Ukraine says it has now attacked two bridges over the Seym river in Russia’s Kursk region, after a first was destroyed earlier this week.
Air force commander Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk wrote: “Minus one more bridge! The aviation of the air force continues to deprive the enemy of its logistical capabilities with accurate air strikes, which significantly affects the course of hostilities.”
In retaliation for Ukraine’s shock incursion, Russia launched its third ballistic missile on Kyiv this month, with preliminary data showing that all the air weapons were destroyed on their approach to the city,
Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency warned of “deteriorating safety” at Europe’s largest nuclear power facility in Ukraine, which was seized by Moscow in the early days of its full-scale invasion.
The warning by IAEA director general Rafael Grossi came after a drone strike hit the road surrounding the plant, landing close to the essential cooling water sprinkler ponds and the only remaining 750 kilovolt power line supplying the plant.
Key Points
- Ukraine destroys second bridge in Kursk
- Kursk invasion intended to create ‘buffer zone’ on Russian soil, Volodymyr Zelensky says
- Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant safety ‘deteriorating’ after drone strike, UN warns
- Zelensky says Ukraine’s forces are ‘strengthening’ their positions in Kursk
- Germany to halt new Ukraine military aid – report
Zelensky says Kursk incursion aimed at creating buffer zone to protect Ukraine
04:02
Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine’s military incursion into Russia’s Kursk region is aimed at creating a buffer zone to prevent further attacks by Moscow across the border.
In his first confirmation of aim behind the Kursk military incursion, Mr Zelensky said: “It is now our primary task in defensive operations overall to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible and conduct maximum counteroffensive actions. This includes creating a buffer zone on the aggressor’s territory – our operation in the Kursk region.”
It was the first time Mr Zelenskyy clearly stated the aim of the operation, which was launched on 6 August. Previously, he had said the operation aimed to protect communities in the bordering Sumy region from constant shelling.
Kyiv previously has said little about the goals of its push into Russia with tanks and other armoured vehicles, the largest attack on the country since the Second World War, which took the Kremlin by surprise and saw scores of villages and hundreds of prisoners fall into Ukrainian hands.
Russia ‘restricting access to information’ on war, says UK
03:42
Andy Gregory
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has said that Russia is restricting access to information for people in Russia in an attempt to limit criticism of the invasion of Ukraine.
In a post on X, the MoD said on Saturday: “Russia is restricting access to information to limit criticism of its destructive invasion of Ukraine. Communications channels are being pulled away as the Kremlin tightens its grip on free expression.”
Russia is restricting access to information to limit criticism of its destructive invasion of Ukraine.
— Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) August 17, 2024
Communications channels are being pulled away as the Kremlin tightens its grip on free expression.
#StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/GvRZTasHpF
Ukraine reaping ‘huge political gains’ from incursion into Russia, Polish minister says
02:40
Andy Gregory
Ukraine is reaping “huge political gains” from its military offensive into Russia, Poland’s interior minister has said – as he insisted that the incursion was not altering the “anti-escalation approach” of the West
Asked whether Kyiv’s military gains could change its allies’ stance on the use of arms they supply for its war with Russia, Tomasz Siemoniak told Reuters: “This offensive does not change the anti-escalation attitude of the West.”
He added: “I think that for Western countries this is an event in terms of changing the image of Ukraine – Kyiv’s political gains are huge after less than two weeks.”
Russians had ‘complete intelligence failure’ in Kursk, analyst says
01:38
Andy Gregory
The idea that Ukraine could burst through into Russian territory on the scale it has in Kursk seemed unthinkable to many observers prior to last week, with the shock operation raising questions about the effectiveness of Russia’s surveillance, as well as the calibre of its border fortifications and forces.
“The Russians had a complete intelligence failure here,” Yohann Michel, a research fellow at the Lyon-based Institute of Defence and Strategy Studies, told Reuters.
With Ukraine’s forces retreating in eastern Ukraine, one of the most strategic sectors of the front line, Moscow may well have assumed Kyiv would not make a high-stakes gamble that even now it is far from clear will pay off, Mr Michel said.
“I would understand if it was difficult for the Russians to think something that big could happen,” he said.
