Ukraine Latest: Weekly Digest for August 26 - September 1
VIDEO
August 26/ Snihiriov: One of Russia’s biggest attacks: what it pursued and why was delayed?
August 26/ Snihiriov: Belarus possesses just three brigades that are combat-ready but lack real-world combat experience
August 26/ Ryabtsev: How did Russia’s most massive drone attack affect Ukraine’s electricity capacity?
August 26/ Interview. Sukharevsky: We are taking ten-mile steps developing our unmanned capability
August 27/ Zhmailo: The adversary seeks to capture Selidovo and reach the Highway
August 29/ Teteruk: Donbas failed to be liberated in 2014 due to Russian army’s intervention
August 29/ Interview. EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova: It is up to Ukraine whether Russia will attend the next edition of the Peace Summit
August 30/ Zakrevsky: More than 30 countries have committed to supply energy equipment to Ukraine
August 30/ Romanenko: F-16 crash: One must be ready to face losses amid war
August 30/ Romanenko: All available resources must be sent to Pokrovsk Front to prevent further enemy advances
PHOTO
August 26/ Kyivans hiding in the Metro station underground from ruthless attacks taking place
August 26/ Russian missile killed a civilian in a Zaporizhzhia Oblast community
August 26/ The aftermath of missile and drone attacks on Kyiv
August 26/ The aftermath of missile and drone attacks on the Odesa region
August 26/ The aftermath of a bombing attack on the Dnipropetrovsk region
August 27/ A hotel in Kryvyi Rih brought to ruin by a ballistic missile hit
August 27/ Russian troops pounded with Shakhed drones a neighborhood of private houses in Zaporizhzhia City
August 27/ The debris being cleaned up at the site of a Kryvyi Rih hotel after a missile attack
August 28/ The King Danylo 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade launched its "Brave Hearts" patronage service in Lviv
August 28/ Press event on defense technology development in Ukraine
August 28/ Russian prisoners of war in a pre-trial detention center, Sumy Oblast
August 28/ A local lore museum in Huliaipole, Zporizhzhia Oblast, was destroyed to rubble by Russian shelling attack
August 29/ Early morning air raid alarm in Kyiv
August 29/ Redemption ceremony for the postage stamp "Minute of Silence", Kyiv
August 29/ Dnipro City honors fallen Ukrainian defenders at memorial ceremony
August 29/ Farewell and funeral ceremony for Natalia Kuznetsova (aka Iranian), a DUK Right Sector activist and a soldier with the 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade, took place in Kyiv
August 29/ A special redemption of the "Minute of Silence" postage stamp took place in Dnipro city
August 29/ A memorial display honoring fallen soldiers was unveiled in Heroes' Park, Dnipro City
August 29/ In Kyiv, the Ministry of Internal Affairs ceremoniously unveiled its Book of Remembrance
August 29/ A photo display marking the tenth anniversary of the Ilovaisk battle was unveiled at a ceremony in Lviv City
August 29/ A memorial ceremony for fallen Ukrainian defenders took place in Ivano-Frankivsk City
August 29/ A community in Ivank-Frankivsk Oblast paid tribute to fallen Ukrainian defenders
August 29/ Lviv City joined in the nation-wide Ukrainian memorial campaign "Sunflower"
August 29/ Odesa residents paid tribute to fallen heroes
August 30/ A photo display honoring captured and missing journalists was unveiled in Kyiv
August 30/ The National Guard of Ukraine (NGU) introduced its newly-organized unmanned systems unit Typhoon, at a ceremony in Kyiv
August 30/ A photo display by photographer Maria Levytska, entitled "Azovstal. War prisoners. Hostages" was unveiled in Kyiv
August 31/ A memorial run for fallen soldiers took place in Kyiv
August 31/ A memorial run for fallen Ukrainian heroes took place in Odesa City
August 31/ Lviv residents joined in the patriotic run
August 31/ A memorial run for fallen soldiers took place in Zaporizhzhia CIty
FIGHTING
The General Staff has reported 1,233 force-to-force encounters over the week from August 26 through September 1, 2024;
The Ukrainian military had had 100 communities in the Russian region of Kursk under their control, and captured 594 Russian soldiers as of August 27, acccording to Oleksandr Syrsky, the Armed Forces Chief Commander;
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrsky, on August 30, appointed Lieutenant General Anatoliy Kryvonozhko as interim Air Force Commander;
First Captain Roman Hladky has been appointed Chief of Staff for the Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces.
