Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:28 Czech President Petr Pavel said that Ukraine can join NATO even if part of its territory is occupied: "I believe that full restoration of control over the entire territory is not a necessary condition. If there is demarcation, even an administrative border, then we can consider this administrative border temporary and accept Ukraine into NATO on the territory that it will control at that time."
20:54 Zelensky said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces control more than 1,250 square kilometers of the Kursk region and 92 populated areas. "The strengthening of our positions, stabilization of certain areas and replenishment of the exchange fund continues," the president noted. According to him, this operation has become "our largest investment in the process of liberating Ukrainians from Russian captivity, this is one of our goals."
Zelensky also stated that if Western partners lifted all restrictions on range, Ukraine "would not need to physically enter, in particular, the Kursk region" in order to protect Ukrainian citizens in the border area and destroy Russia's potential for aggression.
"Just a few months ago, many in the world, if they heard that we were planning an operation like the one in Kursk Oblast, would have said that it was unrealistic and that it was supposedly crossing the reddest of all the red lines that Russia has. That is why, in fact, no one heard about our preparations. And now the real success of our soldiers speaks for itself: our active defensive actions on the other side of the border and Putin's inability to protect his territory from such defensive actions of ours are very eloquent," the president emphasized.
According to the head of state, "our active preventive defense is the most effective counteraction to Russian terrorism and ensuring a real complication of the situation for the aggressor state. And secondly, we now have an extremely important ideological change, namely: the entire naive, illusory concept of the so-called red lines in relation to Russia, which reigned in the assessments of the war by some partners, crumbled the other day somewhere near Sudzha."
20:37 Zelensky said that he is on a visit to the Dnipropetrovsk region and met with veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
18:56 On Tuesday, August 20, electricity consumption restriction schedules will be in effect, Ukrenergo reported. From 16:00 to 17:00 and from 22:00 to 24:00, one turn-off sequence will be applied, from 17:00 to 22:00 - two sequences simultaneously.
18:24 Lavrov said that after Ukraine's invasion of the Kursk region, "there can be no negotiations with Kiev, the president said so." He also called rumors about secret contacts between Moscow and Kiev with the mediation of Qatar and Turkey. Lavrov believes that information about such contacts is in the development of the conference on Ukraine in Switzerland, where a decision was made to create working groups. But for Moscow, this process is unacceptable, because its only goal is "to promote an ultimatum called the Zelensky formula," the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized.
17:35 Danish Foreign Minister Lars Rasmussen stated that Ukraine could use Danish weapons to strike Russian territory.
17:27 Russia is not reducing its presence in the occupied territories of Ukraine: at the beginning of the year, the Russian group numbered 440 thousand people, now - about 600 thousand, and by the end of the year an increase to 800 thousand people is expected, said Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Gavrilyuk. He also noted that today mobilization does not meet the needs of the troops, because a mobilized person "is not a fighter, he will become one in 3-6 months." According to Gavrilyuk, at present about 930 thousand Ukrainians liable for military service are reserved from mobilization, and in a week this number will cross the border of 1 million.
16:31 The Office of the President confirmed that on August 23, the National Flag Day, an official visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ukraine will take place. This is the first visit of the head of the Indian government to Ukraine in the history of bilateral relations.
15:58 Ukrenergo reported that it is completing the construction of the first stage of anti-drone protection of high-voltage equipment at 41 of the company's facilities. The State Agency for the Restoration and Development of Infrastructure is completing the construction of the first stage of protection at another 22 facilities. Protective reinforced concrete structures can withstand a direct hit from "shahids" and protect equipment from missile debris. According to calculations, the damage due to drone strikes without protective structures would be 5-6 times greater. The project is fully financed by international financial organizations.
15:29 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will visit Ukraine on Friday, August 23, intends to convey messages between Putin and Zelensky, Bloomberg writes. In addition, according to the publication, India and Ukraine will discuss the production of aircraft and aircraft engines in India and the joint production of gas turbines.
14:43 Russians have attacked a private sector in the village of Zarechnoye in the Liman community of Donetsk Oblast - three people have died, the prosecutor's office reported. Another person has died as a result of artillery shelling of Toretsk.
14:37 The Danish government has announced a new aid package for Ukraine worth 783 million Danish kroner (around $116 million). The bulk of the funds will be used to purchase new military equipment through the Ukrainian defense industry and international partners. In particular, an important part of the new package will be an increase in the industrial pool by 300 million kroner in 2024, which will strengthen the Ukrainian defense industry. An additional 112 million kroner will be allocated to finance purchases through Ukrainian defense enterprises.
13:35 Germany has updated the list of military aid supplied to Ukraine. The new package includes, in particular: the IRIS-T SLS air defense system, 14 thousand 155-mm artillery shells, ten naval drones, 26 Vector UAVs, etc.