UK should be proud of Ukraine using British weapons to defend itself, says Healey
Monday 19 August 2024 00:44
Andy Gregory
The UK “should be proud” of British weapons being used by Ukraine, defence secretary John Healey has said, as he praised Volodymr Zelensky’s “bold” incursion into Russian territory.
Writing in the Sunday Express, Mr Healey said: “The bold incursion by Ukrainian troops into Russia in recent days – to defend against further Russian strikes on Ukrainian towns and cities – has exposed vulnerabilities in Russia’s military and put Putin under pressure.
“Let me be very clear: under Article 51 of the UN Charter, Ukraine has a clear right of self-defence against Russia’s illegal attacks. Providing international law is followed, that does not rule out operations inside Russia.”
He added: “We should be proud of Britain’s support for Ukraine’s struggle. We should be proud that British-donated equipment, in the hands of brave Ukrainians on the front line, is helping them to defend their country and push back Putin.”
Disarray in Putin’s military command exposed by Kursk attack, says top Zelensky aide
Sunday 18 August 2024 23:50
Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s attack on Russian soil has exposed the disarray in Vladimir Putin’s military command, president Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief adviser told The Independent in an exclusive interview earlier this week.
Kyiv’s military exploited poorly-defended border positions and later overran two fortified Russian defensive lines, essentially infantry strong points with anti-tank ditches, before pushing around a dozen miles into Kursk, taking towns like Sudzha in the process. Ukraine’s forces say they are still advancing.
Mykhailo Podolyak said that Russia’s military “doesn’t live up to its name” and that poor communication between generals and soldiers on the ground had left weaknesses for Ukraine to attack. He added that the assault showed Russia has “very little control” over its border regions despite the Kremlin’s claims to be a “heavily militarised society”.
“We are destroying the propagandistic view of Russia that it is a heavily militarised society and that it has a strong sense of cohesiveness,” the adviser said. “The reputation of its own armed forces doesn’t live up to its name. The operation in Kursk has very much shown that.”
Our foreign affairs reporter Tom Watling has the full report:
‘War has no holidays’: Zelensky repeats plea for West to expedite military aid deliveries
Sunday 18 August 2024 22:59
Andy Gregory
Volodymyr Zelensky has once again urged Kyiv’s allies to speed up the delivery of promised military aid, as he hailed the results of Ukraine’s invasion of Russia’s Kursk region.
“Regarding deliveries from our partners – need acceleration, we ask very much. War has no holidays,” the Ukrainian president said in his nightly video address.
Kursk incursion ‘still inflicting losses on Russian army and economy’, says Zelensky
Sunday 18 August 2024 22:10
Andy Gregory
Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed Ukraine’s invasion of Kursk as he claimed the incursion was “still inflicting losses on the Russian army and the Russian state, their defence industry and their economy” nearly a fortnight after hundreds of his troops first burst across the Russian border.
In his evening television address, the Ukrainian president thanked the forces involved in the Kursk operation and on the eastern front.
Zelensky says Ukraine invaded Kursk to create ‘buffer zone’ on Russian soil
Sunday 18 August 2024 21:26
Andy Gregory
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine is aiming to create a “buffer zone” on Russian territory with its invasion of Kursk.
Mr Zelensky had prevoiusly suggested that the operation aimed to protect communities in the bordering Sumy region from constant shelling.
But in his nightly address, the Ukrainian president said that “it is now our primary task in defensive operations overall: to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible and conduct maximum counteroffensive actions.
“This includes creating a buffer zone on the aggressor’s territory – our operation in the Kursk region”.
Kent animal sanctuary rescues lion with ‘psychological issues’ from Ukraine
Sunday 18 August 2024 20:46
Andy Gregory
A lion with “psychological issues” is to travel 1,400 miles from Ukraine to an animal sanctuary in the UK as part of a project rescuing the animal from the war-torn country, reports Oliver Browning.
Yuna, an African lioness, suffered “shell shock”, “psychological issues” and lost her sense of co-ordination, according to The Big Cat Sanctuary, a Kent-based charity behind the Big Cats in Crisis campaign raising funds to rescue the lions from Ukraine.
Yuna and African male lion Rori are the first of five lions to be rescued out of Ukraine after debris was blasted close to their enclosure in January as a result of Russia’s invasion of the country.
