Stelmakhivka.
• According to the Ukrainian Air Force, two out of every five missiles and 60 out of every 74 Russian attack drones were destroyed.
• The first loss since the aircraft started arriving in Ukraine earlier this month, according to the Ukrainian General Staff, occurred on Monday when one of its F-16 fighter airplanes crashed while fending off a significant Russian drone and missile onslaught. The aviator perished. According to a U.S. defense official speaking to the Reuters news agency, the incident does not appear to have been caused by a Russian fire, and other potential explanations, such as pilot mistake or mechanical failure, are being looked into.
• According to a Ukrainian delegation to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Ukraine was compelled to unplug multiple nuclear power units from the grid on Monday because to Russia’s intense drone and missile strike, which put the nuclear power industry at risk. The nation’s energy network was the focus of the attack.
• In the Belgorod area of Russia, the town of Shebekino was shelled by Ukraine, resulting in one fatality and two injuries, according to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
• The military of Ukraine claimed to have attacked two oil storage facilities and an artillery base in Russia, igniting a fire at the Atlas oil facility in the southern Rostov region.
  
  Diplomacy And Politics
  
• Director-General Rafael Grossi of the IAEA will visit Ukraine the next week to conduct high-level discussions and evaluate the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power facility, which Russia seized shortly after it launched a full-scale invasion of the country, according to the IAEA.
• Pavel Popov, a former deputy minister of defense, was ordered to be detained by a Moscow military court on charges of fraud in a growing corruption scandal that has targeted people associated with former defense minister Sergei Shoigu. Popov is under investigation for building the Patriot Park, a war-themed park close to Moscow. Per his attorney, he refuted the accusations.
• On September 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit Mongolia, according to the Kremlin. This will be his first trip to an ICC member nation since the court issued an arrest warrant for him in March 2023 due to the forcible deportation of Ukrainian children.
  
  Weaponry
• Speaking to partners in the European Union, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated that he had “conveyed a sense of urgency” over the need to expedite the delivery of pledged military equipment, especially air defense systems.
• Josep Borrell, the head of EU foreign policy, increased the pressure on supporters of Ukraine to remove their prohibitions on the use of Western weaponry inside Russia. According to Borrell, curbs must be removed in conformity with international law.

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

Key events list, day 916

Combating

• In the eastern town of Kupiansk, a bomb strike guided by Russia resulted in many fatalities and at least 14 injuries. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, stated there were deaths during his evening speech, but he did not specify how many. The city hall structure was also harmed by the bombing.
• As inhabitants of Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih marked an official day of mourning for four persons slain in a Russian attack on a local hotel the day before, a Russian missile struck the city, injuring at least eight people.
• A family of four people died after a Russian-guided bomb struck their home in the village of Izmailivka, according to the prosecutor general’s office in Ukraine. With only 200 residents prior to the war, Izmailivka is located close to the eastern front where Russia has been attempting to seize Pokrovsk, a strategically important city.
• Vadym Filashkin, the regional governor of Donetsk, reported that two fatalities resulted from separate attacks near Chasiv Yar that caused damage to over a dozen houses.
• According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, which was cited by the state-run TASS news agency, Russian soldiers have gained control of Komyshivka, a village located in the Donetsk area of Ukraine.
• In its statement on Wednesday, the Ukrainian General Staff stated that there was “fierce fighting” in many villages around Pokrovsk. The enemy has attempted 38 times to overrun Ukrainian positions thus far. In fourteen sites, combat is still going on, according to the General Staff.
• According to Deputy CIA Director David Cohen, Russian President Vladimir Putin would launch a counteroffensive to attempt to recapture area that Ukrainian troops had taken, but he would face “a difficult fight.” On August 6, Ukraine launched an unexpected offensive on the Russian area, claiming to have seized some 100 towns.
• The Russian National Guard, Rosgvardiya, said in a statement that its spies had discovered a rocket fragment that was allegedly packed with 180 unexploded munitions and a shell from what it claimed was a US-supplied HIMARS multiple launch rocket system 5 km (3 miles) from Kursk’s nuclear power plant. Ukraine’s military has been accused by Moscow of attempting to assault the plant. Ukraine did not respond to the claim right away.
• The regional governor of Rostov, a region in southern Russia, Vasily Golubev, reported that an oil depot in the Kamensky area caught fire as a result of an attack by a Ukrainian drone. There were no confirmed casualties.
• Additionally, an oil store near the Russian city of Kotelnich in the northern Kirov area caught fire as a result of a drone attack by the Ukrainians, around 1,100 kilometers (685 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
  