13:26 The head of the Donetsk OVA Vadim Filashkin announced the beginning of the forced evacuation of families with children from the Pokrovsk community. "More than 53 thousand people still live here, including almost 4,000 children, but recently the front has come too close to Pokrovsk, and this should be responded to appropriately," he explained.
13:04 Zelensky reported that he had heard Syrsky's report: "First of all, the frontline situation and our measures to control it. Heavy fighting is underway in the Pokrovsk direction, the defense of Toretsk... The commander-in-chief also reported on new details of the operation in the Kursk region. We are achieving our goals. In the morning, there will be another replenishment of the exchange fund for our state. We discussed with the commander-in-chief some aspects of our missile program."
12:17 Russia will not talk to Ukraine at this stage, Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov said. At the same time, according to him, Moscow's "peace proposals" have not been cancelled, and the pause in the possibility of the negotiation process depends on the situation on the battlefield.
11:38 From Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, where Russian troops are approaching, 500-600 people are leaving every day, said the head of the city's military administration, Sergei Dobryak. At the same time, he predicts that a forced evacuation of children will be announced in the city this week. According to him, there are currently 4,788 children left in the city, compared to 13,700 children before the full-scale war.
Dobryak noted that approximately 60% of residents leave Pokrovsk on their own, using their own transport, and given the timing of the Russian army's advance, residents have one to two weeks to evacuate. Dobryak also suggested that city services and facilities will have to be shut down for a week.
10:59 The Askania-Nova Reserve practically no longer exists, the head of the Kherson OVA, Alexander Prokudin, said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine. According to him, the occupiers plundered the biosphere reserve, took animals to Crimea and the Russian Federation, and even organized hunting there.
10:35 The Indian Foreign Ministry has confirmed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Ukraine and Poland. The visit is likely to take place on August 23, Reuters reports. Modi met Putin in Moscow a month ago.
09:22 In Donetsk Oblast, three people were killed as a result of Russian shelling on August 18: in Mirnohrad, Toretsk and Razliv. Another nine people in the region were injured in the past 24 hours, said OVA head Vadim Filashkin.
08:57 In the Kherson region, over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, three people were injured, reported the head of the OVA, Oleksandr Prokudin.
08:34 On Sunday, August 18, Russians shelled Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region, one person was wounded, reported the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov.
07:59 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of August 19:
personnel - about 600,470 (+1120) people,
tanks - 8513 (+5),
combat armored vehicles - 16,495 (+15),
artillery systems - 17,104 (+48),
MLRS - 1165 (+4),
air defense systems - 925 (+2),
aircraft - 367 (+0),
helicopters - 328 (+0),
Operational-tactical level UAVs - 13,809 (+57),
cruise missiles - 2437 (+5),
ships/boats - 28 (+0),
submarines - 1 (+0),
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 23,047 (+55),
special equipment - 2863 (+17).
07:32 Air defense destroyed all 11 Shahed-type attack UAVs in the Nikolaev, Cherkasy, Vinnytsia, Kiev, Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov, Sumy and Donetsk regions at night, the Air Force reported.
07:25 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to advance in the Kursk region. Thus, one of the Russian war correspondents on August 18 stated that Ukrainian forces captured Troitske (south of Korenevo and approximately 2 km from the international border) and advanced to Semenovka (north of Sudzha and approximately 24 km from the international border). The Ukrainian project DeepState reports that the Defense Forces liberated Apanasivka, Snagost, Otruba and advanced in Olhivka.
At the same time, ISW analysts point out that the Ukrainian invasion of Kursk Oblast, as well as Russian offensive operations in eastern Ukraine, are not in themselves decisive military operations that will help one side win the war. According to experts, both Russian and Ukrainian forces lack the capabilities to conduct individual decisive winning operations and instead must conduct several successive operations with limited operational objectives that do not achieve victory, but in aggregate can help achieve strategic goals.
04:11 Ukraine considered several options for an operation on Russian territory: a strike in the Bryansk region, a strike in the Kursk region, a combined strike in two regions at once, or even a larger scale, The Economist writes. According to the publication, Syrsky kept his plans secret, sharing them only with a small group of generals and security service officers, and communicating with Zelensky tête-à-tête. The main goal of the offensive is to distract Russian troops in the Donetsk region and create trump cards for any future negotiations.
Army intelligence learned most of the information independently, and the GUR was brought in only at a late stage of preparation for the operation. One of the publication's sources claims that the Western allies also did not know about the preparation of the operation, and when they learned about the breakthrough, they did not object. Limited communications to the level of official necessity allowed the Ukrainian Armed Forces to begin the attack before the Russians realized what was happening.
