Saturday, August 3

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers of the ‘Da Vinci Wolves’ battalion prepare a mortar in the direction of Pokrovsk, Ukraine, on 31 July 2024. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Pokrovsk sector scene of ‘most severe battles,’ Zelensky says. Speaking in his daily address on Aug. 2., President Volodymyr Zelensky said those fighting in the Pokrovsk sector “are in many ways the basis of defense in the entire east of our country.”

Crimean Bridge could be destroyed in coming months, Budanov says. The bridge was heavily damaged by Ukrainian strikes in October 2022 and July 2023, prompting Russia to take steps to further defend the structure.

Occupied Crimea hit by Ukrainian missile attack, Russia claims. Possible ATACMS missiles and drones targeted Russian-occupied Crimea overnight on Aug. 2, occupation authorities claimed amid reports of explosions in multiple locations on the peninsula.

Drones hit warehouses, fuel tanks in Rostov Oblast. An overnight drone strike caused damage to targets in Russia’s Rostov and Oryol oblasts on Aug. 3.

Odesa’s Russian street names should be renamed to avoid ‘living in the past,’ governor argues. Kiper made the statement after Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov criticized the renaming of streets on Aug. 1, claiming that Odesa City Council had “nothing to do with this.”

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Turkey ratifies free trade zone agreement with Ukraine. Turkey ratified an agreement on a free trade zone with Ukraine on Aug. 2, more than two years after the agreement was originally signed.

Ukraine estimates 700,000 people will leave country in 2024-2025. Ukraine expects 400,000 more people will leave country in 2024 and 300,000 in 2025, according to the National Bank of Ukraine’s (NBU) report published on Aug. 1.

Kremlin skeptical about participation in Ukraine’s second peace summit. Russia is allegedly ready for peace talks to end the war in Ukraine but does not trust the Ukrainian authorities, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Ukrainian special services train Mali rebels to operate drones, media reports. “We have links with the Ukrainians, but just as we have with everyone else, the French, Americans, and others,” said Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the pro-independence coalition.

48% of Ukrainians view Zelensky’s party negatively, survey says. The recently registered party of volunteer, politician, and media personality Serhii Prytula has the highest ratings of positive attitude among Ukrainians at 28 %, the survey shows.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine’s second Ada-class corvette launched in Turkey

A new Ada-class multi-purpose corvette built in Turkey for Ukraine was launched in Istanbul on Aug. 1, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said. The ship, named after Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi, is the second vessel of its class constructed for Kyiv in Turkey after the corvette Hetman Ivan Mazepa was launched in October 2022.

Photo: President of Ukraine

Poland and Ukraine to form a military unit from Ukrainians in Europe

Kyiv and Warsaw have agreed to form and jointly train a new army brigade on Polish soil, betting the initiative could help recruit some of the scores of Ukrainian men living in Poland and other EU countries. The so-called Ukrainian Legion will be the first army formation to recruit Ukrainian volunteer fighters from abroad.

Photo: Dominika Zarzycka/NurPhoto via Getty Images

War interrupts bizarre trial of top journalist assassination in Ukraine

Two years ago, a man and two women – a Ukrainian rock musician turned soldier, a military medic, and a female pediatric surgeon – faced potential conviction in one of Ukraine’s most high-profile assassination cases: the 2016 car bombing of journalist Pavel Sheremet.

Photo: Vasyl Shevchenko/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 2, injure 16 over past day. In Kharkiv Oblast, Russia struck the Derhachi community at 9 a.m. local time, hitting a bus and injuring six people, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Ukraine brings back bodies of another 250 fallen soldiers. The bodies will be sent for forensic analysis and identification before being handed over to their families for burial, the headquarters said.

General Staff: Russia has lost 580,590 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. This number includes 1,100 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

Opinions and insights

Opinion: Russian Kh-101 missile with US components continues killing Ukrainians en masse

“While Russian officials claim the Kh-101 is made entirely of Russian components, research by the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO) and our partners reveals that many critical foreign components are present in this and other Russian missiles,” writes Olena Tregub, executive director at the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO).

Photo: Valentyna Polishchuk/Global Images Ukraine

International response

China claims its Ukraine peace plan has support of more than 110 countries. China officially declares itself a neutral party to Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine and has denied providing lethal aid to both sides, but Beijing and Moscow continue to develop closer ties, most recently with Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting his counterpart Xi Jinping in May.

Talks on historic prisoner swap between West, Russia took over 2 years, Reuters reports. The Kremlin was ready to start talks as early as February 2022 after the arrest of American basketball player Brittney Griner, who was jailed for nine years for possession of a vape with hashish oil, Reuters wrote, citing U.S. officials.

Trump criticizes Russia-US prisoner swap as ‘win for Putin.’ The historic Aug. 1 prisoner swap was a “win for Putin,” Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump claimed during an interview with Fox Business on Aug. 2.

Released in prisoner swap, Ilya Yashin vows to return to Russia. Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Bonn, Germany, Yashin said he had fought against being released, as a life in exile would effectively end his political opposition work in Russia.

Azerbaijan starts supplying gas to Slovenia. Slovenia started to receive natural gas from Azerbaijan on Aug. 1, as European countries diversify away from Russian supplies of fossil fuels.

Ukraine at Olympics

Ukrainian high jumpers Mahuchikh, Gerashchenko reach Olympics finals. Ukrainian high jumpers Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Iryna Gerashchenko qualified for the 2024 Olympics on Aug. 2. They will represent Ukraine in the high jump finals on Aug. 4.

Video: Street culture unites displaced people in Lviv

In other news

EU considering suspension of funding to Georgia as ‘foreign agents’ law comes into effect. The European Commision’s spokesperson, Peter Stano, reiterated the EU’s concerns over the law, calling it “a step backward” on the country’s path to European integration.

Ukrainians see customs, parliament, Cabinet of Ministers as most corrupt, survey shows. Respondents were asked to name up to three areas or institutions where, in their opinion, corruption is most prevalent.

Mali rebels claim they killed 84 Wagner mercenaries during recent battles. In a post on X, the Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad, said it killed 84 Wagner fighters and 47 Malian troops.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Martin Fornusek, Kateryna Hodunova, Elsa Court, Daria Svitlyk, Toma Istomina, Chris York, Olena Goncharova, and Abbey Fenbert.

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