Ukraine has successfully fire-tested its first ballistic missile.
August 31: Ukraine has provided the US with a listing of targets in Russia it would like to reach and attack with ATACMS missiles.
Kursk Incursion
August 26
The Russian forces launched 26 ground-attack missiles, dropped 44 glide bombs on targets in the Kursk region
August 27
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi, during a visit to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, said that the plant was operating in a ‘close to normal’ mode.
August 28
The Armed Forces Chief Commander, Oleksandr Syrsky, in a report to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said: We continue expanding the area under our military control in certain border regions in Ukraine, capturing more Russian soldiers for the exchange pool.
Ukrainian Special Operations Forces destroyed Russia’s valuable Sapphire EW system deployed in the Kursk region.
August 29
The Russian army continue pounding own territory, having dropped 16 glide bombs on communities in the Kursk region.
August 30
Armed Forces Chief Commander Syrsky: the Armed Forces advanced up to two kilometers deeper into the Kursk region, won control of five more square kilometers over that day.
August 31
Approximately 200 civilians remain in the currently Ukrainian-controlled town of Sudzha, Kursk Oblast, Russia; the Russian forces are pounding the city with glide bombs;
Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian Orlan reconnaissance drone over Kursk Oblast.
September 1
Russia prevents its citizens to flee their homes in areas of fighting in the Kursk region, particularly in the town of Sudzha.
The battlefield situation by the days of the week and sectors of the front line
August 26
Pokrovsk Sector: fierce engagements were fought in the localities of Kalynove, Vozdvyzhenka, Novooleksandrivka, Panteleimonivka, Zelene Pole, Myrolyubivka, Hrodivka, NovoHrodivka, Memryk, Mykhailivka, and Karlivka neighborhoods, with Ukrainian defending positions being stormed 38 times;
Vremivske Sector saw most fierce fighting, with Ukrainian forces having fended off three assaultive attacks targeting the surroundings of Vuhledar and Vodiane communities over the day. The Russians attacked the locality of Yehorivka neighborhood with unguided air-to-ground rockets.
Kurakhove Sector: the adversary mounted 11 assaultive attacks on Ukrainian defensive lines, attempted to advance closer towards Krasnohorivka, Hostre, HeorHiivka, and Kostyantynivka neighborhoods.
August 27
Pokrovsk Sector: Since the start of the day, the invading forces launched 25 attacks targeting the approaches to the neighborhoods of Sukha Balka, Vozdvyzhenka, Zelene Pole, Myrolyubivka, Novooleksandrivka, Mykhailivka, Novohrodivka and Selidovo.
Kupyansk Sector: the adversary mounted 15 offensive attacks towards Synkivka, Stepova Novoselivka, Kolisnykivka, and Stelmakhivka villages.
Toretsk Sector: the invaders launched nine attacks aimed to force Ukrainian troops out of their entrenchments located near Toretsk and New York neighborhoods, but never succeeded.
Lyman Sector: the enemy stormed Ukrainian defense lines near Druzhelyubivka, Nevske, and Novosadove communities seven times over that day.
August 28
Pokrovsk Sector: the invading forces mounted 34 assaults aimed to knock out Ukrainian defenders off their entrenchments in 11 different locations, were attacking most aggressively in the localities of Selidovo and Novohrodivka neighborhoods that saw nearly half of all the attacks fought over that day;
Kurakhove Sector: The adversary increased the intensity of offensive operations, having launched 22 attacks on Ukrainian defenses located in the surroundings of Ukrainka, Heorhiivka, Kostyantynivka, and Karlivka villages;
Kupyansk Sector: Russian forces launched 11 attacks on Ukrainian defending positions located in the surroundings of Synkivka, Kolisnykivka, Stelmakhivka, and Kruhlyakivka villages;.
