A summary of today's developments
Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the United Nations must ensure the security of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant occupied by Russian forces after meeting the UN secretary general, Antònio Guterres and the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Lviv.
Ukraine’s military intelligence believes that Russia is planning a “provocation” at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant tomorrow. “The occupiers announced an unexpected ‘day off’ at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station. On 19 August, only operative personnel will be at the ZNPP. Entry to all other employees will be closed,” defence intelligence of Ukraine tweeted. Russia has warned it may shut down the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – the largest nuclear reactor in Europe – if Ukraine continues to shell the facility – a claim Kyiv has denied.
Authorities updated the death toll in the Kharkiv attacks that took place last night and this morning, bringing the total number of people killed to 15. Russian missiles that struck a residential area Wednesday night killed 12 while a strike early this morning killed three. Dozens more were injured.
Estonia has been hit by extensive cyber-attacks after removing a Soviet-era tank monument from a region whose population is predominantly ethnic Russian, its government has said.
The Russian military announced today that it has deployed warplanes armed with state-of-the-art hypersonic missiles to the country’s Kaliningrad region, a move that has been broadly interpreted as a response to the West arming Ukraine.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry updated the number of Russian casualties to at least 44,300. Meanwhile, Mediazona, an independent news organisation in Russia, has delved into the background of some of these deaths. Based on social media confirmation by relatives, reports in local media, and statements by the local authorities, Mediazona was able to confirm 5,185 deaths and found that the disproportionate majority of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine came from poor and minority regions of Russia.
A Russian attack killed one person and injured two in Mykolaiv, a city in southern Ukraine, said the Mykolaiv mayor, Oleksandr Sienkevych.
Ukraine’s military intelligence has warned that Russian forces are preparing to stage a “provocation” at a nuclear power plant they control, as the UN secretary general, António Guterres, called for an urgent withdrawal of military forces and equipment from the site.
Guterres, on his second visit to Ukraine since the Russian invasion, joined the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, for meetings and then a press conference in the western city of Lviv.
“We are worried. We don’t want another Chernobyl,” Erdoğan said.
Zelenskiy said he agreed with Guterres on a framework for a visit by the International Atomic Energy Agency watchdog to inspect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe. It was taken over by Russian forces in March but is still being run by Ukrainians.
Russia’s foreign ministry rejected a proposal by UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, to demilitarise the area around the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, saying it would make the facility “more vulnerable”, Reuters reports.
Updated
The inhabitants of two villages in southern Russia near the Ukrainian border were evacuated on Thursday after a nearby ammunition storage depot caught fire but no one was hurt, an official said.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod region, said in a statement that emergency services were investigating the cause of the fire near the settlements of Timonovo and Soloti, 15km (9 miles) from Ukraine, Reuters reports.
A Ukrainian news website posted a video it said showed a large ball of flame erupting from the base.
Russia on Tuesday blamed saboteurs for orchestrating a series of explosions at an ammunition depot in Russian-annexed Crimea, further to the south.
Updated
Kharkiv death toll rises to 15
Authorities have updated the death toll in the Kharkiv attacks that took place last night and this morning, bringing the total number of people killed to 15. Russian missiles that struck a residential area Wednesday night killed 12 while a strike early this morning killed three. Dozens more were injured.
“Last night was one of the most tragic of the entire war in the Kharkiv region,” local governor Oleh Synehubov wrote on Telegram.
Updated
During the meeting today in Lviv between the leaders of Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations, the families of soldiers from the Azov regiment marched across the city, calling for the return of their loved ones. A number of soldiers from this regiment are being held by Russia since they surrendered in mid-May the Mariupol steel plant they had been defending for weeks.
The families called for Russia to follow the Geneva convention on treatment of prisoners of war and provide their loved ones with what they need.
Wives, mothers and sisters of Azov soldiers walked across the Ukrainian city of Lviv holding posters, some reading ‘don’t touch our heroes’ and chanting ‘bring heroes back home’ pic.twitter.com/yYwuNDQ2u7
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 18, 2022
Earlier this month, Russia’s supreme court on declared the Azov regiment a terrorist organisation, a designation that could lead to terror charges against some of the captured fighters. The regiment has been a key piece of the Russian propaganda narrative about the war in Ukraine, which was originally launched with the alleged goal of “denazification”. The Azo regiment was formed in 2014 as a volunteer militia to fight Russia-backed forces in east Ukraine, and many of its original members had far-right extremist views. However, since then, its commanders say it has moved away from its far-right origins, with the unit integrating into the Ukrainian national guard.
