Live briefing from RFE/RL brings you the latest developments on Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Western military aid to Kiev, global responses and the plight of civilians and refugees. For all of RFE/RL’s coverage of the war, click here: Here.
Current developments at a glance
- The Ukrainian naval and military intelligence services have attacked and damaged a former offshore gas platform used by Russian forces in the Black Sea, the Navy spokesman said on August 10.
- Russia has imposed Anti-terrorist operations in Kursk, the site of a Ukrainian military incursion, and two nearby regions, as well as in Bryansk and Belgorod.
- Russia declared a “federal state of emergency” in the Kursk region on August 9. The announcement came hours after a Ukrainian military strike on an airfield there.
- The death toll from a Russian attack on a supermarket in Kostiantynivka, a town in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, has risen up to 14a local official said, and 43 people were injured.
- Ukrainian special forces conducted an amphibious assault on the Russian-occupied Kinburn Spit in the Black Sea, killing about 30 Russian soldiers and destroying six armored vehicles, Ukrainian military intelligence said on August 9.
- The United States announced on August 9 $125 million in new military aid for Kiev, while Ukrainian forces are pushing ahead with a surprise offensive on Russian territory.
On the battlefield, Russia is taking advantage of a window of opportunity that Ukraine is trying to close
The situation no longer looks as bleak for Ukraine as it did in the spring. Although many of its front lines have been stabilized, Ukraine still faces concentrated Russian attacks that appear to be aimed at achieving tangible successes before more Ukrainian soldiers and Western weapons appear on the front lines. Read Mike Eckel’s story Here.
Ukraine receives permission from the US to attack targets in Russia. What now?
Ukraine has been given the green light by Washington and more than a dozen NATO allies to use Western weapons against some targets in Russia. Is this a turning point? Read Mike Eckel’s story Here.
Why is Ukraine attacking Russia’s oil refineries?
Russia announced it would better protect oil refineries after several were hit by Ukrainian drones. Ukraine continues to attack the facilities despite US warnings about such attacks and is launching ever-larger swarms of drones. The attacks have reduced the refineries’ output, but other than boosting morale in Ukraine, the impact so far has been moderate. Read Todd Prince’s story Here.
US weapons are coming to Ukraine. But the Russian armed forces are ahead.
Lack of ammunition, personnel and fortifications mean Ukraine’s defenses are nearing collapse. US weapons are on the way, but they may not arrive in time to slow Russia’s advance. Read the story of Mike Eckel and Todd Prince Here.
With ATACMS in hand, Ukraine wants to neutralize Putin’s fortress in Crimea
Russia has spent billions since 2014 to militarize the Crimean region occupied by Ukraine. Since 2022, it has been a starting point for air strikes and a staging area for armed forces on the Ukrainian mainland. Now Kyiv believes it can counter the threat from the peninsula with US long-range ATACMS. Read Todd Prince’s story Here.
Many critics, few enthusiasts as Ukraine tries to fill its ranks in the fight against the Russian invasion
After long delays and heated debates, Ukraine’s parliament has passed a mobilization law designed to bolster the army as Russian troops continue to gain ground. There are significant doubts about whether the watered-down, fragmented law can fix a recruitment system that is widely seen as broken. Read the story of Aleksander Palikot Here.
Ukraine has no navy. But it is defeating Russia in the Black Sea.
The landing ship, reportedly sunk off Crimea last week, is one of nearly two dozen Russian warships that Ukraine has seriously damaged or sunk since the full-scale invasion two years ago, an extraordinary number of naval losses inflicted by a country that does not currently even have a navy. Read Mike Eckel’s report Here.
Is Russia banking on its ability to “outlast the West’s attention span” to defeat Ukraine?
Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to waste many lives and money to defeat Ukraine, argues Professor Peter Roberts, senior associate fellow at Britain’s Royal United Services Institute. In an interview with RFE/RL’s Georgia service, Roberts says Putin is in it for the long haul and is banking on the West’s short attention span to defeat Ukraine. Read the interview with Vazha Tavberidze Here.
Interactive: The occupied and militarized Crimea
While the Ukrainian leadership vows to recapture all territories seized by Russia, Moscow has prepared extensive defensive measures, particularly in Crimea, a region illegally annexed in 2014. The territory, which is now under Russian occupation, has been massively militarized with numerous air bases and military bases, making it one of the most heavily fortified zones in the war. View the interactive map from Crimea.Realities, Schemes, RFE/RL’s Ukrainian service and the central newsroom. Here.
