Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 19:20 During a massive attack on August 26, Russia used a Kalibr missile with a cluster warhead for the first time, the National Police reported.
19:09 The curfew has been extended in three communities of Donetsk Oblast: in all settlements of Selydivska and Kurakhivska communities, restrictions on movement will be in effect from 15:00 to 11:00 the next day, and in the territory of Konstantinovka community - from 17:00 to 9:00, said the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin. He also once again called on residents of the region to evacuate.
18:48 The death toll from the Russian strike on Krivoy Rog has risen to three, with one more person still missing, said OVA head Serhiy Lysak.
18:36 Stoltenberg said that he will convene a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on August 28 at the request of Kiev.
18:29 Ukraine's war with Russia will end with dialogue, Zelensky said: "Of course, everything will end with dialogue. But we need to have strong positions before this dialogue."
18:13 On Wednesday, August 28, measures to limit electricity consumption will be in effect across the country. Two stages of shutdowns will be in effect in all regions throughout the day, Ukrenergo reported.
17:40 The United States has upgraded the electronic warfare systems on the F-16 fighters that Ukraine received, the US Air Force's 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing reported. "In order to effectively integrate the F-16 into the Ukrainian Air Force, its electronic warfare subsystems had to be reprogrammed to be effective against Russian threats," the US military explained.
16:54 Russian troops have occupied 27% of Ukraine’s territory, Zelensky said.
16:36 Zelensky spoke about the need to return Ukrainians to Ukraine, but without coercion. According to him, Ukraine plans to create a specialized Ministry of Unity for this: "If we do not return 7.5 million Ukrainians, if we do not bring all taxpayers out of the shadows, we will have a serious challenge after the war... Therefore, we need to return the adult population to Ukraine. We need to return our children, students, etc. Without coercion. Create all the conditions so that they want to do this."
16:22 Zelensky said that dialogue with Putin is currently meaningless: "With Putin, not just compromises, but dialogue with Putin in principle today... is empty, meaningless. Because he does not want to end the war diplomatically. He is supposedly ready to do it diplomatically, but to give him 30% of our land. It seems to me that we cannot play along with him in this."
The president also noted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces' operation in the Kursk region "helped" Ukraine "a lot", since the number of calls for "peace talks" with Moscow has decreased. At the same time, he emphasized that the operation in the Kursk region is defensive, Kyiv does not need foreign lands and citizens.
16:03 Ukrainian manufacturers can produce 1.5-2 million drones per year, but there is not enough money for this, Zelensky said.
15:47 IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said after visiting the Kursk NPP that he will visit Kyiv next week and meet with Zelensky. According to the agency's Director General, cases of military activity near the Kursk NPP "raise concerns for its safety."
15:18 Zelensky said that Russia will lose 50-60 thousand of its people near Pokrovsk - just like it did with Bakhmut. According to the head of state, the Russians will continue to put pressure on the Pokrovsk direction.
15:11 Russia's participation in the second Peace Summit is the desire of all countries, because they believe that this will be the way to end the war, Zelensky said. "We will prepare a plan, and representatives of the Russian Federation, if they want, will be present. Otherwise, we may lose a large number of countries at the second summit," the head of state added.
15:02 Rotations have begun at the front for the first time, "but they are not fundamental yet," Zelensky said: "The number of people who have begun to prepare has increased. This will greatly help the guys to have at least some rotations. Because some rotations have begun for the first time. I cannot call them fundamental rotations yet. But I will be frank: there is a beginning, this is very important. And we are constantly talking about strengthening Pokrovsk."
14:56 Zelensky refused to comment on the situation at the Kyiv hydroelectric power station after yesterday's massive Russian shelling: "I don't really like energy PR. I don't really support it when the enemy knows what damage he has caused. Let the information about the state of our energy facilities and what we are doing there now be kept quiet."
14:51 Russia, thanks to the operation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region, has moved some of its troops from the Kharkiv and Zaporizhia directions, Zelensky said. At the same time, the Donetsk region remains a strategic target for the Russian Federation, so it is not withdrawing its troops from there, the president added.