“While continuing our efforts to find a solution, we remain on the side of our Ukraine friends,” the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said today.
Erdoğan met Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the UN chief, António Guterres, in Lviv today to discuss, among other things, the deal to unblock the Ukraine’s ports that was brokered by the UN and Turkey. The three leaders also spoke urgently about the rising tensions around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, with Erdoğan warning of the danger of “another Chernobyl” disaster, Agence France-Presse is reporting.
“We are worried. We do not want another Chernobyl,” said Erdoğan.
Erdoğan mentioned Vladimir Putin once in his comments to reporters. “We discussed the exchange of prisoners of war and our initiatives in this regard,” he said. “We will continue to talk about that with Mr Putin.”
Updated
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has signed an agreement with Ukraine to help reconstruct infrastructure destroyed by the Russian invasion. Erdoğan is in Lviv today meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskiy and UN chief António Guterres.
Erdogan signs an agreement with Ukraine to reconstruct the infrastructure destroyed by the war
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) August 18, 2022
#Turkey and #Ukraine signed a memorandum on the restoration of infrastructure destroyed as a result of the war. pic.twitter.com/SD0exfGzmo
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) August 18, 2022
Updated
Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the UN chief, António Guterres, met in Lviv today to discuss the UN-brokered deal to unblock the country’s ports and the increasing tensions around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. In the meeting, leaders agreed upon the parameters of a possible mission led by the International Atomic Energy Agency to the power plant, which is the largest reactor in Europe.
#Zelenskyy info'ed UNSG a/ 🇷🇺☢️ blackmail at #Zaporizhzhia NPP&stressed:UN must ensure NPP security, demil' &liberation from🇷🇺. President & SG agreed upon parameters of #IAEA mission 2 ZNPP- to be carried out accor to law thru territory free from occupiers https://t.co/WRM4dS6Btg pic.twitter.com/79qLr1mkW7
— Ukrainian Mission to OSCE & UN in Vienna (@UKRinOSCE) August 18, 2022
Zelenskiy told Guterres that this “deliberate and cynical terror on the part of the aggressor could have catastrophic consequences for Ukraine and the whole world”, according to a statement released by the office of the president. They agreed that an IAEA mission “must be carried out in a legal way through a territory free from occupiers”.
Kyiv accuses Moscow, whose forces captured the nuclear plant in March, of using it as a shield from which it shells Ukrainian targets. While Moscow says Ukraine is the one shelling the facility, Kyiv blames Russian forces.
During the meeting, Guterres also told Zelenskiy of a UN fact-finding mission to Olenivka, “where Russia committed a cynical terrorist attack against Ukrainian prisoners of war,” the statement reads. Zelenskiy asked Guterres also to investigate “the issue of compliance by the Russian side with the agreements reached in the context of the withdrawal of Ukrainian defenders from Azovstal”.
Updated
Ukraine: Russia is planning a 'provocation' at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, intelligence agency warns
Ukraine’s military intelligence believes that Russia is planning a “provocation” at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant tomorrow.
“The occupiers announced an unexpected ‘day off’ at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station. On 19 August, only operative personnel will be at the ZNPP. Entry to all other employees will be closed,” defence intelligence of Ukraine tweeted.
Kyiv has accused Moscow, whose forces captured the nuclear plant in March, of using it as a shield from which it shells Ukrainian targets. While Moscow says Ukraine is the one shelling the plant – the largest nuclear reactor in Europe – Kyiv says it is Russian forces.
Ukraine’s military intelligence says Russia is planning a “provocation” at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant tomorrow. “The occupiers announced an unexpected ‘day off’ [and] only operative personnel will be at the ZNPP. Entry to all other employees will be closed.” https://t.co/b19ZFIa5S4
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) August 18, 2022
Updated
The leaders of Ukraine, Turkey and the UN met in Lviv today to review the grain export deal and discuss the growing tensions around the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Here are some photos of the visit:
Updated
Zelenskiy: UN must ensure security of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
After meeting the UN secretary general, Antònio Guterres, in Lviv today, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the United Nations must ensure the security of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant occupied by Russian forces, Reuters is reporting.
On Telegram, Zelenskiy wrote that he and Guterres had discussed the UN-brokered deal to unblock the country’s blockaded ports and ease a worsening global food crisis, but “particular attention was paid to the topic of Russia’s nuclear blackmail at the Zaporizhzhia NPP”.