Russia’s ‘evil cannot be appeased’, warns Ukraine’s first lady
Sunday 18 August 2024 19:58
Andy Gregory
Russia’s “evil cannot be appeased” and a truce would merely mean it will be the children of Ukraine who must resist Moscow, first lady Olena Zelenska has warned.
According to the transcript of an interview with Lord Ashcroft, published by the Ukraine presidential office, Ms Zelenska said: “In many myths around the world, there is a plot about a dragon to whom a girl is regularly sacrificed to appease the monster.
“But the truth is, evil cannot be appeased. The same goes for the aggressor state. If you give the attacker time, they will use it to strengthen themselves, and in 5-8-10 years, it will be our children who have to resist them. Only those who have lost no one can propose such a ‘truce.’”
Watch: Ukraine strike destroys second Kursk bridge
Sunday 18 August 2024 19:12
Andy Gregory
Editorial | Kursk’s damaged Lenin statue is a monument to Putin’s incompetence
Sunday 18 August 2024 18:28
Andy Gregory
As the first reports emerged from within Kursk on Saturday, The Independent’s editorial stated:
The statue of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin is still standing in the town square of Sudzha in the Kursk region of Russia – but, rather like the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation, the reputation of the Russian army and the political standing of Vladimir Putin, it has had chunks blown out of it by the audacious Ukrainian military incursion.
That battered statue of Lenin, his face half-destroyed and leaving him looking a little like Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator, the civilian evacuations and the rest of the damage inflicted on Russian sovereign territory is incontrovertible evidence that President Putin is not the indefatigable guarantee of Russian security but a man floundering in a military morass of his own making.
Hundreds more Russian soldiers have been captured and as the usual harsh Steppes winter approaches, the prospect for Russian victory is as remote as ever.
Like the surprisingly easy march on Moscow by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner Group mercenaries last year, there has been scant resistance to the Ukrainian incursion, suggesting that Mr Putin’s position as strongman may not be as invincible as his propagandists claim.
Invasion of Kursk already heaping pressure on Putin’s forces across Ukraine, analysts say
Sunday 18 August 2024 17:44
Andy Gregory
The Ukrainian invasion of Kursk has already generated operational and strategic pressures on Russian forces across the warzone in Ukraine, the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think-tank suggests.
With Vladimir Putin desperately pushing to achieve notable gains in Donetsk, Western analysts have told The Independent in recent days that Russia’s window of opportunity to do so will likely narrow as the summer draws to a close.
According to the ISW, “Putin and the Russian military command likely view maintaining the theatre-wide initiative as a strategic imperative to win a war of attrition against Ukraine”.
But, the think-tank warned on Saturday, “subsequent phases of fighting inside Russian territory “will likely generate even greater pressures on Putin and the Russian military”.
Kursk incursion creates ‘a lot of potential political pitfalls’ for Putin, analyst says
Sunday 18 August 2024 17:15
Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk creates a “lot of potential political pitfalls” for Vladimir Putin, and Kyiv’s troops will likely remain on Russian territory until Moscow deploys a large force to drive them out, a leading Western analyst has said.
“If Ukraine can take a chunk of Russia and fortify it and hold it, this is a big problem for Putin,” Professor Phillips O’Brien, of St Andrew’s University, told NPR.
“Putin’s a dictator. Dictators thrive on visions of strength – that they control their nation, they provide security. If the Ukrainians can show that Putin can’t defend the border of Russia, and moreover can’t drive the Ukrainians back, that is a big problem for Putin’s image.
“Also there are certain political things we have to watch. The Ukrainians have already captured a lot of conscripts. And conscripts are the draftees that Putin has said will never go fight in Ukraine. But actually, the Russians – because they don’t have a lot of reserves – have had to send conscripts to go try and fight the Ukrainians, and they’re losing them.
“So there are a lot of potential political pitfalls for Putin in this.”
He added: “I think the Ukrainians are going to stay there and force the Russians to try and deploy a large army to drive them back. The Ukrainians don’t feel any desire to leave right now – this isn’t a raid where they’re going to try and run in and run out in a few days, which some people thought to begin with.
“They don’t plan to occupy Russia forever. But they’re not going to leave unless the Russians deploy massive force and try and drive them out. So I think what we’re going to do is see more of the same until the Russians get serious and realise they are going to need a very large force to push them back.”
