Wednesday, August 7

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian firefighters work to extinguish a fire at the site of a missile strike in central Kharkiv on Aug. 6, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images)

Moscow claims clashes with Ukrainian troops on Russian soil, Kyiv hasn’t commented. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that Ukrainian soldiers broke into the territory of Russia’s Kursk region on Aug. 6.

Russian helicopter, tanks reportedly destroyed in fighting across border in Kursk Oblast. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed earlier in the day that up to 300 soldiers of Ukraine’s 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, equipped with tanks and armored vehicles, had allegedly attacked Russian units near the border settlements of Nikolaevo-Darino and Oleshnya in Kursk Oblast.

Ukraine launched more drones than Russia in July, Zelensky claims. “We do not disclose all the details now, but our capacity to produce drones is constantly growing, and we are working not only with state funding, but also with partners to invest in our drone production,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Ukraine’s missile program to get additional funding, Zelensky says. Ukraine will allocate additional funding for the country’s missile program, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 6.

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Arrival of F-16s has not changed US’ policy on Ukrainian strikes inside Russia.

The United States will decide on the use of American-made weapons provided to Ukraine, including F-16 fighters, for strikes in Russia depending on the situation on the battlefield and the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to the State Department.

Ukraine’s project helps to locate 588 missing Russian soldiers. Some 533 of the Russian soldiers were found alive among the number of POWs, and 100 of them had already been released to Russia as a part of a prisoner exchange.

Russia reportedly begins slowing YouTube speeds amid censorship spat with Google. Widespread YouTube outages have already been reported across Russia starting earlier in August.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Moscow claims clashes with Kyiv’s troops in Russia

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that Ukrainian soldiers broke into the territory of Russia’s Kursk region on Aug. 6. The statement came after Russian pro-war Telegram channels wrote that a sabotage and reconnaissance group with heavy equipment had entered the Kursk region in the morning.

Photo: Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine gave a glimpse of its first F-16s – what can it tell us?

President Zelensky unveiled two of the first U.S.-made fighter jets sporting blue-and-yellow roundels and a Ukrainian coat of arms in a ceremony on Aug. 4. While providing few details, the footage published by the president gave some glimpse into what kind of aircraft Ukraine received and how it intends to use them.

Photo: Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine

Harris VP pick Governor Tim Walz good news for Ukraine

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Walz has been a vocal advocate for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, signing legislation barring state agencies from doing business with Russian and Belarusian companies.

Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Pro-Ukraine lobbying efforts bet on Trump pivot to look tough on Putin

Some experts and Ukraine watchers say Trump could now lift his chances by reversing course to look stronger on the world stage than Putin by presenting himself as more capable of helping Ukraine than Harris.

Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian missile attack on Kharkiv kills 1, injures 12, including infant. Russia struck Kharkiv’s Shevchenkivskyi city district with an Iskander missile at around 10 a.m., damaging a clinic, cars, and other civilian infrastructure, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Russian officials say 5 civilians killed, 20 injured in fighting across border in Kursk Oblast. Acting governor Alexei Smirnov reported via his official Telegram page that five civilians, including two ambulance crew members, were killed and at least 20 were wounded as a result of a cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast.

Russian attack on Kherson injures at least 5. A Russian drone dropped explosives on Kherson’s outskirts. Two men, aged 53 and 57, as well as three women, aged 37, 46 and 68, suffered injuries and were hospitalized, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

Opinions and insights

Opinion: Something is rotten in the state of Russian arms industry

“A recent shake-up of Russian military leadership, including the dismissal of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his deputies and the subsequent series of arrests of Russian military leaders on corruption charges, might signal dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs at the highest level,” writes policy researcher Khrystyna Holynska.

Photo: Gavriil Grigorov/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

International response

Council of EU approves $4.6 billion under Ukraine Facility. The funds will support “Ukraine’s macro-financial stability and the functioning of its public administration.”

Mexico invites Putin to its presidential inauguration, Russian media reports. Mexico has invited Russian leader Vladimir Putin to attend the Oct. 1 inauguration of President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, Russia’s Izvestia newspaper reported on Aug. 7, citing the Mexican embassy in Russia.

Niger joins Mali in breaking diplomatic ties with Ukraine. The West African nation of Niger is severing diplomatic relations with Ukraine, two days after neighboring Mali made a similar announcement following reports of rebel clashes with Wagner mercenaries.

Putin asks Iran for measured response against Israel, sources tell Reuters. Russia’s National Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu reportedly delivered President Vladimir Putin’s message personally, emphasizing that civilian targets should be avoided.

Estonia charges citizen who wrote for Russian state media with treason. Svetlana Burceva was arrested in March after it was revealed that she wrote for the Russian state sponsored Balt News —an arm of the Kremlin-run RT news outlet.

Czechia sentences volunteer who fought in Ukraine to 7 years in prison for looting. Siman was also accused of illegal service in foreign armed forces, for which he did not receive permission from the Czech president. The court acquitted him of this charge, as Prime Minister Petr Fiala said earlier that there would be no punishment for Czech volunteers in Ukraine.

Richard Verma to replace Penny Pritzker as US Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery. “Special Representative Penny Pritzker has been a tireless advocate of Ukraine’s economic recovery,” U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Ukraine at Olympics

Lawmaker Beleniuk to start his last Olympic run aiming for back-to-back gold. The 33-year-old Greco-Roman wrestler from Kyiv has been contemplating retirement for years, acknowledging that combining parliament work and professional sports isn’t an easy task.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Katya Denisova, Martin Fornusek, Kateryna Hodunova, Nate Ostiller, Toma Istomina, Daria Svitlyk, Elsa Court, Oleksiy Sorokin, Francis Farrell, Abbey Fenbert, and Olena Goncharova.

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