“This deliberate terror on the part of the aggressor can have global catastrophic consequences for the whole world,” Zelenskiy wrote. “Therefore, the UN must ensure the security of this strategic object, its demilitarisation and complete liberation from Russian troops.”
Kyiv accuses Moscow, whose forces captured the nuclear plant in March, of using it as a shield from which it shells Ukrainian targets. While Moscow says Ukraine is the one shelling the facility, Kyiv says it is Russian forces who have shelled the facility.
Today, Russia said it could shut down the plant, which is Europe’s largest nuclear reactor, after it came under shelling at the frontlines in Ukraine. Kyiv has since denounced the move as a risk that would increase nuclear catastrophe.
Zelenskiy noted that he and Guterres also “agreed to continue the coordination of the grain initiative implementation.”
“We also discussed the possible directions of its development, the issue of illegal and forced deportation of Ukrainians, the release of our military personnel and medics from captivity,” he said.
Updated
Today so far
The leaders of Ukraine, Turkey and the UN are set to meet in Lviv to review the grain export deal. The UN secretary general, António Guterres, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will also discuss “the need for a political solution to this conflict” and the situation at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.
Russia has warned it may shut down the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – the largest nuclear reactor in Europe – if Ukraine continues to shell the facility – a claim Kyiv has denied. With tensions continuing to rise around the plant, scientists with the Ukrainian Hydrometeorology Institute simulated the radiation spread of a nuclear disaster. Scientists found that with the weather conditions of the past few days, radioactive contaminants could reach as far north as the Baltic Sea, hitting Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland along the way, as well as Belarus. Heading west, radioactive contaminants would enter Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, was hit hard over the course of 12 hours, with at least seven people killed in a missile strike yesterday night and three more this morning. Many more were injured. The missiles hit a residential block, reducing it to debris, and a dormitory block.
Estonia has been hit by extensive cyber-attacks after removing a Soviet-era tank monument from a region whose population is predominantly ethnic Russian, its government has said.
The Russian military announced today that it has deployed warplanes armed with state-of-the-art hypersonic missiles to the country’s Kaliningrad region, a move that has been broadly interpreted as a response to the West arming Ukraine.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry updated the number of Russian casualties to at least 44,300. Meanwhile, Mediazona, an independent news organisation in Russia, has delved into the background of some of these deaths. Based on social media confirmation by relatives, reports in local media, and statements by the local authorities, Mediazona was able to confirm 5,185 deaths and found that the disproportionate majority of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine came from poor and minority regions of Russia.
A Russian attack killed one person and injured two in Mykolaiv, a city in southern Ukraine, said the Mykolaiv mayor, Oleksandr Sienkevych.
Russia deploys hypersonic missiles to Baltic enclave
The Russian military announced today that it has deployed warplanes armed with state-of-the-art hypersonic missiles to the country’s Kaliningrad region, a move that has been broadly interpreted as a response to the west arming Ukraine, the Associated Press is reporting.
Three MiG-31 fighters with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles arrived at the Chkalovsk airbase in the Baltic Sea enclave south of Lithuania as part of “additional measures of strategic deterrence”, Russia’s defence ministry said.
The warplanes will be put on round-the-clock alert, according to the ministry. The Kinzhal has a range of up to 2,000km (about 1,250 miles) and flies at 10 times the speed of sound, making it hard to intercept, the Russian military said. Russia has used the weapon to strike several targets in Ukraine.
A video released by the ministry showed the fighters arriving at the base but not carrying the missiles.
The deployment of Kinzhal missiles to Kaliningrad was an apparent showcasing of the Russian military’s capability to threaten Nato assets – Kaliningrad borders Nato members Poland and Lithuania. It comes after Moscow strongly criticised the deliveries of western weapons to Ukraine, accusing the US and its allies of fuelling the conflict.
Updated
Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, has been hit hard over the past few hours, with at least seven people killed in a missile strike yesterday night and three more this morning. Many more were injured. The missiles hit a residential block, reducing it to debris, and a dormitory block.
Here is footage:
Updated
The 25th cargo ship carrying grain has departed Ukraine under a deal with Russia brokered by Turkey and the United Nations to unblock the country’s blockaded ports, Agence France-Presse is reporting. The ship, which is expected to reach Egypt in a few days, departed as the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and UN chief António Guterres, who were key to the reaching of the accord, were convening in Lviv to meet Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
“The cargo ship I Maria departed from the port of Chornomorsk. It is loaded with 33,000 tonnes of corn,” Ukraine’s ports authority said in a statement on social media.