Russia claims to seize village in desperate push towards Pokrovsk
Sunday 18 August 2024 15:57
Andy Gregory
Russian forces took control of the village of Svyrydonivka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, the TASS state news agency reported on Sunday, citing the defence ministry.
The village sits around 18 kilometres east of the city of Povrovsk, which Russia is desperately pushing to seize before its current wave of attacks in eastern Ukaine runs out of steam.
Zelensky urges Western allies to lift remaining restrictions on weapons
Sunday 18 August 2024 15:00
Holly Evans
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Kyiv’s allies to lift the remaining restrictions on using Western weapons to strike targets deeper in Russia, including in Kursk, saying his troops could deprive Moscow “of any ability to advance and cause destruction” if granted sufficient long-range capabilities.
He said on social media site X: “It is crucial that our partners remove barriers that hinder us from weakening Russian positions in the way this war demands.
“The bravery of our soldiers and the resilience of our combat brigades compensate for the lack of essential decisions from our partners.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry and pro-Kremlin bloggers have alleged US-made HIMARS launchers have been used to destroy bridges on the Seim. These claims could not be independently verified.
We are doing everything possible to provide our warriors with the necessary weapons and reinforcements. It is crucial that our partners remove barriers that hinder us from weakening Russian positions in the way this war demands. Long-range capabilities are the answer to the most… pic.twitter.com/smoHgaDEY5
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 17, 2024
Moscow denies that Kursk incursion has derailed talks with Ukraine
Sunday 18 August 2024 14:35
Holly Evans
Russia has denied a report that Ukraine’s attack on the Kursk region had derailed indirect talks with Kyiv on halting strikes on energy and power targets, saying there had been no talks with Kyiv about civilian infrastructure facilities.
The Washington Post reported on Saturday that Ukraine and Russia were set to send delegations to Qatar this month to negotiate a landmark agreement halting strikes on energy and power infrastructure on both warring sides
The Post said the agreement would have amounted to a partial ceasefire but that the talks were derailed due to Ukraine’s attack on Russian sovereign territory.
Britain keeps poking the Russian Bear – don’t be surprised if it lashes out
Sunday 18 August 2024 14:10
Holly Evans
Ukraine dismisses claims of build up at Belarus border
Sunday 18 August 2024 13:43
Holly Evans
Ukraine has dismissed claims from Belarus of a military build-up at the border, stating the situation remains unchanged
Andriy Demchenko, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian border service, told Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda: “As we can see, Lukashenko’s rhetoric does not change either, constantly escalating the situation with regularity to please the terrorist country.
“We are not seeing any increase in the number of equipment or personnel of Belarusian units near our border.”
Lukashenko did not say exactly how many troops Minsk deployed along the border. Belarus’ professional army has about 48,000 troops and around 12,000 state border troops, according to the 2022 International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Military Balance.
Poland denies involvement in Nord Stream gas sabotage attack
Sunday 18 August 2024 12:57
Holly Evans
Suggestions that Ukrainian authorities supported by Poland were behind planning and executing the sabotage attack on Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022 are groundless, the Polish president’s aide has said.
Germany’s former intelligence chief August Hanning told Die Welt this week he believed there were agreements between presidents of Poland and Ukraine to carry out the attack.
“These are completely groundless insinuations,” Mieszko Pawlak, head of the international policy bureau at the office of President Andrzej Duda said when asked about the allegations.
German media reported this week that German prosecutors had identified a Ukrainian diving instructor as a key suspect in the Nord Stream sabotage attack and issued a warrant to arrest him in Poland.
Poland received the warrant but the suspect has left the country as Germany failed to include his name in a database of wanted persons, Polish prosecutors told Reuters.
Bridge strikes likely to disrupt Russian supply routes
Sunday 18 August 2024 12:22
Holly Evans
Ukraine has destroyed a key bridge in Russia’s Kursk region and struck a second one nearby, less than two weeks into its stunning cross-border incursion, disrupting Russian supply routes and possibly signaling that its troops are planning to dig in.
Russia’s pro-Kremlin military bloggers have acknowledged that the destruction of the first bridge, which spanned the Seim River near the town of Glushkovo, will impede deliveries of supplies to Russian forces repelling Ukraine’s incursion.