In particular, Syrsky had thrown the enemy off guard by concealing the arrival of his most experienced divisions. Reinforcements had been deployed to the forests near the Kursk border, under the pretext of protecting against a supposed Russian attack on Sumy, a week and a half before the operation began. The troops themselves began to suspect that something serious was going on in early August, when they were suddenly given equipment. They conducted exercises on mock-ups of what they later realized were Russian villages.
00:54 The Ukrainian Armed Forces' offensive in the Kursk region is only the first of several stages of the operation, said the head of the Sumy city military administration, Oleksiy Drozdenko. He noted that he took direct part in planning the operation and was part of a narrow trusted circle of insiders. "We see only part of this operation, in the future we will see several stages," Drozdenko said.
He also said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces sometimes take 100-150 prisoners of war per day, many of them conscripts who do not want to fight. In addition, Drozdenko said that hospitals in Sumy were preparing to accept many wounded after the invasion began, but there were unexpectedly few casualties. "On the first day of the operation, there were only 15 wounded. Sixty, seventy percent of them were very light, caused by bomb damage, shrapnel," he added.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 20:54 Zelensky said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces control more than 1,250 square kilometers of the Kursk region and 92 populated areas. "The strengthening of our positions, stabilization of certain areas and replenishment of the exchange fund continues," the president noted. According to him, this operation has become "our largest investment in the process of liberating Ukrainians from Russian captivity, this is one of our goals."
Zelensky also stated that if Western partners lifted all restrictions on range, Ukraine "would not need to physically enter, in particular, the Kursk region" in order to protect Ukrainian citizens in the border area and destroy Russia's potential for aggression.
"Just a few months ago, many in the world, if they heard that we were planning an operation like the one in Kursk Oblast, would have said that it was unrealistic and that it was supposedly crossing the reddest of all the red lines that Russia has. That is why, in fact, no one heard about our preparations. And now the real success of our soldiers speaks for itself: our active defensive actions on the other side of the border and Putin's inability to protect his territory from such defensive actions of ours are very eloquent," the president emphasized.
According to the head of state, "our active preventive defense is the most effective counteraction to Russian terrorism and ensuring a real complication of the situation for the aggressor state. And secondly, we now have an extremely important ideological change, namely: the entire naive, illusory concept of the so-called red lines in relation to Russia, which reigned in the assessments of the war by some partners, crumbled the other day somewhere near Sudzha."
20:18 Russians have built two pontoon crossings across the Seim River in the Kursk region, east of the village of Zvannoye, Radio Liberty reports, citing satellite images. Earlier, it was reported that a similar crossing had been built east of the village of Glushkovo.
19:27 A tank with a white-red-white flag was spotted in the Kursk region. According to journalist Andrei Tsaplienko, this is a tank unit of the Tour of Belarusians from the 225th separate assault battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
18:19 Lavrov said that after Ukraine's invasion of the Kursk region, "there can be no negotiations with Kiev, the president said so." He also called rumors about secret contacts between Moscow and Kiev with the mediation of Qatar and Turkey. Lavrov believes that information about such contacts is in the development of the conference on Ukraine in Switzerland, where a decision was made to create working groups. But for Moscow, this process is unacceptable, because its only goal is "promoting an ultimatum called the Zelensky formula," the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized.
15:24 A video is being circulated on social networks showing Ukrainian soldiers raising the Ukrainian flag in Sudzha:
14:41 The Russian Defense Ministry reported attacks by Ukrainian assault groups in the direction of Olgovka, Russkoye and Cherkasskoye Porechnoye in the Kursk region. A search is also allegedly underway for sabotage groups that attempted to penetrate deep into Russian territory south of the settlements of Skrylevka and Sheptukhovka.
13:12 Zelensky reported that he had heard Syrsky's report, in particular regarding new details of the operation in the Kursk region. "We are achieving our goals. In the morning, there will be another replenishment of the exchange fund for our state," the president said.
13:03 In the Kursk direction, units of the Ground Forces are successfully carrying out assigned tasks and continue to replenish the exchange fund, "which will allow us to return our guys and girls from captivity more quickly," said the commander of the Ground Forces, Alexander Pavlyuk, and showed a video:
09:09 British drones played a key role in the Ukrainian Armed Forces' offensive in the Kursk region. In addition, Ukrainian forces used Challenger 2 tanks, The Sunday Times writes. According to the publication's sources, the country's new government has decided to more openly acknowledge the use of British military equipment by Ukrainians, including in Russia. The only weapon that Ukraine cannot yet use on Russian territory due to concerns from its allies is the long-range Storm Shadow missiles.
"We will not shy away from the idea of using British weapons in Russia to defend Ukraine. We should be proud that we have given something that helps Ukraine defend itself," one of the sources told the publication. According to The Sunday Times, the authorities have decided to be more open in order to persuade allies to do more.