It said that 600,000 tones of Ukrainian agricultural products had been shipped through a corridor agreed by Moscow and Kyiv in Istanbul last month. “So far, 25 ships with Ukrainian products left the ports of Odessa, Pivdennyi and Chornomorsk for the Bosphorus strait,” the ports authority added.
The grain agreement lifted a Russian blockade of Ukraine’s ports and established safe corridors through the naval mines laid by Kyiv, with the first commercial ship carrying grain leaving on 1 August.
With Ukraine and Russia two of the world’s biggest grain exporters, the halt in exports caused grain prices to soar, fuelling fears of a rise in global food shortages, particularly in poor countries already experiencing shortfalls.
Updated
With tensions continuing to rise around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – the largest nuclear reactor in Europe – scientists with the Ukrainian Hydrometeorology Institute simulated the radiation spread of a nuclear disaster at the plant.
The scientists found that with the weather conditions of the past few days, radioactive contaminants could reach as far north as the Baltic Sea, hitting Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland along the way, as well as Belarus.
Heading west, radioactive contaminants would enter Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
In case a nuclear disaster at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant occurred on Aug 15-18, this is how the released airborne radioactive contaminants would probably get dispersed - Ukrainian hydrometeorological institute pic.twitter.com/1dQLcCtt1u
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) August 18, 2022
Updated
One person killed in Russian attack on Mykolaiv
A Russian attack killed one person and injured two in Mykolaiv, a city in southern Ukraine, said the Mykolaiv mayor, Oleksandr Sienkevych.
⚡️1 person killed in Russia’s recent attack on Mykolaiv.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) August 18, 2022
Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych reported explosions in the city at around 1 p.m. on Aug. 18. The attack injured two people and killed one, the official said. He did not provide details.
Updated
“What the fuck do we need this war for?” Pavel Filatyev, a Russian soldier who fought in Ukraine, has fled his homeland and is risking prison to speak out against the invasion.
The ex-paratrooper has published a 141-page bombshell breaking down the day-to-day activities of his unit after they were sent to mainland Ukraine from Crimea and eventually entered and captured Kherson. “I simply can’t stay quiet any longer, even though I know that I probably won’t change anything, and maybe I’ve acted foolishly to get myself in so much trouble,” said Filatyev, his fingers shaking from stress as he lit another cigarette.
His memoir, ZOV, detailed how his exhausted and poorly equipped unit stormed into mainland Ukraine with no idea why the war was taking place at all. “It took me weeks to understand there was no war on Russian territory at all, and that we had just attacked Ukraine,” he said.
At one point, Filatyev describes how the ravenous paratroopers, the elite of the Russian army, captured the Kherson seaport and immediately began grabbing “computers and whatever valuable goods we could find”. Then they ransacked the kitchens for food. “Like savages, we ate everything there: oats, porridge, jam, honey, coffee … We didn’t give a damn about anything, we’d already been pushed to the limit. Most had spent a month in the fields with no hint of comfort, a shower or normal food.
“What a wild state you can drive people to by not giving any thought to the fact that they need to sleep, eat and wash,” he wrote. “Everything around gave us a vile feeling; like wretches we were just trying to survive.”
Read more here:
Updated
While Ukraine’s foreign ministry has the number of Russian casualties at about 44,300, Mediazona, an independent news organisation in Russia, has delved into the background of some of these deaths.
Based on social media confirmation by relatives, reports in local media, and statements by the local authorities, Mediazona was able to confirm 5,185 deaths (Russia’s defence ministry disclosed casualties only twice in March, acknowledging just 1,849 personnel killed).
Looking into these deaths, Mediazona found that the disproportionate majority of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine came from poor and minority regions of Russia.
The geographic distribution of Russian military casualties in Ukraine clearly shows how disproportionately poor and minority regions of Russia are affected - this is not Muscovites' war
— Max Fras (@maxfras) August 18, 2022
Great work by @mediazona_en pic.twitter.com/CPZtp2vSUZ
Dagestan, Buryatia, Krasnodar, Bashkortostan suffered the most casualties
— Max Fras (@maxfras) August 18, 2022
Moscow region nowhere to be seen - St Petersburg not much higher either pic.twitter.com/zXwL3csCFG
Age distribution grim too - Russian teenagers die in droves in Ukraine (that's just the official numbers so likely to be 5x more or so) pic.twitter.com/mxS2b3jXGO
— Max Fras (@maxfras) August 18, 2022
Updated
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has provided an updated intelligence report on Russian troop locations and movement in Ukraine:
The illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is continuing.
