Aug 26: Saturday Stories
Day Romny Dnipro UASitRep Crimea Afzalov Petrovsky Prigozhin Lukashenka UAAllies BRICS Tatars NewsFront Trump A&P BadBaltic UKDef Rybar Euronews KremlinFile Giles Seddon DmitryG Davis LucasS Weiss
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.
If you’re ever in Riga or Tallinn…
Stories we’re following…
The Russian forces continue to hit Ukrainian civil infrastructure. It has never stopped:
A school in Romny was hit with a missile on Wednesday. Among the ruins of the school in Romny, we found the wreckage of a Shahed UAV, including an engine. The examination will help to establish whether it is in fact an original German Limbach Flugmotoren L-550. It will also help to better understand the schemes of supplying Western parts to Iran and Russia despite the sanctions. On Thursday, the Russian forces destroyed a bus station in Dnipro, injuring 10 people.
Ukrainian rocket artillery struck a Russian command post and equipment concentration of one of the divisions of the Russian 58th Combined-Arms Army in Tokmak, Zaporizhzhya region. The command post is very near Tokmak.
On August 25, Russian sources report on 42 UAVs that were destroyed over Crimea at night. They claim 9 were destroyed and 33 were suppressed by electronic warfare. Several explosions were heard. Shaykovka airbase which hosts Tu-22 bombers was reportedly attacked by drones. Also a S-200 missile was reportedly shot down over the Kaluga region. In all cases, the Russians claim that no damage was done.
Ukrainian Situation Report, Hanna Malyar, Deputy MoD Ukraine and Andriy Kovalev, UAF General Staff—there were 35 combats clashes on Aug 25.
Ukrainian troops advance in the Melitopol sector with successes near Bakhmut, Novoprokopivka and Mala Tokmachka - Ocherevatne, consolidating the achieved positions.
Continue to attack in the areas of Avdiivka, Maryinka, as well as on the Kupyansk, Lyman and Bakhmut directions.
Military intelligence confirms strike on Russia's 126th Coastal Defense Brigade. The Russian 126th Coastal Defense Brigade in occupied Crimea was hit on Aug. 25, Ukraine's military intelligence spokesperson Andrii Yusov confirmed to the media outlet Liga.net.
During a special operation by the GUR near the village of Mayak in annexed Crimea, the Ukrainian military damaged four speedboats and killed at least 30 Russians. Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, told Suspilna about this.
Main Intelligence Directorate showed footage of a special operation in Crimea. "An entire division, which stopped its work, was destroyed on Cape Tarkhankut. There are quite serious losses."- Budanov.
The Raid on Crimea part of ongoing, 'long-term operation.' The raid on Russian-occupied Crimea that took place in the early hours of Aug. 24 is not "the story of one day, but a long-term operation," a source in Ukraine's Military Intelligence told Ukrainska Pravda.
General Syrskyi: the Russian Federation regroups near Kupyansk and Lyman directions and transfers fresh forces.
“After a month of fierce battles and significant losses in the Kupyansk and Lyman directions, the enemy is regrouping its forces and assets, while at the same time transferring newly formed brigades and divisions from the territory of the Russian Federation,” said the commander of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi.
A fire broke out in a paint pavilion at a construction market in Nakhabino, Moscow region. Residents of Nakhabino report a heavy fire in the area of Sovetskaya Street. According to eyewitnesses, a construction market is on fire - now residents from different parts of the settlement are writing about the smell of burning in the web.
Viktor Afzalov appointed acting head of Russian Aerospace Forces, in place of still missing ‘General Armageddon’ Surovikin. An informed source has confirmed to the Russian state media RIA Novosti that General of the Army Sergey Surovikin has been removed from his post as commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Afzalov has been the head of the Main Staff of the Aerospace Forces since August 2018. He served as a temporary acting head of this branch of the Russian military while Surovikin was in charge of the Russian grouping invading Ukraine.
One of the leaders of the Russian Rusich group, Jan Igorovits Petrovsky, has been arrested in Finland. He was subject to EU and US sanctions. The Rusich group is affiliated with Wagner. According to EU sanctions, Petrovsky is responsible for actions that threaten Ukraine's sovereignty and independence, as well as the country's security. Rusich forces have fought in Ukraine on the side of Russia. The man arrested by the Finnish authorities is suspected of terrorist crimes that occurred between June 2014 and August 2015 in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Ukraine has requested his extradition.
Pentagon: Wagner 'no longer a factor on the battlefield in Ukraine'. The combat effectiveness of the Wagner Group is no longer a factor in Russia's war against Ukraine, Pentagon spokesperson General Pat Ryder said during a press briefing on Aug. 24 in response to a question about Prigozhin’s presumed death.
On Thursday, Prigozhin’s body was officially identified in the morgue: he was identified by one of the commanders of PMC Wagner. The main feature was the absence of a finger. Dmitry Utkin’s was aslo identified on the basis of his height and tattoos.