Ukraine’s air force chief, Lt. Mykola Oleshchuk, on Friday released a video of a Ukrainian airstrike that split the bridge in two.
Less than two days later, Ukrainian troops hit a second bridge in Russia, according to Oleshchuk and the Russian regional governor, Alexei Smirnov.
As of Sunday morning, there were no official reports on where exactly the second bridge attack took place. Russian Telegram channels claimed that a second bridge over the Seim, in the village of Zvannoe, had been struck.
Belarus deploys nearly a third of their armed forces to Ukraine’s border
Sunday 18 August 2024 12:02
Holly Evans
Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko said that Minsk had deployed nearly a third of its armed forces along the entire border, the Belta state news agency reported.
He did not say exactly how many troops were deployed. Belarus’ professional army has about 48,000 troops and around 12,000 state border troops, according to the 2022 International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Military Balance.
“Seeing their aggressive policy, we have introduced there and placed in certain points - in case of war, they would be defence - our military along the entire border,” Belta cited Lukashenko as saying in an interview with Russian state television.
Kyiv did not immediately respond to a Reuters’ request for comment. On Saturday Kyiv said it had seen no signs of a Belarusian troop buildup at the border.
Russian troops take control of village in Donetsk region
Sunday 18 August 2024 11:37
Holly Evans
Russian forces took control of the village of Svyrydonivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, the TASS state news agency reported on Sunday, citing the defence ministry.
It comes as Russian forces carried out its third ballistic missile attack on Kyiv this month on Sunday.
Ukraine destroys key bridge as troops leave ‘trail of destruction’ in Russia incursion
Sunday 18 August 2024 11:08
Holly Evans
Ukraine’s invading forces in the Russian region of Kursk have destroyed a key bridge and supply route for Moscow, as reporters described a “trail of destruction” left in the wake of Kyiv’s incursion.
Some 12 days into the largest invasion of Russia since the Second World War, Kyiv’s troops are strengthening their positions in the Kursk region, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.
Artillery fire has blown chunks out of a statue of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin that stands in the town of Sudzha, which is now occupied by Ukrainian forces. Buildings were pockmarked with bullet holes and the streets, which were strewn with debris, were mainly empty as residents retreated to basements.
Read the full article here:
Zelensky calls latest attack ‘deliberate and targeted Russian terror’
Sunday 18 August 2024 10:45
Holly Evans
Following Russia’s fresh attack on Ukraine, Kyiv officials said there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage in the capital. However, Kyiv region governor Ruslan Kravchenko said two private houses were destroyed and 16 others were damaged by falling debris.
“Russia always knows where it is hitting with its missiles and bombs, and this is deliberate and targeted Russian terror,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram.
He said Russia had launched more than 40 missiles, 750 guided aerial bombs and 200 attack drones this week against Ukrainian villages and cities.
Belarus deploys troops along entire border with Ukraine
Sunday 18 August 2024 10:30
Holly Evans
Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has said that Ukraine has stationed more than 120,000 troops at its border.
Minsk has now sent military formations along its entire border in response, Russia’s RIA state news agency said.
Lukashenko, an ally of Vladimir Putin, said the Belarusian-Ukrainian border is mined “as never before” and that Ukrainian troops would incur huge losses if they tried to cross it.
Ukraine destroys eight Russian drones launched overnight
Sunday 18 August 2024 10:21
Holly Evans
The commander of Ukraine’s air force, Mykola Oleshchuk, said it had destroyed eight Russian attack drones and five out of eight missiles launched overnight across the country, including Kyiv.
Oleshchuk said anti-aircraft combat, anti-aircraft missile troops, mobile firing groups and electronic warfare units had downed 13 air targets in the Kyiv, Sumy and Poltava regions.
He said Russia launched eight missiles on Sunday morning, including three ballistic, three cruise and two guided aircraft missiles. Ukraine shot down five of them, he said, and the three missiles it missed had failed to reach their targets.
North Korea’s support shows close relationship between two countries
Sunday 18 August 2024 10:02
Holly Evans
North Korea has dramatically upgraded its ties with Russia in the past year with two summit meetings by their leaders who pledged closer cooperation in all areas.
