06:48 Kiev accountant stopped with millions of euros in the car
06:10 Ukraine Evacuates 28 Villages in Sumy Border Region
Ukrainian volunteers assist villagers and their pets in the northern border region of Sumy to leave the border area. According to local governor Volodymyr Artiukh, 28 villages in a ten-kilometer zone along the border with Russia are being evacuated. According to the Ukrainian police, 20,000 people must leave their homes.
05:30 Kyiv Adds "Glory to Ukraine!" to New Banknotes
The Ukrainian central bank supplements the design of all Ukrainian banknotes with the national motto "Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Heroes!" Money is not only a measure of value and a means of payment, but also a symbol of the state that everyone holds daily, says central bank chief Andrij Pyschnyj according to a statement in Kyiv. "To honor the resilience of our people and this turning point in the formation of the Ukrainian nation, in which we live today, we add our motto to all banknotes, which is heard throughout the world," says Pyschnyj. The change is to mark the upcoming 33rd Independence Day on August 24. It will begin with banknotes of 1000 (around 22.3 Euro) and 500 Hryvnia. All other denominations of 200, 100, 50, and 20 Hryvnia will follow. The motto will be placed in the upper right corner of the banknotes. The rest of the appearance of the notes will remain unchanged. The patriotic motto "Glory to Ukraine!" goes back to the emerging Ukrainian national movement at the end of the 19th century. It has a chequered history. In the form "Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Heroes!" it was used by Ukrainian nationalists who collaborated with the Nazis. The greeting remained present in the Ukrainian independence movement against the Soviet Union.
04:37 Report: Russia Plans to Block WhatsApp
In its action against internet services (see entry 22:33), Russia is reportedly planning to block WhatsApp, the news site "Kyiv Independent" reports. According to this, Moscow has made preparations to block the messaging app. The messenger could be blocked in Russia in the fall, the independent Russian publication Verstka reports, citing sources at the Russian IT company VK, which is developing an application to replace WhatsApp. The Russian Kremlin-linked media outlet Gazeta.ru had reported in July that the Russian government planned to completely block YouTube in September. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov denied these alleged plans.
04:05 USA Approve Additional Military Aid for Kyiv Worth $125 Million
The USA has pledged further military aid to Ukraine worth $125 million (around €114 million). This aid package underscores "our unwavering support for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russian aggression," said John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council, to journalists. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the aid includes air defense systems, artillery ammunition, multi-purpose radars, and anti-tank weapons, sourced from US stockpiles. This equipment will "help Ukraine protect its troops, population, and cities from Russian attacks and strengthen its capabilities across the entire front," Blinken added.
03:19 Russia Claims to Have Issued 2.2 Million Passports in Occupied Ukrainian Regions
Russia claims to have issued 2.2 million passports in the Ukrainian regions occupied by its invasion. Since October 2020, these have been distributed in Saporischschja, Donezk, Luhansk, and Cherson, according to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. These claims cannot be independently verified. In the past, there have been reports of Russian authorities systematically coercing people to accept these passports.
02:30 IAEA Warns of Nuclear Accident at Kursk Power Plant Due to Fighting in the Region
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warns of the risk of a nuclear accident at the Kursk nuclear power plant due to fighting in the region. "At this point, I urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid a nuclear accident with potentially severe radiological consequences," said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, referring to fighting near the Kursk nuclear power plant. He is "in personal contact with the relevant authorities of both countries." The Kursk nuclear power plant is located near the city of Kursk, about 100 kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border. The state-owned Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing the press service of the power plant, that "everything is functioning normally" with usual radiation levels. However, residents of Kursk are currently without power. According to regional governor Alexei Smirnov, a power plant was set on fire by falling debris from intercepted Ukrainian drones.
