Sunday, August 27

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Video screenshot of the explosion that destroyed a Russian S-400 missile defense system in occupied Crimea on Aug. 23, 2023. (Photo via Ukrainian Military Intelligence/Defense Ministry)

Oleksandr Usyk defeats Daniel Dubois, defends heavyweight titles. Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk defended the title of unified heavyweight boxing world champion by defeating British boxer Daniel Dubois in a highly anticipated match on Aug. 26 in Wroclaw, Poland.

Russian governor claims drone attack in Bryansk. The governor of Russia’s Bryansk Oblast, Alexander Bogomaz, wrote on Telegram that Russian air defense shot down a drone in the Bryansk region on the evening of Aug. 26.

Russian troops attack 10 communities in Sumy Oblast. Russian troops launched 28 attacks at communities along the Sumy Oblast border on Aug. 26, causing a total of 147 explosions, the local military administration reported on Telegram.

Russian governor claims drones attack Belgorod Oblast. Governor of Russia’s Belgorod Oblast Vyacheslav Gladkov claimed that in the afternoon of Aug. 26, Russian air defenses downed a drone approaching the city of Belgorod.

Official: New Ukrainian-made missile used to strike Crimea. The Aug. 23 strike on an a Russian anti-aircraft system in Crimea used a “new, completely modern” Ukrainian missile, Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, said on Aug. 26.

Governor: Russia attacks Dnipropetrovsk Obast with drones and artillery.

Russian troops attacked Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast three times on Aug. 26, also targeting the nearby Marhanets community, Governor Serhii Lysak reported.

Your contribution helps keep the Kyiv Independent going. Become a member today.

Media: Nearly 100 Leopard 1 tanks stored in the open as Switzerland rejects transfer to Ukraine. Almost 100 Swiss-made Leopard 1 tanks are being stored out in the open in Italy following Switzerland’s refusal to allow their transfer to Ukraine, Swiss public broadcasting organization RSI reported on Aug. 26.

Women hold symbolic wedding to show lack of rights for same-sex couples.

Two women held a symbolic wedding in Kharkiv on Aug. 25 to protest the lack of marriage equality for same-sex partners in Ukraine. The Ukrainian state does not recognize same-sex marriages or civil unions.

Fire reported at pyrotechnics warehouse in Kemerovo, Russia. A huge fire broke out on Aug. 26 at a pyrotechnics warehouse in the Siberian city of Kemerovo, Russian media reported.

Ukraine says continuation of EU ban on grain imports ‘unacceptable’. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said on Aug. 26 that it is unacceptable for European Union members to continue the ban on Ukrainian grain imports until the end of 2023.

Monitor: Another vessel leaves Odesa port via Black Sea corridor. A second civilian vessel has sailed from Odesa through the temporary Black Sea corridor, set up primarily to evacuate vessels docked in Ukrainian ports since the start of the full-scale invasion, according to MarineTraffic data.

Read our exclusives

Inching forward in Bakhmut counteroffensive, Ukraine’s hardened units look ahead to long, grim war

Over mid-August, the Kyiv Independent spent two weeks with infantry, artillery, medic, and drone units around Bakhmut.

Photo: Francis Farrell / The Kyiv Independent

Opinions and Insights

Sławomir Sierakowski: The strongest army in Europe?

“There is a growing belief that Poland will soon have Europe’s strongest army. Poland’s ruling party, Law and Justice, has not missed any opportunity to drum this message home, and one increasingly hears it being echoed abroad, too. But is it true?” Sławomir Sierakowski, a senior fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations, writes in his latest op-ed.

Photo: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Air Force: 3 pilots killed in crash above Zhytomyr Oblast. Three Ukrainian pilots were killed on Aug. 25 when their planes collided in the sky, the Air Force confirmed on Aug. 26. Among the dead is a well-known pilot from the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, who had the call-sign Juice. The pilot had over 14,000 followers on Twitter.

Russian attack injures 2 in Kherson. The shelling injured one 41-year-old woman, who was hospitalized, and another 70-year-old woman, who was treated at the scene, the Kherson Oblast Military Administration reported on Aug. 26.

Russian attacks kill 5, injure at least 4 in Ukraine over past day. Russian forces attacked over 100 settlements across seven Ukrainian regions, killing three civilians and injuring at least four others over the past day, regional authorities reported on Aug. 26.

Media: 15 Ukrainians injured in bus crash in Italy. Around 40 Ukrainians were on board a bus that crashed in Italy on the evening of Aug. 25, according to local media reports and the Italian authorities.

General Staff: Russia has lost 260,270 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

Russia has also lost 4,390 tanks, 8,539 armored fighting vehicles, 7,823 vehicles and fuel tanks, 5,379 artillery systems, 726 multiple launch rocket launch systems, 497 air defense systems, 315 airplanes, 316 helicopters, 4,367 drones, and 18 boats, the military said.

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 22 – F-16s and the irrational politics of military aid

Want to get the news faster? Follow our website: kyivindependent.com.

Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Francis Farrell, Alexander Khrebet, Oleg Sukhov, Elsa Court, Daria Shulzhenko, Toma Istomina, Lili Bivings, and Rachel Amran.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider joining our membership program. Start supporting independent journalism today.