Monday, August 14

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Smoke rises over the village of Shyroka Balka in Kherson Oblast, after shelling by Russian troops on the morning of Aug. 13. Five locals were killed in the attack. (Photo by Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko via Telegram)

Russian forces launch drones and missiles at Odesa, injuring 3. Russia launched Shahed drones and missiles at Odesa on the night of Aug. 14, the Ukrainian Air Force announced shortly after 1 a.m local time.

OSINT outfit: Russia lied about ship inspection in Black Sea. InformNapalm, a Ukrainian open-source intelligence outfit, reported on Aug. 13 that the Russian authorities had lied about a Russian ship firing warning shots in the Black Sea earlier on the same day.

Reuters: Ukrainian army attempts to break through Russian lines in Donetsk Oblast. Ukrainian troops are trying to break through Russian lines in the western part of Donetsk Oblast and gain a foothold to the east of the village of Staromayorske, Reuters reported on Aug. 13, citing Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed proxy in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Official: Partisans set Russian base on fire in Mariupol. Ukrainian partisans have set a Russian military base in occupied Mariupol on fire, Petro Andriushchenko, an advisor to the exiled mayor of Mariupol, reported on Aug. 13.

General Staff: Russians fail to regain lost positions in 3 directions. The Russian military has unsuccessfully attempted to regain lost positions in the Bakhmut, Shakhtarske and Zaporizhzhia directions during the day, Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces reported on Aug. 13.

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Ukrainian forces report hitting 2 Russian ammunition depots in southern Ukraine. Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported destroying two ammunition depots in Oleshky, an occupied town in Kherson Oblast, and hitting a site that hosted a “group” of Russian troops.

Media: Germany’s Rheinmetall to deliver Luna drone system to Ukraine. Rheinmetall, Germany’s automotive and arms manufacturer, will deliver a Luna New Generation drone system to Ukraine by the end of 2023, Bild am Sonntag reported on Aug. 12, citing company sources.

Russian governors claim Ukrainian attacks on Kursk, Belgorod regions. Roman Starovoyt, governor of Russia’s Kursk region, claimed on Aug. 13 that “shells coming from Ukraine” had hit a house in the village of Volfino, injuring three people.

Ukrainian journalists identify Russian officers involved in July strikes on Odesa. Ukrainian journalists identified Russian commanders allegedly involved in P-800 Onyx missile strikes on Odesa on July 19 and July 23, damaging the city’s UNESCO heritage sites.

UK Defense Ministry: Wagner Group likely moving towards downsizing. The Wagner mercenary group is likely moving towards a reconfiguration process, largely to save on staff salary expenses at a time of financial pressure, the U.K. Defense Ministry wrote on Aug. 13.

Read our exclusives

Putin cracks down on pro-war opposition as all-out war falters

After Russian dictator Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he swiftly eliminated the liberal anti-war opposition.

But Putin now faces a threat from the other side – pro-war hawks who criticize Russia’s political and military leadership for mishandling the war effort.

Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian attack on Kherson kills family, including newborn.

Russian shelling killed five civilians in the village of Shyroka Balka, including a family of four: a couple and their two children, a 12-year-old son, and a 23-day-old newborn, according to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.

Update: Aug. 7 Russian attack on Pokrovsk kills 10. An emergency responder died after suffering injuries from the Aug. 7 Russian missile attack on Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, bringing the death toll up from seven to 10 people, the State Emergency Service reported on Aug. 13.

Prosecutor General’s Office: 500 children killed, 1,097 injured by Russia’s all-out war. However, the actual numbers may be much higher since they do not fully account for territories still under Russian occupation, recently liberated by Ukrainian forces, or experiencing heavy fighting.

General Staff: Russia has lost 253,850 troops in Ukraine. This number includes 560 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Olga Rudenko, Alexander Query, Teah Pelechaty, Alexander Khrebet, Natalia Datskevych, Oleg Sukhov, and Abbey Fenbert.

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