14:47 Ukraine has successfully tested its first ballistic missile of its own production, Zelensky said. He also said that during yesterday's Russian attack, some missiles were shot down by F-16s.
14:42 Ukraine will not extend the agreement with Russia on gas transit - this is the end of it, Zelensky said. "As for transit from other companies: if the request of some of our European colleagues continues, we will consider their requests," the president added.
14:38 Zelensky stated that the operation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region is one of the points of the plan for Ukraine's victory. At the same time, the president emphasized that it is in no way connected with the meeting in Qatar on stopping strikes on energy infrastructure, which Western media had previously written about. "The Kursk operation is not connected with any of the points of the peace formula. Is the Kursk operation connected with the Second Peace Summit? Yes, because it is one of the points of the plan for Ukraine's victory. The Kursk operation had and has completely different goals than the meeting on energy with colleagues," the head of state noted.
Zelensky also said that he would present Biden with a plan for a Ukrainian victory in September. According to the president, this plan will also be handed over to US presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. And in November, the document will be ready for the Second Peace Summit. At the same time, Zelensky again emphasized that Ukraine is not ready to exchange its territories as part of any negotiations.
14:31 Zelensky claims that the Kursk operation stopped the occupation of the Kharkiv and Sumy regions: "There are goals that I can say, and very important goals that I cannot say. The Kursk operation brought several things - the occupation of the Kharkiv region was stopped. We had information about the creation of buffer zones in the Kharkiv region, and then in the north - we understood that the Sumy region, Chernihiv region could be in the plans ... The sequence of the desire for these buffer zones was unknown to us, but we understood that this could be. The Kursk operation resolved the issue of not the occupation of the Sumy region and not the occupation of the Chernihiv region. And it also defeated a large number of troops."
14:22 Lavrov said that Russia "will not bite" at the Peace Summit with Ukraine in a country of the Global South, "if it follows the same logic as the first one." At the same time, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry added that if the West is interested in ending the war in Ukraine, then it is necessary to sit down at the negotiating table.
14:10 The Russian Army concentrated a significant number of troops in the Kursk direction and planned an offensive operation in this direction, Syrsky reported. Therefore, according to him, the goal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces operation in the Kursk region was to create a security zone, stop shelling from the territory of the Russian Federation, protect civilian objects in the Sumy region, and preempt the enemy. Another task was to divert significant enemy forces from other directions. "First of all, this concerns the Pokrovsk and Kurakhovsky directions. Of course, the enemy understands this, so it is concentrating its main efforts in the Pokrovsk direction, where its most combat-ready units are concentrated," the commander-in-chief noted.
In the Pokrovsk direction, according to him, the situation is difficult, because on average more than 50 combat contacts occur here daily. The enemy is trying to seize a section of the Konstantinovka-Pokrovsk highway and disrupt the logistics of the Defense Forces. "The enemy is paying a very high price, the Defense Forces are doing everything possible to stop the advance. Every day in this direction our soldiers neutralize up to 300 invaders. The situation is under our control, the command is doing everything possible to stabilize the situation," Syrsky added.
13:55 Lavrov said that the doctrine of Russia's use of nuclear weapons "is currently being clarified." He also called the discussion of Ukraine's possible use of Storm Shadow missiles for strikes deep into Russia "playing with fire." In turn, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that the consequences of Russia's actions in response to the US involvement in the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attack on the Kursk region "could be much more severe than they have been so far."
13:31 Russia has transferred 30,000 troops from Ukraine to the Kursk direction, Syrsky reported: "The Kursk operation has diverted a significant number of troops. At the moment, we can state that about 30,000 troops have already been transferred to the Kursk direction, and this figure is growing." In particular, because of this, the enemy has reduced its activity in the south. At the same time, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine added that the enemy is trying to withdraw units from other directions, while in Pokrovsk, on the contrary, it is increasing its efforts.
