Aug 24 Buonasera Mag
Day 182: Happy Ukrainian Independence Day! Zelensky, Kuleba, Russian woes, Zaporizhzhia NPP, Hungary, Turkey, UK, Draghi, Poland. Arts & Posts: Olga L, WaPo, Patrikarakos, Vindman, Wintour
Catching up…
EA Worldview’s Ukraine Up-date- hop over to Scott’s amazing hourly Ukraine up-date page. I’ll fill in with some bits and bobs.
President Zelensky said the country will not agree to any proposal to freeze the current frontlines in its conflict with Russia in order to “calm” Moscow, which now controls about 22% of Ukraine including Crimea.
Zelensky: For Ukrainians 'the most terrible iron is not missiles, aircraft, and tanks, but shackles.' President Zelensky said Ukraine will only put its hands up when all of Ukraine is free from Russian aggression and occupation, "without any concessions or compromises."
Washington Post: On Feb. 24, Russia asked Ukraine to surrender, Reznikov responded he is ready to accept capitulation from Russia. According to Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, he received a call from his Belarusian counterpart, Viktor Khrenin.
Stories we’re following…
Zelensky warns about possible massive shelling on Independence Day. President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Ukrainians to be careful on Independence Day, Aug. 24, due to a high risk of provocations and massive shelling by Russian troops.
Poltava Oblast Governor Lunin reported early on Aug. 24 that four strikes hit the city of Myrhorod but he did not disclose which infrastructure was targeted. There is no information on casualties yet.
Ukraine submits urgent requirements to ECHR on ensuring rights of Azovstal defenders. Ukraine appealed to the European Court of Human Rights to force Russia to provide information on the detention of and medical support for Ukrainian servicemen in Russian captivity.
Ukraine’s intelligence directorate has claimed Russia is attempting to shell the “ash pits” of Zaporizhzhia NPP to “raise clouds of radioactive dust”
Institute for the Study of War: Russia deploys security forces to Luhansk, forcibly transfers Ukrainian children to Russia.
Infrastructure Minister Kubrakov said that the government, together with the Kyiv School of Economics, has developed a strategy for the reconstruction and reintegration of the peninsula.
Ukraine estimates losses from Russian occupation of Crimea at $118 billion. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said during the international Crimea Platform summit that the peninsula has turned into a huge military base in eight years of the Russian occupation.
Russian collaborator killed by car bomb in Zaporizhzhia. Russian collaborator Ivan Sushko, the Russian-appointed head of the occupied village of Mykhailivka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, was killed by a car bomb on Aug. 24, Russian collaborator Vladimir Rogov wrote on Telegram.
Russia claims ammunition depot caught fire ‘due to heat’ in Belgorod Oblast. Governor of Russia’s Belgorod Oblast Viacheslav Gladkov said on Aug. 23 that some ammunition caught fire near Timonovo village due to “hot weather.”
Unverifiable sources reported that axis commanders in Ukraine are reporting directly to Putin, bypassing both the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov in the chain of command.
Russian tourists may be banned from entering Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland if the EU does not enact a bloc-wide ban, according to Lithuania’s foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
Hungarian FM opposes EU-wide visa ban on Russian tourists. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said he stands with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who opposes such a ban as "there are a lot of people fleeing from Russia because they disagree with the Russian regime."
Ben Wallace has said the UK can “toughen up” visa conditions for Russians, yet remained uncertain whether an outright ban is the “right way”, PA news reports.
Draghi: “There is a lot of talk about sovereignty. But depending, as has happened in the past, for almost half of its gas supplies from a country that has not stopped pursuing its imperial past is the exact opposite of sovereignty "
Norway and Britain will jointly supply micro drones to Ukraine to aid in its war with Russia, reports Reuters.
UK imported no fuel from Russia in June for the first time on record, according to official figures. Imports of goods from Russia also fell to £33m in June, the lowest level since records began in January 1997.
Canada imposes new sanctions on Russia, announces additional funding for Ukraine. During the International Crimea Platform on Aug. 23, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $3.85 million CAD ($2.97 million USD) of funding for Ukraine’s security sector.
Polish President Andrzej Duda said that "Crimea is and will be a part of Ukraine, just like Gdansk and Lublin are part of Poland." Duda said that the entire territory of Ukraine must be liberated, including the territories that Russia occupied before Feb. 24.
This is bizzarre…
Khurshudyan, Battle for Kyiv: Ukrainian valor, Russian blunders combined to save the capital- WaPo (must read)
Viktor Derevyanko woke to scalding pain, his body burning. Blood spilled from his hand as he tried to wipe his face. A piece of metal had traveled through his arm and stomach and into the muscle around his heart.
“I couldn’t get my bearings,” said Derevyanko, the deputy head of the unit. “Only on the third explosion did I manage to fall out of bed and try to find at least someplace to hide, because the explosions weren’t ending.”
David Patrikarakos, Why Putin can’t capture Kherson-Unherd
Independence has become for Ukrainians about more than just protecting their land. It is about self-identification. It is no longer just a political act. It is a historical return to their roots, which were repressed for so long. As Shelest says: “Independence is also now psychological — a feeling that we are different from modern-day Russians who consider themselves post-Soviet, whereas we consider ourselves Western and concerned with the future not the past. We are ready to die to escape from a despot rather than worship him.”
Independence Day for the fighters of Avoz
Alexander S. Vindman- Victory for Ukraine
Why does Russia, who is getting its ass wooped in Ukraine and now largely limiting its operations to a small region of East and South Ukraine get a veto on the normal functioning of Ukraine’s economy.
Because of the threat of terrorism and cruise missile strikes? That’s bullx$&@! This shouldn’t be. It takes more than 2 days to get to/from Ukraine.
Reality is this is a fixable problem. The U.S. is providing 2x NASAM air defense systems. If the West were to provide 7-9 air defense systems it would neutralize the threat, Russia couldn’t fly anything in Ukraine, and there would be some return to normalcy.
Russia will wage a terror campaign indefinitely, unless the Democratic world stands up and Russia is forced to stand-down. Added benefit it would be a big deterrent and inhibit nuke escalation.
Not really different from Israel operating under constant threat of missile, rocket, and air (UAV) attack for decades.
What an amazing show of resolve… providing sufficient air defenses to establish a Russian no-fly zone. A terrorist regime attempts to destroy a democracy through threat of strikes & the Democratic world says nope, not gonna happen, neutralizing the vast majority of Russia’s threat.
Patrick Wintour, ‘We were all wrong’: how Germany got hooked on Russian energy- The Guardian
On Sunday 1 February 1970, senior politicians and gas executives from Germany and the Soviet Union gathered at the upmarket Hotel Kaiserhof in Essen. They were there to celebrate the signing of a contract for the first major Russia-Germany gas pipeline, which was to run from Siberia to the West German border at Marktredwitz in Bavaria. The contract was the result of nine months of intense bargaining over the price of the gas, the cost of 1.2m tonnes of German pipes to be sold to Russia, and the credit terms offered to Moscow by a consortium of 17 German banks.
A thank you from Darya & her daughter who had to leave Mariupol