Toretsk Sector: the adversary mounted 13 attacks targeting Ukrainian defenses near Pivnichne, Druzhba, Toretsk, New York, and Nelypivka communities.
August 29
Zaporizhzhia/Orikhiv Sector: Russian forces restarted their assaults, used chemical warfare agents in 11 assaults;
Pokrovsk Sector: fierce fighting was fought on the outskirts of Vozdvyzhenka, Zelene Pole, Myrolyubivka, Hrodivka, Novohrodivka, Karlivka, Marynivka, and Mykhailivka villages, with 23 storming attacks on Ukrainian defenses reported for that day;
Kupyansk Sector: the Defense Forces fought off nine attacks near Synkivka, Kolisnykivka, and Lozova neighborhoods.
Lyman Sector: since the start of the day, Ukrainian troops repelled 12 assaultive attacks targeting Tverdokhlibovo, Cherneshchyna, Druzhelyubivka, Nevske, Torske neighborhoods, and Serebryansky Forest.
August 30
Pokrovsk Sector: the adversary assaulted 36 times towards the villages of Zelene Pole, Vozdvyzhenka, Hrodivka, Karlivka, Novohrodivka, Marynivka, and Mykhailivka;
Kupyansk Sector: the invaders mounted 18 assaults targeting the approaches to Synkivka, Kolisnykivka, Novoosynove, Lozova, Andriivka, and Stelmakhivka villages;
Kurakhove Sector: the invading forces attacked 14 times towards Ukrainka, Halytsynivka, Heorhiivka, and Kostyantynivka villages;
Lyman Sector: Russian troops mounted 13 storming attacks targeting Novoserhiyivka, Hrekivka, Tverdokhlibovo, Druzhelyubivka, Cherneshchyna, Nevske, and Novosadove neighborhoods.
August 31
Pokrovsk Sector: the adversary carried out 23 attacks aimed to take over Ukrainian entrenchments in seven different locations; half the attacks occurred on the outskirts of Novohrodivka village;
Kurakhove Sector: the invading forces attacked 21 times attempting to advance towards the villages of Ukranka, Lysivka, Halytsynivka, Heorhiivka, and Kostyantynivka, and 11 and 5 times towards the villages of Heorhiyivka and Kostyantynivka, respectively.
Kupyansk Sector: the Russians began storming Ukrainian defense lines located near Synkivka and Kolisnykivka communities, 12 times assaulted towards Lozova community.
Kramatorsk Sector: the adversary assaulted 12 times seeking to seize Ukrainian entrenchments located near the neighborhoods of Kalynivka, Chasiv Yar, Andriivka, and Klishchiivka.
September 1
Pokrovsk Sector saw 34 enemy attacks over the day, targeting the surroundings of Vozdvyzhenka, Zelene Pole, Kalynove, Hrodivka, Novohrodivka, Karlivka, Marynivka, and Mykhailivka villages.
Kurakhove Sector: engagements were fought near Krasnohorivka neighborhood; Ukrainian forces fended off 11 assaults on the approaches to Kostyantynivka and Heorhiivka communities;
Toretsk Sector: the Russians mounted ten attacks targeting the surroundings of Toretsk and Nelypivka communities, supporting the attacks with air fire;
Lyman Sector: the adversary carried out ten attacks targeting Ukrainian defense lines located near Makiivka, Hrekivka, Novosadove, Nevske, and Torske neighborhoods.
GRAPHICS. New weapons products launched by Ukrainian defense industries amid the Great War with Russia.
WAR: LOSSES AND AFTERMATH
ENEMY LOSSES
Over the week from August 26 through September 1, 2024, Russia’s war toll in personnel and equipment had totaled:
8,620 troops;
45 tanks;
179 armored combat vehicles;
276 artillery guns;
5 MLRS launchers
4 air defense missile launchers and radars;
1 warplane
412 tactical-operational UAVs
113 cruise missiles
406 automobiles and fuel tanks
63 pieces of special-purpose equipment.
