Russia has denied Kiev’s claim that it has “undoubtedly weakened” Moscow’s forces through a counter-offensive in southern Ukraine. After launching a long-awaited offensive against Russian positions in the Kherson region on Monday, the Ukrainian military said it had inflicted heavy casualties on the Kremlin. It reported that 82 Russian soldiers had been killed and 30 units of equipment had been destroyed. Moscow criticized such claims on Tuesday, saying “the enemy’s offensive attempt failed miserably”. This comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Russian soldiers to flee across the border. “If they want to survive – it’s time for the Russian army to run away. Go home,” he said in his late-night speech on Monday. “Ukraine is getting its own back,” he added. Oleksiy Arestovych, one of Mr Zelensky’s senior advisers, said Ukraine’s military had managed to crush Russian defenses in several places within “a few hours”. In its latest update on the war in Ukraine, the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) said Ukrainian artillery raids had increased near Russian-occupied Kherson on August 29. However, he said he was unable to provide further details.
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Map of the Ukrainian counterattack
Yesterday, Ukraine announced that it had launched a counterattack near the Russian-held city of Kherson. Here’s a map of the front lines, courtesy of the US think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW): Rory Sullivan August 30, 2022 10:55 am 1661851942
379 children killed by Putin’s war, Ukraine says
The Russian attacks killed 379 children and injured more than 735 others, according to Ukraine’s attorney general’s office. In its latest update, it said the highest number of casualties was recorded in the Donetsk region, where 388 children were killed or injured. Rory Sullivan30 August 2022 10:32 1661850315
EU ministers discuss increasing arms production to help Ukraine
Six months into the war in Ukraine, EU ministers have spoken of increasing arms production to help Kyiv counter Moscow’s troops. EU arms stocks are low given its continued support for Ukraine, the bloc’s top foreign diplomat said. “We are running out of stock. We provide so much potential to Ukraine that we have to replenish our reserves,” Josep Borrell told reporters on Tuesday. In two days of meetings in Prague, the bloc’s foreign and defense ministers will discuss pooling military resources and bulk arms purchases. Rory Sullivan August 30, 2022 10:05 am 1661849094
The first humanitarian grain ship to leave Ukraine during the war arrives in Djibouti
The first humanitarian grain ship to leave Ukraine after the deal was brokered with Russia has arrived in Djibouti. The Lebanon-flagged Brave Commander arrived in the east African country with 23,000 tons of wheat on board. This comes after Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports sparked fears of a worsening global food crisis, with regions such as East Africa facing the worst drought in decades. The World Food Program announced on Tuesday that a second humanitarian aid shipment had left Ukraine for Yemen. It will stop in Turkey en route so the grain can be ground into flour, the UN said. Rory Sullivan30 August 2022 09:44 1661847622
Germany and France oppose Russian tourist visa ban
Germany and France will oppose demands by the Baltic states to ban Russian tourists from the EU. Ahead of the bloc’s foreign ministers meeting in Prague later today, Berlin and Paris set out their position in a document seen by Reuters. “While we understand the concerns of some member states in this context, we should not underestimate the transformative power of experiencing life in democratic systems first-hand, especially for future generations,” they said. “Our visa policies should reflect this and continue to allow face-to-face contacts in the EU with Russian nationals not connected to the Russian government,” they added. All five EU countries that share a border with Russia have called for a visa ban, saying the step is necessary to put further pressure on Moscow. Rory Sullivan30 August 2022 09:20 1661846372
Four dead from Russian shelling in Kharkiv, the regional governor said
At least four people were killed and four others wounded Tuesday by Russian shelling in the city of Kharkiv, the regional governor said. “As a result of the shelling of the central part of Kharkiv, at least 4 people died and 4 others were injured,” Oleh Synehubov wrote on Telegram. Despite evidence to the contrary, Russia denies that its forces deliberately targeted civilians. Rory Sullivan30 August 2022 08:59 1661845498
Russia is suffering heavy losses in southern Ukraine, Kyiv claims
Ukraine said it had inflicted heavy casualties on Kremlin forces in the south, with 82 Russian soldiers killed and 30 pieces of equipment reportedly destroyed. The Command of Operation “South” also said that the Ukrainian army hit three Russian ammunition depots and a makeshift bridge. The Independent was unable to verify the claims. The command’s spokesman said Monday that its counteroffensive around Kherson had “undoubtedly weakened the enemy.” However, Russia hit back at the claims, suggesting that “the enemy’s offensive attempt failed miserably.” Rory Sullivan30 August 2022 08:44 1661844635
Photos from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
Experts from the United Nations nuclear watchdog will arrive at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant later this week to conduct safety tests. This comes after Ukraine and Russia accused each other of endangering the site, with reports of shelling near its nuclear reactors. Yesterday, US-based satellite company Maxar released images from the site. They show recent damage to the roof of a building near the nuclear reactors and a group of armored personnel carriers nearby. After Ukraine and the UN called for the site to be demilitarized, Russia said it had no intention of leaving the facility. (Satellite Image ©2022 Maxar Technologies) (Satellite Image ©2022 Maxar Technologies) Rory Sullivan30 August 2022 08:30 1661843422
EU could set up military training mission for Ukraine, says senior diplomat
The EU could agree to the creation of a military training mission for Ukraine, the bloc’s foreign policy chief said. “A general, comprehensive political agreement (on a joint training mission) is what I think we need to achieve today… I hope we will have a political green light for this mission,” Josep Borrell said from Prague on Tuesday. Until now, individual countries trained Ukrainian troops in how to handle donated Western weapons, but there was no bloc-wide policy. Rory Sullivan30 August 2022 08:10 1661842391
Ukraine is increasing artillery attacks on Russian positions near Kherson, the Foreign Ministry says
Ukrainian artillery raids against Russian positions in the south of the county increased on Monday, the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) said. The UK’s latest update on the war in Ukraine suggests that Kyiv has launched a counter-attack near the Russian-held city of Kherson. Although Moscow has sought to reinforce its positions around the city since early August, its troops remain vulnerable there, according to the Foreign Ministry. “Most of the [Russian] “Units around Kherson are probably under-manned and dependent on fragile supply lines with ferry bridges and drawbridges on the Dnipro,” it said. Rory Sullivan30 August 2022 07:53