  Diplomacy And Politics
  
• According to Dmytro Kuleba, the foreign minister of Ukraine, the main issue facing Kyiv is that its partners are reluctant to approve fresh measures to support the country for fear of things getting worse. Kuleba made his remarks the day after Russia’s foreign minister warned of the dangers of a third world war and claimed that the West was “playing with fire” by thinking about allowing Kyiv to attack far into Russia.
• NATO members reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen Ukraine’s defences at a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council. “We must continue to provide Ukraine with the equipment and munitions it needs to defend itself against Russia’s invasion. This is vital for Ukraine’s ability to stay in the fight,” said Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
• Russia’s Foreign Ministry banned 92 US citizens – including journalists, lawyers and the heads of what it said were key military-industrial firms from the country. The list, published on Telegram, includes 14 Wall Street Journal employees, five senior journalists from The New York Times and four from The Washington Post.
• According to the TASS state news agency, 39-year-old engineer Artyom Lozovoi was sentenced to 18 years in prison by a Russian military court for his unsuccessful attempt to blow up a military recruiting office. Treason was among the several counts Lozovoi was found guilty of.
• The Russian legal aid group and monitor OVD-Info reports that Anastasia Zibrova, a dog handler from the Moscow area, was sentenced to five years in a prison colony for criticizing Russia’s attack on a Kramatorsk railway station that resulted in the deaths of 61 people in April 2022.
• According to Interfax, which cited the local division of the FSB security service, a Russian military court sentenced Andriy Martsenyuk, a Ukrainian, to four and a half years in jail in a third instance for planning to set fire to a military police station.

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

Key events list, day 915

Combating

• During a second day of Russian missile and drone attacks, at least six people were murdered around Ukraine, notably in the cities of Kryvyi Rih in the center and Zaporizhzhia in the south. Nine people were hurt, at least. Russia unleashed the largest aerial attack since the commencement of its invasion in 2022 on Monday.
• Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, threatened to avenge Russia’s actions. According to the air force, on Tuesday, Ukraine shot down 60 out of 81 drones and five out of ten missiles fired by Russia; some of the drones were destroyed by F-16 fighter planes supplied by the West. It claimed to have lost track of ten further drones, which most likely crashed somewhere in Ukraine. Another one entered Belarus, which is nearby.
• Since beginning its foray into Russia’s western Kursk area on August 6, Ukraine has captured 594 Russian soldiers, taken possession of 1,294 sq km (almost 500 sq miles), and established 100 communities, according to Oleksandr Syrskii, the country’s commander in chief.
• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general, Rafael Grossi, paid a visit to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. He claimed that because it lacked a protective dome to defend it from artillery, drones, and missiles in the midst of the battle in the area, it was susceptible to a catastrophic disaster.
• Following rumors on Russian Telegram channels indicating that Ukraine had attacked a border checkpoint at Nekhoteyevka before being driven back, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia’s western Belgorod region, stated that the situation on the border with Ukraine was “difficult but under control.”
• Speaking on television, Syrskii of Ukraine stated that Russia was attempting to obstruct Ukraine’s supply routes to the front, making the situation near Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine “fairly difficult.” He declared, “The enemy is actively using artillery and aviation, in addition to using its advantage in personnel, weapons, and military equipment.” Prior to this, the Russian Ministry of Defense declared that the village of Orlivka, which is close to Pokrovsk, had been taken by its soldiers.
  
  Diplomacy And Politics
  
• Zelenskyy declared that he will deliver a “victory plan” to US President Joe Biden and his two possible successors, most likely when the latter arrives in New York for the UN General Assembly the following month. The goal of the plan was to put Ukraine in a strong position for any future peace negotiations. “This plan’s primary goal is to compel Russia to terminate the conflict. And I sincerely hope that [it will be] equitable for Ukraine,” he declared to reporters in Kyiv.
• Following a round of diplomatic meetings with South Africa, Brazil, and Indonesia, China’s Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs, Li Hui, urged other nations to support its peace proposal for Ukraine. According to Li, “they have stayed in touch with both Russia and Ukraine and remain dedicated to a diplomatic resolution of the conflict through discussion and negotiation.” China refrained from attending the June peace summit hosted by Switzerland. Earlier this year, it and Brazil released a cooperative peace plan.
• According to Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “exchanged perspectives” on the conflict in Ukraine. Last week, Modi visited Kiev.
• Spokesman for the Kremlin Dmitry Peskov denounced Ukraine’s decision to outlaw an Orthodox Church branch with ties to Russia, calling it an assault on Christianity and a setback to religious freedom. Kyiv has charged that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) is harboring spies and disseminating pro-Russian propaganda in order to aid Moscow’s 30-month-old war.
• Following Ukraine’s incursion, the Russian security service FSB announced that it has filed criminal charges against two more foreign journalists who had entered the country to report from the Kursk region. The journalists included a correspondent for Ukraine’s 1+1 TV channel and a reporter for German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, according to the news agency Interfax. At least seven international journalists who have covered events from Kursk are currently facing criminal charges from the FSB.
  
