Wednesday, August 9

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A Ukrainian soldier from the 24th separate mechanized brigade on air defense duty in New York, Donetsk Oblast. (Photo by Wojciech Grzedzinski/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Moscow mayor claims more drones shot down over city. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed that Russian air defense successfully targeted and eliminated two drones near the city’s periphery on the night of Aug. 9.

Pentagon announces Biden has cleared F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots. Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed on Aug. 8 that U.S. President Joe Biden “has given the green light” to allow and support the training of Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets.

Russia alleges shelling in Bryansk Oblast. Alexander Bogomaz, the Governor of Bryansk Oblast in Russia, claimed that the town of Bila Berezka had been shelled on the evening of Aug. 9.

Media: Rheinmetall purchases 50 Leopard 1 tanks, will supply 30 to Ukraine. The German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall was identified as the previously unknown buyer who recently purchased 50 Leopard 1 tanks from the Belgian company OIP Land Systems, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Aug. 8.

PEN Ukraine: 25,000 English-language books to be donated to Ukrainian libraries. The writers’ association PEN Ukraine reported on Aug. 8 that 25,000 English-language books will be donated to libraries across Ukraine, including those located near the front line or in recently-liberated territories.

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Reuters: Russia faces challenges in exporting its grain. Moscow is facing challenges in exporting its grain products, namely the lack of ships, rising insurance costs, and the unwillingness of Western companies to deal with Russia, Reuters reported on Aug. 8.

Ukraine thwarts Russian hack on military information system. Ukrainian special forces successfully thwarted a Russian effort to hack the military’s combat information systems, the Ukrainian security service (SBU) announced on Aug. 8.

Over 110 investigations into military enlistment offices opened by Investigation Bureau since February 2022. The State Bureau of Investigation has announced that 112 cases regarding abuses by military enlistment offices have been brought to investigation since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

National Resistance Center: New Wagner camp under construction near Ukraine’s border. The construction of another camp for Wagner Group fighters has begun in Zyabrovka airfield in Belarus, Ukraine’s National Resistance Center reported on Aug. 8.

SBU detains Kherson collaborator who helped Russian forces to torture locals. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) reported on Aug. 8 that it had detained a collaborator in Kherson who purportedly took part in the Russian repressions against locals during the city’s occupation.

Read our exclusives

Investigative Stories from Ukraine: Russia hits Ukraine with missiles that once belonged to Ukraine

Russia attacked Ukraine with Kh-55 missiles Kyiv gave to Moscow back in 1999 to pay off its gas debt, according to a new report by Schemes.

Photo: Schemes/RFE/RL

Ukraine war latest: Counteroffensive is ‘challenging,’ says Zelensky as Western pressure mounts

President Volodymyr Zelensky described the counteroffensive as “challenging,” adding that Ukraine still holds the initiative.

Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Video feature: How Russia destroys Ukraine’s cultural heritage

Opinions and insights

Howard, Jensen: How Russia’s military bloggers shape the course of Putin’s war

“Russian President Vladimir Putin relies on the manipulation of media narratives and limiting access to information to maintain popular support and acceptance of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Donald N. Jensen and Angela Howard write.

Photo: Aleksandr Kots

Kenneth Rogoff: Europe must lead Ukraine’s reconstruction

“While the United States is also deeply invested in Ukraine’s future, as its massive economic and military support for the country has shown, there are several reasons why Europe must take the lead in coordinating and financing the country’s postwar recovery,” Rogoff writes.

Photo: Alina Smutko via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Update: Russian attack on Pokrovsk kills 7, injures 88. The number of people wounded in the Russian Aug. 7 strike against Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, has increased to 88, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on national television.

Update: 3 killed, 9 injured in Russian attack on village in Kharkiv Oblast. The number of casualties as a result of a Russian attack on the village of Kruhliakivka in Kharkiv Oblast on Aug. 7 has increased, the regional Prosecutor’s Office reported on Aug. 8.

Governor: Russian attack against Kupiansk injures teenager. Russian troops struck the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast on Aug. 8, wounding a 14-year-old boy, according to the regional governor Oleh Syniehubov.

Official: 78 Ukrainian first responders killed by Russia’s full-scale war. Since the beginning of the all-out war, 78 Ukrainian first responders were killed in Russian attacks while doing their job, the State Emergency Service’s spokesman Oleksandr Khorunzhyi said on Aug. 8.

General Staff: Russia has lost 250,800 troops in Ukraine. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Aug. 6 that Russia had lost 560 casualties just over the past day.

International response

Dutch PM vows to look into ways to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense in a phone call with Zelensky. In a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug. 8, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the Netherlands is “looking into what else we can do to strengthen Ukrainian air defenses” to protect civilians from Russian attacks.

UK unveils sanctions targeting Russia’s access to foreign military supplies. The U.K.Foreign Office announced a new sanctions package on Aug. 8 against individuals and companies outside Russia in an effort to curb Moscow’s ability to obtain foreign military equipment.

US official: US to announce new military aid for Ukraine. The U.S. will announce a new military aid package for Ukraine at the end of the week, spokesperson of the US State Department Matthew Miller said on Aug. 8.

Italy suspends ‘golden visas’ for Russians, Belarusians. Italy has suspended the Investor Visa program for Russian and Belarusian citizens, the country’s Business Ministry announced on its website. The Italian government made the decision over a year after the European Commission recommended this measure.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Elsa Court, Dinara Khalilova, Martin Fornusek, Oleksiy Sorokin, Toma Istomina, Kate Tsurkan, Olena Goncharova, Daria Bevziuk, and Abbey Fenbert.

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