20:05 Zelenskyy praises the army's ability to surprise
19:44 Russian Military Blog Sees West of Sudzha in Kursk Region Under Ukrainian Control
The Ukrainian army continues its surprising offensive into the Russian region of Kursk for the third day, making territorial gains. While Russian civil authorities in Kursk and the Ministry of Defense in Moscow officially stated that the Ukrainian advance has been stopped, the Russian military blog Rybar, which is close to the ministry, paints a different picture. According to Rybar, Ukrainians are pushing forward, bringing in reserves at night and fortifying their positions. The blog reports that the western part of the town of Sudzha is under Ukrainian control, with fighting ongoing for the eastern part. Additionally, Ukrainians are reportedly advancing north towards Anastasevka and northeast towards Korenovo.
However, local reports suggest no Ukrainian presence in Sudzha itself, with only reports of shootings and artillery fire north and west of the town. Unconfirmed reports also suggest that Ukrainian reconnaissance units have moved towards the Kursk nuclear power plant and have been spotted near Anastasevka.
19:04 SPD to Discuss Stationing of US Missiles in Bundestag in September
Wolfgang Hellmich, the defense policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, has announced a debate on the stationing of long-range US missiles in Germany in the Bundestag. "It's important that we consider everything, take the concerns of citizens seriously, and clear up information," Hellmich told the Funke media group. "We will deal with the topic in the faction and in the Bundestag overall after the parliamentary summer break in September to meet the existing information and discussion needs." The German government and the US government have agreed that the US will station long-range weapons systems like Tomahawk cruise missiles in Germany from 2026, capable of reaching targets in Russia. Many German citizens view this decision critically, according to polls.
18:19 Russian Prosecutors Seek 15 Years for US Woman Accused of Aiding Ukraine
Russian prosecutors are seeking a 15-year prison sentence for a Russian-American woman accused of high treason, state media reported. Ksenia Khavanna was arrested in Yekaterinburg in February on suspicion of collecting money for the Ukrainian military. She reportedly pleaded guilty to the charges during a closed-door trial on Wednesday. The Interfax news agency reported today that prosecutors have requested a 15-year sentence, citing Khavanna's lawyer Mikhail Muskalov. A verdict is expected on August 15.
18:54 Moscow Reports Ukrainian Losses in Kursk Region
The Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, reported to President Vladimir Putin during a video conference that approximately 100 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and more than 200 others injured in the fighting. Russian news agencies reported this. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that at least two people were killed - a paramedic and an ambulance driver - and 24 others were injured by Ukrainian shelling.
17:28 Stegner Cautious About Possible Use of German Weapons in Kursk
SPD foreign policy expert Ralf Stegner expressed caution about the possible use of German weapons in the Ukrainian advance. "Regarding the defense of Ukraine against the Russian invasion, there was an exceptional situation at the border when the city of Kharkiv was under great threat from attacks beyond the nearby border," Stegner told the "Handelsblatt". "This did not imply a general shift in strategy regarding the use of weapons supplied from Germany." The German government had allowed Ukraine, after a long debate in late May, to use weapons supplied by it against targets in Russia. However, this only applied to the Russian border region near the Kharkiv region.
17:00 ISW: Ukraine Advances Kilometers into Russian Territory
The Ukrainian army has made significant progress in its offensive in the western Russian region of Kursk since Tuesday morning, according to assessments by experts. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in the US stated that the advance was "up to ten kilometers", while Russian military blogger Yuri Podolyaka reported that Ukraine had advanced more than 25 kilometers. Ukrainian President's advisor Mykhailo Podolyak described the situation in western Russia as a result of Russia's "aggression" against Ukraine. According to Russian reports, "up to a thousand" Ukrainian soldiers, as well as dozens of tanks and armored vehicles, are involved in the attack. So far, at least five civilians have been killed and another 31 injured. The ISW further stated that the "current extent and location of Ukrainian advances in the Kursk region (...) indicate that Ukrainian forces have breached at least two Russian defensive lines and a position". The Ukrainian forces are reportedly targeting a key Russian army supply hub near the town of Sudzha, eight kilometers from the border.
