Ukraine blows hole in another Russian bridge
The Ukrainian air force says it has attacked another bridge in Russia’s Kursk region.
Footage posted on a commander’s Telegram channel shows an attack on a bridge in Zvannoe, Kursk over the Seym river.
This is the same river over which another key bridge was destroyed by Ukrainian strikes earlier this week.
Ukraine’s destruction of infrastructure in the area is believed to be an attempt to hamper Russian supply lines or reinforcements.
Air force commander Lt General Mykola Oleshchuk wrote: “Minus one more bridge! The aviation of the air force continues to deprive the enemy of its logistical capabilities with accurate airstrikes, which significantly affects the course of hostilities.”
Key events
Belarus sends third of army to border “in case of war”, says president
We’ve had more details come through on the wires from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on his movement of troops to the Ukrainian border.
Minsk has deployed nearly a third of its armed forces along the entire border, the Belta state news agency reported.
The exact number of soldiers was not specified, but Belarus’ professional army consists of 48,000 and around 12,000 state border troops, according to the 2022 International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Military Balance.
The president, a staunch ally of Vladamir Putin, claimed Ukraine had stationed more than 120,000 troops at its border with Belarus.
“Seeing their aggressive policy, we have introduced there and placed in certain points – in case of war, they would be defence – our military along the entire border,” Belta cited Mr Lukashenko as saying in an interview with Russian state television.
Kyiv did not immediately respond to a Reuters’ request for comment. Yesterday, Kyiv said it had seen no signs of a Belarusian troop buildup at the border.
Belarusian defence minister Viktor Khrenin said on Friday there was a high probability of an armed provocation from Ukraine and that the situation at their shared border “remains tense”.
Lukashenko said the Belarusian-Ukrainian border is mined “as never before” and that Ukrainian troops would incur huge losses if they tried to cross it.
Kursk offensive puts new pressures on Russian frontline, analysts say
Ukraine’s offensive in Kursk has generated frontline-wide pressures on Russian forces, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
Vladimir Putin is almost certain to attempt to retake the Russian territory, which will require more manpower and equipment from elsewhere in the theatre, the US-based thinktank said.
Long-term, Putin will be forced to make a decision about committing more resource Russia’s long international border with Ukraine, imposing “constraints” on theatre-wide planning that “Russia previously did not face”.
“The Ukrainian incursion in Kursk Oblast and the heightened Russian priority of maintaining the tempo of offensive operations in Donetsk Oblast will likely place greater strain on Russia’s remaining operational reserves and likely begin to impact Russia’s ability to sustain consistent offensive operations throughout the theatre,” the ISW said.
“Further Russian redeployments to Kursk Oblast would also further weaken Russia’s ability to sustain offensive operations in northeastern and eastern Ukraine.”
NEW: It is too early to assess the outcomes and operational significance of the Ukrainian incursion into Russia and the ongoing Russian offensive effort in eastern Ukraine. 🧵(1/14)
1/ The Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast has already generated theater-wide operational and… pic.twitter.com/DCg9vAGswl
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) August 18, 2024
Russian forces capture village in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, TASS reports
Russian forces took control of the village of Svyrydonivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, the TASS state news agency reported on Sunday, citing the defence ministry.
The Guardian could not independently verify the battlefield report.
Belarus deploys troops along entire border with Ukraine
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Sunday that Ukraine has stationed more than 120,000 troops at its border with Belarus.
Minsk had sent military formations along its entire border in response, Russia’s RIA state news agency said.
Lukashenko, an ally of Vladimir Putin, said the Belarusian-Ukrainian border is mined “as never before” and that Ukrainian troops would incur huge losses if they tried to cross it.
Ukraine blows hole in another Russian bridge
The Ukrainian air force says it has attacked another bridge in Russia’s Kursk region.
Footage posted on a commander’s Telegram channel shows an attack on a bridge in Zvannoe, Kursk over the Seym river.
This is the same river over which another key bridge was destroyed by Ukrainian strikes earlier this week.
Ukraine’s destruction of infrastructure in the area is believed to be an attempt to hamper Russian supply lines or reinforcements.
Air force commander Lt General Mykola Oleshchuk wrote: “Minus one more bridge! The aviation of the air force continues to deprive the enemy of its logistical capabilities with accurate airstrikes, which significantly affects the course of hostilities.”
US’s anti-Russia policy driving global security to brink of WWIII, says North Korea
Anti-Russian policies of the US are driving the global security environment to the brink of World War III, North Korean state media said on Sunday.
North Korea condemned Ukraine’s incursion into Russia as an unforgivable act of terror backed by Washington and the West, adding it will always stand with Russia as it seeks to protect its sovereignty, state media announced.
Good morning and welcome to our blog covering developments in the Russia-Ukraine war as Ukraine says has it repelled a Russian missile attack on Kyiv.
Agence France-Presse reports that air raid sirens sounded in the Ukrainian capital before dawn on Sunday.
“This is the third ballistic missile attack on the capital in August with a clear interval of six days between each attack,” the Kyiv city military administration posted on Telegram after the early morning barrage.
Simultaneous to the missile attack, drones were spotted heading to Kyiv.
“All enemy drones were destroyed far outside the city,” it added.
No damage or casualties were reported from the attack, which the administration said had “most likely used North Korean ballistic missiles of the KN-23 type”.
The United States and Seoul have accused North Korea of providing ammunition and missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
Kyiv has repeatedly called for its allies in the west to provide more air-defence systems.
Last weekend, a 35-year-old man and his four-year-old son were killed in an overnight Russian missile attack near Kyiv. Three other people were seriously injured.
Concern has deepened after Moscow vowed a “tough response” to the recent Ukrainian advance into the Russian territory of Kursk.
In other developments:
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The UN’s nuclear watchdog warned on Saturday that the safety situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was “deteriorating” after a nearby drone strike. Earlier on Saturday, Russia accused Ukraine of dropping an explosive charge on a road near the occupied plant in southern Ukraine.
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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy says his forces are “strengthening” their positions in Russia’s Kursk region where Kyiv has been mounting a major ground offensive. He said his army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, had reported that Ukrainian troops continued their advance and also took more Russian servicemen as prisoners.
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Ukrainian drones attacked an oil storage facility in Russia’s southern Rostov region early Sunday morning, sparking a large fuel fire, the local governor said. Videos published on social media showed thick black smoke and bursts of flames coming from the site of the blaze, which the governor said was in the town of Proletarsk. There were no reported injuries.