Bob Homans August 20

20220821

Ukraine – 8/21 Sitrep
Compiled by: Robert Homans
Twitter: @rhomansjr
August 21, 2022

Teaching of the Russian Language in Kyiv Schools

Starting on Sept. 1st, the beginning of the School Year, the Russian language will no longer be taught in Kyiv’s schools.  Here are some impromptu interviews about removing Russian from Kyiv’s schools.   

Most of the interviews took place on what used to be called “Red Army Street,” near the Olympiysky Metro Station.  My old office building can be seen in the background.   The “Babushka” talking about whether her grandchildren and great grandchildren should learn Russian seems to best capture the change in attitude toward Russia and the Russian Language.

Language has been an extremely controversial issue in Ukraine since its independence from the former Soviet Union, and prior to that when what is now Ukraine was part of either the Russian Empire, Poland, or Austria-Hungary.   It will not go away.  

In 2005, when I first came to Ukraine one could hear both Russian and Ukrainian on the streets of Kyiv.   A few years later, probably by 2008, English replaced Russian as the 2nd language in Kyiv’s schools.  Russia wasn’t reticent in their criticism.  However, it became easier for non-Ukrainian speakers like me to ask for directions, etc.   Today, it is quite common to hear English on the streets of Kyiv.

In 2012, under Yanukovich’s Presidency, Parliament passed a law that gave languages including Russian co-equal status with Ukrainian, in Districts (like counties in the U.S.) where over 10% of the population spoke a language other than Ukrainian.   It was called the Russian Language Law, but the law never specifically mentioned Russian, and it was never fully implemented because of the expense.   Under the law a District, no matter how small its population, would be obligated to ensure its courts, city administrations, legal agreements, etc., were drawn up both in Ukrainian and the other language.

The passage of the Russian Language Law was a sop to Yanukovich’s Russian speaking supporters in Donbas.   It was very unpopular in Kyiv, especially among students.   In August 2012 students from one of the universities in Kyiv launched a hunger strike on the steps of Ukraine House, in the City Center.   Yanukovich’s police surrounded the strikers, not letting anyone in.   Strikers leaving to get medical care were likely arrested at the hospital.

On a Saturday in August 2012, my wife came home from teaching at a university, where many of the students had joined the strike.  She asked me if I knew an expat doctor who might be able to talk his/her way through the police lines to care for the strikers.  I asked around and, not finding anyone, did the next best thing.   I emailed Jeff Bewkes, a Stanford Business School Classmate and at the time CEO of Time Warner, owner of Turner Broadcasting that included CNN.  

Even though at the time he was attending the annual Allen & Company Media Conference in Sun Valley, Jeff replied within 30 minutes and copied the CEO of Turner Broadcasting.   Within days, CNN did two broadcasts, one on the Russian Language Laws and the other on the hunger strike.  As I like to say, cockroaches don’t like the light being shined on them.   I have never forgotten Jeff’s response; he is an unsung hero.

After the end of the Revolution of Dignity, the first thing that the new Interim Government did was repeal the Russian Language Law.   Russia claimed that the repeal was a pretext for its invasion of Crimea.  There was blowback from the West, perhaps because of Russian propaganda, claiming that by repealing the Russian Language Law Ukraine was discriminating against Russian speakers.   Unfortunately, most of Ukraine’s western critics hadn’t read the law which, as stated earlier, never specifically mentioned Russian.

Ukrainians living in predominately Russian speaking areas of Kherson, Odesa, and Donbas, temporarily occupied by Russia, have stayed loyal to Ukraine.   As these regions are liberated from Russian control, Ukraine needs to be extremely careful, in how they handle the language issue.

A Double Denys

The first is Denys’ video covering situation on the ground, especially the fighting in the East.

Denys’ second video covers the Russian parade down Kreshchatyk, the main street of Kyiv.   The parade took place yesterday.  As you may remember, Russia had planned a victory parade soon after they took Kyiv in 5 days.   They were a bit late.

During the warm months it is often the custom of the City to close down Kreshchatyk to vehicular traffic, allowing young families, pensioners and others to enjoy the warm day.  Such was the case yesterday, during the Russian parade.   Russia deserves a great deal of thanks, for providing the occasion.

8/21 Sitrep (my comments in bold face)

Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon August 20 to 12:00 noon August 21, 2022.

Abbreviations:

RMA = Regional Military Administration

MLRS = Multiple Launch Rocket System

AFU = Armed Forces of Ukraine

INTERNATIONAL

August 21

08:01  Yle: The energy company Fennovoima from Finland is starting a legal process against “Rosatom”, demanding about 2 billion euros. Fennovoima has terminated the contract with "Rosatom" for the construction of NPP "Khanchikiwi" due to significant delays and the inability of the Russian company to complete the project of the nuclear power plant.