  Weaponry
• According to Zelenskyy, the first-ever successful test of a ballistic missile made in the country was just conducted by the military. He said he was unable to provide further information.

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

Key events list, day 913

Combating

• Russian missile and drone strikes on Sunday that targeted the front-line Ukrainian areas of Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Donetsk resulted in at least 18 fatalities and 37 injuries.
• The Russian attack on Saturday night struck a hotel in Kramatorsk, approximately 20 kilometers (13 miles) from the front line in the east of Ukraine, killing Reuters safety consultant Ryan Evans and critically injuring two other Reuters journalists. The other three team members made it out unscathed.
• Six civilians were reportedly killed in Ukrainian assaults on Russian border regions, according to Russian officials.
• In the Kursk area of Russia, Ukraine’s soldiers pushed up to 3 km (1.86 miles), seizing control of two additional settlements, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
• Ukraine demanded that Belarus withdraw what it considered to be a sizable contingent of its armed forces and artillery, which were stationed near their shared border in the Gomel area. Under pressure from Moscow, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cautioned Belarus against committing “tragic mistakes.”
  
  Diplomacy And Politics
  
• Zelenskyy reported that talks on a second summit for peace were still ongoing with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and Switzerland. Additionally, Zelenskyy added that he had assured India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Kiev, that his country would be happy to host the event.
• Pope Francis denounced the Ukrainian government’s decision to outlaw an Orthodox Church branch that has ties to Russia. A day after Zelenskyy enacted the prohibition, the pope declared in his weekly prayers, “Do not touch churches.”
  
  Weaponry
• The Kursk region, where thousands of Ukrainian forces marched across the Russian border on August 6, is the target of further missiles and artillery, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

Key events list, day 910

Combating

• Eight people, including a 15-year-old kid, were injured and one man was reported dead in the northeastern Kharkiv region after Russia targeted residential buildings in the village of Bohodukhiv.
• Regional prosecutors in the northeastern Sumy area of Ukraine report that a bomb assault guided by Russia resulted in the deaths of two persons and the injury of one.
• The Sumy region, which borders Russia’s Kursk region and is the scene of Ukraine’s surprise cross-border attack earlier this month, was visited by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He informed Oleksandr Syrskii, the commander in chief, that the Ukrainian military had taken over another Russian settlement and had seized additional POWs. He omitted the settlement’s name.
• According to the Ukrainian military, as Russian forces stepped up their attempts to take control of the vital town, they launched 53 attacks on enemy positions along the Pokrovsk front in eastern Ukraine. Just 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the city, Russian military ordered the population of Pokrovsk to flee. This week, approximately 50,000 people were said to still be residing in Pokrovsk by Ukrainian officials.
• The village of Mezhove, which is situated between Pokrovsk and Avdiivka, was seized in February, according to Russian reports.
• Without providing any proof, Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted that Ukrainian military attempted to raid the Kursk Nuclear Power Station during the night. Ukraine didn’t respond at all. About 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the plant, there has been fighting. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called for caution on both sides. The area will be visited by Rafael Grossi, the head of the watchdog, next week.
• Following an attack by the Ukrainians, a ferry carrying thirty fuel tanks sank in the Russian port of Kavkaz in the southern Krasnodar area, according to local authorities. After the rescue of seventeen crew members, the hunt is still on for the two that are still missing. Ukraine did not respond to the statement.
• The US embassy in Kyiv issued a warning on Saturday, the eve of Ukraine’s 33rd anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union, about the increased risk of Russian missile and drone attacks throughout the nation.
  
  Diplomacy And Politics
  
• This is the first visit to Ukraine by an Indian prime minister since Kyiv’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On the eve of his visit, Modi issued a peace declaration and cautioned against resolving disputes by military force in Poland.
• Following their reporting from the Kursk region, three journalists were accused of “illegally” crossing the border by Russia’s security service, FSB, which announced the opening of a criminal case against them. Among the three are journalists Nick Paton Walsh of CNN and Diana Butsko and Olesya Borovik of Ukraine.
• When the academic year begins in less than a month, more than 110 Russian schools near the Ukrainian border will offer remote instruction, according to the country’s education minister.
• Ukraine reported that participants in a follow-up conference to the peace summit held in Switzerland in June included representatives of over 40 nations and international organizations.
  
