Following the Russian assault, Kharkiv pays tribute to the deceased.
After a Russian assault on Kharkiv, Ukraine, the city's residents and relatives mourn the casualties. As per Oleg Synegubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, 7 individuals were killed and 97 were injured, including over 20 minors. The youngest victim is reportedly a 10-month-old baby. One of the deceased is allegedly Veronika Kozhushko, a 18-year-old Ukrainian artist. Serhiy Zhadan, a famous Ukrainian artist, expressed his sentiments on her death on Facebook: "The Russians keep demolishing our future. No forgiveness," he wrote, posting one of Kozhushko's drawings.
I would possibly say that this is a change in the top ranks of the Ukrainian air force, but it's unfortunate. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Ummerov told CNN that this is more like a shift, but he regrets it. Ummerov emphasized that the investigation into the reasons is still ongoing. "I don't want to speculate."
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated during the GLOBSEC conference in Prague that Ukraine should emerge victorious in its war against Russia. Frederiksen claimed this to be an inevitable outcome. "There is no other way for Ukraine to win the war. If Russia wins, not only will Ukraine lose, but we all will," she said. The Danish Prime Minister emphasized that the European Union is almost unanimous on this issue. "Europe has never been this united as it is now.. .At times we have internal debates. . .But it's 26 against one," she quoted, meaning all of Europe against Russia.
Russian forces appear to have seized control of Kirove in the Donetsk region, as reported by the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow. Russian troops have been making gradual progress along the eastern front for a while now. Donetsk, along with Luhansk, forms the industrial powerhouse known as the Donbass. The two regions, as well as Zaporizhzhia and Kherson further south in Ukraine, were already annexed by Russia in September 2022, although its troops do not fully control them. Ukraine aims to reclaim all territories, including the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed in 2014 and is situated far to the south of Kherson.
Russian sources claim that Ukrainian forces have attacked Belgorod, resulting in fatalities and injuries. The governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, announced this on his Telegram channel. During a nighttime air strike on Belgorod, three people were killed and over 30 injured, including three children, Gladkov reported. Over a dozen residential buildings and 47 vehicles were also damaged.
As per reports, Russia is attempting to manipulate the elections in Moldova, which is due to hold presidential elections on October 20th and a referendum on EU membership in its constitution. Brigitta Triebel, head of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung office in Chisinau, claims that Russia is spreading disinformation and false news to influence the elections. "The Moldovans are being told: If you don't want to be dragged into a conflict like in Ukraine, vote for pro-Russian parties," Triebel said. "People's fears are being exploited."
The Ukrainian air force claims to have intercepted 24 Russian drones. Russia allegedly launched 52 drones at Ukrainian targets overnight, impacting eight regions. 25 drones of the Iranian Shahed type reportedly crashed by themselves, while three more headed towards Russia and Belarus. No reports of injuries or significant damage were available. The target of the Russian attack included Kyiv, where this was the fourth such attack this week. All drones targeting Kyiv were intercepted.
Russian military bloggers have shared a video of a supposed Ukrainian attack on a Russian convoy en route to a village in Kursk. The video supposedly shows damage to military vehicles and the collapse of a pontoon bridge over the Seym River in Kursk.
Authorities in the Russian city of Shebekino report Ukrainian shelling. One woman was injured during the incident on Saturday. Shebekino is situated close to the Ukrainian border.
09:00 Ukraine Reveals Russian Casualty FiguresThe Ukrainian military authority has disclosed newly calculated casualties for Russian soldiers in Ukraine. The report suggests that Russia has lost approximately 614,950 troops in Ukraine since February 24, 2022, including 1,360 in the past 24 hours. The report also hints at the destruction of eight tanks, 42 artillery systems, and 18 drones during that time frame. Since the initiation of the massive offensive, Russia has reportedly lost 8,582 tanks, 17,614 artillery systems, 368 aircraft, 328 helicopters, 14,471 drones, 28 ships, and one submarine, according to Ukrainian sources. Western estimations put the losses lower, although these figures are likely to be minimum figures.