16:28 Kiesewetter calls Ukrainian advance in Kursk "militarily strategic"CDU foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter has described the Ukrainian advance in Kursk as "militarily strategic." This move allows pressure to be taken off other fronts, as Russia must tie up or redeploy forces to Kursk, Kiesewetter told the "Tagesspiegel." The Ukrainian advance is "clearly permissible under international law, in line with the right to self-defense" (see also entries from 14:45 and 15:07).
15:57 Ukraine: Two killed in Russian attack in DonetskAt least two people have been killed in a Russian artillery attack on the city of Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, local authorities have reported. The morning attack hit a residential area, regional governor Vadym Fyshchyn said on Telegram. Donetsk is a hotspot of the fighting, with the Ukrainian-controlled parts of the region regularly subjected to Russian shelling. Russian troops are trying to advance on the strategically important logistics hub of Pokrovsk, an industrial and mining city. Just on Wednesday, at least four people were killed in Russian shelling in Donetsk.
15:36 Russia: Fighting continues after Ukrainian advance into KurskFighting in the border region of Kursk continues for a third day, according to Russian reports. Russian forces and border guards are preventing Ukrainian units from pushing deeper into Kursk, the Russian Defense Ministry said. At the same time, the Russian army is attacking Ukrainian forces attempting to retreat from the Ukrainian border region of Sumy.
15:07 Wagenknecht warns against use of German weapons in Russia: "Red line"Sahra Wagenknecht has warned against the use of German weapons in the Ukrainian advance into Russian territory. "This is a highly dangerous development," she told the Funke media group. "The federal chancellor must call the Ukrainian president and demand that no German weapons be used in the advance onto Russian territory," the BSW chairwoman said.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz had promised that Germany would not become a party to the war. But, "first, he allowed the Ukraine to shoot at Russian territory with German weapons," Wagenknecht criticized. "Does the federal government now also approve of the Ukraine advancing into Russia with German weapons? That would be the next red line to be crossed," she added. The federal government is "dragging Germany ever deeper into the war," the BSW party leader continued. "The risk of a major European war is growing with this."
14:24 Ukraine urges Mexico to arrest Putin at Sheinbaum's inaugurationThe Ukrainian embassy in Mexico is calling on the Mexican government to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he attends the inauguration of elected President Claudia Sheinbaum. Sheinbaum will assume the presidency on October 1, 2024, becoming the first woman to hold this office in the Latin American country. "We trust that the Mexican government will comply with the international arrest warrant and hand over the named (Putin) to the judicial authorities of the United Nations in The Hague," the embassy said. In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Putin for the alleged war crime of deporting Ukrainian children to Russia following Moscow's invasion in early 2022. Juan Ramon de la Fuente, elected as Sheinbaum's foreign minister, stated that it is "standard protocol" to invite the heads of state of all countries with which Mexico maintains diplomatic relations, including Russia, to the inauguration.
13:50 Monitoring services: Russian users cannot open YouTubeUsers in Russia are unable to open YouTube on their computers and mobile devices. Internet monitoring services downdetector.su, Failure Detector, and sboy.rf report a major outage of the platform's availability. According to the sboy.rf service, over 15,000 complaints have been registered regarding the video hosting service. Complaints came from people in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg, Ufa, Saratov, Samara, Krasnodar, the occupied Crimea, and several other regions. Users reported that they could only access YouTube through virtual private networks (VPNs). Even Reuters reporters in Russia were unable to access YouTube. However, the website was still available via some mobile devices. YouTube is the last remaining Western platform in Russia that is still accessible. As such, YouTube is the last bastion of free expression in Russia. According to Decoder, over 90 million users access YouTube monthly in Russia, making it the top video and streaming platform. In mid-July, Russian media reported that the Russian government planned to block YouTube in September.
13:24 EU: Ukraine leads "legitimate defense war" in Russian KurskThe EU sees the advance of Ukrainian troops into the Russian region of Kursk in the context of the right to self-defense. "We believe that Ukraine is conducting a legitimate defense war against an illegal aggression," said a spokesperson for EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell in Brussels. The right to self-defense includes the right to attack the enemy on its own territory. The EU fully supports Ukraine's efforts to restore its territorial integrity and sovereignty and combat Russia's illegal aggression. Ukrainian troops, supported by tanks and artillery, recently crossed the Russian border from the Sumy region at Sudzha, reportedly taking control of several villages. Russian reports claim that around 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers are involved in the operation.
