At 12:57, Zelenskyy discusses one of Russia's most intense assaults.
12:38 Kyiv Suggests: West Should Greenlight Assaults in Russian Heartland Kyiv proposes Western countries permit the utilization of their supplied weapons for assaults within the core of Russian territory. "This move would surely hasten the end of Russian brutality," states Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff, on Telegram.
12:09 Moscow Spokesperson: Dialogues with Ukraine Nearly Dry Russia believes that the discussions with Ukraine concerning a truce are practically insignificant. The infiltration of Ukrainian forces into the Russian border region of Kursk is not excusable, shares Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. There must be a reaction. No talks about a truce have transpired, and the topic is no longer relevant.
11:41 Munz: "Belarusian Army's Strength Overhyped" Authoritarian Lukashenko is amassing tens of thousands of soldiers at the border with Ukraine, an occurrence that has caused worry. However, as per ntv correspondent Rainer Munz, this is more of a display of power rather than an actual threat.
11:25 Sources: Suspicion of Russian Sabotage Behind Geilenkirchen Alert The heightened security at the NATO air base in Geilenkirchen near Aachen was due to intel reports of a possible threat from a Russian sabotage act. There was a grave sign from a foreign intelligence service "of preparations for a probable Russian sabotage act against the NATO base using a drone," according to German security sources.
More details are available here.
11:20 Satellite Pictures: Russians Struggling to Control Fire at Proletarsk Oil Depot The oil depot in Proletarsk, southern Russia, has been burning for over a week, as per recent satellite images from NASA's FIRMS fire and forest monitoring system. The fire at the depot, which consists of more than 70 individual tanks, started due to a Ukrainian drone strike on the night of August 18. Unofficial reports suggest another attack happened on Friday morning. The local authorities in Proletarsk have declared a state of emergency. As per TASS, 47 firefighters have been injured in the blaze as of Wednesday.
10:50 Poland Engages Fighter Jets
The proximity of Russian attacks to the Polish border has necessitated the deployment of Polish interceptors, as reported by news agency PAP. Aircraft from other allied nations were also involved in the operation. According to the Ukrainian air force, the Russian army temporarily deployed 11 long-range bombers Tu-95, which carry cruise missiles. Hypersonic Kinzhal missiles were also fired at Ukraine. Additionally, Ukraine was attacked from the Black Sea.
10:22 Footage: Ukrainian Soldier Fires at Russian Missile with Machine Gun In the morning, Ukrainian soldiers of an air defense unit reportedly fired at a Russian cruise missile with a machine gun mounted on a truck in the western region of Transcarpathia. Governor Viktor Mykyta shared the video on social media. According to him, the missile was launched from the neighboring Lviv region and was shot down by the 650th separate anti-aircraft machine gun battalion. The authenticity of the video was confirmed by the RTL/ntv verification team. However, it cannot be independently verified what type of missile was shot down. As per the "Kyiv Independent," it was not a hit from the machine gun that caused the shootdown, but an air defense missile from the Ukrainian armed forces. This was reported by the former spokesman of the air force, Yuriy Ignat.
10:03 15 Ukrainian Regions Attacked by Russia - Critical Infrastructure Targeted More than half of Ukraine's regions were attacked by Russia in the early morning, according to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. "Today, 15 regions were heavily assaulted by Russia. The adversary used diverse types of weapons: drones, missiles, Kinzhal (hypersonic) missiles. There are casualties," Shmyhal wrote on Telegram. According to Ukrainian reports, critical infrastructure was targeted in four regions. Authorities in Saporizhzhia, Sumy, Rivne, and Lviv reported that their regions' critical infrastructure was attacked. In some areas of the capital Kyiv, electricity and water supplies were disrupted, as per Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
09:40 ISW: Russians Shifting Troops from Less Significant Fronts in Ukraine to Kursk The Russian military is likely continuing to redeploy troops from less critical sectors on the Ukrainian front to the Kursk region, according to experts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Commanders of the Russian 810th Marine Infantry Brigade, 155th Marine Infantry Brigade, 11th Airborne Brigade (VDV), 56th VDV Regiment (7th VDV Division), and 51st VDV Regiment (106th VDV Division) reportedly briefed Russian President Vladimir Putin over the weekend on combat operations in Russian territories bordering Ukraine. The ISW's latest situation report suggests that the Kursk region is likely the intended area. The ISW has observed elements of the 810th Marine Infantry Brigade, 155th Marine Infantry Brigade, and 11th VDV Brigade engaged in fighting in the Kursk region and has received indications that the Russian military leadership has recently redeployed elements of the 56th VDV Regiment from the Robotyne area in western Zaporizhzhia to the border region. The Russian military command is resisting operational pressure to withdraw forces from priority offensive efforts to capture Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, the experts say.