In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pact in Pyongyang on “comprehensive strategic partnership” that included a mutual defence agreement.
South Korea, Ukraine and the United States have accused North Korea of supplying artillery and missiles to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine. North Korea and Russia have denied the allegations.
North Korea condemns Ukraine’s incursion as an ‘act of terror'
Sunday 18 August 2024 09:47
Holly Evans
North Korea has condemned Ukraine’s incursion into Russia as an unforgivable act of terror backed by Washington and the West, adding it will always stand with Russia as it seeks to protect its sovereignty, state media said on Sunday.
Ukraine’s drive into Russia is a product of the anti-Russia confrontational policy of the United States, which is pushing the situation to the brink of World War Three, KCNA news agency said.
The U.S. handed “astronomical” sums of lethal weapons to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the report said.
“We strongly condemn the armed attack against the Russian territory by the Zelenskiy puppet regime under the control and support of the United States and the West as an unforgivable act of aggression and terror,” North Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement, according to KCNA.
Russia launches third ballistic missile attack on Kyiv this month
Sunday 18 August 2024 09:04
Athena Stavrou
Russia launched on Sunday its third ballistic missile on Kyiv this month, with preliminary data showing that all the air weapons were destroyed on their approach to the city, the military administration of the Ukrainian capital said.
“This is already the third ballistic strike on the capital in August, with exact intervals of six days between each attack,” Serhiy Popko, the head of the Kyiv military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app.
“According to preliminary information, the Russians again, for the third time in a row, most likely used North Korean ballistic missiles.”
Reuters could not independently verify the type of missiles launched.
Ukraine downs 8 drones and 5 missiles launched in Russian overnight attack
Sunday 18 August 2024 08:22
Athena Stavrou
Ukraine’s forces destroyed eight Russian attack drones and five out of eight missiles launched overnight, Ukraine’s Air Force chief said on Sunday.
“As a result of the anti-aircraft combat, anti-aircraft missile troops of the Air Force, mobile firing groups of the Ukrainian Defence Forces and electronic warfare units shot down 13 air targets in Kyiv, Sumy and Poltava regions,” the commander said.
Ukraine drone debris sparks fire in Russia's Rostov, governor says
Sunday 18 August 2024 08:00
Vishwam Sankaran
Debris from a Ukrainian drone sparked a fuel fire at a warehouse in Russia’s Rostov, the region’s governor said in a post on Telegram.
An oil depot was reportedly damaged following the drone strike.
“Firefighting units were called in to put out the fire,” governor Vasily Golubev said, according to Reuters.
Ukraine has often held that its drone strikes on Russian energy infrastructure are in response to Moscow’s attack on Kyiv’s utilities.
Chechen warlord wants to send Tesla Cybertruck outfitted with machine gun to Ukraine frontline
Sunday 18 August 2024 07:30
Vishwam Sankaran
Chechen soldiers revealed a Tesla Cybertruck outfitted with a machine gun that they plan to send to fight at the front lines in Ukraine.
Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov thanked Elon Musk, praising him as “the strongest genius of our time” for the Tesla “Cyberbeast” all-wheel drive electric truck in a video shared yesterday.
Kadyrov claims the electric vehicle was a gift from Musk but it remains unclear how the Tesla truck got to Chechnya.
“I had the pleasure of testing the new technology and saw for myself that it is not by chance that it is called ‘Cyberbeast.’ ... I am sure this ‘beast’ will be of great use to our fighters,” the warlord said.
Tesla is yet to comment on Kadyrov’s statements.
Russia’s defences in Kursk likely weaker than in southern Ukraine last year, analyst says
Sunday 18 August 2024 06:59
Andy Gregory
Brady Africk, a US analyst mapping Russia’s defences, has told Reuters that those in Kursk had fewer anti-vehicle ditches, obstacles and fighting positions when compared to Russian positions in occupied southern Ukraine – where a Ukrainian counteroffensive struggled to break through last summer.
“It was likely easier for Ukrainian forces to progress around and through Russia’s fortifications in the region, especially if they were manned by fewer or poorly trained personnel,” he said.