August 20

23:28 European Truth: The Austrian Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Ulyanov and stated that he was "outraged by his inhuman statements."

●         "We are outraged by the contemptuous statements of the Russian permanent representative and his attempts to put into perspective what is not subject to discussion," the diplomatic department stressed.

●        "We stand for freedom of speech. But we are also free to speak out strongly against such hurtful language. Therefore, the permanent representative of Russia, Mikhail Ulyanov, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Sunday.

21:57 Head of the foreign policy committee of the parliament: The Czech Parliament supported the EU visa ban for Russians.

●        "I've been advocating this for a long time. This was to be one of the first sanctions. It is absurd to support the murder of women and children in Ukraine, and then go to have fun in the EU and laugh at us, how stupid we are."

●        Also, a number of senators and parliamentarians of the Czech Republic expressed their agreement with the initiative.

●        And the chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Policy, Defense and Security, Pavel Fisher, advocated careful taxation of Russian property.

20:39 : The Polish Ministry of Defense promised an adequate response to Russia's transfer of hypersonic missiles "Dagger" near Kaliningrad and recalled the principle of NATO's collective security.

●        According to Polish Deputy Defense Minister Wojciech Skurkiewicz in an interview with PAP, Poland is completely protected from any external threats thanks to NATO membership.

●        "If any threat arises, the fifth article of the North Atlantic Treaty - that is, the formula "one for all and all for one" - will be applied", – the deputy minister says.

20:25 Politico: The United States plan to send Excalibur guided howitzer projectiles to Ukraine in the future. They are used for 155 mm artillery.

●        Excalibur - long-range high-precision projectiles. Deviation from the target reaches at least two meters. According to the company, one such projectile can replace, on average, at least ten conventional ones.

19:15 US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury: Russian legal entities and individuals are trying to use Türkiye to circumvent the sanctions that were imposed by the United States, the European Union and partners after February 24.

●        According to Adeyemo, more than 30 countries have imposed sanctions against Moscow since the start of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine.

18:31 : The first meeting of the permanent joint mechanism, which was created as a result of the signing of a memorandum between Finland, Sweden and Türkiye, will be held on August 26, – Anadolu.

●        It is worth noting that, within the framework of the memorandum, Finland and Sweden pledged to fully support Türkiye in the fight against all threats to its national security and made a number of obligations, the implementation of which can be discussed at the upcoming meeting.

17:58 Polish Radio: The head of the Institute of National Memory of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, wants to complete the process of decommunization of public space as soon as possible.

●        “In the last three months alone, we have removed 20 Soviet monuments, but there are 60 on our list. This is a very fast pace, but this is an issue that should have been resolved a long time ago”.

17:34 Website of the International Court of Justice: The European Union has provided the UN International Court of Justice with its information on the case of Ukraine against Russia. The case concerns the genocide of the Ukrainian people by the Russian Federation.

17:33 BBC: $75 million Russian superyacht Axioma will be auctioned off. The ship was impounded in Gibraltar in March 2022 for debts.

●        The American bank JP Morgan said that the owner Dmitrievich Pumpyansky did not repay a loan of 20 million US dollars. And at the request of the financial institution, Axioma was arrested.

●        Hopefully J.P. Morgan will turn the auction proceeds over to Ukraine.

16:19 : The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine demands that Austria expel the permanent representative of the Russian Federation to international organizations in Vienna, Mykhailo Ulianov, who urged "not to spare the Ukrainian population".

14:19 Defense Minister: Lithuania is preparing the 30th package of military assistance to Ukraine.

●        "Since the beginning of the war, 28 shipments of military support have been sent to Ukraine from Lithuania. Departures 29 and 30 are already being prepared!"- he said.

●        Former Pres. Obama used to like to say that countries like Lithuania “punch above their weight.”  Former Pres. Obama had no idea.

13:53 Member of the US House of Representatives: The United States also announced that a radiation release caused by the Russian Federation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant will be considered an attack on NATO.

●        "It's really not even discussed. Any leak will kill people in NATO countries, this is an automatic Article 5".

13:34 : Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas on the day of the restoration of the country's independence urged to support Ukraine.

●        "We know the price of freedom and the value of democracy. We all need to help those who are now fighting for this, especially Ukraine,"- she said.

12:59 Reuters: European low-cost carrier Wizz Air postpones indefinitely the resumption of flights from Moscow to Abu Dhabi due to widespread criticism and calls for a boycott of the company.

12:50 : Today, two ships with grain left the Ukrainian port "Chornomorsk ", - the Turkish Ministry of Defense reports.

●        Also, in the north of Istanbul, 2 ships arriving from Ukraine will be inspected.

12:28 : Portugal, following Greece and Cyprus, did not support the idea of ​​banning Russians from entering the EU.