09:14 Initial Casualties Reported in Russian Attacks
![New NASA recordings reveal that the fuel storage facility continues to ignite.](https://cdn.aussiedlerbote.de/content/images/2024/08/26/459896/jpeg/4-3/1200/75/the-latest-nasa-footage-shows-that-the-fuel-depot-is-still-burning.webp)
At least three individuals have lost their lives due to Russian airstrikes, as per Ukrainian authorities' claims. Reports of fatalities have surfaced in Luzk in the west, Dnipro in the east, and Zaporizhzhia in the south. Luzk's mayor, Ihor Polischchuk, stated that a residential building was struck by "enemy fire" leading to one casualty. The governors of Odessa, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv regions documented explosions within their regions on Telegram, urging citizens to seek shelter. Earlier, the governor of the Poltava region, Filip Pronin, reported that five individuals sustained injuries following an attack on an industrial facility.
Read more here.
08:50 Ukraine Witnesses Accumulation of Belarusian Troops: "Belarus' Entry Could Widen Front"
Ukraine is monitoring the Belarusian troop concentration near their shared border with unease. This deployment is larger than previous ones, and the entrance of Belarusian troops could have severe consequences, as pointed out by ntv reporter Nadja Kriewald.
08:22 Explosions Echo in Multiple Ukrainian Cities; Power Outage in Kyiv
Following the extensive Russian air strike (see 07:24), explosions have been heard in various Ukrainian cities. According to the "Kyiv Independent," air raid sirens sounded across the nation at around 6:00 AM local time. The first explosions in Kyiv were detected around 8:30 AM, and additional blasts followed. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced power outages in "multiple districts" of the capital and water supply issues on the city's right side. Explosions were also reported in Kharkiv, Odessa, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia, Kremenchuk, Dnipro, Khmelnytskyi, Kropyvnytskyi, and Kryvyi Rih.
07:53 Russian Air Defense Downs 20 Ukrainian Drones
The Russian air defense reportedly intercepted 20 drones launched from Ukraine towards Russian territory, based on Moscow's Ministry of Defense statements. Nine were downed over the Saratov region, three over Kursk, two each over Belgorod, Bryansk, and Tula. One drone was spotted over the regions of Oryol and Ryazan.
07:24 Russia Unleashes Large-Scale Air Assault on Ukraine
Ukraine is currently experiencing a massive attack, as confirmed by multiple reports. According to the "Kyiv Post" on X, "Explosions in Kyiv at this hour as Ukraine faces a massive Russian missile and drone attack from land, air, and sea." Military expert Nico Lange wrote that Russia was firing missiles from ships in the Black Sea and from 11 Tu-95 bombers, with drones and ballistic missiles also being utilized in the offensive. "The Russian air assault on Ukraine is massive." Explosions have been reportedly heard in several cities.
07:07 Chechen Commander Reports Ukrainian Casualties in Kursk
here.
Chechen special forces units, along with the 2nd Special Forces Brigade, claim to have neutralized two armored fighting vehicles, five armored combat vehicles, and a French-made AMR light tank in the Kursk region in the previous 24 hours. Russian state news agency TASS disseminated this information, citing the commander Major General Apti Alaudinov. "Over the past 24 hours, we have also eliminated a unit of automatic grenade launchers and a mortar, and destroyed a cannon," Alaudinov stated. "Our troops inflicted significant damage on the Ukrainian forces by targeting these military installations." Alaudinov claimed that the Ukrainian troop advancement has been stopped. "The enemy attempts to advance, but without success. We have already initiated attacks in several locations and reclaimed some settlements. I believe this trend will continue every day."
