Aug 27: Sunday Stories
Day 549: UAdrone UASitRep Breakthrough BehindtheLines Primus Poland Greece UAkids Turkey Hungary Johnson BRICS A&P Zelensky Avdeeva ISW UKDef Podolyak Lautman Barnes Braw Yana Sabbagh
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.
A question we all ask ourselves from time to time…What is love? Something to brighten your day.
Stories we’re following…
Russian troops attack 10 communities in Sumy Oblast. Russian troops launched 28 attacks at communities along the Sumy Oblast border on Aug. 26, causing a total of 147 explosions, the local military administration reported on Telegram.
Maria Avdeeva: Children should not have to come to their principal’s funeral. Russia killed the school principal, her deputy, librarian and secretary in Romny on August 23.
Russian troops struck Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on Aug. 25 and Aug. 26, killing a 59-year-old man, Governor Serhii Lysak reported. Russian forces shelled the village of Podoly in the Kupiansk district of Kharkiv Oblast at around 6:30 a.m. local time, injuring and hospitalizing a 59-year-old civilian man, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on Aug. 25. Russian attacks in Kherson injured 2 on Aug. 26.
Air Force: 3 pilots killed in crash above Zhytomyr Oblast. Three Ukrainian pilots were killed on Aug. 25 when their planes collided in the sky, the Air Force confirmed on Aug. 26. Among the dead is a well-known pilot from the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, who had the call-sign Juice. The pilot had over 14,000 followers on Twitter.
Russian authorities have said that air defences had destroyed one drone as it approached Moscow and another close to the border with Ukraine.
“Tonight, air defence forces destroyed a drone on approach to Moscow in the Istrinskii district,” the capital’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Telegram. “Preliminarily, there were no casualties or damage. Emergency services are working on the site.”
Early on Friday, Russia reported one of the biggest coordinated Ukrainian air raids yet over Russian-controlled territory but said air defence systems had downed all 42 drones attacking Crimea before they could hit their targets. On Friday, Ukrainian drone attacks continued: three major Moscow airports – Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo – suspended flights, the state news agency Tass reported.
President Zelenskyy’s address August 25: a general overview of diplomatic and military objectives, as posted on his official Telegram channel.
Ukrainian drone attacks continue inside Russia as reported above. The defence ministry said a second Ukrainian drone had been destroyed early Saturday in the Shebekino district, part of the Belgorod region close to the border. “
Monique: the drone attacks on Moscow do little damage, but they send the message that Russia is vulnerable. They also keep Russian military busy by focusing on territorial defence. What was once thought impossible is now possible.
A pyrotechnics warehouse is on fire in Kemerovo, Russia. A huge fire broke out on Aug. 26 at a pyrotechnics warehouse in the Siberian city of Kemerovo, Russian media reported. Videos filmed by local residents show the sound of explosions coming from a huge plume of smoke.
Explosions were heard in the area of temporarily occupied Tokmak, Zaporizhzhia region. “Melitopol residents in the north of the city, heard explosions first in the distance at 4:30, then closer and louder after the 5th and again in the distance after the 6th,” Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov reports.
Top US general says Ukrainian forces have broken through Russian main lines of defense in some areas. Throughout their counteroffensive, Ukrainian troops have managed to attack through Russia's first main defensive belt in some areas along the front lines, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said in an interview with Al-Mamlaka TV, a Jordanian public broadcaster, published on Aug. 25.
ISW: Ukrainian forces have made further tactically significant gains in western Zaporizhia Oblast. Several Ukrainian and Russian sources reported that Ukrainian forces are advancing through what Ukrainian and US sources suggested may be the most challenging series of prepared Russian defensive positions.
Geolocated footage published on August 25 indicates that Ukrainian forces advanced 1.5km southward northeast of Novoprokopivka (13km south of Orikhiv).
Ukrainian forces now appear within striking distance of the next series of prepared Russian defensive positions, which may be weaker than the previous set of Russian defenses but still pose a significant challenge.
Reuters: Ukrainian forces believe they have broken through the most difficult line of Russian defences in the south and will now be able to advance more quickly, a commander fighting in the south told Reuters.
"We have passed the main roads that were mined. We are coming to those lines where we can go (forward). I'm sure we'll go faster from here," Skala said.
He said two houses were still under Russian control in Robotyne: "We're fighting for them, and then we'll have full control (of Robotyne)."
Skala said Ukrainian troops had now entered territories where there were only "Russian logistics" groups, and where he made clear he did not expect Russian defences to be as difficult to break through.
"We are moving on to liberate all our territories," he said.
National Resistance Center: Residents forced back into evacuated front-line settlements. Russian authorities in occupied regions of Ukraine are forcing residents to return to previously evacuated settlements on the front line, the National Resistance Center reported on Aug. 25.