09:01 Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine demonstrated their work on identifying and destroying Russian servicemen in the Kursk region. "Enemy servicemen are trying to hide in industrial zones, at equipped positions and in civilian houses. Soldiers from one of the units of the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine demonstrate part of their work on identifying and destroying enemy forces," the report says.
08:13 Z-publics write about the destruction of the third and last bridge across the Seim River in the Kursk region. About 700 sq. km may be operationally surrounded.
07:25 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to advance in the Kursk region. Thus, one of the Russian war correspondents stated on August 18 that Ukrainian forces captured Troitske (south of Korenevo and approximately 2 km from the international border) and advanced to Semenovka (north of Sudzha and approximately 24 km from the international border). The Ukrainian project DeepState reports that the Defense Forces liberated Apanasivka, Snagost, Otruba and advanced in Olhivka. ISW also writes that Russia is preparing a counteroffensive operation in the Kursk region and is forced to transfer forces there.
At the same time, ISW analysts point out that the Ukrainian invasion of Kursk Oblast, as well as Russian offensive operations in eastern Ukraine, are not in themselves decisive military operations that will help one side win the war. According to experts, both Russian and Ukrainian forces lack the capabilities to conduct individual decisive winning operations and instead must conduct several successive operations with limited operational objectives that do not achieve victory, but in aggregate can help achieve strategic goals.
04:11 Ukraine considered several options for an operation on Russian territory: a strike in the Bryansk region, a strike in the Kursk region, a combined strike in two regions at once, or even a larger scale, The Economist writes. According to the publication, Syrsky kept his plans secret, sharing them only with a small group of generals and security service officers, and communicating with Zelensky tête-à-tête. The main goal of the offensive is to distract Russian troops in the Donetsk region and create trump cards for any future negotiations.
Army intelligence learned most of the information independently, and the GUR was brought in only at a late stage of preparation for the operation. One of the publication's sources claims that the Western allies also did not know about the preparation of the operation, and when they learned about the breakthrough, they did not object. Limited communications to the level of official necessity allowed the Ukrainian Armed Forces to begin the attack before the Russians realized what was happening.
In particular, Syrsky had thrown the enemy off guard by concealing the arrival of his most experienced divisions. Reinforcements had been deployed to the forests near the Kursk border, under the pretext of protecting against a supposed Russian attack on Sumy, a week and a half before the operation began. The troops themselves began to suspect that something serious was going on in early August, when they were suddenly given equipment. They conducted exercises on mock-ups of what they later realized were Russian villages.
00:54 The Ukrainian Armed Forces' offensive in the Kursk region is only the first of several stages of the operation, said the head of the Sumy city military administration, Oleksiy Drozdenko. He noted that he took direct part in planning the operation and was part of a narrow trusted circle of insiders. "We see only part of this operation, in the future we will see several stages," Drozdenko said.
He also said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces sometimes take 100-150 prisoners of war per day, many of them conscripts who do not want to fight. In addition, Drozdenko said that hospitals in Sumy were preparing to accept many wounded after the invasion began, but there were unexpectedly few casualties. "On the first day of the operation, there were only 15 wounded. Sixty, seventy percent of them were very light, caused by bomb damage, shrapnel," he added.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] Armenian military fired at positions of Azerbaijani soldiers in the Kelbajar region, after which return fire was opened, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said today.
As reported by the Caucasian Knot", on the evening of August 19, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry stated that Armenian troops fired at the positions of Azerbaijani soldiers in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR). The Armenian Defense Ministry denied this information.
On August 18 at approximately 23:50 [22:50 Moscow time], Armenian military fired at positions of Azerbaijani soldiers located in the direction of the Demirchidam settlement in the Kelbajar region, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported today on its website.
The shelling was carried out from small arms from positions located in the direction of the settlement of Zyarkend in the Basarkechary district ( Gegharkunik region of Armenia, - note of the "Caucasian Knot" ). The Azerbaijani military opened return fire, the report said.
As of 09:50 Moscow time, there were no comments on the website of the Armenian Defense Ministry regarding the message from the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.
Let us recall that on August 15 and August 16, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry stated that positions in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic were fired upon from Armenia. The Armenian military department rejected these accusations in both cases.
The reports of shelling come as Baku and Yerevan negotiate a peace deal, with Armenia and Azerbaijan announcing progress in talks in Washington on July 10.
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[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Volchansk and Liptsy directions, the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the 43rd Mechanised Brigade, 92nd Assault Brigade, 36th Naval Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) near Staritsa, Okhrimovka, and Volchansk (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 170 Ukrainian troops, one tank, two infantry fighting vehicles, two armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, one 152mm D-20 howitzer, one 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, two 122mm D-30 howitzers, and one 122mm BM-21 Grad MLRS vehicle. One depot storing UAVs was wiped out.