12:43 Ukraine: Dozens of Russian Soldiers Captured in KurskFollowing the incursion of Ukrainian forces into the Russian region of Kursk, "many" Russian soldiers are said to have been captured. This was reported by the Ukrainian project "Khochu nayti" on Telegram. The humanitarian project, launched in January 2024 by the Ukrainian military intelligence, serves as a coordination center for Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine. It aims to help military personnel of the Russian army find their relatives. According to "Khochu nayti", among the captives are both conscripts and contract soldiers. "There is also information about the dead, whose bodies were not evacuated by their comrades during the retreat," the statement reads. The project published drone footage allegedly showing the capture of more than 30 Russian soldiers. Other videos on social media show dozens of Russian soldiers surrendering in the Kursk region. The total number of Russian soldiers captured since the Ukrainian offensive in the region is currently unclear.
12:18 Gazprom: Gas Transit Running Normally Despite Fighting in Kursk RegionAccording to Gazprom, the Russian gas export through the border region of Kursk, which was attacked by Ukraine, is running largely normally. Today, about 37.3 million cubic meters of natural gas are expected to be transported, the company announced in Moscow. This is five percent less than the day before, Russian state news agency Tass reported. Ukrainian troops have taken at least partial control of the city of Sudja during their incursion across the border, also capturing a key gas pipeline measurement station en route to Western Europe. From there, the transit goes through Ukraine and further into Slovakia and Austria. In 2023, despite the ongoing war, 14.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas were transported to the European Union via this route.
11:37 Military Blogger: Russia Loses 'Important Logistics Hub' to UkraineThe Russian city of Sudja in the Kursk region is said to have been taken by the Ukrainians, according to pro-Russian military blogger of Ukrainian origin, Yuri Podolyaka, on his Telegram channel. The town is nine kilometers from the Ukrainian border. According to Podolyaka, the city is full of Ukrainian military forces. "Sudja is basically lost for us. This is an important logistics hub," Podolyaka writes further. Ukrainian forces are reportedly advancing north towards Lgov. "In general, the situation is difficult and deteriorating, although the pace of the Ukrainian offensive has noticeably slowed down."
11:04 Munz: Kursk Incursion 'Completely Surprised' MoscowInitially, the situation remains unclear, but it is later confirmed: Ukrainian fighters are attacking on Russian territory. The incursion in the Kursk region has "completely surprised" Moscow, reports ntv correspondent Rainer Munz. However, there seems to be more to the attack than just a diversionary maneuver.
10:48 Russia: Situation in Kursk after Ukrainian advance "under control"Russian forces have been engaged in combat with infiltrating Ukrainian troops in the Kursk Oblast for the third day in a row. The situation is "stable and under control," according to the vice-governor of the border region, as reported by the state-owned Russian news agency RIA Novosti. Around 3,000 people have been evacuated to safety. Russian troops are actively fighting against Ukrainian units in the Sudja district and pushing them back, according to the news agency TASS citing local authorities. Four people have been killed in the Ukrainian attacks. The Ukrainian military has not yet commented on the offensive in Kursk. Several pro-Russian military bloggers also report ongoing fighting.
10:18 Kriewald on new offensive: "Ukrainians advance 15 kilometers into Kursk region"The Ukrainian army's advance into the Russian region of Kursk is causing turmoil in Moscow. Ukrainian soldiers are reported to have advanced up to 15 kilometers. Additionally, there are reports of dozens of prisoners of war. ntv reporter Nadja Kriewald reports from Odessa about the background of the offensive.
09:35 UN: Russians torture 95% of Ukrainian prisoners of warEmployees of Russian penal colonies are reported to torture Ukrainian prisoners of war from the very first interrogations. Moreover, the practice of torture in Russian captivity is "widespread and systematic," according to the head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), Danielle Bell, in an interview with the Dutch broadcaster NOS. She says that the Russian Federation tortured 95% of Ukrainian prisoners of war in their prisons. According to her, Ukrainian prisoners of war are beaten with metal rods and sticks, stripped naked, and subjected to electric shocks. "This is undoubtedly the worst I've seen in the 20 years of my career," Bell says. Information about Ukrainian prisoners in Russia is mainly collected through interviews with Ukrainian prisoners of war after their release. At the same time, the UN mission has direct access to Russian prisoners of war and can assess the conditions of the detention facility.
