Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 08-23-2024

Despite early hopes that the Kursk offensive would divert Russian forces, Ukraine now faces intensified pressure in Pokrovsk, with the situation becoming increasingly dire.

Despite the Ukrainian military’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, Moscow has not only not transferred troops from its offensive toward the Donetsk region city of Pokrovsk, but also reinforced them, according to a report by The Economist.

Citing sources within Ukrainian security forces, the report says that while Russia has redeployed troops from other sections of the eastern front, it has chosen to strengthen its forces around Pokrovsk.

Chuck Pfarrer, a former SEAL Team Six Squadron Leader, analyzes the success of Kyiv’s surprise offensive in the Kursk region.

It's unclear if Modi could be an effective dealmaker. He still has good relations with Putin, giving him a hug last month on the same day Russia bombed a children's hospital in Kyiv.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenksy on a historic visit to Kyiv on Friday, where he is pushing for a solution to end more than two years of war with Russia.  

Modi embraced Zelensky – who looked visibly emotional – at the Mariinsky palace in Kyiv, in the first ever visit by an Indian premier to Ukraine.   

Residents living close to the oil and gas inferno in its sixth day reported yet more explosions overnight while Russian officials still insist the situation is under control.

A second wave of Ukrainian long-range kamikaze drones slammed into an already-burning Russian fuel storage facility near the Azov Sea port city of Rostov early on Friday morning, setting off new explosions as emergency responders continued to struggle to control the expanding six-day-old blaze.  

Local media and chat groups reported at least two further blasts having taken place at the Rostreserv petroleum products storage site, near the village of Proletarsk, some 150 kilometers (94 miles) inland and to the east of Rostov.

India maintains good contacts with the West and Moscow and calls for a peaceful solution to the Ukraine war. This has provoked speculation about whether Modi might want to act as a mediator.

After visiting Warsaw, India's prime minister Narendra Modi has continued on to Kyiv for talks. India maintains good contacts with both the West and Moscow and is calling for a peaceful solution to the Ukraine war through dialogue. This has provoked speculation about whether Modi might want to act as mediator. Commentators discuss the pragmatics.

Can't hurt

Fighters of the Third separate assault brigade overran Russian battalion defense positions and took control of nearly two square kilometers of occupied territory in a successful counterattack.

Troops of the Third Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) announced they had executed a series of counterattacks in the Kharkiv region, securing nearly two square kilometers of the front line.

“Official: The Third Assault Brigade is advancing in the Kharkiv region, reclaiming territories!” read a message from the brigade on Telegram.

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine during a visit to Poland on Thursday, pledging India's support and saying that no conflict can be solved on a battlefield. “We support dialogue and diplomatic effort" for the restoration of peace and stability "as soon as possible," Modi said following talks with Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Tusk said that India could play an important role in bringing an end to the war being waged on Ukraine by India's strategic partner, Russia, on the other side of Poland's eastern border. "I am very glad that the prime minister has confirmed his readiness to personally engage in bringing about a peaceful, just and speedy end to the war," Tusk said. He added that "history has taught our nations how important it is to respect rules, borders, territorial integrity, sovereignty of states and the rule of law." - VOA

Modi arrived in Kyiv early this morning by train from Kyiv for a one day visit. It marks the first by an Indian leader. One of Modi’s first official acts was to lay flowers at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Kyiv. He is traveling with his national security advisor and foreign minister. The head of the Presidential Administration, Andrij Yermak, told India Today that the visit is historic and that deep and meaningful discussions are expected. One India-based analyst said Modi’s visit to the region is to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties with Central Europe. Parotting official talking points, Indian journalists accompanying Modi said India is a peacemaker and that the war is “adversely impacting’ the Global South.

Many of the exhibitors at this year’s Russian arms expo said their shiny new products had been developed from lessons learned over the course of operations in the war against Ukraine.

Russia’s International Military-Technical Forum “Army-2024” was held from Aug. 12 to 14 at the exhibition center of the Patriot Park near Moscow. The exhibition covered about 160,000 square meters (1.7 million square feet), where around 1,000 enterprises from defense industries of Russia, Belarus, Iran, India and China displayed more than 28,000 military and dual-use products.

Many of the exhibitors claim their latest products had captured feedback from users in the air, on the sea, and on the Ukrainian land-based battlefield. In that case, it is worth looking at some of the most interesting developments and ask will the lessons learnt in Ukraine have real applications in 21st century warfare and when, if ever, will they appear in Ukraine.

The Golden Tryzub or Trident, one of Ukraine's state symbols, has come to assume a very special, sacral meaning during this crucial period in the nation's history.

The Tryzub symbol has featured in Ukrainian lands since the Middle Ages, as the powerful state of Kyivan Rus flourished here. A trident symbol has evident in cultures from Europe to India since time immemorial, carried by Poseidon, Neptune, Shiva, Vishnu, and other deities. Plato said a golden trident and azure garments were worn by the kings of Atlantis in his Timaeus written between 360 and 355 BC.

Atlantis is believed to have perished in the Deluge eleven and a half millennia ago that Poseidon was said to have survived. Not all of the terrain of what is now Ukraine was submerged, so there is reasons to assume that the Golden Trident and the colors of the Ukrainian flag – azure and golden – had their origin in Atlantis.