On Kramatorsk Front, anti-aircraft gunners from the 28th Knights of the Winter Campaign Separate Mechanized Brigade shot down a hostile Su-25 fighter jet.
August 28: Ukrainian forces launched an overnight attack targeting two oil depots in Russia. One of the targeted facilities was the Atlas oil storage depot located in Kamensk-Shakhtynskyi, the Rostov region. The strike ignited a fire in the facility’s vertical storage tanks, which required the deployment of fire trains to bring the blaze under control.
The operation was a coordinated effort involving the Special Operations Forces within the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Defense Intelligence (GUR), and other services of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
In addition to the Atlas depot, Ukrainian drones hit the Zenit oil depot in Kotelnychi, Kirov region of the Russian Federation (located more than 1,400 km away from the border with Ukraine), as well as a field ammunition depot in the Voronezh region, owned by the Russian Zapad force grouping.
September 1: two Russian power plants - Kashirska in the Tver region and Konakovskaya in the Moscow region – sustained damage in the aftermath of an overnight attack with drones that triggered heavy fires at both sites.
September 1: Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow and several other regions in Russia. One such attack caused a heavy fire at an oil refinery located in Kapotnya, on the outskirts of Moscow city. Russian authorities reported having repelled UAV attacks on the regions of Ryazan, Voronezh, and Tver.
Over the time from March through August 2024, Ukrainian military, in a coordinated effort with the Military Intelligence Directorate at the Ministry of Defense (GUR), mounted 35 attacks targeting military airbases in Russia and five attacks on military airfields located on the currently Russian-controlled Crimea peninsula.
Over the time since the launch of the new combat management system, the DELTA, Ukrainian military had destroyed enemy’s equipment worth a total of more than USD 15 billion as of August 26.
Over August 2024, Russia’s war losses had totaled: 36,810 personnel, 193 tanks, 557 armored fighting vehicles, 1,517 artillery guns, 44 MLRS launchers, 33 air defense vehicles, 2,065 automobiles, 278 pieces of special-purpose equipment.
UKRAINE: WAR LOSSES AND AFTERMATH
Volodymyr Zelensky: Russia launched more than 160 missiles, 780 MLRS rockets and 400 drones against Ukraine over the past week.
August 26: Ukrainian star pilot Oleksiy Mes, aka “Moonfish,” was killed when a US-made F-16 fighter jet crashed while “repelling the biggest ever aerial attack” by Russia against Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense set up an investigative team to find out the causes of the crash. The United States has joined in the investigation.
Russian drone, missile, and shelling attacks on the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhya, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, Odesa, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv left 46 people dead and 301 others injured over the week under review.
Attacks on Ukraine
August 26
During the most massive Russian attack on August 26, the Air Force shot down 102 missiles and 99 drones out of 127 missiles and 109 drones launched. Several UAVs were defeated with EW countermeasures and lost on the territory of Ukraine, while two others flew across the border into the Republic of Belarus.
During the massive attack, which targeted mostly energy infrastructure, the Russians for the first time used Kalibr missiles armed with cluster warheads.
Overall, around 30 facilities in 15 regions were hit, including Kyiv Hydroelectric Power Plant (located in Vyshhorod, north of the capital). Emergency power cuts were imposed throughout the country, and water supplies were disrupted in Kyiv and several regional cities. There is no risk of the dam’s breach at Vyshhorod HEPP after the attack, authorities said.
More than 13,000 consumers in six different regions in Ukraine were left without power supply in the aftermath of the attack.
The attack left seven people dead and 47 others injured, among them four children.
In Moldova, the authorities reported disruptions in electricity systems due to Russia’s massive attack on energy infrastructure in Ukraine.
One Russian drone flew across the border into Poland from the Lviv region.