08:49 Estonia introduces enhanced customs controls at Russian borderEstonia is introducing full customs controls at its eastern EU external border with Russia. This decision was made by the government of the Baltic NATO state at the beginning of August. From August 8, all persons crossing the border to Russia, as well as all cargo, will be subject to controls. The controls at the road and rail border crossings in Narva, Koidula, and Luhamaa will be introduced gradually. Previously, checks of passengers and vehicles were random and risk-based. With the tightening, Prime Minister Kristen Michal aims to prevent the transit and transport of EU-sanctioned goods through Estonia and to strengthen the security of the country. The border between Russia and Estonia is 294 kilometers long.
08:11 Ukraine publishes figures on Russian lossesThe Ukrainian General Staff has published new casualty figures for Russian troops in Ukraine. According to the data, Russia has lost approximately 587,510 soldiers in Ukraine since February 24, 2022. In the past 24 hours alone, the number of casualties is said to be 1,140. A report from Kyiv also states that two tanks, 36 artillery systems, 81 drones, and one helicopter have been destroyed. Since the start of the large-scale invasion, Russia is said to have lost a total of 8,431 tanks, 16,487 artillery systems, 366 aircraft, 327 helicopters, 13,293 drones, 28 ships, and one submarine. Western estimates put the losses lower, though these are likely minimum figures.
07:32 Medvedev threatens escalation of Russian invasion in UkraineDmitri Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, has threatened to escalate the Russian invasion in Ukraine in response to Ukraine's advance into the Russian border region of Kursk. The Russian military operation should no longer be limited to securing the territories in Ukraine that Russia considers its own, says the former president. Instead, the armed forces should push towards the cities of Odessa, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, and beyond. The advance will only stop when Russia deems it advantageous. According to Russian reports, Ukrainian troops have advanced deep into Russian territory in the region, with heavy fighting reported. The region has been placed under a state of emergency.
07:05 Russia: 14 Ukrainian aerial objects destroyed over Kursk and BelgorodRussian air defense forces have destroyed 14 unmanned Ukrainian aerial objects over the Belgorod and Kursk regions, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram. Six drones and five more missiles were shot down over the Kursk region, according to regional governor Alexei Smirnov. Early on August 6, Ukrainian forces attacked the border areas of the Kursk region. According to the latest reports from the Russian General Staff, clashes continue in border areas. The state of emergency has been declared in Kursk, and residents are being evacuated.
06:25 Ukraine declares air alert due to Russian MiG-31K attackThe Ukrainian Air Force has declared an air alert across the entire country. The air attack warning is attributed to a missile threat from a Russian MiG-31K aircraft. The MiG-31K is an interceptor aircraft from the Soviet era, named after the Mikoyan-Gurevich aircraft manufacturer. The MiG-31K can carry hypersonic missiles like the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal.
05:32 ISW: Ukrainian armored vehicles spotted 10 kilometers inside Russian border in KurskAccording to an assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrainian troops have advanced up to 10 kilometers into the Russian region of Kursk. This was confirmed by footage of armored vehicles behind the border. Ukrainian forces are said to have breached at least two Russian defense lines and a fortress. According to a Russian source, the Ukrainians have captured 45 square kilometers in the Kursk region since the start of the operation on August 6, the ISW reports. Russian authorities had declared a state of emergency in the region yesterday.
02:30 Ukraine raises threshold for prison sentence in petty theft casesPresident Selenskyj has signed a new law that reclassifies petty theft as an administrative offense instead of a crime. This means that thefts valued at up to around 67 euros will now be punished with fines instead of prison time. Previously, the threshold for petty theft was around 6.7 euros. The change is due to the martial law currently in effect since the Russian invasion. Under martial law, theft can be punished with up to eight years in prison. An example given in the bill was a theft of diapers from a supermarket in the western Ukrainian city of Rivne in January 2023, valued at around 8 euros. The thief in this case had received a prison sentence of over three years.
