As the war enters its 914th day, here are the top developments.
Here is the situation on Tuesday, August 27, 2024.
Struggle
- At least seven people were killed and 47 wounded, including four children, when Russia attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructure in 15 regions with waves of drones and missiles, causing severe damage and disrupting supplies. Russia confirmed the strikes, which it said were aimed at facilities supporting the military-industrial complex.
- Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of Ukraine's Air Force, said the country's forces shot down 102 of the 127 missiles and 99 of the 109 drones that Russia launched. He called the attack “the most massive” since Russia began its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
- Poland said an object, possibly a drone, had entered its airspace during the Russian bombing and may have landed in Polish territory.
- US President Joe Biden condemned what he called a “shocking attack” and reiterated his country’s “unwavering” support for kyiv.
- At least one person was killed and four wounded after a Russian missile hit a building in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, said Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the military administration of Kryvyi Rih. Five people are believed to be still trapped in the rubble.
- Reuters news agency reported that its journalist Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey was in critical condition in hospital after a missile hit a hotel in Kramatorsk where he was staying with a six-person Reuters team. Security adviser Ryan Evans was also killed in the attack, while another journalist, Daniel Peleschuk, was treated for his injuries in hospital and released. The other three are safe.
- Russia said it had attacked Ukrainian forces in at least 12 different locations in its Kursk region with air, artillery and infantry strikes. Moscow said it also repelled attacks in seven more locations in Kursk, where Kiev launched a surprise cross-border assault on August 6. It added that it had also attacked Ukrainian forces in 16 other locations in the neighbouring Sumy region.
- The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said he would personally lead an inspection mission to Russia's Kursk nuclear power plant during a visit on Tuesday, noting the “grave situation.”
- Local authorities in Russia's Saratov region reported that four people were injured in a Ukrainian drone attack in the cities of Saratov and Engels. Engels is home to a military airfield that Ukraine has previously attacked.
Politics and diplomacy
- Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the war in Ukraine, the White House said in a statement. Modi visited kyiv last week, the first visit by an Indian leader to Ukraine since the country gained independence in 1991. Modi posted online that he “reiterated India’s full support for the early return of peace and stability.”
- The trial of Laurent Vinatier, a French citizen accused of illegally collecting information on military matters, will begin on September 3, a Russian court announced. If convicted, Vinatier could be sentenced to up to five years in prison. The researcher, who works for the Geneva-based NGO Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, was arrested in June.
- Russia was the only member of the UN Security Council not to attend an informal meeting in Switzerland, during which the 14 members present reiterated their commitment to international humanitarian law. The Russian envoy in New York called the meeting a “waste of time.”
Arms
- Ukraine claims to have developed a new long-range weapon, the Palianytsia, to strike deep into Russia. Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said the weapon would provide “answers” to a wave of Russian bombings.
