Saturday, August 12

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A civilian participant of the National Resistance during military training on Aug. 11, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo by Dmytro Larin/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Zelensky: All enlistment office chiefs to be dismissed in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 11 that the heads of all regional military enlistment offices across Ukraine would be dismissed. The decision comes after a nationwide inspection of Ukraine’s recruitment offices revealed multiple violations, including corruption, power abuse, and fraud.

Kuleba: Taurus, ATACMS to be used only within Ukraine’s borders. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on Ukraine’s partners to provide Kyiv with long-range missiles such as Taurus and ATACMS, adding that they will be deployed only on Ukraine’s territory.

Washington Post: Ukrainian pilots to complete F-16 training no earlier than next summer. The first Ukrainian pilots to undergo F-16 jet fighter training will not be ready to fly them until summer 2024, the Washington Post reported on Aug. 11, citing Ukrainian government and military officials.

Yermak: Ukraine, UK start talks on security guarantees. The governments of Ukraine and the U.K. began bilateral negotiations on security guarantees for Ukraine, Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak said on Aug. 11.

Bloomberg: Russian oil breaks price cap, revenue soars in July. Russia’s crude oil surpassed the price ceiling set by the Group of Seven (G7), leading to a significant rise in income from oil exports, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 11.

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Mayor says drone intercepted over Moscow. Air defense intercepted an attack drone over Moscow on Aug. 11, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on Telegram. The drone debris fell in the area of the Karamyshevskaya embankment in western Moscow, according to Sobyanin.

Russian officer flees to Lithuania, asks for asylum. Russian Lieutenant Ivan Korolev illegally crossed the Lithuanian border and asked the country’s authorities for political asylum, the BBC reported on Aug. 11.

Defense Ministry denies buying low-quality uniforms for Territorial Defense. The Defense Ministry denied on Aug. 11 the involvement in a purchase of low-quality uniforms worth Hr 35 million ($950,000) after a director of a sewing factory was arrested for selling unusable gear for Ukraine’s Territorial Defense.

SBU detains Odesa resident suspected of spying for Russia. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on Aug. 11 that it had detained an Odesa resident suspected of passing information on military bases and the consequences of airstrikes to Russia.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Child killed in Russian Kinzhal attack aimed at airfield in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast

According to Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat, Russian forces targeted an airfield in western Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast and the young pilots who are scheduled to undergo training on the Western-made fighter jets. Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, which borders Romania, is a rare target of Russian attacks.

Photo: Prosecutor General’s Office

Viktor Yanukovych: Ukraine’s scandal-ridden ex-president

When reports emerged that the Kremlin had been allegedly planning to install former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in a leadership role in the event they captured Kyiv following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukrainians were in disbelief.

Photo: Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images

This week in Ukraine Ep. 20 - How Putin cracks down on former allies

Opinions and insights

Mark Dixon: A global ‘Democratic Market’ is needed to protect democracy

“Putin has shot himself in the foot. His recent expropriations of Western companies will actually help the West by damaging the Russian economy,” Dixon writes.

Photo: Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Child killed in Russian missile strike on Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. Russian forces hit a private residence in Ukraine’s western Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast on Aug. 11, killing an 8-year-old child, the Prosecutor General’s Office reported.

1 killed, 7 injured in Russian attacks on Kherson Oblast. Russian attacks against Kherson, Komyshany, and Beryslav on Aug. 11 killed a civilian and wounded seven more people, including two police officers, according to Ukrainian authorities.

General Staff: Russia has lost 252,780 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Aug. 11 that Russia had also lost 4,290 tanks, 8,318 armored fighting vehicles, 7,511 vehicles and fuel tanks, 5,043 artillery systems, 713 multiple launch rocket systems, 471 air defense systems, 315 airplanes, 313 helicopters, 4,197 drones, and 18 boats.

International response

White House considers training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 in US. The White House said on Aug. 11 the United States is “certainly open” to training Ukrainian F-16 pilots on U.S. soil. However, this process might take some time.

US sanctions 4 Russian oligarchs associated with Alfa Group finance conglomerate. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned on Aug. 11 four key figures associated with the Russian financial conglomerate Alfa Group, namely Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven, German Khan, and Alexey Kuzmichev.

Pentagon: US to further increase 155 mm ammunition production. The U.S. plans to increase its production of 155 mm shells, bringing it to 80,000 per month next year, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said on Aug. 10. The statement comes amid Ukraine’s growing need for NATO-standard ammunition, which is used with West-provided artillery.

WSJ: Egypt resists US calls to supply Ukraine with weapons. The U.S. managed to convince Egypt not to send rockets to Russia but has so far failed to persuade Cairo to arm Ukraine instead, the Wall Street Journal reported on Aug. 11, citing U.S. and Egyptian officials.

Netherlands hands over 6 mobile medical complexes to Ukraine. Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service announced on Aug. 11 that the Netherlands donated six mobile medical complexes. The complexes will reportedly enable the State Border Guard Service to set up medical and evacuation support according to NATO standards.

Ukraine, US, EU, Romania, Moldova convene to discuss Ukrainian grain exports.

Representatives of Ukraine, the U.S., the EU, Romania, and Moldova held a meeting in Galati, Romania on Aug. 11 to discuss Ukrainian grain exports following Russia’s unilateral termination of the grain deal.

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