Thursday, August 17

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainians, wearing traditional embroidered vyshyvanka shirts, take part at a rally in downtown Kyiv on Aug. 16, 2023. The rally is dedicated in the memory of the Ukrainian soldier and the founder of the ‘March in vyshyvankas’ Andriy Babinsky. (Photo by Danylo Antoniuk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Air Force: Ukraine downs 13 kamikaze drones overnight. Ukrainian forces eliminated 13 Shahed-136/131 kamikaze drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported on Aug. 16. Of the total number, 11 drones have been shot down over Odesa Oblast and two over Mykolaiv Oblast, local officials said.

Navy: Ukraine has disabled 5 Russian landing crafts since invasion began. Ukrainian forces have already put out of action five large Russian military landing crafts since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said on a TV channel Freedom on Aug. 15.

Ukraine and Romania agree to open new border crossing. The Ukrainian government has approved a draft agreement with Romania to create a new border crossing in Ukraine’s western Zakarpattia Oblast.

Finance Ministry: Third of state budget in 2023 used to pay soldiers. Around one-third of the state budget for 2023 so far – almost Hr 520 billion ($14 billion) – has been used for military personnel expenditures, Ukraine’s Finance Ministry said on Aug. 16., referencing data from the State Treasury Service.

Media: Russia sentences Ukrainian soldiers to over 20 years in prison. A Russian-controlled court in occupied Donetsk Oblast sentenced three Ukrainian soldiers to more than 20 years in prison, media outlet Hromadske reported on Aug. 16, citing the Russian military prosecutor’s office.

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Zelensky: Russia has attacked Ukrainian ports 7 times since Moscow pulled out of grain deal. Russia’s drone attack on Odesa Oblast overnight on Aug. 16 marked the seventh time Russia has targeted Ukrainian ports since Moscow pulled out of the Black Sea Grain initiative, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during his evening address.

UK Defense Ministry: Russia deploys domestically-produced drones based on Shaheds. Russia has almost certainly started to deploy home-produced drones based on Iranian Shahed kamikaze drone designs, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in its latest intelligence report on Aug. 16.

FT: US asks Iran to stop drone supply to Russia. The U.S. has raised the issue of Iran’s supply of attack drones to Russia during discussions with Tehran as part of an effort to “de-escalate tensions,” the Financial Times reported on Aug. 16.

General Staff: Russia to stage military propaganda video in Kherson Oblast to boost morale. Russia is preparing to shoot a propaganda video on an alleged defeat of “Ukrainian saboteurs” to boost flagging morale, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Aug. 16.

Media: Russian journalist allegedly victim of poisoning in Germany. Elena Kostyuchenko, a Russian journalist working for the Russian independent media Novaya Gazeta, says she was poisoned in Germany after covering Russia’s war in Ukraine, Russian independent media outlets the Insider and Meduza reported.

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’Just hold on’: Front-line medics race against time to save wounded soldiers

To ensure evacuations go as smoothly as possible, the medics must constantly communicate within their unit and with other brigades fighting in the area. Difficulties arise when Russia intercepts radio communication, especially during assaults, making it harder to work quickly.

Photo: Asami Terajima/The Kyiv Independent

Ukraine war latest: First vessel sails through temporary Black Sea corridor

Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov announced on Aug. 16 that the first civilian vessel sailed from Odesa via the temporary Black Sea corridor, which was set up primarily to evacuate vessels docked in Ukraine’s port since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Photo: Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov/Facebook

Why Ukraine is getting rid of Soviet remnants

Human cost of war

Russian attacks kill 4, injure 16 over past day. Russian forces targeted 10 oblasts over the past day, killing four people and injuring 16 more, local officials reported on Aug. 16.

General who commanded Russian forces in Ukraine dies in Moscow. Russian Colonel-General Gennady Zhidko led Russian troops in Ukraine for a number of months in the spring and summer of 2022. He died in Moscow “after a long illness,” Governor of Khabarovsk Mikhail Degtyarev said on Aug. 16.

Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast kill 1, injure 7. Russian attacks on Mezhivskyi and Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast left one dead and seven injured, Oblast Governor Serhii Lysak reported on Aug 16.

Governor: Russian strikes against Kherson Oblast injure 5. Russian strikes against Kherson and two other settlements in the oblast on Aug. 16 injured five residents, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.

International response

Finland builds up Europe’s largest nuclear emergency stockpile. Finland is building up a reserve of emergency supplies in case of a nuclear emergency in northern or eastern Europe after receiving funding from the European Commission, Finland’s Interior Ministry said on Aug. 16.

New Swiss sanctions against Russia come into effect. The Swiss government implemented a new set of sanctions against Russia on Aug. 16. The measures align with the European Union’s 11th package of sanctions from June 23.

Czech Republic sanctions Russian weapons oligarch, family members who reside in Prague. The Czech Republic announced on Aug. 16 that it had sanctioned Russian oligarch Boris Obnosov, the head of one of Russia’s key missile manufacturers, as well as his daughter and son-in-law, who live in Prague.

Media: NATO Official retracts controversial suggestion about Ukraine exchanging territory for NATO membership. Stian Jenssen, chief of staff to the NATO secretary-general, walked back his previous comments about Ukraine potentially giving up territory to Russia in return for NATO membership, the Norwegian newspaper VG reported on Aug. 16.

EU moves funds for Russia and Belarus to Ukraine and Moldova. The European Commission, the European Union’s executive branch, will reallocate €135 million in funding once meant for Russia and Belarus to projects in Ukraine and Moldova, the Commission announced on Aug. 16.

American conservative group, Republicans for Ukraine, launches ad campaign to increase support for Ukraine. A U.S. Republican Party-affiliated group, Republicans for Ukraine, announced the launch of a $2 million ad campaign to gain more support for Ukraine among Republican voters, the Hill reported on Aug. 15.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Teah Pelechaty, Martin Fornusek, Nate Ostiller, Lili Bivings, Elsa Court, Olena Goncharova, Abbey Fenbert and Daria Bevziuk.

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