  Weaponry
  
• The US will provide Ukraine with an additional $125 million in military equipment, including artillery, ammo for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), and air defense missiles, according to officials in Washington who spoke with The Associated Press news agency. On Friday, the deal is anticipated to be formally disclosed.
• The Ukrainian air force claimed to have attacked a Russian platoon command post in the Kursk region with a GBU-39 bomb manufactured in the US.
  

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

Key events list, day 909

Combating

• According to acting regional governor of Kursk Alexei Smirnov, a Ukrainian drone dropped an explosive near Sudzha that struck a car, killing one woman and injuring two others.
• In an effort to defend its incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, Ukraine claimed to have destroyed multiple Russian pontoon crossings over the Seym River using US-made HIMARS rocket launchers. Kyiv’s march into its territory has been stopped, according to Moscow’s soldiers.
• Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of Russia’s Bryansk region, which borders Kursk and Ukraine, said Russian forces pushed back a Ukrainian attempt to enter that region. Although Bogomaz called the Ukrainian forces a “sabotage and reconnaissance group,” he did not say whether or not they belonged to the country’s armed forces.
• According to the General Staff of Ukraine, Russian forces frequently attacked its forces in the area of the eastern frontier town of Pokrovsk. According to the military, 46 Russian attacks were made on the front on Wednesday, of which 44 were repelled. One was still going as of 19:00 GMT. 238 Russian servicemen were reportedly killed or injured in the same region, according to the General Staff. It didn’t reveal the losses to Ukraine.
• The settlement of Zhelanne, which is located about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of Pokrovsk, has been taken over by Russian soldiers, according to the ministry of defense in Russia.
• Out of the 69 Russian assault drones that were deployed around the nation overnight, 50 were destroyed by Ukrainian forces. Damage and casualties were not described in detail.
• According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, air defense shot down eleven drones over Moscow and the surrounding area. Since the war’s commencement in 2022, this strike on Moscow ranks among the largest.
  
  Diplomacy And Politics
  
• Premier Li Qiang of China was greeted by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, who also stated that trade and economic ties between Moscow and Beijing were “yielding results.” Amidst severe economic sanctions imposed by numerous developed nations due to its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has strengthened its connections with China.
• Voting to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) was done by the Ukrainian parliament. The action would guarantee that attempts to achieve accountability for “all Russian atrocities” in its invasion would be “even more effective,” according to Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
• Dmitry Gudkov, a former parliamentarian and exiled opposition politician, was sentenced to eight years in prison “in absentia” by a Russian court for his criticism of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine. Gudkov, a prominent opponent of Putin who departed Russia in 2021, called the sentencing a “badge of honor.”
• After the government stopped providing state support to refugees from parts of Ukraine that were deemed unaffected by the conflict, thousands of Ukrainians are facing eviction from shelters in Hungary. Only 13 regions, or nearly half of Ukraine, are presently listed by Budapest as having been impacted by Russia’s incursion.
• Because of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine would require $12–15 billion more in foreign aid next year than first anticipated, according to Deputy Finance Minister Olha Zykova. Ukraine had previously stated that it would require $22.7 billion in foreign aid overall by 2025.
• On Friday, more than a month after visiting Moscow, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that he would “share perspectives” on the peaceful settlement of the crisis between Russia and Ukraine.
• The UN Security Council has received a letter from the military regimes of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger requesting that it “take appropriate actions” against Ukraine, which they claim is arming rebel groups in northern Mali. Following a rebel offensive in northern Mali last month that claimed the lives of numerous soldiers and Russian Wagner mercenaries, Mali and Niger severed their diplomatic ties with Kyiv. Claims that Ukraine was involved have been denied.
  
  Weaponry
  
• The S-300 anti-aircraft missile system located in the southern Rostov region of Russia was targeted, according to the Ukrainian military, because it was being used to attack civilian facilities in the country. Vasily Golubev, the governor of Rostov, reported that an air defense force shot down a missile launched from Ukraine over his territory.