Modi is casting himself as a possible peacemaker, two and a half years after Russia invaded and weeks into a major Ukrainian counter-offensive into Russian territory.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kyiv on Friday for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky. He is expected to push for a settlement to end the war with Russia during his historic visit.

Modi is casting himself as a possible peacemaker, two and a half years after Russia invaded and weeks into a major Ukrainian counter-offensive into Russian territory.

Has Ukraine regained the initiative in Russia’s war against it.?

Something is definitely changing in respect to the Ukrainian strategy in its war with Russia.

Yes, all the focus has been on the new Ukrainian INVASION of Russia in Kursk. But, [there have also been] major Ukrainian long-range strikes against significant Russian military assets in Lipetsk, Murmansk, Moscow, St Petersburg, Krasnodar, Novorossiysk, et al.

Kyiv Post's Jason Smart was the only Ukrainian news reporter invited to attend the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in Kyiv on Friday morning.

Kyiv Post's Jason Smart was the only Ukrainian news reporter invited to attend the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in Kyiv on Friday morning.

Modi generated controversy in Ukraine after visiting Moscow last month. During the Prime Minister's meetings with Press Vladimir Putin, Russia carried out a deadly missile attack on the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital that killed dozens.

The ferry, reportedly carrying 30 fuel tanks, was targeted by what is believed to be a Neptune missile launched from the Odesa region.

Ukraine sank a Russian ferry carrying fuel tanks in an aerial attack on a southern Russian port Kavkaz next to the annexed Crimean peninsula on Thursday, August 22, Russian officials reported, initially describing it as an "attempted terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime."

Kyiv has heavily targeted Crimea -- a key logistics and military hub for Moscow -- since Russia launched its full-scale military offensive in February 2022.

What else happened at the Democrat's National Convention at which its star, presidential candidate Kamal Harris affirmed her strong support for Ukraine.

It was Kamala Harris's big night Thursday but she wasn't the only US Democrat to knock it out of the park during a week of rousing speeches, celebrity cameos and lashings of hope and joy.

Here are some takeaways from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Modi came to Warsaw on Wednesday, on the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Poland in more than four decades.

Polish President Andrzej Duda and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on Thursday to discuss a range of issues, including strengthening bilateral relations and the global impact of the Ukraine war.

Modi came to Warsaw on Wednesday, on the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Poland in more than four decades.

President Vladimir Putin has opted for his go-to style of downplaying uncomfortable news, referring to the largest incursion in Russia since World War II as "the situation that has developed."

The Kremlin's response to Ukrainian soldiers controlling a slice of Russia's Kursk region has been muted so far, as it gets on with business as usual rather than making threatening speeches.

President Vladimir Putin has opted for his go-to style of downplaying uncomfortable news, referring to the largest incursion in Russia since World War II as "the situation that has developed."

Commanders within the Ukrainian military have anonymously voiced concerns over poor training and flaws within the mobilization drive that they said have enabled Russian advances.

Poor training and issues prevailing in Ukraine’s mobilization drive have led to subpar performances that enabled Russian gains in eastern Ukraine, said military commanders.

Speaking to AP News, Ukraine’s military commanders have voiced concerns over incidents where some recruits “don’t want to shoot” due to poor training, which has contributed to Russia’s creeping advances to merely 10 kilometers (6 miles) away from the Donetsk region stronghold of Pokrovsk, a critical logistics hub for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

Russian propagandists allege that Ukrainian forces unable to advance have resorted to the use of chemical weapons in an attempt to break through Russian defensive positions.

Pro-Russian milbloggers have begun to spread false claims on Telegram that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have carried out a chemical attack on Russian troop positions in the Kursk region, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD).

The posts say that the AFU resorted to a chemical attack due to the “impossibility of breaking through” Russian defenses.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• The Russian military command recently redeployed elements of at least one Russian airborne (VDV) regiment from western Zaporizhia Oblast in response to Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk Oblast, possibly in an effort to stabilize the lines and improve command and control (C2) over Russian conscripts.
• The Russian military command reportedly heavily committed elements initially intended for the Russian offensive effort in northern Kharkiv Oblast to the defense of Kursk Oblast.
• The Kremlin may be taking steps to address its border vulnerabilities amid the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast and following a series of unsuccessful long-term efforts to improve Russian border security.
• Ukrainian forces marginally advanced throughout their salient in Kursk Oblast amid continued Russian efforts to stop these advances on August 22.
• Recent Russian advances in the Pokrovsk direction appear to have prompted Ukrainian withdrawals from limited positions southeast of Pokrovsk, and Russian forces have likely failed to achieve their apparent objective of tactically encircling Ukrainian forces in the area.
• The tempo of Russian aviation operations is reportedly decreasing throughout most of the theater, although this decreased tempo may be temporary, and its cause is unclear.
• Ukrainian forces conducted a series of successful strikes against targets in Volgograd Oblast and Krasnodar Krai on August 22.
• Russian forces recently advanced north of Siversk, within Chasiv Yar and southeast of Toretsk and Pokrovsk.
• Russian State Duma Committee on Information Policy Head Alexander Khinshtein stated on August 21 that the Russian Union of Journalists and Ministry of Digital Development submitted a bill to the Cabinet of Ministers proposing to grant veteran status to journalists who have worked in Ukraine, the "counter-terrorism operation" zone in Kursk Oblast, and other unspecified combat zones.