Syrsky also reported that in the Kursk region the Ukrainian Armed Forces already control 1,294 square kilometers and about 100 populated areas, and 594 Russian servicemen have been taken prisoner.
13:28 One of the countries of the Global South should soon begin an investigation into crimes committed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine, which will expand the geography of bringing Russian war criminals to justice, said Prosecutor General Andrei Kostin. He also reported that in Ukraine, during the full-scale war, more than 136 thousand war crimes by the Russian Federation have been registered, 660 suspects have been identified, and 126 war criminals have been convicted.
13:00 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who recently returned from Kiev, had a telephone conversation with Putin. Modi said that in a conversation with Putin he "shared conclusions" about his recent visit to Ukraine. The day before, he also discussed this visit with Biden.
12:52 The location of the Second Peace Summit has not yet been determined, but Ukraine would like the conference to be held in one of the countries of the Global South, Yermak said. "The main condition is the readiness of the joint plan that we are working on. It will be ready in a short time," the head of the President's Office added. He also noted that he encounters "a lot of skepticism" and questions about "what if Russia does not agree." Yermak emphasized that the main thing is not Russia's position, but support for the common plan by all countries.
12:46 Ukraine will present the Biden administration with a list of targets in the Russian Federation that it will be able to hit with long-range weapons if it is given permission, Politico writes, citing sources. This will be another attempt by Kiev to convince Washington that this restriction should be lifted. The list of targets will be brought to the United States by the head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
12:29 In Zaporizhia, the number of people killed in the night attack has risen to three - one of the victims has died in the hospital, said the head of the OVA Ivan Fedorov. One victim remains in the hospital, two others refused further hospitalization.
12:25 As a result of an enemy attack on Bogodukhov in the Kharkiv region, one person was killed and six were wounded, the prosecutor's office reported.
12:22 Shmyhal announced the introduction of the "fight or work" principle to de-shadow the labor market. According to the prime minister, it will include a number of measures aimed at legalizing jobs, increasing average salaries, and increasing budget revenues.
12:17 Russians shelled Marganets in the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region, one person was killed, reported the head of the OVA, Serhiy Lysak.
12:14 Russia yesterday attacked Ukrainian distribution substations with cluster missiles for the first time, Shmyhal said. He added that yesterday's attack damaged "a very small amount of equipment thanks to the first and second levels of protection."
11:41 As a result of Russian attacks on Tuesday, August 27, all regions of Ukraine will be subject to power consumption restrictions, Ukrenergo reported. From 6:00 to 11:00 and from 15:00 to 21:00, four stages of shutdowns will be applied simultaneously, and at other times of the day - three stages.
11:33 Three people injured in yesterday's massive attack have died in hospital in Poltava Oblast, reported OVA head Filipp Pronin.
11:05 China, Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia are concerned about the "softening" of the conditions by Western countries for Ukraine to use the weapons they provided to strike military targets in the Russian Federation, said Li Hui, the special representative of the Chinese government. According to him, Beijing and its three partners from the Global South consider one of the main reasons for the continuation of the war in Ukraine to be the interest of "the military-industrial complex of some countries."
Li Hui added that Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia agree with the Chinese side that "a specific country" is using the war in Ukraine for its own benefit and threatening sanctions against China and other countries that have "normal" economic and trade ties with Russia. Li Hui also expressed hope that "more countries will approve and support the six-point consensus proposed by China and Brazil. Then there will be more hope for de-escalation of the situation and the prospects for peace will be brighter."
10:54 NATO has no information that the drone that flew into Poland the day before was a direct attack by Russia on the Alliance, NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah said. At the same time, she said, it was still "irresponsible and potentially dangerous." The Polish military assumes that it was a Russian Shahed drone, but there is no official confirmation.
10:37 In Sumy Oblast, 20 people were injured as a result of enemy shelling during the day, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported. A total of 267 strikes from various types of weapons were recorded in 49 settlements of the region.