The Zapad Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions, and inflicted fire damage on the 43rd, 63rd, 67th, 69th Mechanised brigades of the AFU, 1st National Guard Brigade near Glyshkovka (Kharkov region), Nevskoye, Stelmakhovka (Lugansk People's Republic), Grigorovka, and Torskoye (Donetsk People's Republic). Two counterattacks launched by assault groups of the AFU 63rd Mechanised Brigade and 117th Territorial Defence Brigade were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 535 Ukrainian troops, two tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, seven Kazak armoured fighting vehicles, five pick-up trucks, one U.S.-made 155mm M198 howitzer, one 152mm 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, and one 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system. Seven ammunition depots were also destroyed.
The Yug Group of Forces improved the tactical situation, liberated the Vyemka railway station in Donetsk People's Republic and engaged manpower and hardware of the 24th and 72nd Mechanised brigades, 27th Rocket Artillery Brigade, 72nd Air Assault Brigade of the AFU as well as the 116th Territorial Defence Brigade close to Konstantinovka, Chasov Yar, Yelizavetovka, Kucherov Yar, and Razliv (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 570 Ukrainian troops and six motor vehicles. In counter-battery warfare, Russian troops hit one Polish-made 155mm Krab self-propelled artillery system, U.S.-made 155mm M777 and M198 howitzers, two UK-made 155mm FH-70 howitzers, one 152mm D-20 howitzer, and two 122mm D-30 howitzers were destroyed.
The Tsentr Group of Forces has liberated one of the largest settlements in the Dzerzhinsk agglomeration of Artyomovo (Donetsk People's Republic).
Russian troops hit the 47th Mechanised Brigade, 95th Air Assault Brigade of the AFU, and the 109th Territorial Defence Brigade close to Rozovka, Druzhba, Novgorodskoye, and Ptichye (Donetsk People's Republic). Eight counterattacks launched by the 53rd and 150th Mechanised brigades, 68th Jaeger Brigade, 142nd Infantry Brigade of the AFU, the 14th and 15th National Guard brigades, and Lyut Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian National Police were repelled.
The AFU losses included more than 495 Ukrainian troops, two tanks, one Kazak armoured fighting vehicle, four motor vehicles, one 152mm 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, one 152mm Msta-B howitzer, one 152mm Giatsint-B gun, and one 122mm D-30 howitzer.
The Vostok Group of Forces delivered strikes against manpower and hardware of the 72nd Mechanised Brigade, 58th Motorised Infantry Brigade of the AFU, 106th and 125th Territorial Defence brigades near Ugledar, Prechistovka, Velikaya Novosyolka (Donetsk People's Republic) and Dolinka (Zaporozhye region).
The AFU suffered losses of up to 90 Ukrainian troops, three motor vehicles, one 155mm Bogdana self-propelled artillery system, one 152mm D-30 howitzer, and three Bukovel-AD electronic warfare stations. Three AFU field ammunition depots were destroyed.
The Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on the 65th Mechanised Brigade, 128th Mountain Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, 39th Coastal Defence Brigade near Novodanilovka, Kamenskoye (Zaporozhye region) and Tyaginka (Kherson region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 75 Ukrainian troops, eight motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155mm M-777 howitzer, and one 122mm D-30 howitzer. One ammunition depot has been destroyed.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have engaged clusters of AFU manpower and military hardware in 147 areas during the day.
Air defence systems have shot down one French-made Hammer guided aerial bomb, 26 U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles, and 49 unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, 639 airplanes and 282 helicopters, 30,161 unmanned aerial vehicles, 575 air defence missile systems, 17,340 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,412 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 13,415 field artillery guns and mortars as well as 24,919 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to repel the AFU attempt to invade the territory of the Russian Federation.
Units of the Sever Group of Forces supported by Army Aviation and artillery fire conduct reconnaissance and search operations to locate and eliminate small enemy sabotage groups in forest belts attempting to get deeper into the Russian territory to the south of Skrylevka and Sheptukhovka.
Attacks launched by assault detachments in the direction of Olgovka, Russkoye Porechnoye, and Cherkasskoye Porechnoye were repelled. The AFU losses amounted to one tank, one infantry fighting vehicle, two armoured fighting vehicles, and more than 25 Ukrainian troops, four AFU servicemen were taken prisoner.
Aviation and artillery strikes as well as actions of defending troops inflicted losses on manpower and hardware clusters of the AFU 22nd, 61st, 115th Mechanised brigades, and 80th Air Assault Brigade near Borki, Bogdanovka, Vishnyovka, Viktorovka, Kositsa, Lyubimovka, Melovoy, Snagost, west of Martynovka, and south east of Korenevo.
Operational-Tactical Aviation delivered strikes at manpower and hardware concentration areas of reserves of the AFU 82nd Air Assault Brigade, 103rd, and 129th Territorial Defence brigades near Basovka, Vorozhba, Kruzhok, Miropolye, Novaya Sech, and Sadki (Sumy region).
Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses amounted to more than 330 Ukrainian troops and 27 units of hardware, including four tanks, one infantry fighting vehicle, three armoured personnel carriers, 19 armoured fighting vehicles, eight motor vehicles, two artillery guns, and three mortars.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to up to 3,800 Ukrainian troops, 54 tanks, 26 infantry fighting vehicles, 48 armoured personnel carriers, 281 armoured fighting vehicles, 123 motor vehicles, 27 artillery guns, five SAM launchers, seven MLRS launchers, including three of HIMARS system and one of MLRS system, five electronic warfare stations, as well as four units of engineering vehicles, including two counterobstacle vehicles and one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle.
The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 21:00 Russian troops have liberated the village of New York in the DPR, Ukrainian militants have retreated, and a cleanup operation is underway, Rogov told RIA Novosti. 19:49 Footage of launch of a 9M723 Iskander-M ballistic missile at Ukrainian Armed Forces facilities.
19:25 Calculation of the 152mm Giatsint-B howitzer of the Dnepr group of forcesdestroyedA Ukrainian Armed Forces weapon camouflaged in a forest belt in the Zaporizhia region.
The target was detected by aerial reconnaissance at a distance of more than 20 km from the front line. The artillerymen quickly aimed the gun at the target and destroyed it with rapid fire.
18:42 Servicemen from the 49th Army destroyed deployment of militants on the right bank of the Kherson region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are using Kherson's apartment buildings as camouflage and human shields. Ukrainian militants are deploying artillery crews and rocket launchers there.
18:10 120mm mortar crews of the Pacific Fleet naval infantry, they are smashing Ukrainian Armed Forces strongholds in the South Donetsk direction.
120mm mortars are short-range artillery. In order to work on targets, the crews have to get as close to the enemy as possible. High-explosive fragmentation and incendiary mines are used to destroy enemy strongholds.
17:40 Naval infantry artillerymen "are working" on the enemy strong point. At the same time, artillery strikes cleared the approaches to the strong point.
17:35 Video of combat operations of Su-25 attack aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the area of the SVO.
16:57 Defeat of American howitzer M-777 with loitering munition X-52 in the crew of UAV "Lancet" from 83rd Guards Airborne Brigade.
16:34 According to operational information, the withdrawal of Ukrainian units from Kamyshevka has been confirmed.
Meanwhile, in Konstantinovka, Russian troops have "moved" to the western part of Shakhtyorskaya Street. The fighting is taking place in the very center of the settlement.
15:48 A Ukrainian tank on a lowboy was hit by a Lancet loitering munition in the border area of the Kursk region –video.
15:32 Application of an airstrike with a Kh-38 air-to-air missile on the Ukrainian Armed Forces base on the right bank of the Dnieper.
15:11 There are reports that the Vyemka station has come under the control of the Russian Army in the Seversky sector.
14:50 Mi-28NM strikes concentration of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel and equipment in Kursk region –video
14:48 The withdrawal of units of the 115th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to the opposite bank of the Oskol River in the Kupyansk direction is recorded.
14:20 Aviation carried out strikes on areas where Ukrainian Armed Forces reserves are concentrated in Sumy Oblast, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
14:10 The highway to Gordeevka with an exit to Ukraine is under the control of the Russian Armed Forces; from the side of Korenevo, Russian troops have “pinned” the Ukrainian Armed Forces to Snagost.
13:50 FPV drone operators destroyed the position of Ukrainian militants with a 120mm mortar in the South Donetsk direction.
13:34 Acting Governor of Kursk Region published footage of destroyed Ukrainian Armed Forces equipment.
13:24 The Russian army has liberated one of the major settlements of the Dzerzhinsk agglomeration, Artemovo, in the DPR, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
In addition, the Russian Armed Forces took control of the Vyemka railway station in the DPR.
13:20 The main points from the new briefing of the Russian Ministry of Defense:
The losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the zone of the North group of forces in the Khar'kov region in one day amounted to 170 soldiers, a tank and two infantry fighting vehicles;
The Vostok group destroyed 3 field warehouses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in one day; the enemy lost up to 90 soldiers;
Units of the "West" group of forces occupied more advantageous positions within 24 hours and repelled two counterattacks; the enemy's losses amounted to 535 soldiers;
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 570 soldiers in one day as a result of the actions of the “South” group;
Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 495 servicemen and two tanks as a result of the actions of the Center group;
In one day, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 75 soldiers in the area of responsibility of the Dnepr group;
In one day, the Russian air defense system shot down 49 drones, 26 HIMARS MLRS rounds, and a Hammer aerial bomb.
13:04 Russian troops have occupied the Ukrainian system of trenches and fortifications north of Peschane near Kupyansk.
