Air raid alarm sounds again in the Kyiv area: at least ten Russian rockets hit around the Ukrainian capital. While Russia, according to President Zelensky, is carrying out "a series of strategically senseless and brutal attacks" in the Donbass, the counter-offensive in Cherson is slowly picking up speed. An overview of the night of the war.
Missiles in Kyiv and surroundings
According to the governor, fifteen people were injured in a Russian rocket attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Rockets fell on military installations on the outskirts of the big city of Kyiv, Oleksiy Kuleba, the region's governor, tells Telegram. In the capital alone, air alarms were raised four times in the first half of the day. More than ten Russian rockets also fell in the Chernihiv region northeast of Kyiv, the governor there told Ukrainian television. Like Kyiv, Chernihiv has not been attacked for weeks.
Russia continues "strategically senseless attacks" in Donbass
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia has continued "a series of strategically pointless and brutal attacks" on the Donbass. According to General Staff representative Gromov, Russian forces continued to try to advance near Siversk and Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine's Donbass. In the occupied Kherson region in the south of the country, Ukrainian forces have recaptured three villages from the Russians in the past two weeks, he added.
London: Ukrainian counter-offensive in Cherson picks up speed
According to British estimates, the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Cherson region in the south of the country is picking up speed. "Your forces have most likely established a bridgehead south of the Inhulets River, which forms the northern border of Russian-held Kherson," the Defense Ministry said in London. The Inhulets is a tributary of the Dnipro River.
Zelenskyj: Classify Russia as a supporter of terrorism
Zelenskyy urged the world to clearly identify Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. Nobody in the world invests more in terrorism than Russia, he said in a video message on Friday night. This requires a "legal response at global level": Russia should be recognized as a "state sponsor of terrorism". In the USA, US senators have already introduced a corresponding resolution. However, the decision on this lies with the US State Department, which also keeps the official list of states supporting terrorism. It currently includes the countries of Syria, Iran, Cuba and North Korea. They are subject to strict sanctions by the USA. In his speech, Zelenskyy also reported on a meeting with the staff of the Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Among other things, it was about the provision of weapons and the implementation of Ukraine's defense plan.
Ukraine celebrates Statehood Day
Ukraine celebrated the country's statehood day for the first time on Thursday. "I was happy to see how many people took this holiday to heart and congratulated them, smiled and were proud of Ukraine," said Zelenskyy in the evening. With the new holiday, which is celebrated alongside Independence Day on August 24 and was proclaimed by Zelenskyj last year, Ukraine is also countering Russian claims that it is not a real state at all, but an artificial entity.
Employer Lavrov would talk to US side about prisoner exchange
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov wants to hold talks with his US counterpart Antony Blinken as soon as he has time. He currently has a busy schedule with international contacts, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, according to TASS agency. Lavrov will meet the request for an interview "if time permits". Blinken announced on Wednesday that a phone call "in the coming days" with Lavrov would be about the release of US basketball player Brittney Griner and her compatriot Paul Whelan, who were imprisoned in Moscow. Griner is currently facing a drug offense before a Russian court. Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage in June 2020. According to Russian information, the two sides have not yet been able to agree on a prisoner exchange.
OSCE countries review "Moscow Mechanism"
According to US information, experts from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) are to review the human rights situation in Russia. This is in response to recent measures by Russia to restrict freedom of expression and assembly, as well as reports of torture of people detained in Russia, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. The review was triggered by the application of the organization's "Moscow Mechanism". The expert group will present its report to the public in September.
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