Day 550: Air alert went off in all regions of Ukraine on Sunday morning. Kiev plans to re-enlist soldiers. All information in the news blog.
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Ambassador Makeiev: Russia had time to barricade itself
10:17 a.m.: The Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, cites hesitant military support from Western partners as one reason for the currently difficult Ukrainian counter-offensive. “Russia had time to barricade itself in,” Makeiev said in Deutschlandfunk’s “Interview of the Week.”
“It took a long time to prepare and equip the Ukrainian brigades, brigades of attack.” These brigades are now full of Western weapons and ammunition. He also referred to the debates in Germany about the delivery of armored personnel carriers and anti-aircraft systems.
Russia’s Navy ends three-week Pacific exercise with China
7.51 a.m.: According to an agency report, associations of the Russian and Chinese navies have completed a joint patrol trip in the Pacific. Some of Russia’s largest warships took part in the more than three-week exercise, the Interfax news agency reported on Sunday, citing the Russian fleet.
Joint anti-submarine and anti-aircraft drills were carried out during the patrol. The associations covered more than 7,000 nautical miles, including through the Sea of Japan and the Bering Sea. They drove along the Kuril Islands, which have been causing tensions between Japan and Russia for decades.
Experts: Ukraine is making significant advances on the southern front
7.12 a.m.: The Ukrainian army is apparently making significant progress in the Zaporizhia region. This is what the experts at the US think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) report after evaluating several Ukrainian and Russian sources. Accordingly, the Ukrainian forces advanced near the city of Orikhiv to the south. According to Western assessments, the Russian defense lines there are probably the best positioned.
US General Mark Milley said on August 25 that Ukrainian forces are attacking key Russian defenses along Ukraine’s axis of advance. Reuters news agency quoted a Ukrainian commander as saying that Ukrainian forces believe they have breached the most difficult Russian line of defense in the area and will now be able to advance faster. They had advanced into areas where they had only encountered Russian logistics groups. A Russian military blogger also reported on Ukrainian attacks on rear defense lines. According to ISW estimates, the Ukrainian army will soon encounter other Russian defense lines, which are likely to be weaker than before.
One of the central goals of the Ukrainian counter-offensive is to cut a swathe through Russian-held territory and thus cut the land connection between Russia and Crimea.
Russia reports: Two drones shot down over border area with Ukraine
6.59 a.m.: According to the Defense Ministry, Russian armed forces have repelled drone attacks on areas bordering Ukraine. One drone each was shot down over the Bryansk and Kursk regions, the ministry announced on the Telegram news service. It was not initially announced whether there were casualties or damage.
Air alert: rocket attacks on several regions of Ukraine
4.23 a.m.: A nationwide air alert was triggered in Ukraine on Sunday night. Earlier there had been reports that Russian bombers had taken off. The Ukrainian Air Force reported on Telegram of massive rocket attacks, including on the western city of Lviv. Some rockets are said to have been sighted in the Sumy region and also near the capital Kiev. Cherkassy governor Ihor Taburez wrote in his Telegram channel that the central Ukrainian region had activated air defenses. The population in several regions was called on to seek protection. Nothing was initially known about damage or possible injuries.