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

Key events list, day 908

Combating

• In the southern Zaporizhia area of Ukraine, a Russian mortar struck a kiosk at a children’s playground; the 14-year-old boy died in the hospital from his wounds, according to regional governor Ivan Fedorov. A girl, eighteen, and three other youngsters were also injured in the attack on the village of Malokaterynivka.
• In a wave of missile and drone attacks throughout nine areas of Ukraine, Russia targeted energy facilities in the northeastern Sumy region, knocking out electricity to around 18,500 people. The strikes also caused a massive fire at an industrial site in the west. According to the commander of Ukraine’s air force, Ukrainian forces downed 25 out of the 26 drones deployed in the attack as well as three ballistic missiles.
• Since beginning their foray into the Kursk region on August 6, Oleksandr Syrskii, the top military commander of Ukraine, announced that his forces have advanced 28–35 km (17–22 miles) into Russia, seizing 1,263 sq km (488 sq miles) of territory, including 93 communities.
• The creation of additional military units in Kursk and two other border regions was announced by Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov as part of Moscow’s attempt to drive back the Ukrainians without deploying combatants fighting deep inside Ukraine.
• According to the Ukrainian military, pressure was applied to its soldiers on the fronts of Toretsk and Pokrovsk, where Russia is focusing its primary offensive in eastern Ukraine. According to the statement, on Tuesday, 49 Russian strikes were repelled by Ukrainian forces, and 13 more were still ongoing.
• Just under 10,000 people lived in the Ukrainian town of New York prior to the conflict, but Russia claimed to have taken control of it. The Ukrainian military reported that Russian forces had targeted Ukrainian positions in the Toretsk sector of the Donetsk region, close to New York, but they did not provide further details on what happened.
  
  Diplomacy And Politics
  
• Legislators in Ukraine enacted legislation outlawing the actions of organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church and any other religious organization that backs Russia’s incursion. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which Kyiv accuses of being involved in Moscow’s war, is thought to be the target of the action. The Russian Orthodox Church denounced the vote, and the UOC insists it is autonomous.
• In what was Putin’s first visit to the North Caucasus since 2011, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chechen Leader Ramzan Kadyrov examined Chechen troops and volunteers prepared to battle Ukraine, according to the Kremlin.
• The scientist was seized in Moscow on charges of treason, according to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), which also claimed that he was conducting cyberattacks on vital infrastructure on behalf of Ukrainian security agencies. The suspect remained unnamed by the FSB.
• Russia announced that it has requested for the resignation of senior US ambassador Stephanie Holmes in protest of what it saw as the “provocative actions” of US media personnel covering the Kursk region of Russia. According to the Foreign Ministry, Russia planned to prosecute the reporters for their unauthorized border crossing. Moscow seems to be alluding to reports from CNN and The Washington Post from Sudzha, a Russian border town that is presently ruled by Kyiv. For a TV report from there, it has already launched a criminal inquiry against a number of Italian journalists.
• According to the Pentagon, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Ukrainian colleague Rustem Umerov spoke on the dynamics of the battlefield and current operations in Ukraine. It omitted any specifics.
• According to Chinese official media, Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Moscow for negotiations with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
  
  Weaponry
  
• The Czech Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday that the country will purchase large-caliber ammunition for Ukraine with a portion of the income earned from Russian central bank assets that have been blocked in the European Union.

SOURCE: ALJAZEERA

Ukraine to replace defence minister – TRT World

Ukraine is set to replace Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov with the chief of its military spy agency, a close ally of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, in a reshuffle at the forefront of Ukraine’s war campaign.

Reznikov would be transferred to another ministerial job and replaced by Kyrylo Budanov, head of the GUR military intelligence agency, said David Arakhamia, a senior lawmaker and chief of Servant of the People parliamentary bloc.

“War dictates changes in personnel policy,” Arakhamia said on the Telegram messaging app.

He said that Ukraine’s “force” agencies – like the defence ministry – should not be headed by politicians, but by career defence or security officials.

Arakhamia did not say when the move would be formalised. There was no immediate comment from Reznikov.

Reznikov, 56, became defence minister in November 2021, just a few months before Russia launched its full-scale offensive in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Price caps not intended to ‘crash’ Russia’s economy – TRT World

The Group of Seven industrialised countries and Australia have reached agreement on price caps for Russian petroleum products, the group said in a statement, after a similar announcement by the EU.

There are two price levels, $100 per barrel for more expensive fuel like diesel and $45 on lower-quality products such as fuel oil, the statement said, adding that the policy aims “to prevent Russia from profiting from its war of aggression against Ukraine” and support stability in energy markets.

The intent of Western price caps on Russian crude and oil product exports is to reduce revenues that Russia can use to fight war in Ukraine, not to “crash” Russia’s economy, a senior US Treasury official told reporters.