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 18, 2022
The map below is the latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 18 August 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/E2PWzbDV9Y
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/wmDpKm5g3N
Updated
At least one person killed and 18 wounded in latest Kharkiv shelling
Russian shells have again struck Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, yesterday and early this morning. In the attack this morning, at least one person was killed and 18 others injured, while seven were killed and 16 wounded on Wednesday.
Here is a look at the destruction left behind:
Updated
Ukraine’s foreign ministry has posted an update on Russia’s losses since the start of the invasion. According to the ministry, at least 44,300 Russian soldiers have been killed.
1️⃣7️⃣6️⃣ days of full-scale #Russia’s war on #Ukraine.
— MFA of Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@MFA_Ukraine) August 18, 2022
Information on #Russian invasion.
Losses of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine, August 18. pic.twitter.com/gxaMLeyh7u
Estonia has been hit by extensive cyber-attacks after removing a Soviet-era tank monument from a region whose population is predominantly ethnic Russian, its government has said.
Russian hacker group Killnet claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said blocked access to more than 200 state and private Estonian institutions.
The Estonian government said the impact of the attack was limited and went “largely unnoticed”.
“Yesterday, Estonia was subject to the most extensive cyber-attacks it has faced since 2007,” its undersecretary for digital transformation said.
“With some brief and minor exceptions, websites remained fully available throughout the day. The attack has gone largely unnoticed in Estonia.”
Updated
Russia says it may shut Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
Russia has warned it may shut down the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant if Ukraine continues to shell the facility – a claim Kyiv has denied.
Russia’s head of the radioactive, chemical and biological defence force said the building’s back-up support systems had been damaged in strikes.
In the event of an accident, Igor Kirillov added, radioactive material would cover Poland, Germany and Slovenia.
Both Russia and Ukraine have accused one another of orchestrating attacks on the plant and both have rebuffed each other’s accusations.
Updated
Ukraine must “prepare for all scenarios” at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, its interior minister has warned.
Dozens of Ukraine’s emergency service workers wearing gas masks and hazmat suits took part in a disaster response drill amid fears of another Chernobyl-like disaster.
The exercises saw them practice evacuating the injured, carrying out radiation scans, and washing down contaminated vehicles.
“Nobody could have predicted that Russian troops would be firing on nuclear reactors with tanks. It is incredible,” Denys Monastyrsky said.
As long as the plant is controlled by Russia there are “major risks”, the minister added.
Updated
Russia has denied its forces had heavy weapons deployed at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, accusing Ukraine of stoking the fire ahead of a UN visit to the region.
Kyiv was preparing a “provocation” during secretary general António Guterres’ stop that would see Moscow “accused of creating a man-made disaster at the plane,” its defence ministry said.
“Russian troops have no heavy weapons either on the territory of the station or in the areas around it. There are only guard units,” a statement read.
The ministry claimed Ukraine was deploying forces in the area and planned to launch artillery strikes on the plant from the city of Nikopol on Friday, coinciding with Guterres’s visit to Odessa.
“The claim for the consequences [of the strikes] will be placed on the Russian armed forces,” the statement said.
Updated
One more ship loaded with corn has left Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port, Turkey’s Defence Ministry has said.
It is the first of four vessels to arrive at the country’s Black Sea port today, and marks the 25th to leave with grain under a UN-brokered export deal.
Updated
The International Atomic Energy Agency has accepted Ukraine’s invitation to lead a delegation into the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has said.
“I emphasised the mission’s urgency to address nuclear security threats caused by Russia’s hostilities,” he added.
The nuclear plant, which is Russian-occupied but run by Ukrainian staff, has faced intense shelling throughout the war, with both sides accusing one another of the attacks.
In our call, IAEA Director General @rafaelmgrossi informed me that, responding to Ukraine’s invitation, he is ready to lead an IAEA delegation to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. I emphasized the mission’s urgency to address nuclear security threats caused by Russia’s hostilities.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) August 18, 2022
Updated
Summary
Before I hand you over to my colleague, here is a quick rundown of where things stand:
There has been another reported attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv early this morning. According to local media outlets, at least one person has been killed and 18 others were injured in the attack. The strike follows yesterday’s attack on Kharkiv which killed at least seven people and wounded 16 others. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said a block of flats was “totally destroyed … We will not forgive, we will take revenge.”