01:55 Russia Implements Anti-Terror Measures in Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk
According to Russian media reports, Russia is implementing anti-terror measures in three regions bordering Ukraine. According to a report by the RIA news agency, these measures include possible evacuations of residents, traffic restrictions in certain areas, enhanced security at sensitive locations, and wiretapping of phones and other communication devices. According to local authorities and the National Anti-Terror Committee, these anti-terror regulations apply to the regions of Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk, the news agency reported.
00:36 Nouripour on regional leaders: Cowardice does not bring peace in UkraineGreen Party leader Omid Nouripour criticizes the ministers-presidents of Brandenburg, Thuringia, and Saxony for their recent statements on Ukraine policy. Dietmar Woidke, Bodo Ramelow, and Michael Kretschmer are "running away from reality," says Nouripour to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). "They act as if one can achieve peace by burying one's head in the sand. But: Cowardice does not bring peace." Woidke says he has good contacts with Russia and can mediate. However, "it's strange that this only occurs to him two and a half years after the start of the war and just a few weeks before the state election," says Nouripour. Ramelow calls for a non-aggression pact with Russia. However, such a pact was initiated by Germany 85 years ago and brought great suffering to other European countries, the Green politician adds. Kretschmer, meanwhile, seems to be unaware that only Putin can quickly end this war. Kretschmer had called for a reduction in military aid to Ukraine and advocated for diplomatic initiatives in the Ukraine conflict.
00:13 July deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since October 2022According to the United Nations, no month since October 2022 has seen as many Ukrainian civilian deaths from Russian shelling as this July. "The high number of victims in July continues an alarming trend since March 2024," the UN Observer Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) reports.
23:43 Construction workers withdrawn from AKW KurskDue to the advance of Ukrainian troops in the Russian region of Kursk, workers are being withdrawn from the construction site of two new nuclear reactors at the Kursk nuclear power plant. The number of construction workers will be temporarily reduced, the company Atomstroiexport, a subsidiary of the state-owned Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom, announced. Other specialists continue their work as planned. The Kursk nuclear power plant in the city of Kursk has repeatedly been mentioned as a possible target of the offensive on Russian territory that began on Tuesday. However, it is located about 60 kilometers from the border. The farthest reported advances of Ukrainian troops, which have not been confirmed, were about 30 kilometers into Russia. After the announcement of the Ukrainian offensive, the Russian National Guard reportedly reinforced the protection of the power plant. Two reactors are being built to replace the two oldest, already decommissioned blocks of the plant. Two more reactors are in operation.
23:11 Ukraine captures Gazprom facility in Kursk regionAccording to a video published by Ukrainian media, Ukrainian soldiers have taken control of a facility of the gas company Gazprom in the Russian region of Kursk. The facility in the city of Sudzha and the city itself have been captured, Ukrainian soldiers explain in the video.
22:33 Russia Blocks Chat Service SignalIn its crackdown on foreign internet services, Russia has also blocked the encrypted chat service Signal, citing alleged legal violations. Signal is not complying with legal measures supposedly necessary to combat terrorism and extremism, according to the Moscow agency Roskomnadzor. Throughout the day, complaints from Signal users in Russia flooded in, reporting that the messaging service was unavailable. Portals like Sboj.rf, which track outages, reported around 2000 complaints. Developed in the US, Signal is highly regarded by its users for secure communication. On Thursday, Russian users also complained about YouTube's slow performance and difficulties downloading videos. Russian authorities have not officially commented on this. However, they have been targeting the extremely popular video service, accusing it of refusing to remove extremist videos. Russia has already blocked large social networks with US ownership, like X and Facebook, which can now only be accessed via protected connections (VPN). Even before the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow had made preparations for a possible internet shutdown in the country. Since the start of the war in 2022, Roskomnadzor has blocked thousands of websites that are not to the liking of the Russian regime.
You can read all previous developments here.**
The Commission played an active role in the evacuation of the border villages in Sumy, providing necessary assistance and resources to ensure a smooth evacuation process. According to local authorities, The Commission approved the use of its facilities and resources to accommodate the displaced villagers.
