Friday, August 23

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers take part in a casualty simulation training excercise operated by Britain’s armed forces, as part of the Interflex programme, in southern England, on August 22, 2024. (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)

Ukraine launches counterattack in Kharkiv Oblast, advancing 2 square km, brigade says. “The main aim of the operation was to bring down the offensive potential of the 20th Army of the Russian Federation. At the moment, this task has been accomplished,” Brigade Commander Andrii Biletskyi said.

Ukraine captures new settlement in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Zelensky says while visiting border. Ukraine captured another Russian settlement in Kursk Oblast, as well as Russian prisoners of war, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 22 while visiting the border at Sumy Oblast.

Ukraine hits fuel and bomb warehouses in Russia’s Volgograd region airfield, source says. Explosions were heard in the Russian town of Kalach-na-Donu in Volgograd Oblast overnight on Aug. 22, following what appears to be a drone attack, several Telegram monitoring channels reported.

Ukraine hits train ferry at Kavkaz port in Krasnodar Krai, Russia claims. The Kavkaz Port, located on the Chushka Spit in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, is one of Russia’s largest passenger ports. Its main task is to serve the Kerch ferry crossing in Russian-occupied Crimea.

Ukraine hits Russian platoon base in Kursk region with US glide bombs, commander says. Ukraine’s Air Force hit a platoon base in Russia’s Kursk region with high-precision U.S. GBU-39 bombs on Aug. 22, Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk reported.

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Russia building concrete bunkers in Kursk city as Ukraine’s incursion continues. In a post on Telegram on Aug. 22, acting governor Alexei Smirnov said the locations of ten had already been decided, with plans to install 60 in total.

Rostov Oblast oil depot fire ongoing for 5th day, Russian officials report. The Rostov Oblast government told the media that as of Aug. 22 morning, the number of injured firefighters had risen to 49.

Ukrainian official rejects Putin’s accusations of attempted attack on Kursk nuclear plant. A top Ukrainian counter-disinformation official on Aug. 22 refuted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s accusations that Kyiv attempted to attack the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant.

Over 80% of Ukrainians see their future in Ukraine, poll shows. When asked whether they would like to build their future lives in Ukraine, 59% of Ukrainians said they were “definitely determined” to stay in the country, and another 27% said they were more likely to do so.

Kamala Harris formally accepts Democratic nomination for president, says she will ‘stand strong with Ukraine.’ Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepted the Democratic nomination for president on Aug. 22 at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago. During her acceptance speech, Harris proclaimed her support for Ukraine, saying she would “stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies.”

KI Insights, a newly launched analytical unit powered by the Kyiv Independent, is organizing monthly briefings on a hot political topic of the month. 

We will reflect on the key events in the history of oligarchy in Ukraine, take a deep dive into the power players in 2019 (beginning of Zelensky’s presidency) and where they are now, shed light on the new faces and what place oligarchs hold in today’s wartime Ukraine.  

Format: Online. The event will include a presentation by our director, Jakub Parusinski, and a Q&A session. Seize the opportunity, as the next briefing is planned offline only in Kyiv. 

When: Tuesday, August 27, 16:00 Kyiv time (15:00 in Brussels, 14:00 in London, 10:00 in Washington, DC). Expected duration – 1 hour.You can add the event to your calendar by clicking here .

Where: A Zoom link will be sent to confirmed participants by e-mail. 

In case of any issues or questions, please contact us at insights@kyivindependent.com 
Feel free to reach out to suggest topics of interest for future briefings.  

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Kyiv launches counterattack in Kharkiv Oblast, reportedly advancing 2 square km

Ukraine’s 3rd Separate Assault Brigade launched a counterattack in Kharkiv Oblast and advanced almost 2 square kilometers deep into the front line area, the brigade said on Aug. 22.

Photo: Narciso Contreras/Anadolu via Getty Images

Modi to visit Kyiv after hugging it out with Putin. Can Ukraine crack their alliance?

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Ukraine on Aug. 23 for a historic visit, the first time an Indian prime minister set foot in Ukraine since diplomatic relations were established over 30 years ago.