Behind the Lines: Russian forces opened several voting stations in annexed Crimea for early voting for the sham elections. They encourage people who are registered in Ukraine's occupied territories to come to these stations from September 1 to September 4 to vote for "candidates."
Behind the Lines: In the temporarily occupied Luhansk region, Russia plans to force all teenagers (14-18 years old) to obtain a Russian passport by October 1. Children are offered a free vacation for obtaining a passport and are threatened with being denied access to education. Parents are also threatened with the termination of social benefits if their children do not receive a Russian federation passport.
Another vessel leaves Odesa port via Black Sea corridor. A second civilian vessel has sailed from Odesa through the temporary Black Sea corridor, set up primarily to evacuate vessels docked in Ukrainian ports since the start of the full-scale invasion, according to MarineTraffic data. The Primus, a bulk carrier sailing under a Liberian flag, left Odesa on the morning of Aug. 26, where it has been docked since before the full-scale invasion, said Andrii Klymenko, a project lead at the Institute of the Black Sea Strategic Studies, a think-tank.
Ukraine's defense minister promises to resign if dishonest scheme in procurement of military clothing is proven. Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Aug. 25 that he is ready to resign if the accusations of summer jackets procurement instead of winter ones are confirmed.
Polish minister warns of unilateral restrictions if EU doesn't extend ban on Ukrainian grain. Slovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, and Hungary support the extension of the EU ban on Ukrainian grain imports until the end of 2023, Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus said on Aug. 25, as cited by Reuters.
NGO: 11 deported Ukrainian children return home. The NGO Save Ukraine has arranged the return of 11 more Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia and occupied territories, the organization's head Mykola Kuleba said on Aug. 25.
Amb Linda Thomas Greenfield: This week, I spoke with a Ukrainian child who was forcibly deported to Russia, locked up, and interrogated. Thankfully, he is now back home, but we don’t even know the location of so many other children.
Finland announces military aid for Ukraine worth $101.5 million. For operational reasons and to ensure that the aid will safely arrive at its destination, specific details on the package's contents and on the manner of its delivery are not disclosed, the Finnish government said.
Slovenia joins G7 declaration on Ukraine's security guarantees. Slovenia has joined the Group of Seven's (G7) declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in a Twitter post on Aug. 25.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has expressed confidence that Germany will eventually agree to provide Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles, reports dpa, quoting Reznikov from an interview with German media.
Greece will not prolong air defense contracts with Russia, may send systems to Ukraine. Greece will not sign new contracts with Moscow on maintaining Russian-made air defense systems in the Greek military's arsenal and may instead send them to Ukraine via third-party countries, the Greek news outlet Pronews.gr reported on Aug. 24, citing a leaked official document.
This clip provided on Julia Davis’s Russian Media Monitor channel on YouTube is long-ish but it provides a view into the spin the Russians are struggling to put on Prigozhin’s death and the claim that Putin had nothing to do with it. It’s an extraordinary clip: “We’re not a gang, we’re not mafia. We’re a nation of laws,” says Solovyev.
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.
Hungarian PM Orban: “This strategy will not bring victory. I call for an immediate ceasefire because Ukrainians suffer from Western support,” Hungarian prime minister Orban said.
German magazine Der Spiegel has published a lengthy and detailed investigation into the attack on the Nord Stream pipeline. It cites German investigators – who are undertaking what one senior security official described as “the most important investigation of Germany’s postwar history because of its potential political implications” – and reported that “a striking number of clues point to Ukraine”.
Monique: I’ll be keeping on top of the investigation. For now, these are preliminary findings and I’m waiting for official statements.
The BRICS group will admit Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates to accelerate its push to reshuffle a world order it sees as outdated.
Reuters- The money mugshot: Former President Donald Trump returned to the site that was called Twitter when he last was there, using his mugshot from his booking at Fulton County Jail in Georgia to seek donations. "We want to put it on a T-shirt. It will go worldwide. It will be a more popular image than the Mona Lisa," said Laura Loomer, 30, a Republican former congressional candidate. Friends and foes alike are using the photo on T-shirts, shot glasses, mugs, posters and bobblehead dolls.
Efforts by Trump’s allies to move the criminal case to federal court are raising legal questions that could delay a trial, which may be a key part of their strategy. Trump is expected to ask for a transfer. One of his co-defendants, Harrison Floyd, remains in jail after telling a judge he cannot afford a private attorney and was denied bond.
Yana is Unbroken
I followed this story in the press. It’s about 12-year-old Yana Stepanenko, who lost both of her legs in April of last year in a russian missile strike on the Kramatorsk railway station. She was taken to California, to a rehabilitation centre that fitted her with prosthetics. The doctors who participate in the programme donate their expertise and time. She will need to change her prosthetics every year until she turns 18.