August 27
Air defenses shot down five Russian Kh-101 cruise missiles and 60 Shahed-131/136 drones; another ten drones launched were defeated with EW countermeasures and lost (presumably crashed) on the territory of Ukraine, another one flew across the border into Belarus.
Air defense forces downed around a dozen and a half Russian drones and several missiles over Kyiv. In Kyiv, debris from the downed drones fell on forest parks in Dniprovsky and Desnyansky districts, setting ablaze an area of around 50 square meters. No casualties or hits to residential or critical infrastructures have been reported.
Overnight on August 27, the enemy attacked Zaporizhzhia city. The aftermath included apartment buildings damaged and fires broken out; three civilians were killed and four others injured.
As a result of a Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih, houses, a catering establishment, stores, vehicles, and a hotel sustained damage; four civilians were killed and five others, among them two minors, injured, with one person remained missing. August 28 was declared a day of mourning for the victims of the Russian attack.
Falling debris from a downed missile damaged a house roof and caused a fire in Vinnytsia.
The attack inflicted damage on 28 buildings, among them houses and apartment buildings in 13 different communities.
Russia for the first time used cluster munitions for attacks on distribution substations in Ukraine.
Poland raised its F-16 fighters into the air in response to Russian air strike on Ukraine.
August 29
Defense forces shot down 60 Shakhed drones and two Kh-59/69 missiles launched by Russia against Ukraine.
Falling debris from downed drones damaged apartment buildings in Kyiv’s Dniprovskyi and Holosiivskyi districts; the debris from one downed drone fell on a private farm in the Desnyansky District.
Falling debris from a downed Russian drone damaged a private house and set ablaze grass floor in a neighborhood in the Kyiv region; no casualties have been reported.
Fragments of a downed drone fell on an industrial area in Cherkasy city.
Belarus for the first times raised its warplanes into the air to shoot down Russian-launched Shakhed drones that flew into its territory in the Gomel region, presumably diverted from Ukraine by electronic countermeasures.
August 30
Overall, two dozen Shakhed drones were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.
In an overnight attack, Russian drones hit an industrial facility in the Poltava region.
The enemy attacked Sumy city with Shakhed drones, targeting an industrial enterprise, setting it ablaze. The attack killed two people and injured 13 others.
August 31
Ukrainian defense forces shot down 24 Shakhed drones launched, while 25 others, presumably under ECM influence, fell without causing damage; two more flew across the border into Russia and another one into Belarus.
Kyiv endured four massive air strikes over the week. All the attacking drones had been shot down. Forest floors in three Kyiv Oblast districts set ablaze by falling debris from Russian Shakhed drones downed beyond the boundaries of populated areas. No casualties or damages to residential or critical infrastructures have been reported.
Fragments of a downed drone fell on and damaged four private households located outside of Cherkasy city, but fortunately left no casualties.
GRAPHICS. Most massive missile attacks on Ukraine
August 30: the Russian army dropped FAB-500 glide bombs on five different locations in the Industrial and Slobidsky Districts and downtown Kharkiv city, inflicting damage on 82 apartment buildings, 11 private households, three administrative buildings, two educational institutions, 47 retail stores, 57 vehicles, two warehouses, ten garages and commercial premises, and living six civilians dead, among them a minor, and 99 others injured, among them 22 minors.
August 29: the Russian military struck the central part of Kupyansk city, Kharkiv Oblast, having damaged 43 high-rise apartment buildings and private houses, along with private and corporate vehicles. The attack and injured 21 people, among them 10 police officers.
The fighting in Ukraine took the lives of:
Andriy Kasyanov, a soldier and a singer actor at the Dnipro T. G. Shevchenko National Ukrainian Academic Music and Drama Theater;
Oleksandr Serdyuk, a singer actor at the Kyiv Academic Theater of Ukrainian Folklore "Berehynia";
Natalia Kuznetsova (aka Iranian), A DUK Right Sector activist and a soldier with the 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade (67 OMBr);
Denys Yashchuk, a former member of the Ukrainian national boxing team, world-famous athlete from Kamianets-Podilskyi;
Roman Holovatyuk, a kickboxer;
Viktor Kypritidi, a Georgian volunteer from the Georgian Legion.