Russia’s war on Ukraine has reached a ‘strategic deadlock’ a senior presidential adviser has said. “Russian forces have achieved only minimal advances, and in some cases we have advanced, since last month,” Oleksiy Arestovych said in a video. “What we are seeing is a ‘strategic deadlock.’”
Russia has replaced the commander of its Crimea-based Black Sea fleet after explosions rocked the peninsula this week. Russia’s RIA news agency cited sources as saying Igor Osipov had been replaced with Viktor Sokolov. If confirmed, it would mark one of the most prominent sackings of a military official in the war so far.
The heavy attrition of Russian main battle tanks in Ukraine is highly likely partially due to Russia’s failure to fit and properly employ adequate explosive reactive armour (ERA), according to the latest British intelligence report.
A senior Ukrainian presidential advisor has urged Ukrainians to stop “cancelling” Russians and called for them to instead encourage Russians to “switch to our side”. Oleksiy Arestovych penned a lengthy Telegram post on Wednesday, hitting out at fellow citizens for letting their emotions get the better of them and “turning on the cancellation to the fullest”.
Chinese troops will travel to Russia to take part in joint military exercises “unrelated to the current international and regional situation”, China’s defence ministry has said. Other countries will include India, Belarus, Mongolia and Tajikistan. In July, Moscow announced plans to hold “Vostok” exercises from 30 August to 5 September.
Ukrainian authorities performed disaster response drills near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Wednesday. This followed repeated shelling at the Russian-occupied plant, the largest of its kind in Europe.
The main bridge connecting Crimea to the Russian mainland must be “dismantled”, the Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak said. The 19-km (12-mile) Kerch Bridge is Moscow’s key military and civilian land corridor to the peninsula. “The bridge is an illegal object,” Podolyak said. It “must therefore be dismantled. Not important how – voluntary or not”, implying the bridge could become a military target for Ukrainian forces.
The leaders of Ukraine, Turkey and the UN are set to meet to review the grain export deal in Lviv on Thursday. The UN secretary general, António Guterres, Zelenskiy, and the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will also discuss “the need for a political solution to this conflict” and the situation at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.
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Military-ruled Myanmar plans to import Russian gasoline and fuel oil to ease supply concerns and rising prices, a junta spokesperson has said, the latest developing country to do so amid a global energy crisis.
Military-ruled Myanmar plans to import Russian gasoline and fuel oil to ease supply concerns and rising prices, a junta spokesperson has said, the latest developing country to do so amid a global energy crisis.
The southeast Asian country has maintained friendly ties with Russia and Moscow is seeking new customers for its energy in the region as its biggest export destination, Europe, will impose an embargo on Russian oil in phases later this year.
“We have received permission to import petrol from Russia,” Reuters reports military spokesperson Zaw Min Tun as saying during a news conference on Wednesday, adding that it was favoured for its “quality and low cost”.
Overnight attack on Kharkiv - reports
There has been another reported attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv early this morning.
According to local media outlets, at least one person has been killed and 18 others were injured in the attack.
The Kyiv Independent citied Kharkiv regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov, as reporting that Russian forces launched rockets on Kharkiv overnight.
Yesterday, another strike against a residential area killed seven people in Kharkiv.
Aftermath of #Russia's shelling of #Kharkiv. pic.twitter.com/AhGMmafJoL
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) August 18, 2022
Updated
The heavy attrition of Russian main battle tanks in Ukraine is highly likely partially due to Russia’s failure to fit and properly employ adequate explosive reactive armour (ERA), according to the latest British intelligence report.
Used correctly, ERA degrades the effectiveness of incoming projectiles before they hit the tank, the UK ministry of defence said in an update this morning.
“This suggests that Russian forces have not rectified a culture of poor ERA use, which dates back to the first Chechen war in 1994,” the report added.
It is highly likely that many Russian tank crews lack the training to maintain ERA, leading to either poor fitting of the explosive elements, or it being left off entirely.
These deficiencies probably contribute to the widespread incidents of turret ejection, which are well documented in eye-witness videos from Ukraine.”
The cumulative effect of these failures is likely a significant factor behind the poor performance of Russia’s forces,” British intelligence said.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 18 August 2022
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 18, 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/jzP3uLWyid
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/8I1UeMp0KE
A senior Ukrainian presidential advisor has urged Ukrainians to stop “cancelling” Russians and called for them to instead encourage Russians to “switch to our side”.