Image: Ukrainian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Morning in Sudzha: Inside Ukrainian-occupied Russia as Kursk operation continues

Two weeks into Kyiv’s surprise offensive into Russian territory, the next phase of the operation has begun, with consequences for the battlefield and for those Russian civilians remaining in the area.

Photo: Courtesy

Cutting ties with Moscow — What does Ukraine’s church bill really mean

Ukraine’s parliament passed on Aug. 20 a much-debated bill banning activities of religious organizations with ties to Russia, a country whose armies are currently occupying large swathes of Ukraine’s land.

Photo: Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian strike on Kharkiv Oblast town kills 1, injures at least 6. A 57-year-old man was killed in the Russian attack, the authorities said. The strike also injured a 15-year-old boy, a 50-year-old man, and two women aged 28 and 45.

Russian attacks on Sumy Oblast kill 2, injure 3. Russian forces attacked civilian infrastructure in the village of Esman in Sumy Oblast, killing two people and injuring another, the Sumy Oblast Prosecutor’s Office reported. Two other people were also injured in similar attacks on communities in Sumy Oblast on Aug. 22.

International response

Lukashenko’s derisive remarks on Armenia spark protests, condemnation. Speaking on Russian state television, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said earlier in the week, “Who needs Armenians? Nobody. Let them develop their economy and rely on their own resources.

Hungary reportedly starts evicting some Ukrainian refugees from shelters based on new law. Budapest passed the decree on Aug. 21, limiting government-subsidized housing only to those Ukrainians who fled the territories directly affected by active hostilities.

Hungary renews calls for ‘ceasefire’ in response to Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk Oblast. Hungary renewed its calls for a “ceasefire” in response to Ukraine’s ongoing incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, told reporters on Aug. 22.

Russia investigating Western, Ukrainian journalists over reporting from Sudzha. Russia launched a criminal investigation into CNN correspondent Nick Walsh and Ukrainian journalists Diana Butsko and Olesia Borovyk on the grounds of an “illegal border crossing” while reporting on Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk Oblast, the state-owned news agency TASS reported on Aug. 22.

India overtakes China as Russia’s top oil buyer in July, Reuters reports. India overtook China as the world’s largest importer of Russian oil in July as Chinese refiners bought less due to lower profit margins from fuel production, Reuters reported on Aug. 22, citing a comparison of import data.

Germany reportedly investigating ‘espionage’ drone flights over critical infrastructure. Several European countries have in recent months reported numerous cases of espionage and sabotage suspected of being carried out at the behest of Russia.

Ukrainian parliament ratifies strategic partnership agreement with UK. Ukraine’s parliament ratified the agreement on political cooperation, free trade, and strategic partnership between Ukraine and the U.K., the parliament’s press center reported on Aug. 22.

Gen. Ben Hodges on Ukraine’s Kursk incursion in Russia

In other news

Budanov confirms Ukraine behind large-scale drone strike on Moscow. The attack, which occurred overnight on Aug. 20-21, was captured widely on social media. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that the drones were allegedly downed in Moscow Oblast as they were heading towards the capital.

Ukrainian hackers show war footage on Russian TV, source says. According to the source, HUR’s footage was displayed three times on prime-time TV channels: Pervouralsk TV, Eurasia 360, Eurasiaa Pervyi Kanal, and others.

IAEA chief plans to visit Russia’s Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. The IAEA chief said he would visit the power station next week to gather information from its managers on whether it had already been targeted. Kyiv has rejected Russian accusations of planning to attack the nuclear plant.

Zelensky grants National Legend of Ukraine award to 11 ‘outstanding individuals’. “This is respect. This is honor. This is dignity. It is how the state of Ukraine says thank you to its people, its heroes, its legends,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Zelensky tasks government to approve veterans policy strategy. “The key meaning of this policy is heroes. This is respect for the defenders of Ukraine, their protection, real support, effective, without bureaucracy and equally with respect, with the opportunity to further realize themselves for the sake of Ukraine and Ukrainians, for their own development, for the sake of their family, their community, our entire state,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Dinara Khalilova, Martin Fornusek, Chris York, Nate Ostiller, Kateryna Denisova, Daria Svitlyk, and Dmytro Basmat.

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