08:35 Russia: Video Claims Ukrainian Attack on BelgorodLocal officials in Belgorod, a city in southwestern Russia, report that five individuals were killed and 46 were injured in a suspected Ukrainian attack late Friday night (see entry 23:19). 37 injured individuals were admitted to the hospital, including seven children, according to Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region. A controversial video circulating on social media, allegedly shot from the dashboard of a car, shows a vehicle exploding while in motion. Moments later, an explosion is visible on the opposite side of the street. Such footage and claims regarding combat situations cannot be authenticated independently.
07:48 Media Outlet: Up to 66,000 Russian Soldiers Killed in UkraineAccording to an independent Russian media outlet named Mediazona, at least 66,471 Russian soldiers have been killed in the conflict in Ukraine. Alongside BBC News Russian, Mediazona has compiled a list of Russian soldiers who have been killed in Ukraine through open-source investigation. Journalists underline that this count only represents individuals whose names have been identified through open sources, with the actual losses likely being significantly higher. The Ukrainian General Staff claims over 600,000 Russian soldiers killed. Western estimations provide similar figures.
07:15 Ukraine: Death Toll Rises to 7 in Russian Attack on KharkivSeven people, including over 20 minors, were killed and 97 injured in a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, according to Oleg Synegubov, governor of the Kharkiv region. A children's playground and a 12-story residential building were struck by a UMPB D-30 SM-Lenkluftbombe, causing a fire, according to Kharkiv authorities. Synegubov reports that firefighting efforts continued into Saturday morning.
06:27 ISW: Putin's Approval Rating among Russians PlummetsThe Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that dissatisfaction among the Russian population with their government and President Vladimir Putin is increasing following the Ukrainian incursion into the Russian region of Kursk. According to a poll by the state-run Public Opinion Foundation, 28% of respondents expressed their discontent or dissatisfaction with the measures taken by Russian authorities following the incursion. Meanwhile, state-run surveys conducted by the Center for Public Opinion Research (VCIOM) show Putin's approval rating dropping by 3.5% to 73.6% in the second-to-last week of August, marking a record low since the commencement of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. ISW suggests that these polls indicate that the Kremlin recognizes the growing dissatisfaction among the public since the Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region.
05:40 Venezuela Delivers Two Colombians to RussiaRussian security service, the FSB, has obtained two Colombian citizens who are reported to have fought for Ukraine. The two Colombians, Alexander Ante and Jose Aron Medina, were handed over by Venezuela after their arrest during a layover in Caracas while returning to Colombia. Spanish media reported that the two individuals enlisted in the International Legion in the summer of 2023. They were apprehended at Caracas airport in mid-July. The FSB alleges that incriminating documents proving their involvement in the war and Ukrainian military attire were discovered on the men.
04:47 Czech President: Kursk Offensive Unrelated to Ukrainian OperationCzech President Petr Pavel is of the opinion that the advance of Russian forces near Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region is unrelated to the Ukrainian operation in the Russian territory of Kursk. "I am not convinced that there is a direct link between the rapid Russian advance on the Pokrovsk front and the Ukrainian operation in the Kursk region," Pavel told Radio Liberty. "The Russian leadership continues to aim to capture the territories of all four regions - Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Kherson - which they consider their own," the Czech president added, citing "Ukrainska Pravda". "And they want to achieve this within a suitable timeframe while the weather remains favorable for military operations," entrusting the responsibility to the Russian leaders.
03:47 Stoltenberg: Kursk Offensive "Legitimate"NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has deemed the advance of Ukrainian forces into the Russian region of Kursk as legitimate. "Ukraine has the right to defend itself, and that right doesn't cease at the border," Stoltenberg told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. In light of accusations from the Russian government that the West had prior knowledge of the attack on Russian territory, Stoltenberg asserted: "Ukraine did not consult NATO regarding its plans for Kursk, and NATO did not contribute to these plans." This was Stoltenberg's initial response to the advance of Ukrainian troops into the Russian border region.