Oleksiy Arestovych penned a lengthy Telegram post on Wednesday, hitting out at fellow citizens for letting their emotions get the better of them and “turning on the cancellation to the fullest”.
The statement comes amid fierce debate on whether the west should stop issuing Russian visas or discontinue allowing Russian citizens to visit on holiday.
It’s hard to understand the nuances, it’s easier to hate and deny everyone - the solution is for an oyster.
A smart man seeks allies, a fool repels friends.”
These are tens and hundreds of thousands of people sitting on the fence who could switch to our side,” he wrote.
And now they’re not going to do it.”
The main bridge connecting Crimea to the Russian mainland must be “dismantled”, a senior Ukrainian presidential aide has said.
The 19-km (12-mile) Kerch Bridge is Moscow’s key military and civilian land corridor to the peninsula.
“The bridge is an illegal object,” Mykhaylo Podolyak said. It “must therefore be dismantled. Not important how – voluntary or not”, implying the bridge could become a military target for Ukrainian forces.
About "Kerchen bridge". As recorded in international law: Crimea – 🇺🇦. So this bridge is an illegal object, permission for the construction of which was not given by Ukraine. It harms the peninsula’s ecology and therefore must be dismantled. Not important how – voluntary or not.
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) August 17, 2022
China to send troops to Russia for joint week-long military drills
Chinese troops will travel to Russia to take part in joint military exercises led by the host and including India, Belarus, Mongolia, Tajikistan and other countries, China’s defence ministry said.
China’s participation in the joint exercises was “unrelated to the current international and regional situation”, the ministry said.
In July, Moscow announced plans to hold “Vostok” (east) exercises from 30 August to 5 September, even as it wages a costly war in Ukraine. It said at the time that some foreign forces would participate, without naming them.
China’s defence ministry said its participation in the exercises was part of a bilateral annual cooperation agreement with Russia.
“The aim is to deepen practical and friendly cooperation with the armies of participating countries, enhance the level of strategic collaboration among the participating parties, and strengthen the ability to respond to various security threats.”
Russia appoints new Black Sea commander
Russia has reportedly replaced the commander of its Crimea-based Black Sea fleet after explosions rocked the peninsula this week.
Russia’s RIA news agency cited sources as saying Igor Osipov had been replaced with Viktor Sokolov.
If confirmed, it would mark one of the most prominent sackings of a military official in the war so far.
The Black Sea fleet, which has a revered history in Russia, has suffered several humiliations since Russia invaded Ukraine in the hope of a swift victory.
In April, Ukraine struck Russia’s flagship the Moskva, a huge cruiser, with Neptune missiles. It became the biggest warship to be sunk in combat for 40 years.
A Russian strike on Kharkiv is believed to have killed at least seven people and wounded 16 others, Ukraine’s state emergencies services said.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said a block of flats was “totally destroyed … We will not forgive, we will take revenge.”
Images of rescuers combining through the wreckage have since been shared by the emergency services.
Photograph: Reuters
War in deadlock, Zelenskiy adviser says
Russia’s war on Ukraine has reached a ‘strategic deadlock’ a senior presidential adviser has said.
Russian forces have achieved only minimal advances, and in some cases we have advanced, since last month,” Oleksiy Arestovych said in a video.
What we are seeing is a ‘strategic deadlock.’”
Ukrainian forces said on Thursday they had beaten back a Russian attack in the southern region of Kherson.
“The stakes of the Russian Federation in this war have been raised,” Arestovych added.
Ukraine’s ministry of defence said Russian forces were also moving aircraft further back into Crimea and away from the reach of Ukraine’s forces following the recent strikes in Crimea.
“The Rashists [Russians] are urgently moving their planes and helicopters deep into the peninsula and to the airfields of the Russian Federation following the recent strikes in Crimea,” the ministry said in a briefing late last night.
“The occupiers are carrying out measures to partially transfer aviation equipment from forward-based airfields in Crimea to reserve airfields and airfields permanently based on the territory of the Russian Federation,” the force added.
Updated
UN chief in Ukraine for talks on grain and nuclear safety
The UN secretary-general, António Guterres, has arrived in Ukraine to meet its president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and Turkish president, Tayyip Erdoğan, in the western city of Lviv.
The leaders will review the UN-backed grain export deal and discuss “the need for a political solution to this conflict” as well as the situation at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Lviv in western Ukraine.
