Tuesday, August 22

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian children practice choreography for the Day of the Ukrainian Flag on Aug. 21, 2023 in Reni, Ukraine. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)

Zelensky arrives in Greece for Ukraine-Balkan summit. President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Athens on Aug. 21 to participate in a Ukraine-Balkan summit in Greece, Zelensky said in a video message published on his Telegram channel.

Ukraine wants to use new Black Sea corridor to export grain. After a successful evacuation of a vessel along a new corridor on the western Black Sea coast, Ukraine is hoping to use the corridor to export grain, Denys Marchuk, deputy head of the Agrarian Council, said on national television, Reuters reported on Aug. 21.

Air Force: F-16 jets can change course of war in Ukraine. F-16 fighter jets can change the course of events in Russia’s war against Ukraine, providing Ukrainian troops with much-needed air superiority in occupied territories, according to Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat.

Zelensky thanks Denmark over F-16 fighter jets pledge during visit. President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Danish lawmakers on Aug. 21 in Copenhagen, thanking them for their F-16 jet pledge to Ukraine and “leadership that multiplies our collective strength.”

Media: Russia used Iskander cruise missile in Chernihiv drama theater attack. Russia used a 9M727 Iskander cruise missile to strike the city of Chernihiv on Aug. 19 in an attack that killed at least seven and injured 156, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing the press service of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU).

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Defense Ministry: Ukrainian forces make further gains in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Ukraine’s military has advanced southeast of Robotyne and south of Mala Tokmachka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported on Aug. 21.

Official: Ukraine liberates 3 square kilometers near Bakhmut over past week. Ukrainian forces are advancing on Bakhmut’s southern flank, having liberated three square kilometers of land in the past week, according to Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar.

Wagner boss Prigozhin claims to be in Africa, pledges to ‘make Russia even greater on all continents.’ Wagner Group chief and war criminal Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that he was in Africa in a video shared on Aug. 21 by the “Razgruzka Vagnera” (“Wagner’s Load Bearing Vest”) Telegram channel linked to the mercenary group.

Media: Ukraine strikes at least 5 aircraft in Russia over past days. In a series of attacks over the past two days, agents cooperating with Ukrainian military intelligence have destroyed or damaged five Russian aircraft, including strategic bombers used to strike Ukraine, New Voice reported, citing unnamed sources in Ukrainian military intelligence.

Media: Top Russian official’s wife involved in deportation of Ukrainian children. Elena Milskaya, the wife of the head of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry, Aleksandr Korenkov, is reportedly involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, according to an investigation published on Aug. 21 by the independent Russian media outlet Proekt.

UK Defense Ministry: Russia expanding its military structures to redeploy more experienced units. Russia is “highly likely” to create a new military formation — the 18th Combined Arms Army (18 CAA) — aiming “to free up more experienced units to fight on key axes“ in Ukraine, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Aug. 21.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Greece to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s

While in Athens, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Greece will participate in training Ukrainian pilots to operate the U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets.

“Today, we have an important result for the aviation coalition — Greece will take part in the training of our pilots on F-16s,” Zelensky wrote on Aug. 21.

Photo: AFP via Getty Images

Philosopher Jason Stanley: ‘Russia is explicitly fascist’

Jason Stanley, professor of philosophy at Yale University, visited Kyiv in early August to talk about the history of fascism, colonialism, and the roots of Russia’s ongoing war. The Kyiv Independent spoke with Stanley on the intersection between fascism and colonialism.

Photo: Kyiv School of Economics

Book review

Invasion rooted in history: A review of Serhii Plokhy’s ‘The Russo-Ukrainian War’

For many people worldwide, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine appeared unprecedented and unthinkable. However, for those familiar with Ukrainian history, it, unfortunately, represented a familiar pattern. 

Human cost of war

Authorities: 3 killed, 24 injured in Russian attacks over past day. Russian attacks against Ukraine killed three civilians and wounded 24 over the past 24 hours, regional authorities reported on Aug. 21. Russia hit 129 Ukrainian settlements and 37 infrastructure facilities, according to the Defense Ministry’s Military Media Center.

Russian attack on Kherson Oblast village injures civilian. A Russian drone dropped an explosive device on the village of Zolota Balka on Aug. 21, wounding a 43-year-old man, Kherson Oblast Military Administration reported.

International response

Swedish PM: No plans to provide Swedish-made fighter jets to Ukraine. There are no plans to provide Ukraine with Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets due to what Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said was a “balancing act” between what his country can spare and what it needs for itself given it is not yet in NATO.

Kosovo joins G7 declaration on Ukraine’s security guarantees. “Ensuring victory for Ukraine — and holding Russia’s leaders accountable for their crimes — is essential to preserving peace and democracy,” Kosovan Prime Minister Albin Kurti tweeted.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Teah Pelechaty, Dinara Khalilova, Lili Bivings, Alexander Query, Olena Goncharova and Abbey Fenbert.

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