Russia's attack on Ukraine's Sumy city in pictures
Sunday 18 August 2024 06:30
Vishwam Sankaran
Images from UK military’s first satellite will be shared with allies
Sunday 18 August 2024 06:01
Andy Gregory
Images gathered by the UK military’s first satellite will be shared with allies, the Ministry of Defence has said.
The department said the war in Ukraine had shown that the use of space is “crucial” to military operations.
Rosie Shead reports:
Zelensky praises UK's 'true leadership' but warns of 'slowed down' support
Sunday 18 August 2024 05:30
Vishwam Sankaran
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky praised the UK’s “true leadership” in supporting Ukraine as it carries out a counter-incursion into Russia, but warned that “the situation has slowed down recently.”
“This has saved thousands of lives, reflecting the strength of the UK. Unfortunately, the situation has slowed down recently,” the Ukrainian president said in his nightly video address.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine would step up its diplomatic efforts with bold actions and decisions that would “genuinely change the course of this war.”
He called on Ukraine’s partners “who can truly help to step up.”
“These are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and others,” the Ukrainian president said.
PINNED POST: Safety ‘deteriorating’ at Europe’s largest nuclear power station, UN warns
Sunday 18 August 2024 04:30
Andy Gregory
The safety at Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is “deteriorating” after drone strikes near the facility, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
IAEA said its team visited the site, under Russian occupation since March 2022, and found that the damage at Europe’s largest nuclear facility seemed to have been caused by a drone carrying explosives.
While there are no reported human casualties near the plant or damage to equipment, military activity near the ZNPP has been “intense” in recent days, according to the agency’s report.
“Nuclear power plants are designed to be resilient against technical or human failures and external events including extreme ones, but they are not built to withstand a direct military attack, and neither are they supposed to, just as with any other energy facility in the world,” IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
Watch: Zelensky says Ukraine is strengthening position in Russia’s Kursk region
Sunday 18 August 2024 04:01
Andy Gregory
Russian cruise missile injures two and sparks blaze in city of Sumy, officials say
Sunday 18 August 2024 02:59
Andy Gregory
A Russian missile sparked a blaze in the northeastern Ukrainan city of Sumy that injured two people and also damaged cars and nearby buildings, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said.
The service said that the hit had involved an Iskander-K cruise missile and an aerial bomb.
Ukraine’s air force also said on Saturday it had shot down 14 Russian drones overnight, including over the Kyiv region.
Russian bloggers claim Kursk bridge destruction will impede – but not sever – supply lines
Sunday 18 August 2024 02:00
Andy Gregory
Russian military bloggers said that the destruction of a bridge in Kursk would impede deliveries of supplies to Russian forces, but not cut them off completely.
“No one has cancelled the pontoons,” said Alexander Kots, military correspondent with the pro-Kremlin newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, stressing that the Seym River is smaller than Ukrainian waterways such as the Dnieper River. “And there are still smaller bridges.”
Full report: Ukraine destroys key bridge as troops leave ‘trail of destruction’ in Russia incursion
Sunday 18 August 2024 01:02
Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s invading forces in the Russian region of Kursk have destroyed a key bridge and supply route for Moscow, as reporters described a “trail of destruction” left in the wake of Kyiv’s incursion.
Some 12 days into the largest invasion of Russia since the Second World War, Kyiv’s troops are strengthening their positions in the Kursk region, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.
Artillery fire has blown chunks out of a statue of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin that stands in the town of Sudzha, which is now occupied by Ukrainian forces. Buildings were pockmarked with bullet holes and the streets, which were strewn with debris, were mainly empty as residents retreated to basements.
Read more on Saturday’s developments in this report:
Ukraine repelling dozens of Russian attacks in Donetsk, Zelensky says
Sunday 18 August 2024 00:04
Andy Gregory
Ukrainian troops have repelled dozens of Russian attacks along the frontline in Donetsk, president Volodymyr Zelensky has said in his daily video address.
The Ukrainian military said 51 Russian attacks were stopped near Pokrovsk, a major logistics hub in the eastern region, and another 13 near the town of Toretsk in the last 24 hours.
Russia’s Kadyrov equips Tesla Cybertruck with machine gun for war
Saturday 17 August 2024 22:31
Andy Gregory
Fighters in Chechnya have turned a Tesla Cybertruck into a fighting vehicle, and are thanking Elon Musk for creating it.