Kiev deserves EU entry talks ‘this year’: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his war-torn country deserved to start EU accession talks “this year”.

“I believe that Ukraine deserves to start negotiations on EU membership this year,” Zelenskyy said after talks with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.

He said further integration with the European bloc would inspire Ukrainians and give them “motivation” to fight against Russian troops.

US firm offers Ukraine advanced drones for $1 – TRT

A leading US maker of advanced military surveillance drones has announced that it was willing to sell two to Ukraine for just $1, and called on the US government to approve the deal.

General Atomic Aeronautical Systems said it had been urging Washington for months to provide Ukraine its powerful Grey Eagle and Reaper drones, which US forces have used in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and other countries.

It said the drones, which can fly long distances at mid-altitudes, are one of the most obvious, force-enhancing technologies that Ukraine needs in its war against Russian forces.

US readies new Ukraine aid package — Reuters

The United States is readying more than $2 billion worth of military aid for Ukraine that is expected to include longer-range rockets for the first time and other munitions and weapons, two US officials briefed on the matter have told the Reuters news agency.

The weapons aid is expected to be announced as soon as later this week, the officials said. It is also expected to include support equipment for Patriot air defence systems, precision guided munitions and Javelin anti-tank weapons, they added.

One of the officials said that a portion of the package, $1.725 billion, would come from a fund known as the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which allows President Joe Biden’s administration to get weapons from industry rather than from existing US weapons stocks.

The funds would go toward the purchase of a new weapon, Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), which have a range of 150 km. The United States has rebuffed requests for the 297-km range ATACMS missile.

The longer range of the GLSDB glide bomb could allow Ukraine to hit valuable military targets that have been out of reach and help it continue pressing its counterattacks by disrupting Russia further behind its lines.

NATO to strengthen partnership with Japan – Stoltenberg

NATO will continue to strengthen its partnership with Japan, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said during a visit to Japan, where he will meet with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

His trip is aimed at strengthening ties with Western allies in Asia in the face of the war in Ukraine and rising competition with China.

Russia, Ukraine discuss war prisoners exchange

Russian ombudswoman Tatyana Moskalkova has said that she has agreed at a video conference with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Lubinets to exchange lists of seriously wounded war prisoners that should be repatriated.

“Our cooperation has already allowed us to resolve a number of issues related to family reunification, the identification of missing persons on each side, assistance in the exchange of prisoners and in the return home of detained civilians,” Moskalkova said on Telegram.

Zelenskyy seeks long-range missiles, jets from West

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he wanted the West to send long-range missiles and jets to his war-torn country to help repel Russian troops.

“I’ve spoken with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg today,” Zelenskyy said after the United States and Germany announced they would send heavy tanks to Ukraine.

“We must also open deliveries of long-range missiles to Ukraine, it is important — we must expand our cooperation in artillery,” Zelenskyy said, also adding Ukraine needed jets. “This is a dream. And this is a task.”

Zelenskyy has said that the key to supplying tanks for Ukraine’s war effort was speed and sufficient numbers.

US is purposefully trying to inflict strategic defeat on us: Russia

The possible deliveries of battle tanks by Washington to Ukraine will be “another blatant provocation” against Russia, Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, said.

“It is obvious that Washington is purposefully trying to inflict a strategic defeat on us,” Antonov said in remarks published on the embassy’s Telegram messaging app.

“If the United States decides to supply tanks, then justifying such a step with arguments about ‘defensive weapons’ will definitely not work. This would be another blatant provocation against the Russian Federation.”

The United States was expected to announce as soon as on Wednesday that it will send heavy tanks to Ukraine.

Russia’s new army plan considers NATO’s expansion, Ukraine -chief of staff

Russia’s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov has said that the new plan on changes to the country’s armed forces considers possible NATO expansion and the use of Ukraine against Russia.

“The plan is approved by the President of the Russian Federation (Vladimir Putin) and can be adjusted when existing and new threats to the military security of the Russian Federation change,” Gerasimov told the news website Argumenty i Fakty.

“Today, such threats include the aspirations of the North Atlantic Alliance to expand to Finland and Sweden, as well as the use of Ukraine as a tool for waging a hybrid war against our country.”

Britain’s former PM visits Ukrainian president

Britain’s former Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid an unannounced visit to Ukraine’s capital on Sunday to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Johnson also met with students and lecturers of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kiev and answered their questions, according to the Ukrainian Presidency,

Despite the fact that his country is still at war with Russia, Zelenskyy said he believes that victory can be achieved in 2023 with international assistance.