The 115th and 43rd brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are withdrawing equipment and personnel to the right bank of the Oskol River near Kupyansk.
12:46 An explosion thundered in Dnepropetrovsk.
12:31 Resulting Job of FPV crews of the 35th Army of the "Vostok" group: another "Vampire" hexocopter was shot down, a car was hit, and an AGS crew was "punished".
12:27 Explosions in Nikolaev region, in the area of Snigirevka. Earlier, a ballistic threat was declared in the region.
12:10 The Russian Armed Forces have advanced in the village of Nelepovka, following the liberation of New York in the Dzerzhinsky direction. At the moment, Russian troops have consolidated their positions on Klubnaya Street.
12:00 Russian Su-34 destroyed Ukrainian S-300P air defense system, which carried out strikes on civilian targets in the Belgorod region, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
11:50 Destroyed In the area of the settlement of Stupochki in the Donetsk People's Republic, a Ukrainian T-80BV tank.
11:17 AGS-17 "Flame" crews perform fire missions in the border area of the Kursk region.
Automatic grenade launcher crews of the North group of troops have established fire control over the areas of concentration of small mobile groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border area of the Kursk Region. The servicemen are conducting aerial reconnaissance to identify scattered enemy groups and quickly destroy them.
The grenade launchers move from landing to landing only in short dashes. Immediately after completing the fire mission, they retreat to cover to avoid encounters with enemy drones.
11:05 In the Kupyansk direction, the 115th Separate Brigade and the 43rd Separate Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are withdrawing equipment and personnel to the right bank of the Oskol. In the area of the village of Senkovo, active preparation of fortifications is underway.
10:42 FPV drone operators of the Dnepr group of troops destroyed two control points of the Ukrainian Armed Forces UAVs on the right bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region
10:15 UAV detachment "Kaira" in the vicinity of the settlement of Konstantinovka deprived enemy transport, mortars and blew up a couple of Ukrainian militant locations.
10:00 Enemy reports:
"The Russian Armed Forces have advanced in the Khar'kov region in the area of the village of Peschanoye in the Kupyansky district. Analysts have recorded the seizure of territories to the southwest of the village."
09:40 Ukrainian Armed Forces units in the Kursk direction are redeploying in an attempt to launch an attack in a new area, but Russian forces are in control of the situation - Apti Alaudinov.
09:24 Combat Job of 120mm mortar crews of the West group of forces.
During the fire missions, mortar crews destroyed bunkers, mortar crews, and concentrations of Ukrainian Armed Forces manpower. Objective control data from a reconnaissance UAV confirmed the destruction of targets. To support active operations in the area of responsibility, mortar crews equipped and camouflaged their firing positions in advance, as well as a special route for the tactical reception of nomadic mortar weapons.
08:20 The Ukrainian Armed Forces have practically left the village of Novgorodskoye, there are still rare pockets of resistance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the territory, a clean-up operation is underway, the security forces reported.
They added that Ukrainian military forces are making unsuccessful attempts to carry out strikes from outside the populated area.
08:15 Russian troops stopped the advancement of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to the southeast of Sudzha in the Kursk region, said the operator of the FPV drone crew with the call sign “Panda”.
08:11 Russian military with Lancet destroyed engineering vehicle of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the border with Kursk Oblast. The vehicle's crew tried to put out the fire, but the militants were unable to save the equipment.
08:07 Troop grouping "West" in 24 hourstook possession30 strongholds of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said the head of the group's press center, Ivan Bigma.
08:04 Russian Su-34 at night launched an attack by bombs with a FAB-500 planning and correction module on a temporary deployment point and armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region, the Ministry of Defense reported.
08:00 Enemy reports:
"The Russian Armed Forces liberated New York and advanced near Peschanoye, Skuchnoye, Nikolayevka, Zheleznyansky, Novozhelanny and Nelepovka."
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The illegal entry of Italian and American journalists into the territory of the Kursk region directly indicates a well-prepared terrorist provocation on the part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and those who planned it for them. This opinion was expressed to a correspondent of IA Regnum on August 19 by political scientist, associate professor of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, director of the International Institute of the Newest States Alexey Martynov.
On August 18, the American newspaper The Washington Post published a large article about its journalists' visit to Kursk's Sudzha accompanied by Ukrainian militants. According to the publication, journalists Siobhan O'Grady, Tatyana Burianova and photographer Ed Ram visited the city. Italian journalists from Rai TV and Radio Company Simoni Traini and Stefani Battistini also illegally crossed the Russian border. With the support of Ukrainian soldiers, they filmed a report from part of the Kursk city of Sudzha and made a story on a military topic. A criminal case was opened against them.
"Such provocations are the style of work of the British special services. They often send journalists from various European publications together with terrorists to present events in the light they need. This is their classic approach," Martynov noted.