00:27 Klingbeil: Stationing of US missiles in Germany is necessarySPD leader Lars Klingbeil has defended the plans to station long-range US weapons in Germany against criticism from within his own party. "This stationing is necessary because it helps us to defend ourselves in case Russia decides to attack us," Klingbeil told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. It is part of credible deterrence. At the NATO summit in July, the White House and the German government announced that the US would station weapons systems in Germany from 2026 onwards, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, SM-6 missiles, and new hypersonic weapons. There are critical voices within the SPD, with parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich warning of the risk of military escalation.
22:38 Human rights activist Orlow wants to fight for Russian prisonersOleg Orlov, the Moscow human rights activist released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Western states, wants to continue his work in exile. "Memorial cannot be destroyed," the 71-year-old said at a press conference at the Center for Liberal Modernity in Berlin. The organization he co-founded, Memorial, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, works for political prisoners in Russia. Orlov estimates that there are still at least 800 political prisoners in Russia - conservatively estimated. His new role in exile in Germany is difficult for him, as Orlov said. He would prefer to be in his home country, but fears prosecution. Orlov now hopes to be able to advocate for the release of more political prisoners in exile, including eight critically ill prisoners. "We were very disappointed when it turned out that these people were not on the list - we who were exchanged," Orlov said. Memorial continues to work in Russia despite repression, but also from abroad.
21:30 Not Dead Yet? Famous Russian Propagandist InjuredFamous Russian propagandist Yevgeny Poddubny has been injured in the Kursk region. State TV channel VGTRK reports on Telegram that Poddubny was injured in an attack by a Ukrainian drone in the Kursk region and was taken to the hospital. Earlier, numerous Russian media outlets had reported Poddubny's death. Yevgeny Poddubny is one of Russia's most famous "war correspondents," with around 734,000 followers on Telegram. Preliminary information suggests he was filming a report on the fighting in the Kursk region on Wednesday.
20:41 Emergency Declared in Region KurskAn emergency has been declared in the Russian region of Kursk amid a Ukrainian ground offensive, the region's governor, Alexei Smirnov, announced on Telegram. Ukraine has advanced deep into Russian territory near Kursk in a counterattack. The offensive began on Tuesday, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, and reached the northwest of the city of Sujcha on Wednesday.
20:14 Fighting Nearby: Russia Reinforces Protection of Kursk NPPDue to Ukraine's advance into the Russian border region of Kursk, Russia's National Guard is reinforcing the protection of the Kursk NPP. Additional forces have also been deployed to combat sabotage and reconnaissance units in the Kursk and Belgorod regions, the agency said. This is being done in cooperation with Russian border troops and the army. The nuclear power plant, with four units and a capacity of almost two gigawatts, is located only about 60 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The day before, Ukrainian troops supported by tanks and artillery crossed the Russian border from the Sumy region at Sujcha. Unconfirmed reports suggest they advanced up to 15 kilometers towards the NPP.
19:38 Attacks in Region Kursk: European Gas Price Hits Yearly HighThe price of European natural gas has risen to its highest level this year. The benchmark TTF futures contract for delivery next month rose by 5.7 percent to 38.78 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) in Amsterdam. Market participants are pointing to Ukraine's attacks on the Russian region of Kursk. The fighting is reportedly taking place near Sudza, an important gas injection point for Europe. This gas reaches Western Europe through Ukrainian pipelines. Gazprom is currently reporting normal gas supplies, according to the Bloomberg news agency.
19:08 Ukraine Evacuates Border Areas Near Russian KurskAmid heavy fighting in the Russian Kursk region, Ukrainian authorities have ordered the evacuation of more settlements in the neighboring Sumy region. The measures affect 23 settlements, said the military governor of Sumy, Vladimir Artjuch, on Ukrainian television. About 6,000 people, including more than 400 children and adolescents, are to be moved to safety from the border area. The day before, Ukrainian troops crossed the Ukrainian-Russian border in the direction of the city of Sujcha in the Kursk region, advancing several kilometers into Russian territory. Moscow spoke of around 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers equipped with heavy equipment. Kyiv has not yet commented on the events. Due to regular Russian shelling of border areas, local authorities had already ordered evacuations from a 10-kilometer-wide border strip in May.
You can read about previous developments here.
The Russian military is closely monitoring the situation in the western part of Sudzha, where Ukrainian forces have reportedly made significant gains.
In response to the potential stationing of US missiles in Germany, the SPD has announced a debate in the Bundestag to address the concerns of German citizens.