Monique: diplomats and authorities that have dealt with Russia in the past have told me that Russia does not negotiate as we see it. They actually don’t negotiate: they go forward with any means necessary to achieve their goal. There is no give and take, which means our diplomats have to throw out everything they have been taught when it comes to sitting at a table with Russian leadership.
Max Seddon: Vladimir Putin confirms Yevgeny Prigozhin died when the Wagner founder's plane crashed yesterday. " I knew Prigozhin for a long time, from the early 1990s. He had a difficult path and made serious mistakes in his life. But he got results – for himself, and when I asked him."
“The head of the Investigative Committee of Russia has reported to me about this, as is correct,” Putin said during a meeting with Denis Pushilin, the Kremlin-appointed head of Russia’s occupation administration in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. “They launched an investigation into this incident and it will be carried out in full and reach a conclusion. Let’s see what the investigators say.”
The dictator of Belarus, Lukashenka, said on Friday that he warned the Wagner group chiefs Prigozhin and Utkin to watch out for possible threats to their lives, and he insisted that Wagner fighters would remain in Belarus. Lukashenko – an old acquaintance of Prigozhin and a close ally of Russia – said that Putin had nothing to do with the plane crash. (Monique: Incredible BS. Read the card below.)
“I know Putin: he is calculating, very calm, even tardy,” Lukashenko said. “I cannot imagine that Putin did it, that Putin is to blame. It’s just too rough and unprofessional a job.”
The US believes a surface-to-air missile originating from inside Russia likely shot down the plane presumed to be carrying Prigozhin on Wednesday, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Thursday. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter, stressed that the information was still preliminary and under review.
Monique: At first some intelligence sources said that it was a surface to air missile that shot down the Wagner plane. Then it was an explosive on the plane, perhaps in the landing gear or another kind of sabotage act. It’s too early to say and we’ll never know if we’re waiting for the Russians to tell us.
Heineken will immediately leave Russia after the brewer sold the Russian branch of the company for 1 euro to Arnest Group, a well known Russian company. “We took good care of our people and leave in a responsible manner,” says Heineken CEO Dolf van den Brink.
A source of the VCHK-OGPU channel said that Abramovich had arrived in Ankara. On the agenda of his meetings are preparations for Erdogan's visit to Putin in Sochi. On Wednesday, Abramovich paid a visit to Dmitry Kozak and spent the evening in the company of the Yumashev family.
Satellite images show Wagner camp in Belarus being dismantled. A camp for Wagner Group fighters in Belarus' village of Tsel near Asipovichy is being actively dismantled, as shown in satellite images from Planet Labs exclusively obtained by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Belarusian service.
The expenses of Russians on preparing schoolchildren for the new academic year have grown by 30% over the year, a survey by VTsIOM showed . If last year the total cost was 33,225 rubles, then this year it increased to 43,029 rubles. So much money is needed to buy a school uniform, a backpack, stationery, textbooks, gifts for teachers by September 1 and pay school fees.
Putin approved the text of the oath of volunteers and fighters of the defense. The corresponding decree was published on the Kremlin website. Monique: please note that the soldiers are swearing allegiance to the Russian Federation, not their own countries.
“I solemnly swear allegiance to the Russian Federation, I undertake to sacredly observe the Constitution of the Russian Federation, strictly follow the orders of commanders and superiors, and conscientiously fulfill the duties assigned to me. I swear to be devoted to the Russian Federation, to courageously defend its independence and constitutional order,” the text of the oath reads.
WaPo: Putin and Xi face hurdles in bid to turn BRICS into anti-Western bloc
Russia and China have long seen BRICS as central to their goal of countering Western global dominance.
On Wednesday, the planned expansion of the group was touted by China as a watershed moment on the road to a new multipolar world. But for Russian President Vladimir Putin — who has described in almost messianic terms his desire to create a new world order — the gathering highlighted his global isolation.
Indicted by the International Criminal Court over Russia’s abductions of Ukrainian children, Putin could not attend the summit held outside Johannesburg, with South Africa legally obliged to arrest him on war crimes charges. Instead, he appeared via video link, seated alone at a large white table in Moscow.
Monique: Italy was the only country in the EU to have signed a MOU, leading to contracts linked to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The MOU was signed under the Lega-5 Star Movement government, headed by Giuseppe Conte, and signed by the former foreign minister, Luigi Di Maio. When Mario Draghi became prime minister, he put a stop to all contracts that involved sensitive Italian strategic infrastructure, and Georgia Meloni has now decided to pull out the the BRI completely.
Behind the Lines: Russia conducts raids at Crimean Tatars' homes. Russian security services conducted searches at the homes of Crimean Tatars in the Bakhchysarai district on the morning of Aug. 24, the Crimean Solidarity human rights organization reported.
Szabolcs Panyi for VSquare: Despite US and EU sanctions, NewsFront, a hub for Kremlin propaganda linked to Russian intelligence, is still targeting audiences in Europe. Now, it’s developing its reach on Telegram and using local networks.
Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, NewsFront, long described as one of the largest Russian disinformation factories, has been actively expanding.
While the European sanctions were imposed on NewsFront’s owner, Konstantin Knyrik, soon after the war’s outbreak, our research finds an increasing amount of Russian propaganda content in foreign languages originating from NewsFront. Improved linguistic accuracy of the content indicates potential recruitment of employees from European countries.
A member of the far-right party AFD in Germany from a small town in Bavaria; the Slovak Brother for Brother biker club; Serbian right-wing activists; a “Tatar” imam; a Hungarian ex-diplomat and amateur interpreter—these seemingly unrelated individuals have something in common. They have been contributing to or actively supporting NewsFront, a Russian propaganda factory active in 11 languages and linked to Russian intelligence. [continue]
Julia Davis: Vladimir Solovyov blamed Ukraine, France, America, the Baltic states and NATO for the crash that killed Yevgeny Prigozhin and attacked any viewers who dared to disagree.
Turkish foreign minister meets with Zelensky in Kyiv. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Kyiv on Aug. 25 to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky. They reportedly discussed the Ukrainian peace formula, the preparation for the Global Peace Summit, and the risks posed by Russia blocking the Black Sea grain corridor.
Germany for the first time handed over to Ukraine missiles in the Patriot air defense system - this follows from the list of equipment that Berlin will provide in the new military aid package. The list also includes: 40 reconnaissance drones RQ-35 HEIDRUN, 16 Zetros trucks, 90 drone detection systems, 510,000 rounds for firearms.
Latvia has confirmed it transferred another Mi-17 helicopter to Ukraine. Earlier it became known that Latvia wanted to donate its entire fleet of Soviet-era helicopters to Ukraine.
Lithuania to provide Ukraine with $44 million defense aid package. The Lithuanian Defense Ministry announced on Aug. 24 another military aid package for Kyiv worth 41 million euros (around $44 million), marking Ukraine's Independence Day.
Portugal and Norway to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s. Portugal and Norway have confirmed that they will join the international efforts to train Ukrainian pilots and technicians on F-16 fighter jets, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Aug. 24, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine.
The US will begin flight training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets in October, the Pentagon has announced. The training would begin after the pilots receive English-language training next month, a Pentagon spokesperson, Brig Gen Pat Ryder, said on Thursday. The flight training would take place at the Morris air national guard base in Tucson, Arizona, he added.
Germany delivers Patriot missiles to Ukraine in new weapons package. Germany has delivered missiles for the Patriot air defense system as part of a new package of military aid to Ukraine, the German Federal Government wrote on Aug. 24.
Greece terminated the contract with Russia for technical support and maintenance of the Tor-M1 and Osa-AKM air defense systems. Greece has 21 Tor-M1 and 38 OSA-AK(M). It is possible an unknown amount will be supplied to Ukraine via third party countries.
The United States has prepared new sanctions against Russia: they will affect those involved in the forced removal of Ukrainian children, said US President Joe Biden. He timed his statement to the Independence Day of Ukraine. The United States is working with all countries of the world to "bring Russian troops to justice for war crimes and other atrocities" committed by them at the front, including forcibly removing thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia, Biden said. According to Moscow's official data, Russia has taken more than 700,000 children from the occupied regions of Ukraine to its territory since the beginning of the war. According to the latest information from Kiev, 19,546 children fell under the forceful deportation. So far, only 386 have been returned.
Ukraine recognized tobacco companies Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco International as international sponsors of the war. They continue to do business in Russia and support its economy by paying significant taxes to the budget.
Monique: This is why you’re not getting Trump’s mugshot here in E-Stories. Make sure to listen to Scott Lucas’s analysis in the next video. Trump is trying to control the information that is out on him—the mugshot is part of that operation.
Scott Lucas on Trump’s arrest
Scott is a master at getting us all back to the facts about Trump’s indictments and the fog of misinformation and disinformation.
Kier Giles: Moscow Rules
Karaganov's lunatic call to nuke Europe has achieved its objective: sober, intelligent US experts are saying that even if they know it's disinformation it should still be treated as true.
When does Moscow show an interest in de-escalation?
When (a) Russia has achieved an objective but fears over-extension and wants to be given a pause to regroup, or (b) Russia's adversaries show convincing capability and will to out-escalate.
Also, yes, the idea of Russian nuclear "escalate-to-de-escalate" will never, ever die.
Programming note…
Kremlin File kicks off Season 3 with David Kramer as Mo and Olga discuss the state of Russia's brutal failed war, where Ukraine's allies stand, the signs of Russia's collapse, Wagner's failed coup, and more.
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About David Kramer
David J. Kramer serves as the Executive Director of the George W. Bush Institute and is a leading expert on Russia and Ukraine.
David J. Kramer serves as the Executive Director of the George W. Bush Institute. Prior to joining the Bush Institute, he taught at Florida International University’s Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs, where he also was Senior Fellow in the Václav Havel Program for Human Rights and Diplomacy and Director for European and Eurasian Affairs.