He recalled the history of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. Before Georgia's attack on South Ossetia, an international press center with journalists was deployed on the border. Then, together with the Georgian militants, Western journalists were sent in an armored vehicle to show their version of what was happening, the political scientist recalled.
He emphasized that the trips of Western journalists to Sudzha are direct evidence of external planning of an invasion of the Kursk region. This bloody PR campaign is needed so that all global media outlets will disseminate it, he specified.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, Ukrainian troops began attacks on the Kursk region on August 6. Russian army units stopped them in the border areas of the region, preventing the Ukrainian Armed Forces from entering deep into Russian territory.
The Investigative Committee reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are actively using NATO weapons in the Kursk region. FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov noted on August 13 that Kiev's attack on the region is supported by the West.
Adviser to the head of the office of the leader of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, confirmed on August 15 that Kiev had discussed the planned attack with Western allies.
On August 12, President Vladimir Putin demanded that the border with Ukraine be reliably covered after the enemy is driven out of Russian territory. There can be no negotiations with those who attack civilians and nuclear power facilities, the head of state said.
On August 16, the Italian Ambassador to Russia, Cecilia Piccioni, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry due to the illegal entry of journalists from the Italian television and radio company Rai into the Kursk region to cover the attack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the Russian region. A strong protest was expressed to the ambassador. The actions of the journalists fall under the article of the Criminal Code, the competent authorities are establishing all the circumstances of the incident, the Foreign Ministry noted.
According to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, the journalists were escorted to Kursk Oblast from the Ukrainian side of the border, probably with the aim of issuing false information in the region. The diplomat noted on August 17 that there is already a huge amount of debunked materials written by Westerners, which is why "this combination of bringing Italian journalists to the site and being present there" arose.
According to Zakharova, in this way, Rai employees presented as truth what they invented in their materials supposedly from the scene of events, otherwise no one would have believed them.
On August 19, the diplomat stated that the Russian side carefully records all cases of illegal entry of Western media representatives into the territory of the Kursk region.
The head of the Russian Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, Grigory Karasin, believes that the visit of journalists from the American newspaper The Washington Post to the city of Sudzha in the Kursk region, accompanied by Ukrainian militants, is an act of stupidity. Karasin emphasized that such actions should be assessed in this light. He also noted that he considers the actions of the journalists from the United States to be an outrage that smacks of confidence in impunity.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Investigators in Ukraine have opened over 80 thousand criminal cases against servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who voluntarily left their military units or refused to participate in hostilities, Verkhovna Rada deputy Ruslan Gorbenko told Novosti. Live on August 19.
"This is a very unpopular topic, but you can look at the statistics of the department that deals with these matters. If a serviceman leaves the unit without permission, then the TCC employee has a completely legal right to detain him," he said.
Gorbenko specified that the current total number of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is 1 million people. Thus, about 8% of servicemen have fled the army or refused to fight.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on May 18, a law on strengthening measures to mobilize men into the army came into effect in Ukraine. The age of conscription to the front was lowered to 25 years, those liable for military service were required to appear at the military registration and enlistment office to update their data, introducing large fines for failure to appear. The country also introduced absentee service of summonses to the military registration and enlistment office.
Ukrainians are trying to leave the country en masse, and illegal attempts to cross the border are regularly reported in the country. On August 16, it became known that two men attacked a border patrol in order to escape to Romania. They disarmed the soldiers and fled. They were caught by Romanian security forces. The fugitives asked for political asylum.
In addition, a wave of arson attacks on military vehicles has begun in Ukraine. Reports of this are coming in daily. Servicemen are afraid to leave their cars unattended and park them near police stations, although this does not always help.
[NEWSWEEK] Rumors that Chinese President Xi Jinping suffered a stroke have gone viral on Russian social media, causing a stir and leading to various speculative reports.
The incident was alleged to have occurred during the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) Third Plenary Session, which ran from Monday to Thursday. The meetings, attended by top party leadership, are widely anticipated by China analysts for signs of policy changes that could set the direction of the country's development.
The rumor gained traction on Wednesday when it was reported on by Jennifer Zeng, a human rights activist formerly with the Falun Gong-backed, anti-CCP news outlet The Epoch Times, on her show "Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng."
"Since yesterday, Chinese social media has been buzzing with the news that something 'big' has happened," Zeng wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The Chinese and Russian foreign ministries did not immediately respond to written requests for comment.
Russian news agency RuNews24 amplified the rumors with a headline reading, "There is a tragedy in China: the life of Chinese leader Xi Jinping hangs by a thread." Another Russian outlet, Hibiny, reported, "Chinese leader Xi Jinping suffered a stroke," adding "he is on the verge of death" and "doctors are now fighting for his life."
Both sources acknowledged the lack of concrete information and noted the lack of an official Chinese response.
The rumors were also circulated by Ukrainian media.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
