Although the Russian Defense Ministry reports troop movements to the Kursk region, Ukrainian units are nevertheless expanding their control there, according to information from Kiev.
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian armed forces have taken control of further areas during their invasion of the Russian region of Kursk. The areas at stake are on the border with Ukraine, Zelensky said in his evening video address. The head of state did not give any details. But he also said that the stock of Russian prisoners of war had been replenished again for a further possible exchange.
“Thank you soldiers! This is what helps us bring our people back home from Russian captivity,” said Zelensky. The last prisoner exchange took place last week. Ukrainian troops invaded Russia on August 6.
Meanwhile, Russia introduced access restrictions in the Kursk region in the town of Kurchatov, where the nuclear power plant is located. Checkpoints have been set up on the streets. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, also expressed concern during a visit to the Kursk nuclear power plant on Tuesday that the reactor could be damaged by shelling during the fighting. He warned of the danger of a nuclear incident.
According to Zelensky, the Kursk offensive is preventing Russia from increasing the already high pressure on the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk because it has to concentrate on defending its territory. However, the pressure in the Donetsk region has not yet decreased. Western military observers have confirmed that Russian troops are making progress in the Pokrovsk region. Zelensky also admitted that there are problems.
Difficult situation in the Ukrainian region of Pokrovsk
“It is extremely difficult in the Donetsk region, the main Russian efforts and the largest forces are concentrated right there,” said Zelensky. “What is very important now is the resilience of each of our units, our ability to destroy the occupier.”
The people of Pokrovsk have been called upon to flee. The authorities have ordered the evacuation of the city in view of the impending advance of Russian troops. According to them, 38,000 people are still in the city, including 1,900 children. The head of the Donetsk military administration, Vadym Filashkin, announced that from Monday all banks in Pokrovsk will be closed. Then only ATMs will be functioning.
For Russia, the capture of the city, which is important because of its railway junction, is the next milestone in the war of aggression against Ukraine that has been going on for more than two and a half years. One of Moscow’s main goals is to bring the Donetsk region, which has been largely occupied until now, completely under Russian control. Russian troops have recently repeatedly captured towns in eastern Ukraine.
Drone attacks at night
During the night, Russia’s armed forces reportedly repelled several Ukrainian drone attacks. Unmanned aircraft were shot down in the border region of Bryansk, the state news agency Tass reported, citing the region’s governor. No one was injured and there was no damage.
In addition, the Russian military repelled a Ukrainian attack on Sevastopol in the south of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow. Two drones were shot down over the sea, said Governor Mikhail Razvoszhaev, according to Tass. Civilian facilities in the port city were not damaged.
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced that artillery units had taken out a Ukrainian drone control center, including the launcher and enemy soldiers. No information was given about the location of the incident.
There was an air raid warning in large parts of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force warned of major Russian attacks using combat drones. Air defences were active in the capital Kiev, among other places, it was said.
Power outages due to destroyed energy infrastructure
Following the heavy Russian air strikes against the Ukrainian energy infrastructure in recent days, repair work on the facilities is ongoing. The Ukrainian utility Ukrenergo (Ukrenerho) announced further power outages for this Thursday, which could affect up to half of the consumers in each region at certain times. Outages are planned from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. (2 p.m. CEST to 9 p.m. CEST).
“The repair teams, relevant municipal services and state authorities are working as hard as they can,” said Zelensky. “We must achieve a reduction in the deficit.” At the same time, the president said that at the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting on Wednesday, the issue of strengthening air defense was again discussed in order to protect the country’s critical infrastructure from Russian attacks.
Selenskyj calls for release of long-range missiles
“All our partners must become more active, much more active, to counter Russian terror,” stressed Zelensky. As in recent days, he reiterated his demand for the release of long-range Western missiles to attack Russian territory.
“We continue to insist that their determination – lifting restrictions on long-range missile strikes for Ukraine – will help us end the war as soon as possible in a fair way for Ukraine and the whole world,” Zelensky said. So far, restrictions have been placed on the use of Western weapons against targets on Russian territory.
Moscow has repeatedly warned of a further escalation in the war if NATO states release the long-range missiles supplied to Ukraine in order to attack targets deep in the Russian hinterland. So far, Ukraine has used its own drones and missiles for this purpose. Zelensky reported on Tuesday that Kiev has now developed and already tested a ballistic missile of its own.
What will be important on Thursday
The foreign ministers of the 27 EU states are meeting in Brussels for their first meeting after the summer break. The agenda also includes discussions on the situation in Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia. Among the guests expected is Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who also wants to once again call for the Western allies to release long-range missiles for attacks on Russia.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