On Saturday, Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of the fighting forces in Russia’ Chechnya region, posted a video of himself on a Cybertruck with a machine gun mounted to the vehicle. In the video he said he planned to send the vehicle to fight in the Russian-Ukraine war.
“The Cybertruck will soon be sent to the SVO zone, where it will be in demand under the appropriate conditions. I am confident that this ‘beast’ will greatly benefit our soldiers,” he wrote in a Telegram post. The “SVO zone” refers to the Ukraine warzone.
Kadyrov praised the vehicle — and Musk — in the Telegram post, according to Reuters.
Our US reporter Graig Graziosi reports:
Drone explodes close to essential Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant cooling ponds
Saturday 17 August 2024 21:05
Andy Gregory
The drone which struck close to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant hit the road between the two main gates of the plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.
The nuclear facility – Europe’s largest – has been shut down by the Russian troops who seized it in March 2022, but requires external power to keep its nuclear material cool and prevent a meltdown.
The drone hit the road between the two main gates of the plant, landing close to the essential cooling water sprinkler ponds and around 100 metres from the Dniprovska power line, the only remaining 750 kilovolt line providing a power supply to the plant, the IAEA said.
The IAEA immediately visited the area and reported that the damage seemed to have been caused by a drone equipped with an explosive payload. There were no casualties and no impact on any power plant equipment. However, there was impact to the road between the two main gates of the plant.
Military activity in the area – including very close to the plant – has been intense for the last week, according to the watchdog, whose team has heard frequent explosions, repetitive heavy machine gun and rifle fire and artillery at various distances from the plant.
A significant fire at one of the plant’s cooling towers earlier this week resulted in considerable damage, although there was no immediate threat to nuclear safety, the IAEA said.
UN watchdog chief’s remarks in full on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Saturday 17 August 2024 19:53
Andy Gregory
Here are the comments in full from International Atomic Energy Association chief Rafael Grossi, after a drone struck the road outside the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant:
“Yet again we see an escalation of the nuclear safety and security dangers facing the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. I remain extremely concerned and reiterate my call for maximum restraint from all sides and for strict observance of the five concrete principles established for the protection of the plant.
“Nuclear power plants are designed to be resilient against technical or human failures and external events including extreme ones, but they are not built to withstand a direct military attack, and neither are they supposed to, just as with any other energy facility in the world.
“This latest attack highlights the vulnerability of such facilities in conflict zones and the need to continue monitoring the fragile situation.”
Safety at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant deteriorating after nearby drone strike, UN watchdog warns
Saturday 17 August 2024 19:20
Andy Gregory
Safety at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is deteriorating following a drone strike that hit the road around the perimeter of Europe’s largest such facility on Saturday, the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog has warned.
The warning from International Atomic Energy Agency director general Rafael Grossi came after the Russian management of the plant claimed a Ukrainian drone dropped an explosive charge on a road outside, endangering its staff who use the highway, the Tass state news agency reported.
Moscow seized the nuclear plant in the early days of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It has been shut down by Russian troops but needs external power to keep its nuclear material cool and prevent a meltdown.
Russia ‘opens criminal case’ into Italian journalists over Kursk report
Saturday 17 August 2024 19:01
Andy Gregory
Russia has opened a criminal court case against two Italian journalists over a TV report from Kursk, state news agency Tass reports, citing the FSB security service.
A four-person from with Italy’s state broadcaster RAI, working under Ukrainian military escort, produced the first foreign media report from the war-damaged Russian town of Sudzha, taken last week during Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Italy’s ambassador on Friday over what it called illegal border crossing by a RAI crew, and the two reporters are scheduled to fly back to the northern Italian city of Milan on Sunday following a decision by RAI that they should do so.
“The company decided to make journalist Stefania Battistini and cameraman Simone Traini return temporarily to Italy, solely to ensure personal safety and security,” RAI said.
RAI union Usigrai and Italy’s national press union FNSI said in a joint statement: “Journalism is not a crime. The Moscow authorities’ possibility of putting Stefania Battistini and Simone Traini on trial is unacceptable. Reporting is not done with prior authorisations.”
Zelensky renews call for West to allow long-range strikes on Russia
Saturday 17 August 2024 18:35
Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s president Volo