For his part, Johnson said: “The only way to end this war is for Ukraine to win – and to win as fast as possible. This is the moment to double down and to give the Ukrainians all the tools they need to finish the job.”

US throws its weight behind Crimea mission

The Pentagon has said that the US would continue to support Ukraine in the event of a potential operation by Kiev to take back Crimea.

“This department has said that we will be with Ukraine for as long as it takes. That includes an operation in Crimea,” said Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh at a press conference.

“The Ukrainians make the decisions about their operations and when they conduct them. Crimea is a part of Ukraine.

“We’ve made that very clear from the beginning. If they decide to conduct an operation within Crimea, they’re well in their bounds. That is a sovereign part of their country that was illegally invaded by Russia in 2014,” said Singh.

US to provide $125 million to Ukraine to support energy systems

 The United States will provide $125million to Ukraine to support its energy and electric grids following targeted attacks on those utilities by Russian forces, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said. 

Huge US weapons package for Ukraine

The US is finalising a massive package of military aid for Ukraine that US officials say is likely to total as much as $2.6 billion.

It’s expected to include for the first time nearly 100 Stryker combat vehicles and at least 50 Bradley armoured vehicles to allow Ukrainian forces to move more quickly and securely on the front lines in the war with Russia — but not the tanks that Ukraine has sought.

The officials said the numbers could change as the Biden administration goes through final deliberations on the package.

An announcement is expected this week when defence leaders from the US, Europe and other regions gather in Germany to discuss military support for Ukraine.

Ukraine says military Patriot training will take 10 weeks

The training of Ukrainian officers to operate the Patriot advanced long-range air defence system will last 10 weeks, Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has said.

The United States, Germany and the Netherlands have pledged to send Patriot missile systems to Ukraine to repel a barrage of Russian missile and drone attacks.

“There is a decision that our officers will be trained in 10 weeks. Such obligations were undertaken by the American partners,” Reznikov said, in remarks published on Ukraine’s state Military Media Center Telegram messaging app.

Top US official meets Zelenskyy in Kiev

A senior US official has travelled to Kiev where she met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and assured him of Washington’s “steadfast commitment” to Ukraine, the State Department said.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman led a delegation to the Ukrainian capital to discuss assistance to bolster Ukraine’s security posture, improvements to its economy, and ways to develop an enduring bilateral trade partnership with the United States, it added.

The purpose of the visit is “to reaffirm the United States’ strong and steadfast commitment to Ukraine and its defence against Russia’s unprovoked aggression,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

US begins expanded combat training of Ukrainian forces

The US military’s new, expanded combat training of Ukrainian forces has begun in Germany, with a goal of getting a battalion of about 500 troops back on the battlefield to fight the Russians in the next five to eight weeks, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said.

Milley, who plans to visit the Grafenwoehr training area on Monday to get a first-hand look at the programme, said the troops being trained left Ukraine a few days ago. 

The so-called combined arms training is aimed at honing the skills of the Ukrainian forces so they will be better prepared to launch an offensive or counter any surge in Russian attacks. They will learn how to better move and coordinate their company- and battalion-size units in battle, using combined artillery, armour and ground forces.

Russia claims Soledar under Russian army

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that its forces have captured Soledar.

The ministry said Soledar, the focus of a bloody battle between Russian and Ukrainian forces, was captured on Thursday night.

There was no immediate confirmation from Ukrainian authorities to Russia’s claim to have seized the town in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk province, one of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow has illegally annexed.

TRT World is unable to verify Russia’s claim independently.

Russia questions Sweden over Nord Stream blasts probe

A spokeswoman for Russia’s foreign ministry has questioned whether Sweden has “something to hide” over blasts along the Nord Stream gas pipelines last September.

Addressing reporters at a news briefing, Maria Zakharova also reiterated criticism of the Swedish government for not sharing information from the ongoing investigations into the incidents.

Sweden and other European investigators say the attacks were carried out on purpose, but they have not said who they think was responsible. Moscow, without providing evidence, has blamed the explosions on Western sabotage.

“Maybe Russian investigators, conducting an objective investigation, could come to an inconvenient conclusion… about who conducted this act of sabotage, terrorism. About who thought it up, and who carried it out,” Zakharova said.

Kremlin calls not to rush in declaring victory

The Kremlin said it was important not to “rush” to declare victory in Soledar, hours after Russia’s mercenary group Wagner claimed it had seized control of the town in eastern Ukraine.

“Let’s wait for official announcements,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that there was a “positive dynamic in advances” in Soledar and saluted the “heroism of our fighters”.

“Tactical successes, of course, are very important,” he added.