02:48 Ukraine Charges Russia with Wide Scale Use of Chemical WeaponsSince the initiation of Russia's attack on Ukraine, over 4000 instances of chemical warfare agent use have been documented on the battlefront, with over 3100 cases reported since December 2023. This substantial rise in weapon usage, as reported by Ukrainian officials to "The Kyiv Independent", indicates a significant escalation in the illegal deployment of chemical warfare agents, compared to the approximately 600 cases reported in January by the Ukrainian military. According to Ukraine's statistics, the number of reported cases peaked at a record-breaking 715 in May 2024 and gradually decreased throughout the summer months, with no data available for August yet.
01:49 ICC Presses for Putin's Arrest During Mongolia VisitFadi el-Abdallah, a representative for the International Criminal Court (ICC), communicated to the BBC that Mongolia, as an ICC member state, is under obligation to execute the arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin during his scheduled visit. Putin's visit to Mongolia on September 3 would represent his first trip to an ICC member country that has ratified the Rome Statute, which mandates the arrest of individuals upon entering territory of signatories. The ICC issued an arrest warrant against Putin in March 2023, citing forced deportation of children from Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.
00:33 Biden-von der Leyen Video Call: Commemoration of Russian Invasion DayEU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the need for strong transatlantic relations, regardless of the U.S. presidential election outcome in November. The 65-year-old received the Czech and Slovak Transatlantic Prize (CSTA) at the Globsec security conference in Prague. In her acceptance speech, she recalled a video call with U.S. President Joe Biden on the day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. "We swiftly agreed on a response strategy to Putin's war," says von der Leyen. Europe and the U.S. once again stood "side by side on the right side of history."
23:19 Russia: Losses in Belgorod AttacksAt least five people have lost their lives in Ukrainian attacks on the Russian border region of Belgorod, reported Russian sources. A woman and four men perished from their wounds, as stated in a Telegram post by regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. 37 others were injured as well. Gladkov confirms that Ukraine launched "cluster munitions" at the city of Belgorod and the region using multiple rocket launchers.
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22:01 Ukraine's AI and Drone Technology StrategyUkraine plans to collaborate with weapons manufacturers in developing AI for drone swarms and "affordable missiles" to counteract Russian kamikaze drones, announced Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov at the Globsec Forum in Prague. Throughout the entire Russian invasion, both Ukraine and Russia have heavily invested in drone technology, significantly transforming modern warfare. According to Fedorov, Ukrainian soldiers are confronted with various challenges, including Russian infantry, ammunition shortages, kamikaze drones, and reconnaissance drones. As a response, Ukrainian forces employ low-cost first-person-view drones (FPV), reconnaissance drones, small air defense systems, and domestically produced long-range drones to target Russian objectives, Fedorov explained. "What are the upcoming challenges we need assistance with? How can we create an effective laser guidance system, develop AI for drone swarms, manufacture Ukrainian HIMARS, and produce affordable Ukrainian missiles to take down Shaheds?" says Fedorov.
21:32 Ukraine Receives Critical Artillery Shells SuppliesUkraine receives one of the initial deliveries of howitzer ammunition from the U.S.-European coalition, as stated by Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky in Brussels. 155-mm artillery shells are crucially needed on the battlefront. "The Czech ammunition initiative is delivering on its commitment and aims to provide half a million large-caliber projectiles by the end of the year. Around 100,000 pieces were provided in each of the summer months of July and August," Lipavsky announced.
You can review all previous developments here.
It's regretful to hear about the increasing losses on both sides, but the focus should be on ending the conflict in Ukraine. According to reports, Russia has reportedly lost approximately 614,950 troops since February 24, 2022, including 1,360 in the past 24 hours, in Ukraine.
After the Russian attack on Ukraine, international leaders have called for Ukraine's victory in the war. Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen remarked during the GLOBSEC conference in Prague that Ukraine should emerge victorious, stating, "There is no other way for Ukraine to win the war. If Russia wins, not only will Ukraine lose, but we all will."
