Russian military leaders likely to be ‘increasingly concerned’ about security in Crimea after reported explosionssaid a British intelligence update. The Ministry of Defense (MOD) said Russian and Ukrainian authorities admitted that an ammunition dump exploded near Dzhankoi in the north of the region on Tuesday, and that a railway and a nearby substation were also damaged. The update said Russian media also reported increased smoke near the Gvardeyskoye air base. And while “the cause of these incidents and the extent of the damage remains unclear,” Russian commanders are likely to be “increasingly concerned” about security in the region, which Russia annexed in 2014.
In the Donetsk region, at the forefront of the Russian offensive, two civilians were killed and seven others were injured in recent Russian shelling of several cities and towns. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, confirmed the latest casualties on Telegram. The area has come under heavy shelling by the Russian military in recent weeks as they attempt to make tactical advances in the Donbas region.
A recreation center has been destroyed and three people have been injured after Russian airstrikes in Odesa, a senior official said. Sergey Bratchuk, a representative of Odesa’s military administration, said a fire broke out and nearby buildings were damaged after the attack. In a post on the Telegram messaging app, he said the damage was caused by two enemy rockets. The rescue operation continues, he added.
The mayor of Lviv, Andri Sadovyihas warned residents of the western city to prepare for a harsh winter. In a video posted on his social media accounts, he said: “It is likely that we are facing a difficult winter. It is logical: there can be nothing simple in a country that is fighting for its independence. But we must be ready for everything.” He added that city authorities have worked on an action plan for any emergency “that may arise as a result of an enemy attack.”
There could be more attacks in the “next two to three months” similar to the strikes in Crimea, a key adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an exclusive interview with the Guardian. Mykhailo Podolyak said Ukraine was engaged in a counter-offensive aimed at creating “chaos within Russian forces” by attacking the invaders’ supply lines deep into occupied territories.
Ukraine has hinted it was behind a series of mysterious and devastating attacks in occupied Crimea which destroyed a key rail hub used to supply Russian troops and a military airbase. Several explosions on Tuesday appeared to have destroyed a Russian ammunition depot and an electrical substation about 200 km (125 miles) from the front line with Ukrainian forces. Russia blamed saboteurs to orchestrate the series of explosions.
The The leaders of Ukraine, Turkey and the UN will meet to review the grain export agreement Thursday in Lviv. UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Zelenskiy and 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, on UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said.
Ukraine’s nuclear operator reported what it called an “unprecedented” cyber attack.-attack on your website, but said its operations had not been disrupted. “On August 16, 2022, the most powerful cyber attack since the beginning of the Russian invasion took place against the website of Energoatom,” the operator said, adding that “it was attacked from the territory Russian”.
North Korea and the Self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic to develop “equally beneficial bilateral cooperation”Denis Pushilin, the head of the separatist administration, said in a letter to Kim Jong-un, North Korean state media reported on Wednesday.
The first ship to leave Ukraine under a grain export agreement docked in Syria Tuesday, according to a dispatch source and satellite data. Another ship carrying the first cargo of food aid bound for Africa also left Ukrainian ports.
Russia’s defense ministry has warned the UK against a planned spy plane flight over Russian territory, saying its air force has been ordered to prevent an intrusion. The ministry said the UK sent a warning informing about a planned flight of an RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft along a route that partially passes over Russian territory. “We consider this action a deliberate provocation,” the ministry said.
Estonian authorities removed a Soviet-era tank from its pedestal in the eastern city of Narva, the largest removal yet of 200 to 400 such monuments the government has pledged to remove by the end of the year. “No one wants to see our militant and hostile neighbor fomenting tensions at home,” Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday. Estonia will also close its border this week to more than 50,000 Russians with previously issued visas.
Finland says it will reduce the number of visas it issues to Russians to 10% of current volumes as of September 1 after Russian tourists began using the country as a gateway to European tourist destinations. Finland will also join the Baltic states in jointly proposing the suspension of an EU visa facilitation agreement with Russia that makes it easier and cheaper for Russians to travel within the EU, the minister said. Foreign Affairs, Pekka Haavisto.