Ukraine Daily

Wednesday, August 24

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Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers raise the national flag in Kyiv, on Aug. 23, as the country celebrates the Day of the National Flag. (President’s Office)

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Zelensky warns about possible massive shelling on Independence Day. President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Ukrainians to be careful on Independence Day, Aug. 24, due to a high risk of provocations and massive shelling by Russian troops. “Tomorrow is an important day for all of us. And that is why this day, unfortunately, is also important for our enemy. If they attack us — they will receive a response, a powerful response,” Zelensky said.

Russia says over 1,000 children from Mariupol ‘adopted’ in its remote cities. The local authorities in Russia’s Krasnodar said that over 1,000 Ukrainian children from the occupied city of Mariupol “have found new families” in the remote cities of Russia including Tyumen, Irkutsk, Kemerovo, and Altai Krai, while over 300 children are “temporarily held in specialized institutions” of the Krasnodar region, and can be adopted as well. In late July, Ukraine identified 5,600 children forcibly deported to Russia from the occupied territories.

Ukraine identifies two Russian soldiers who allegedly tortured civilians in Kyiv suburbs. The State Investigation Bureau suspects two Russian servicemen from a military unit from Buryatia of torturing civilians, looting stores, and firing at residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure in Borodianka and Makariv, Kyiv Oblast.

Ukraine submits urgent requirements to ECHR on ensuring rights of Azovstal defenders. Ukraine appealed to the European Court of Human Rights to force Russia to provide information on the detention of and medical support for Ukrainian servicemen in Russian captivity. The Justice and Foreign Ministries in a joint statement also demanded urgent measures to prevent Russia from setting up sham trials against Ukrainian defenders in occupied Mariupol. Ukraine’s Intelligence earlier said that Russian forces planned to conduct a “show trial” of Azovstal defenders in Mariupol on Aug. 24, Ukraine’s Independence Day.

CNN: Reznikov says Ukraine has passed ‘worst scenario’ of war. In an interview with CNN on Aug. 23, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that the “worst scenario” of the war has already happened and Ukraine is now moving on to the “next stage” of the war as it launches counteroffensives in new directions. However, Reznikov says that the international community’s “fatigue syndrome” can be the main threat to Ukraine in the coming months.

Institute for the Study of War: Russia deploys security forces to Luhansk, forcibly transfers Ukrainian children to Russia. The U.S. think tank reports that the Russian proxies in Luhansk Oblast announced joint patrols with police detachments from Russia’s Leningrad Oblast, which may signal that support for the war is dwindling. The ISW also suggests that Russian forces may have conducted a false flag attack on the headquarters of the leader of the Kremlin’s proxies in Donetsk on Aug. 23 to justify an attack on Ukrainian government buildings on Independence Day. Experts also reported that Ukrainian children are being sent to Russia for adoption. So far, Russian government sources confirmed that over 1,000 children have been transferred.

Russia claims ammunition depot caught fire ‘due to heat’ in Belgorod Oblast. Governor of Russia’s Belgorod Oblast Viacheslav Gladkov said on Aug. 23 that some ammunition caught fire near Timonovo village due to “hot weather.” He also said that there were no casualties but “to ensure safety,” people are being evacuated from the village.

Zelensky: Ukraine not ready to sign ceasefire deal with Russia. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine did not want to repeat the negative experience of the 2014 Minsk-1 deal and the 2015 Minsk-2 deal. He said that the ceasefire regime could drag on for years, and Ukraine would be left without part of its territories, while Russia could start hostilities again after some time. “At the point where we are, we are not ready for a ceasefire. We explained that there will be no Minsk-3, Minsk-5, or Minsk-7. We will not play these games… Because it is a trap,” he said.

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As Ukraine marks its Independence Day amid some of the most dangerous and terrible moments in the country’s history, some may succumb to despair. But if Ukraine’s history teaches anything, it is that there is always a silver lining. The ongoing Russian war isn’t the first time Ukraine has faced an existential challenge, and history shows us that the country and its capital have always stood tall. Read our story on Ukraine’s victories.

Ukraine’s 31st Independence Day marks exactly six months of Russia’s invasion. This year, there will be no celebrations, only a heightened alert for Russian attacks on a symbolic date. Ahead of the holiday, the government has banned mass gatherings in the nation’s capital. But for those abroad, there are still ways to honor Ukraine, its history, culture, and ongoing fight for freedom on Aug. 24.

The human cost of Russia’s war

Sports Minister: Russia’s war has killed 133 athletes, coaches since Feb. 24. Vadym Gutzeit said they were killed in combat or as a result of Russian shelling. “The flag will no longer be raised, and the anthem will no longer be played in honor of the sports victories of the fallen athletes,” the minister said.

Governor: Overnight Russian shelling kills 1, injures 3 in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. According to Valentyn Reznichenko, Russian forces shelled the Kryvyi Rih district with Uragan rocket launchers, killing a woman and injuring her husband. Two women were injured in the Russian shelling of the Marhanets community, where six houses, gas, and water pipelines were damaged. Ten houses and a power line were damaged in the Chervonohryhorivsk community, leaving about 1,000 people without electricity, Reznichenko said.

International response

Canada imposes new sanctions on Russia, announces additional funding for Ukraine. During the International Crimea Platform on Aug. 23, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $3.85 million CAD ($2.97 million USD) of funding for Ukraine’s security sector.Canada also intends to sanction 62 Russians with close ties to the state, and a defense sector entity.

Reuters: Scholz promises to send arms worth 500 million euros to Ukraine. The new promises by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were reported by Reuters, which cited an anonymous source familiar with the matter. The arms supplies are expected to include three Iris-T air defense systems, a dozen armored recovery vehicles, 20 rocket launchers, precision ammunition, and anti-drone systems, according to the report. Germany has promised to supply Iris-T systems for months but so far they have not arrived. Scholz had been previously accused of delaying and blocking arms supplies to Ukraine.

Duda: Ukraine’s entire territory must be liberated, including Crimea. Speaking at the Crimean Platform, a summit to improve the international response to the Russian occupation of Crimea held in Kyiv on Aug. 23, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that “Crimea is and will be a part of Ukraine, just like Gdansk and Lublin are part of Poland.” Duda said that the entire territory of Ukraine must be liberated, including the territories that Russia occupied before Feb. 24. He also said that Poland will support Ukraine until “the last day of the fight.”

Sweden to announce additional aid package for Ukraine. Prime Minister of Sweden Magdalena Andersson said during the Crimea Platform summit on Aug. 23, that the Swedish government will soon announce an additional comprehensive aid package for Ukraine. She also said that Russia’s war against Ukraine has global consequences like the energy and food crisis, for which Russia bears full responsibility, the European Pravda media outlet reported.

Reuters: US to announce $3 billion in military aid for Ukraine as war hits 6 months. The new security package will be announced on Aug. 24, which marks both Ukraine’s 31st Independence Day and exactly six months of Russia’s invasion, Reuters reported, citing a U.S. official. This assistance package would become the largest that the U.S. has generated for Ukraine since Feb. 24.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Alexander Khrebet, Thaisa Semenova, Daria Shulzhenko, Toma Istomina, Oleg Sukhov, Olga Rudenko, Olena Goncharova, Brad LaFoy, Anastasiya Gordiychuk, and Dariya Akhova.

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