As of August 27, at least 20 volunteers from the Baltic and Scandinavian countries have died fighting for Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
WAR: POLITICAL DECISIONS, TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGHS, ARMAMENTS, ALLIED AID
Ukrainian home front
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky:
August 26: At a meeting at the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Headquarters with [the then] Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschuk, Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko and [the then] Chairman of the Board of Ukrenergo Volodymyr Kudrytskyi discussed the energy situation following massive Russian airstrikes;
Talked with the Armed Forces Chief Commander, Oleksandr Syrsky to plan for a response to Russia’s missile terrorism;
Issued an executive order addressing the provision of one-time bonuses (or housing) to citizens who were conferred the title Hero of Ukraine;
Chaired a meeting with heads of law enforcement agencies addressing criminal investigations into cases of collaborationism, illicit border crossings, and bribery.
August 27: held a big news conference as part of the "Ukraine 2024. Independence" forum;
congratulated the President of Moldova Maya Sandu on Independence Day and wished the Moldovan people safety and prosperity;
set up military administrations in two Zaporizhzhia regional cities;
August 28: talked over phone with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the Middle East situation;
August 29: held two working meetings, one focused on the war situation (with emphasis on Pokrovsk Battle and Kursk Incursion), and the other on domestic long-range weapons development programs;
addressed the Ukrainian people on the Day of Remembrance for the defenders who sacrificed their lives in the fight for Ukrainian independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity;
presented Gold Star medals along with housing certificates to families of the Ukrainian defenders who were posthumously conferred the title Hero of Ukraine;
August 30: chaired a meeting at the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Headquarters to discuss the war situation, the beginning of the academic year, and the energy situation;
dismissed Mykola Oleschuk as the commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
***
August 27: the Forum "Ukraine 2024. Independence" took place, attended by heads and senior officials of government ministries and agencies; President Zelensky held a big news conference at the end of the event.
***
Cabinet of Ministers:
endorsed a decision to set up an Interdepartmental Working Group on Ukraine’s EU accession talks and bringing Ukrainian legislation in line with EU law;
disbursed UAH 175.42 million in funding for construction/renovation of three school shelters; the disbursement was enabled through Lithuania’s support provided via the United24 platform;
expanded the registry of medical supplies that are imported into Ukraine and used in soldiers’ treatment for war-inflicted injuries;
August 30: terminated the intergovernmental agreement with the Russian Federation, dated 27 February 1998, on the creation of a direct secure telephone line between Kyiv and Moscow.
***
As of August 27, over 170 new UAV and unmanned products have been authorized for combat use by the Ukrainian Armed Forces;
More than 700 “invincibility stations” had been set up throughout Ukraine as of August 27, offering power, water and food as Russian missiles knock out supplies;
The Ministry of Defense has authorized the BoarTAC, a domestically produced robotized multi-purpose transporter, for combat use by the country’s military. This versatile, remotely controlled platform can deliver supplies, evacuate the wounded, perform demining tasks or lay mines. With weapons added, it can also serve as a mobile fire support unit. With its robust design, the BoarTAC can navigate rough terrain and carry up to 200 kilograms.
Since the beginning of the 2024/2025 marketing year, Ukraine has exported 6.746 million tons of cereals and leguminous crops as of August 28;
Over July 2024, Ukraine’s aggregate government and state-guaranteed debt grew by UAH 206.16 billion (USD 3.20 billion);
Ukraine has deployed a locally-made drone-missile weapon system against Russia for the first time, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
"The first and successful combat use of our new weapon took place today, a new class of weapon, the Ukrainian missile-drone Palyanytsia," Zelenskyy said in a speech celebrating Ukraine’s Independence Day.
The word Palyanytsia refers to a type of rustic Ukrainian bread but it has also added symbolic significance because since the war started it has been used as a shibboleth to determine Ukrainians from Russians because it’s hard for the latter to pronounce it properly.