Earlier, Wagner’s boss Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed his fighters controlled the salt mining city, while also saying some “urban battles” were still being fought in its centre.

Russia will keep developing nuclear weapons: Defence minister

Russia’s defence minister says his country will continue developing its nuclear triad of ballistic missiles, submarines and strategic bombers because such weapons are the main guarantee of its sovereignty.

“We will continue to develop the nuclear triad and maintain its combat readiness since the nuclear shield has been and remains the main guarantor of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state,” Sergei Shoigu said.

“We will also increase the combat capabilities of the aerospace forces – both in terms of the work of fighters and bombers in areas where modern air defence systems are in operation, and in terms of improving unmanned aerial vehicles.”

Germany will not rule out Leopard tanks to Ukraine

Germany will not rule out sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine in the future, the country’s economy minister told German broadcaster ARD.

“Of course it can’t be ruled out,” Robert Habeck said.

Habeck’s comments come two days after Germany said it wants to deliver around 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine before the end of March, a decision Habeck said was good and long overdue.

Erdogan speaks to Putin and Zelenskyy, offers help for Russia-Ukraine peace

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone call that Ankara was ready to take on mediation and moderation duties to secure a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine.

A readout from Erdogan’s office on Thursday said Türkiye also offered diplomatic support regarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station. 

Earlier today, Erdogan also had a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

Erdogan told Putin that peace efforts in the Russia-Ukraine conflict should be supported by a unilateral ceasefire and a “vision for a fair solution”, the presidency said.

‘Deeply sceptical’ about Russia’s 36-hour truce: US Pentagon

The Pentagon says the world is deeply sceptical about Putin’s call for a 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine.

“I think that there’s significant scepticism both here in the US and around the world right now, given Russia’s long track record of propaganda, disinformation, and its relentless attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians,” Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told reporters.

“Our focus will continue to be on supporting Ukraine,” Ryder added.

Putin says Ukraine must accept loss of territories for there to be dialogue

Putin has said during talks with his Turkish counterpart that he is open to dialogue with Ukraine if Kyiv accepts the “new territorial realities” on the ground.

According to the Kremlin, Putin confirmed to Recep Tayyip Erdogan during their telephone conversation that Russia was open “to serious dialogue”.

However, he said this was contingent on Ukraine “fulfilling the well-known and repeatedly voiced requirements of taking into account the new territorial realities”.

Russia moved to unilaterally annex four partly occupied Ukrainian regions – Luhansk and Donetsk in the east, and Kherson and Zaporizhia in the south – in September and has rejected a peace plan put forward by Kyiv which calls for Moscow to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and withdraw all of its troops from the country.

Putin wants to destroy Ukraine, says German foreign minister

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says that the EU had tried everything to stop the war in Ukraine but that Putin had nothing on his mind but to destroy Ukraine.

Speaking at a conference in Portugal’s capital Lisbon, Baerbock said Putin’s stance was why it was “important to keep up the delivery of weapons so Ukraine can defend itself and protect people’s lives”.

Russian official says peace treaty talks with Japan ‘impossible’

Japan’s “anti-Russian course” makes peace treaty talks “impossible”, a senior Russian foreign ministry official has been quoted as saying by the state-owned TASS news agency.

Russia and Japan have not formally ended World War Two hostilities because of their standoff over islands, seized by the Soviet Union at the end of the war, just off Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido. The islands are known in Russia as the Kurils and in Japan as the Northern Territories.

“It is absolutely obvious that it is impossible to discuss the signing of such a document [a peace treaty] with a state that takes openly unfriendly positions and allows itself direct threats against our country,” deputy foreign minister Andrei Rudenko told TASS.

Japan has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and has moved to reduce its reliance on Russian oil and coal exports in recent months.

Ukraine reports more Russian drone attacks

Russia has deployed multiple drones overnight to attack parts of Ukraine and dozens were shot down, Ukrainian officials say.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 40 exploding drones “headed for Kyiv” overnight, according to air defence forces, and all of them were destroyed. He said 22 drones were destroyed over Kyiv, three in the outlying Kyiv region and 15 over neighbouring provinces.

An infrastructure facility in Kyiv was damaged and an explosion occurred in one city district, the mayor said. It was not immediately clear whether that was caused by drones or other munitions.

In the outlying Kyiv region, a “critical infrastructure object” and residential buildings were hit, Governor Oleksiy Kuleba said. Seven drones were shot down over the southern Mykolaiv region, according to Governor Vitali Kim, and three more were shot down in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, Governor Valentyn Reznichenko said.