Friday, August 16

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A Ukrainian army chaplain gives a homily with Ukrainian soldiers, celebrating the feast of the Assumption, in a forest in Donetsk Oblast on Aug. 15, 2024. The feast of the Assumption has been celebrated since the time of the first Christians. (Jose Colon/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Zelensky confirms full capture of Russian town of Sudzha in Kursk Oblast. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed in his address on Aug. 15 that Ukrainian forces had captured the entire Russian town of Sudzha in Kursk Oblast.

Ukraine captures over 100 Russian, Chechen soldiers in a day in Kursk Oblast, source says. Ukrainian special forces captured 102 Russian and Chechen soldiers in Kursk Oblast on Aug. 14, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent on Aug. 15.

Ukraine forms military administration in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Syrskyi says. “Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast advanced 35 kilometers deep and control 1,150 square kilometers,” Syrskyi said.

Ukraine deploys British Challenger 2 tanks in Russia incursion, media report. The U.K. Defense Ministry previously confirmed that there has been no change of policy and Ukraine has the right to use British-supplied weapons – except for long-range Storm Shadow missiles – on Russian territory.

Kyiv opens hotline for Russian citizens in Kursk Oblast to request aid, evacuation to Ukraine. Writing in Russian so that “Russians can understand,” Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that Ukraine “must be prepared to receive Russian refugees.”

Russia declares federal emergency in Belgorod Oblast. Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry declared a federal emergency in Belgorod Oblast on Aug. 15, as Ukraine’s incursion into Russia marks its 10th day.

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Kursk Oblast residents evacuated to Russian-occupied Crimea, media says. Evacuated residents of Russia’s Kursk Oblast are being taken to recreational facilities in Russian-occupied Crimea, Suspilne Crimea reported on Aug. 15.

Russia partially deploying its forces to Kursk Oblast, exact number is unknown, White House says. Kirby declined to assess the Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast but said that the U.S. was monitoring Russia’s reaction and the redeployment of its troops.

Russian troops intensify activity near Krynky, Ukrainian forces withdraw to new positions. Russian troops have intensified their activity near the village of Krynky in Kherson Oblast, prompting Ukrainian forces to seek new positions, Dmytro Lykhovii, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Tavria group of forces, said on Aug. 15.

Pokrovsk residents urged to evacuate as Russian forces are nearly 10 km from city’s outskirts. Pokrovsk is an important logistical hub for the Ukrainian forces that supports their operations in Donetsk Oblast.

US-Ukraine discussions about long-range cruise missiles ‘in advanced stages,’ source says. Discussions between Ukraine and U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration about supplies of long-range cruise missiles are “in the advanced stages,” a source close to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration told the Kyiv Independent.

Ukraine’s Presidential Office denies Kyiv’s involvement in Nord Stream blasts. “Such an act can only be carried out with extensive technical and financial resources … and who possessed all this at the time of the bombing? Only Russia,” Mykhailo Podolyak said in a written comment for Reuters, reiterating Ukraine’s position.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine captures Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Zelensky confirms

President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Aug. 15 that Ukrainian forces had captured the entire Russian town of Sudzha in Kursk Oblast. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that Ukrainian troops had taken control of more than 80 settlements in Kursk Oblast during the ongoing operation.

Photo: Anatoliy Zhdanov/Kommersant Photo/AFP via Getty Images

French support for Ukraine in the clear, despite political deadlock at home

Over a month after the French elections, the new government coalition is yet to crystallize. And the three warring political blocks that hold the majority of seats in the National Assembly have not come close to forming a workable coalition, a process French politicians are not accustomed to.

Photo: Alain Jocard/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

General Mick Ryan on Ukraine’s strategic calculus in Kursk Oblast

As it entered its second week, Ukraine’s cross-border offensive into Russia’s Kursk Oblast is showing no signs of slowing down. Although the element of surprise that overwhelmed the thin Russian defending force in the first days of the incursion has expired, Ukrainian forces continue to advance steadily on the ground.

Photo: Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images

How Ukraine’s Kursk incursion threw Russia’s top propagandists into crisis

Posting on Telegram, Russia’s pro-war semi-independent propagandists often known as “milbloggers” also dismissed the significance of the incursion, with one of the most well-known,  Rybar Z calling it “a PR- campaign” to stretch Russian troops. In a televised meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the invasion a “large-scale provocation.” 

Photo: Gavriil Grigorov/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 5, injure 21 over past day. Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day killed at least 5 people and injured at least 21 others, regional authorities reported early on Aug. 15.

Russian attack on Sumy Oblast kills 1, injures 3. Russian forces attacked 11 communities in Sumy Oblast on Aug. 15, killing one and injuring three people, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported. In total, 147 explosions were recorded in 56 separate attacks on the region.

Opinions and insights

Opinion: 6 ways Ukraine’s Kursk incursion is changing the tide of war

“As becomes clearer with each passing day, the Ukrainian foray into Russia’s Kursk Oblast, which began on Aug. 6, is no minor incident. Kyiv’s unexpected operation on Russian territory could fundamentally change the character of Russia’s war against Ukraine,” writes Andreas Umland, analyst at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs’ Stockholm Center for Eastern European Studies.

Photo: Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images

In other news

Zelensky submits package of bills to parliament to ratify Rome Statute of ICC. President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted on Aug. 15 a package of bills to Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Martin Fornusek, Elsa Court, Nate Ostiller, Toma Istomina, Kateryna Hodunova, Olena Goncharova, Brad LaFoy, and Dmytro Basmat.

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