August 30: The National Guard of Ukraine (NGU) introduced its newly-organized unmanned systems unit Typhoon at a ceremony in Kyiv.
Over August 2024, Ukraine’s national budget received approximately USD 8.4 billion in foreign aid, including USD 5.5 billion provided in grants and the other USD 2.9 billion in soft loans.
Businessman Ihor Kolomoiskyi will remain in custody until October 25 at the earliest. He refused to post the UAH 1.877 billion bail the court ordered as an alternative to detention. In another case, Kolomoiskyi was ordered under arrest as pre-trial restrictive measure.
ALLIES AND PARTNERS
August 28: The NATO-Ukraine Council met on Wednesday following heavy Russian airstrikes against Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure on August 26. Allies strongly condemned Russia’s indiscriminate strikes and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen Ukraine’s defenses.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who chaired the meeting, said: “Ukraine continues to intercept Russian missiles on a daily basis, saving countless lives. But Ukraine’s ability to maintain their defences requires increased supply and more support. In the wake of the latest Russian assault, Allies today reaffirmed they are stepping up their military aid to Ukraine. We must continue to provide Ukraine with the equipment and munitions it needs to defend itself against Russia’s invasion. This is vital for Ukraine’s ability to stay in the fight.”
The meeting discussed, among other issues, further supplies of anti-aircraft systems and ammunition to bolster Ukraine’s air defense capability.
Lifting restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western-provided weapons against targets in Russia:
The defense ministers of the EU member states agreed that the lifting of restrictions on Ukraine’s use of weapons provided to it by allies for attacks on military targets on sovereign Russian territory should be decided bilaterally between Ukraine and each specific supplier state.
The Netherlands has placed no restrictions on Ukraine’s use of the F-16 fighters it transferred to Ukraine; vowed to transfer 28 amphibious armored personnel carriers to Ukraine.
Swedish Ministry of Defense: Ukraine is entitled to defend itself -- both on its own territory and elsewhere.
Latvian Foreign Minister: Ukraine's right to self-defense, according to the UN Charter, encompasses the right to strike military targets on sovereign Russian territory; therefore, Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region is an element of self-defense.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg believes that Ukraine’s offensive into the Kursk region is in line with the right to self-defense.
Polish Defense Ministry said Poland would not shoot down Russian-launched missiles and drones over Ukraine.
The U.S. Army awarded the Javelin Joint Venture (JJV) a follow-on fiscal year 2024 production contract for Javelin missiles and associated equipment and services with total value of USD $1.3 billion. The contract also includes more than 4,000 Javelins to replenish rounds sent to Ukraine.
The JJV has increased supplies to Ukraine by 50 percent, and is planning to increase Javelin All Up Round (AUR) production to 3,960 per year by late 2026.
Lithuania has delivered a new security aid package to Ukraine, comprising forklifts, anti-drone systems, and folding beds among other critical supplies.
ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWS
August 26/ "Tense, dire, but controlled": soldiers from the 24th OMBr on the situation in Chasiv Yar.
August 26/ Russia attacked Ukraine with missiles and Shakhed drones: what is known of it.
August 27/ T-80 tank powered by a helicopter engine: paratroopers spoke about the fighting at Pokrovsk front.
August 27/ Zorya community, Mykolaiv Oblast: "We believe – life will definitely be there!"
August 27/ Vadym Sukharevsky, Commander, Unmanned Systems Forces: All future wars will be unmanned wars.
August 28/ Dancing in breaks between missions.
August 29/ Ilovaisk is not a story of defeat, but of invaluable experience at the beginning of the Great War.
August 30/ A kilometer of assault towards Russian border: how NGU’s Khartia brigade advances in the Kharkiv region.
August 31/ Serhiy Derkach, Deputy Minister of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure: Our goal is to make sure the border crossing procedure doesn’t take longer than two hours.
September 1/ Seven days in Ilovaisk: how the encirclement was tightening and a breakthrough was taking place.
Compiled by Zhanna Teleganova, Kyiv