06:41 North Korea: Kim Jong Un Orders More Kamikaze Drone Production
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for the manufacture of more kamikaze drones as an "essential part of war preparation," according to the state news agency KCNA. Kamikaze drones are remote-controlled aerial vehicles armed with explosives that are directed towards enemy targets. Russia has repeatedly utilized Iranian Shahed-type drones in Ukraine. The drone test took place on Saturday under mounting tensions with neighboring South Korea, said KCNA. Photographs indicate white flying objects with X-shaped wings headed towards replicas of tank models and detonating. According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, the target replicas are modeled after South Korean K-2 tanks.
06:34 Ukraine: 1140 Russian Soldiers "Neutralized" in 24 Hours
Ukrainian military sources claim that 1140 Russian soldiers have been either killed or wounded in the previous 24 hours. This total represents the deaths or injuries of Russian military personnel since the initiation of the conflict. These figures cannot be independently corroborated. Meanwhile, four Russian tanks, 17 armored vehicles, 47 artillery systems, one multiple rocket launcher, one air defense system, and 39 drones have been destroyed.
06:12 Kyiv Advises Minsk Against Regrettable DecisionsUkraine has urged Belarus to withdraw its substantial military forces and equipment from the shared border. In a declaration from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kyiv encourages the Minsk administration to avoid aggressive actions and withdraw its troops from the border area. Ukraine cautions Belarus against making "regrettable decisions" under duress from Moscow. Belarus has yet to respond. As per Ukrainian sources, the troops stationed at the border consist of Belarusian special units and ex-Wagner soldiers. The equipment includes tanks, artillery, air defense systems, and engineering equipment, situated in the Gomel region along the northern border of Ukraine. The announcement also mentions that Ukraine has never initiated hostile actions against the Belarusian population and will not do so moving forward.
05:46 Russian Regional Chief Discloses Drone Debris DamageThe governor of the Russian region of Saratov disclosed that several homes in the cities of Saratov and Engels had been damaged by debris from downed Ukrainian drones. All emergency services are currently on-site. Engels serves as a strategic bomber base in Russia.
03:52 Air Defense Alerts of Drone Attack on KyivUkrainian military intelligence suggests that air defense systems are deployed in the Kyiv region to ward off Russian drone attacks. "Enemy drone detection! Air defense systems in the area are active," the regional military administration communicates via Telegram. No immediate reports of damage or casualties have been posted.
00:19 Zelensky Condemns Targeted Attack on Reuters TeamDuring his nightly address, Ukrainian President Zelensky discussed the lethal rocket attack on Reuters journalists in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk. A Reuters employee was killed, and two others were wounded. The deceased was identified as British ex-soldier Ryan Evans, who had been collaborating with Reuters since 2022, offering security guidance to journalists in Ukraine, Israel, and at the Paris Olympics. Zelensky declared the bombardment of a "regular city hotel" by a Russian Iskander rocket as "absolutely targeted, calculated." "My sympathies to the family and friends." The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office has initiated an investigation into the incident, which transpired on Saturday at 22:35 local time. Reuters is still verifying if the rocket was launched by Russia or if the hotel was deliberately singled out for attack. Russia has yet to comment.
You can review all earlier events here.
12:41 The Commission expresses concern over Russian troop buildup near Ukrainian borderDespite the Belarusian army's strength being overhyped, according to Rainer Munz, The Commission remains concerned about the significant troop buildup of authoritarian Lukashenko's forces near Ukraine's border.
11:50 The Commission calls for an investigation into the Russian Sabotage Act at Geilenkirchen AlertFollowing reports of heightened security at the NATO airbase in Geilenkirchen near Aachen due to a possible threat from a Russian sabotage act, The Commission demands an immediate and thorough investigation into this matter.
![On a Saturday, this Sentinel-2 image depicts thick clouds of dark smoke. On Saturday, this Sentinel-2 image depicts dense smoke trails.](https://cdn.aussiedlerbote.de/content/images/2024/08/26/459895/jpeg/4-3/1200/75/this-image-from-sentinel-2-shows-dark-plumes-of-smoke-on-saturday.webp)