Friday, August 4

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A Ukrainian soldier poses next to a tank during an exhibition of destroyed Russian military vehicles in Kyiv on Aug. 3, 2023. (Photo by Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)

PM Shmyhal: Ukraine to spend $48 billion on armed forces in 2023. Ukraine will spend Hr 1.8 trillion (about $48 billion) from the state budget on the defense and security forces in 2023, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Aug. 3.

Report: Russia carries out forced, systematic passportization in occupied territories. Russia systematically coerces residents of the occupied parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts to accept Russian passports, the U.S. research group Ukraine Conflict Observatory reported on Aug. 2.

SBU: Ex-lawyer for banned pro-Russian party detained for spying. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on Aug. 3 that it had detained a lawyer in Odesa, who worked undercover gathering intelligence for the Russian security services.

Ukrainian Grain Association: harvest forecast up by 7.8 million tons. The grain association, which represents producers, processors and exporters of Ukrainian grain, said that the updated estimate is 7.8 million tons higher than initial calculations.

Zelensky meets soldiers in hospital in Ivano-Frankivsk. President Volodymyr Zelensky met with soldiers from the 45th Separate Rifle Battalion on Aug. 3, who are receiving treatment in Ivano-Frankivsk

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Norwegian volunteer comes under Russian fire in Kherson. Russian troops targeted the central part of Kherson on Aug. 3 afternoon, injuring a volunteer from Norway, the regional authorities reported.

Media: Prigozhin-linked firms receive state contracts after Wagner rebellion. Companies associated with Yevgeny Prigozhin signed state contracts worth at least 2 billion rubles (up to $21 million) within a month after his Wagner Group rebellion, the Russian independent outlet Agentstvo reported on Aug. 3.

State Bureau of Investigation: Military official helped draft-age men to evade mobilization. The State Bureau of Investigation reported on Aug. 3 that it had detained an official of the Kyiv City Military Administration, who allegedly helped draft-age men to evade mobilization by leaving Ukraine.

Czech company says Russia obtained its drone components via third parties. The Czech company AXI Model Motors stated on Aug. 3 that it has “never supplied its products to the military,” after a Ukrainian soldier found a component it had manufactured inside a Russian drone.

Authorities investigate MP for alleged vacation abroad. Lawmaker Oleksandr Dubinsky is being investigated for a leisure trip abroad during wartime, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and State Bureau of Investigation (DBP) stated on Aug. 3.

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Ukraine war latest: Russia’s war costs Ukraine $50 billion annually, PM says

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Aug. 3 that the war costs Ukraine around Hr 1.8 trillion ($50 billion) per year. Nearly 50% of the country’s budget is now subsidized by Ukraine’s foreign partners, with the U.S., and EU being the main backers.

Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Emergency service officials charged over  crash that killed interior minister

The State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) reported on Aug. 3. that five State Emergency Service officials had been charged with safety violations and negligence regarding the helicopter crash in January that killed Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky, among other victims.

Photo: Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian strikes against Kherson injure 8, including 4 emergency workers. Russian strikes against Kherson on Aug. 3 injured at least eight people, including four employees of the State Emergency Service, the Prosecutor General’s Office reported on Aug. 3.

Russian attacks kill 2, injure 7. Russian attacks targeted 10 oblasts overnight and during the past day, killing at least two people and injuring at least seven more, local officials reported early on Aug. 3.

General Staff: Russia has lost 247,850 troops in Ukraine. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Aug. 3 that Russia had lost 247,850 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24 last year.

International response

EU expands sanctions against Belarus. The Council of the European Union approved additional sanctions against Belarus on Aug. 3 in response to the country’s involvement in Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

Blinken: Russia’s war in Ukraine is ‘assault on global food system’. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized Moscow for withdrawing from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, emphasizing that “hunger must not be weaponized.”

Romania investigating reports of Russian drone debris falling on its territory. The Romanian Defense Ministry said on Aug. 3 it had launched an investigation into reports of a Russian drone crushing on Romania’s territory during an attack on Odesa Oblast.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Oleksiy Sorokin, Martin Fornusek, Elsa Court, Toma Istomina, Dinara Khalilova, Oleg Sukhov, and Abbey Fenbert.

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