Russia Selenskyj: More control in the Kursk region - pressure in Pokrovsk
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, the Ukrainian armed forces have taken further areas under their control during their invasion of the Kursk region in Russia.
It is about areas on the border with Ukraine, Selensky said in his evening video address. The head of state did not give any details. However, he also said that the stock of Russian prisoners of war had been replenished for a further possible exchange.
"Thank you soldiers! This is what helps us to bring our people back home from Russian captivity," said Selensky. The last prisoner exchange took place last week. The Ukrainian troops had invaded Russia on August 6.
Meanwhile, Russia introduced access restrictions in the Kursk region in the city of Kurchatov, where the nuclear power plant is located. Checkpoints were set up on the roads. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, also expressed concern during a visit to the Kursk nuclear power plant on Tuesday that the reactor could be damaged by shelling in the course of the fighting. He warned of the danger of a nuclear incident.
According to Selenskyj, the Kursk offensive is preventing Russia from increasing the already high pressure on the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk even further, as it has to concentrate on defending its territory. However, the pressure in the Donetsk region has not yet decreased. Western military observers attested to the progress made by Russian troops in the Pokrovsk district. Zelenskyi also acknowledged problems.
Difficult situation in the Ukrainian region of Pokrovsk
"It is extremely difficult in the Donetsk region, the most important Russian efforts and the largest forces are concentrated right there," said Zelenskyi. "What is very important now is the resilience of each of our units, our ability to destroy the occupier."
The people of Pokrovsk have been ordered to flee. The authorities have ordered the evacuation of the city in view of the impending advance of Russian troops. According to the report, 38,000 people are still in the city, including 1,900 children. The head of the Donetsk military administration, Vadym Filashkin, announced that all banks in Pokrovsk would close from Monday. Only ATMs will still be working.
For Russia, the capture of the city, which is important because it is a railroad junction, is the next stage in the war of aggression against Ukraine, which has been going on for more than two and a half years. One of Moscow's main objectives is to bring the Donetsk region, which until now has been largely occupied, completely under Russian control. Russian troops have recently repeatedly captured towns and villages in eastern Ukraine.
Drone attacks during the night
During the night, Russia's armed forces reportedly repelled several Ukrainian drone attacks. Unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down in the border region of Bryansk, the state news agency Tass reported, citing the governor of the region. According to the report, no one was injured and there was no damage.
The Russian military also repelled a Ukrainian attack on Sevastopol in the south of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which is annexed by Moscow. Two drones were shot down over the sea, the governor Mikhail Razvoshaev announced according to Tass. Civilian facilities in the port city were not damaged.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced that artillery units had taken out a Ukrainian drone control center, including a launching device and enemy soldiers. No details were given about the location of the incident.
In Ukraine, there was an air alert in large parts of the country. The Ukrainian air force warned of major Russian attacks using combat drones. Air defenses were active in the capital Kiev, among other places.
Power cuts due to destroyed energy infrastructure
Following the heavy Russian air strikes against the Ukrainian energy infrastructure in recent days, repair work on the facilities is continuing. The Ukrainian utility Ukrenergo (Ukrenerho) announced further power cuts for this Thursday, which may affect up to half of the consumers in each region at certain times. Shutdowns are planned from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. (2 p.m. CEST to 9 p.m. CEST).
"The repair teams, relevant municipal services and government agencies are working as hard as they can," said Selenskyj. "We must ensure that the deficit is reduced." At the same time, the President said that the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on Wednesday had again discussed strengthening air defense in order to protect the country's critical infrastructure from Russian attacks.
Zelensky calls for release of long-range missiles
"All our partners must become more active, much more active, in order to counter Russian terror," emphasized Selensky. As in previous days, he reiterated his call for the release of long-range Western missiles to be used to fire on Russian territory.
"We continue to insist that their determination - the lifting of restrictions on long-range missile strikes for Ukraine - will help us to end the war as quickly as possible in a fair way for Ukraine and the whole world," said Zelensky. So far, restrictions have been imposed on the use of Western weapons against targets on Russian territory.
Moscow had repeatedly warned of a further escalation in the war if NATO states were to release the long-range missiles they had supplied to Ukraine to fire at targets far into the Russian hinterland. So far, Ukraine has been using its own drones and missiles for this purpose. Zelenskyi reported on Tuesday that Kiev had now developed its own ballistic missile and had already tested it.
What will be important on Thursday
The foreign ministers of the 27 EU member states are meeting in Brussels for their first meeting after the summer break. The agenda also includes discussions on the situation in Ukraine, which is under attack from Russia. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is expected as a guest, among others, and will also once again call for the Western allies to release long-range missiles for attacks on Russia.