Yana is now part of a campaign—Unbroken Kids—which raises funds for rehabilitation equipment and prosthetics for children who have war-related injuries in Ukraine. Yana is now returning to Ukraine.
Boris Johnson on Putin
Former UK prime minister Boris Johnson has claimed that Russian president Vladimir Putin is “being transformed before our eyes into an Asiatic despot”.
The whole world knows full well - and is intended to know - that the man behind the killing of Prigozhin and the Wagner group leadership, not the mention the deaths of the crew, is the very same man who authorised, for instance, the poisonings in the UK of Alexander Litvinenko and Sergei Skripal.
Prigozhin thought he had guarantees … Prigozhin thought he had sorted it out. Look at that deal now. Look what happened to him. There is only one way forward - defeat for Putin, and victory for Ukraine, as fast as possible.
Dan Sabbagh: ‘That’s our guy’: how UK military chief became key Nato liaison in Ukraine
Eleven days ago, some of the most senior soldiers in the Nato alliance travelled to a secret location on the Polish-Ukrainian border to meet Ukraine’s chief military commander, Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi, for what was privately billed as “a council of war”.
It was no ordinary discussion: Zaluzhnyi brought his entire command team with him on the roughly 300-mile journey from Kyiv. The aim of the five-hour meeting was to help reset Ukraine’s military strategy – top of the agenda was what to do about the halting progress of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, along with battle plans for the gruelling winter ahead plus longer-term strategy as the war inevitably grinds into 2024.
Particularly notable was the presence not just of Nato’s military chief, the American Gen Christopher Cavoli, but also Adm Sir Tony Radakin, Britain’s most senior military officer, who is now acknowledged in Washington and Kyiv as an increasingly important actor in helping Ukraine overcome the Russian invaders.
UK Chief of Defence Staff, Adm Tony Radakin posted this message on Aug 18.
Following the recent visit to Kyiv, this week I travelled to the Polish/Ukraine border with Comd US EUCOM, General Cavoli. We met Ukraine’s Chief of Defence, General Zalunchny, and his senior team for a 5 hour discussion on the counter-offensive & plans for the winter & 2024.
Russia underestimates Ukraine’s resilience and resolve, continued military strength and expertise, and the solidarity of its allies.
Monique: the Russian authorities have recruited many people to act as propagandists on their behalf to direct their messages to Italian audiences. This is the case with Andrea Lucidi, who has a pro-Russian Telegram channel. He is a self-claimed ‘journalist’ and says he lives in Donbas. Lucidi operates within a network and alongside other Italian Kremlin-aligned propagandists.
A note about Italians working for Russian propagandists and disseminating their messages: The Russians had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find people who would work with them.
With the news of a breakthrough past Robotyne, Lucidi must have received his marching orders: Get to Mariupol and show that it is an idyllic seaside town and that everything seems to be normal. I expect an increase in his propaganda efforts, and will be monitoring his channel.
Julian Barnes, Russia Pushes Long-Term Influence Operations Aimed at the U.S. and Europe—NYT
A newly declassified American intelligence analysis says Russian spy agencies are using influence laundering techniques to hide the Kremlin’s involvement in cultivating pro-Russia and anti-Ukraine messages.
Newly declassified U.S. analysis looks at how Russian intelligence services, in particular the Federal Security Service or F.S.B., have been secretly using allies inside nominally independent organizations to spread propaganda and cultivate ties with rising leaders, efforts that are intended to play out over long periods of time.
Russian influence operations may have been dealt something of a blow in the aftermath of Yevgeny V. Prigozhin’s mutiny against the Russian military leadership and subsequent apparent assassination. Mr. Prigozhin, in addition to running the Wagner group, a private military force, founded and funded the Internet Research Agency. Although the organization was dissolved last month — after Mr. Prigozhin’s failed rebellion — the I.R.A. had been involved in running one of the most prominent troll farms that supported the candidacy of Donald J. Trump during the 2016 election by criticizing Hillary Clinton.
But the information released by the United States on Friday is designed to show how much deeper Russian influence operations are than those efforts to sow dissent on the internet. Instead, the influence operations are focused on developing a network of young leaders who the Kremlin hopes will support Russia or spread pro-Russia messages in their home countries, efforts not unlike the Soviet Union’s spy agency’s work to develop ideological allies and informants around the world.
A U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the newly released material described a group of so-called co-optees, who claim to be acting independently but in fact have been used by Russian intelligence agents to conduct influence operations against the United States. These operations include programs designed to build support for Russia among Americans and Europeans along with blunter efforts like fake grass-roots protests. The newly released material focuses on four Russians who have worked with Russian intelligence, including Natalia Burlinova, who was named in a Justice Department indictment that was unsealed this year. [continue]