- Russia-Ukraine Daily News
- Posts
- Daily Briefing
Dear Reader, if you find this email interesting, helpful or of value, please do consider forwarding it to your friends or colleagues and encouraging them to subscribe. Thank you.
Morning Headlines
Reuters: The FBI earlier this month searched the homes of two Americans with ties to Russian state media, including a former United Nations weapons inspector and an adviser to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's 2016 campaign. More searches are expected soon and criminal charges are possible, the New York Times reported.
The Kyiv Independent: Explosions were heard in the Russian town of Kalach-na-Donu in Volgograd Oblast overnight on Aug. 22, following what appears to be a drone attack. The incident was reportedly followed by a fire at a nearby airfield.
Reuters: Russia will take steps to respond after Latvia made it harder for Russian citizens to extend residence permits, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the RIA news agency on Thursday.
ISW: The Kremlin appears to have launched an intricate messaging campaign aimed at justifying to its domestic audience why Russia is prioritizing maintaining the initiative in eastern Ukraine over immediately expelling Ukrainian forces from Kursk Oblast.
More News
The Kyiv Independent: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees will allocate $30 million to support Ukraine's front-line areas during this winter, the Reintegration Ministry said on Aug. 21.
Meduza: After two years of security theater in Russia’s Kursk region, Ukraine’s cross-border offensive has exposed the failures and deceptions of officials there — and now they’re living in fear of the consequences.
The Kyiv Independent: The Russian Prosecutor's Office requested up to 24 years in prison for 23 Ukrainians who had served in the Azov Brigade, Russian independent media outlet Mediazona reported on Aug. 21.
POLITICO: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz defended his country's aid to Ukraine on Wednesday, after his government came under fire for cutting funds in a savings push.
Reuters: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday his forces understood what Moscow was attempting to do on the Pokrovsk front in eastern Ukraine, scene of Russian advances, and that Kyiv was strengthening its forces accordingly.
The Kyiv Independent: Budapest is close to finalizing talks on "balanced" oil supply after Ukraine blocked the transit of Russian oil through the Lukoil pipeline, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Aug. 21 after a government meeting.
The Moscow Times: Major banks in Kyrgyzstan have suspended money transfers to Russia via their mobile apps following U.S. sanctions, local media reported Wednesday.
Reuters: Ukraine said on Wednesday it had destroyed Russian pontoon bridges with U.S.-made weapons to defend its incursion into Russia's Kursk region, while Moscow said its forces had halted Kyiv's advance there and gained ground in eastern Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent: Russia is planning new disinformation campaigns against Ukrainian refugees in Europe, Vadym Skibitskyi, the deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency, said during an event in Kyiv on Aug. 21.
Meduza: The Kremlin is using state media and propaganda to convince the Russian public that Ukrainian troops on its soil are the "new normal" as it comes to terms with the idea it may not be able to push Kyiv's forces out in the immediate future.
AFP: Ukrainian civilians on Wednesday fled areas close to the frontline as Russian troops steadily seized more territory across the eastern Donetsk region.
Switzerland's government said on Wednesday it has decided to join further European Union measures in the bloc's 14th sanctions package against Russia.
Reuters: A Hungarian programme easing visa restrictions for Russians and Belarusians will involve the same security screening as other residence permits, the interior minister said in a letter published on Wednesday, amid European Union concerns over espionage.
The Moscow Times: Russian election authorities announced Wednesday that upcoming local races in parts of the southwestern Kursk region held by Ukrainian forces would be postponed until Moscow regained control over those areas.
Reuters: Ukraine's parliament voted on Wednesday to ratify the Rome Statute, officials said, allowing the country to join the International Criminal Court in a step Ukrainian leaders have cast as central to Kyiv's European aspirations.
BBC News: A new law has come into force in Hungary which threatens to push thousands of Ukrainian refugees on to the streets or back to Ukraine. The regulation restricts state support for Ukrainians to those who come from parts of Ukraine directly affected by the fighting caused by Russia's invasion.
Reuters: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he will "share perspectives" on the peaceful resolution of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia during his visit to Kyiv this week, more than a month after he travelled to Moscow.
Reuters: Ukraine's military said on Wednesday it struck an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system based in Russia's southern Rostov region overnight.
worth mentioning
Any Russia-Ukraine peace deal unlikely to be just, Czech president warns
If Ukrainians did destroy Nord Stream, they may have been justified, Czech president argues
Netherlands to buy over 50 drone detection radars for Ukraine
Putin manipulated Donald Trump’s ‘ego and insecurities’, book says
Georgia on path to Putinism, opposition leader says as ruling party threatens total ban
Russa-Ukraine Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Do you think your friend or colleague should know about this newsletter? Forward it to them, please.They can also sign up here
Please consider supporting my work