Ukraine: @antonioguterres has arrived in Lviv, where he will meet with @ZelenskyyUa & @RTErdogan before visiting Odesa. https://t.co/cs4XHAMymI pic.twitter.com/fTi9UD3715
— United Nations (@UN) August 17, 2022
On Friday, Guterres will visit the Black Sea port of Odesa, where grain exports have resumed.
On Saturday, the top UN official will visit the Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul, which is made up of Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and UN. officials overseeing the Black Sea exports of Ukraine grain and fertiliser.
Summary and welcome
Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine.
I’m Samantha Lock and I will be bringing you all the latest developments for the next short while. Whether you’ve been following our coverage overnight or you’ve just dropped in, here are the latest lines.
Russia has reportedly replaced the commander of its Crimea-based Black Sea fleet after explosions rocked the peninsula this week.
The UN secretary-general, António Guterres, has arrived in Ukraine ahead of a meeting later today with its president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and Turkish president, Tayyip Erdoğan. The leaders will review the UN-backed grain export deal and discuss “the need for a political solution to this conflict” as well as the situation at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
It is 7.30am in Ukraine. Here is everything you might have missed:
A Russian strike on Kharkiv killed at least seven people and wounded 16 others, Ukraine’s state emergencies services said. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said a block of flats was “totally destroyed … We will not forgive, we will take revenge.”
Russia has replaced the commander of its Crimea-based Black Sea fleet after explosions rocked the peninsula this week. Russia’s RIA news agency cited sources as saying Igor Osipov had been replaced with Viktor Sokolov. If confirmed, it would mark one of the most prominent sackings of a military official in the war so far.
Chinese troops will travel to Russia to take part in joint military exercises “unrelated to the current international and regional situation”, China’s defence ministry has said. Other countries will include India, Belarus, Mongolia and Tajikistan. In July, Moscow announced plans to hold “Vostok” exercises from 30 August to 5 September.
Ukrainian authorities performed disaster response drills near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Wednesday. This followed repeated shelling at the Russian-occupied plant, the largest of its kind in Europe.
The main bridge connecting Crimea to the Russian mainland must be “dismantled”, the Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak said. The 19-km (12-mile) Kerch Bridge is Moscow’s key military and civilian land corridor to the peninsula. “The bridge is an illegal object,” Podolyak said. It “must therefore be dismantled. Not important how – voluntary or not”, implying the bridge could become a military target for Ukrainian forces.
The top official in Russian-annexed Crimea has claimed the FSB security service has broken up a six-person terrorist cell of a banned Islamist group. It followed a series of strikes on Russian bases and other infrastructure across the region that Russia has sought to blame on sabotage.
At least 12 Russians were reportedly killed in a strike on a base in the occupied city of Nova Kakhovka, according to the Ukrainian military. Footage posted to Telegram by the state border guard service showed numerous burnt-out trucks, collapsed buildings, and debris.
Ukraine has not lost any US-supplied Himars rocket launchers, the Ukrainian defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said in contradiction to Russian claims. Ukraine has received at least 20 of the US-made launchers, and has used them to attack Russian ammunition depots, command posts, and air defences.
The mayor of the village of Verkhnyo Rogachytsk in the Kherson region has been kidnapped, according to the deputy chair of the regional council. Yuri Sobolevsky said Svitlana Ivanivna was taken from her home at about 11am on Tuesday.
The first wartime shipment of UN food aid for Africa reached the Bosphorus Strait on Wednesday under a UN-backed deal to restore Ukrainian grain deliveries across the Black Sea. Marine traffic sites showed the MV Brave Commander taking its cargo of 23,000 tonnes of wheat across the heart of Istanbul bound for its final destination in Djibouti next week.
The leaders of Ukraine, Turkey and the UN are set to meet to review the grain export deal in Lviv on Thursday. The UN secretary general, António Guterres, Zelenskiy, and the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will also discuss “the need for a political solution to this conflict” and the situation at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.
Canada has disbursed C$450m ($348m) in loans for the purchase of heating fuel before winter for Ukraine, the finance minister in Ottawa, Chrystia Freeland, has announced.
Russia foresees a 38% rise in energy export earnings this year due to higher oil export volumes, coupled with rising gas prices, according to an economy ministry document seen by Reuters. Russia’s earnings from energy exports are forecast to reach $337.5bn this year, a 38% rise on 2021.
Updated