10:26 As a result of today's massive Russian attack, four people were killed and 16 were injured, Zelensky said.
10:14 In the morning, Russians struck two infrastructure facilities in the city of Bogodukhov in the Kharkiv region, three people were wounded, said OVA head Oleg Sinegubov. In addition, late yesterday evening, the enemy struck an infrastructure facility in the village of Andreyevka in the Izyum district with an Iskander, four people were injured. Another person was wounded as a result of a hit to an infrastructure facility in the village of Kopanka in the Izyum district.
09:48 Russia used 91 air attack weapons to attack Ukraine at night and in the morning, the Air Force reported:
- three Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles;
- one Iskander-M ballistic missile;
- one Iskander-K cruise missile;
- five X-101 cruise missiles;
- 81 Shahed-type attack UAVs.
The air defense shot down all five X-101 cruise missiles and 60 attack drones. Another ten drones were lost (probably crashed) on the territory of Ukraine, one crossed the border with Belarus, and about ten more remain in the airspace of Ukraine. Combat operations were conducted in most regions of the country: in the Kyiv, Khmelnytsky, Rivne, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Kherson, Nikolaev, Zaporizhia, Khmelnytsky, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Chernihiv and Kirovohrad regions.
09:35 Ukraine's long-range drone missile Palyanitsa is "a completely new development, from scratch," and not a reworking of a Soviet weapon, one of the specialists involved in the project told the Associated Press. According to him, work on the new weapon began about a year and a half ago. The missile is accelerated by a solid-fuel booster, and then a jet engine is activated. One such missile costs less than $1 million, and the military is turning to businesses to further reduce production costs.
09:29 In the morning, the Russian army struck Novooleksandrivka in the Berislav district of the Kherson region - as a result of explosives dropped from a drone, two people were injured, the OVA reported. Over the previous day, as a result of Russian shelling in the region, one person was killed and ten were injured.
09:06 In Donetsk region on August 26 as a result of Russian shelling one person was wounded - in Konstantinovka, reported the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin.
08:57 This night, the Russian Federation again launched a combined attack on Ukraine using strike UAVs, ballistic, cruise and aeroballistic missiles. In Kiev, the air raid alarm was declared four times since the beginning of the day and lasted for a total of more than five hours, said the head of the Kyiv City Defense Army, Serhiy Popko. In total, since the beginning of the day, the air defense has destroyed about 15 strike drones and several missiles around the capital. All air targets flying to the capital were destroyed. Kinzhal missiles also flew through the Kiev region towards the western regions.
At this moment, it is known about the fall of debris in the forest park zones of the Dniprovsky and Desnyansky districts - the forest litter caught fire there, some cells have already been eliminated, the rest have been localized. There is no information about victims, there is no destruction. Popko emphasized that the alarm is currently ongoing in the Kyiv region, there are still enemy UAVs in the airspace.
08:32 In the Khmelnytsky region, during a night attack, as a result of falling debris, fires occurred in two private houses, one person was injured, reported the head of the OVA, Serhiy Tyurin.
07:59 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of August 27:
- personnel - about 610,100 (+1280) people,
- tanks - 8563 (+12),
- combat armored vehicles - 16,667 (+19),
- artillery systems - 17,495 (+52),
- MLRS - 1173 (+1),
- air defense systems - 937 (+0),
- aircraft - 367 (+0),
- helicopters - 328 (+0),
- Operational-tactical level UAVs - 14,254 (+120),
- cruise missiles - 2547 (+103),
- ships/boats - 28 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 23,613 (+58),
- special equipment - 2944 (+3).
07:43 At night, Russians attacked Zaporizhia and the Zaporizhia region with drones - three people were killed, five were wounded, said the head of the OVA Ivan Fedorov.
07:36 Russia launched a missile strike on a hotel in Krivoy Rog, Dnipropetrovsk region, at night - two people were killed, five were injured, and two more are being sought, said the head of the OVA, Serhiy Lysak.