●        The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal argued its point of view as follows: "The main purpose of the sanctions is to punish the Russian military machine, and not the Russian people".

12:16 Radio Liberty - US Department of Defense: The Pentagon does not see any progress in the advancement of the Russian army.

●        The representative of the ministry stated that the positions of the enemy in Ukraine had significantly weakened. At the same time, the US Department of Defense is very cautious about the explosions at the Russian airfield in Novofedorivka in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

12:07 : The United States expressed concern that Russia is trying to evade sanctions with the help of Türkiye.

●        This was stated by US First Deputy Treasury Secretary Adewale Adeyemo during a meeting with Turkish Deputy Finance Minister Yunus Elitash.

●        The US Treasury Department said government members met to discuss efforts to enforce and enforce anti-Russian sanctions.

12:06 Secretary of State: The United States has already provided more than $10 billion in military assistance to Ukraine and plans to continue to help make a difference on the battlefield

●        He noted that, together with the United States, more than 50 countries of the world are aiding Ukraine.

●        According to Blinken, yesterday's military aid package signed by Biden was the 12th. Including it, the total amount of military support for Ukraine from the Biden administration is about $10.6 billion.

NATIONAL

August 21

11:59 : British Intelligence:

●        Since the start of the invasion Igor Girkin, a Russian hard-liner and formerly an FSB officer and minister in the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic, has become an increasingly outspoken critic of the Kremlin’s handling of the war in Ukraine.

●        Girkin posted a grudgingly admiring critique of President Zelenskyy’s conduct during the war. He contrasted this with Russia’s situation where 'at the end of the sixth month of the war as before [we] play tank biathlons and hold festivals of military bands’.

10:59 President’s Office:  The work of the Russian air defense in Crimea is a consequence of the Ukrainian attacks.

●        “All the numerous explosions and fires are means of destruction. We did not hit anything significant yesterday or today, unfortunately," says Arestovych.

●        According to him, "we have a serious operational success: Russians take aviation from Crimea to Russia.”

●        The U.S. is now providing Ukraine with HARMS missiles, designed to home in on radiation emitted by Russian air defense systems.  It is possible that HARMS, mounted on modified MiG 29s, was used against the Saky Airbase in Crimea.   Using HARMS should allow Ukraine to starting taking out Russian anti-aircraft systems based in Crimea.

10:21 Ministry of Defense of Türkiye: Seven more ships with grain left Odesa ports.

●        As part of the grain shipment, four vessels left the Ukrainian port "Chornomorsk", two ships left "Odesa” port, and one left “Pivdennyi” port.

09:04 Institute for the Study of War: 

●        Russian occupation officials in Crimea are likely considering strengthening security on the peninsula following the attacks on Russian military infrastructure, and such measures may draw Russian security forces away from the front lines.

08:22 :  Operational report of the General Staff of the AFU:

●        In the Sloviansk direction, the Russians conducted reconnaissance battle in the direction of Pasika - Bohorodychne, had no success, withdrew.

●        The Russians tried to carry out assault operations in the direction of Brazhkivka - Nova Dmytrivka and Sulihivka - Nova Dmytrivka. They suffered losses and retreated.

●        In the Donetsk direction, the Russians are trying to continue their offensive. In the Kramatorsk direction, they have conducted an offensive in the direction of Berestove - Ivano-Darivka but had no success.

●        In the Bakhmut direction, the Russians conducted offensive battles in the direction of Pokrovske - Bakhmutske and Semyhiria - Zaitseve but had no success, so withdrew. The fighting continues in the Zalizna Balka - Niu York and Novoselivka - New York directions.

●        In the Mykolaiv direction, the Russians are conducting an offensive battle in the direction of Vasylka - Blahodatne, have partial success. They have occupied the southern outskirts of the Blahodatne settlement. The fighting continues.

07:26 :  Operational Command “Pivden” (South) reports.

During the day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed :

●        the base in Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia;

●        On August 21, at 3 a.m., the air-defence missile units of the Operational Command “Pivden” (South) destroyed two cruise missiles of the "Calibr" type, which the Russians had launched from the Black Sea.

●        ammunition depot and base in Chornobaivka, Kherson region; ammunition depot in Polohove district, Zaporizhzhia.

●        Russian troops tried to storm the Kherson region

○        The Russian Mechanized Rifle Company, supported by three tanks, attempted three assaults from Oleksandrivka in the direction of Tavriiskyi but had no success.

●        Ukrainian military destroyed depots and command posts of Russians in Chornobaivka and Starytsia.

○        The Russian army was reduced by 75 men, a corps self-propelled cannon 2S5 Giatsint-S, two T-72 tanks and six armoured vehicles.

00:47 British Ambassador to Ukraine: As of today, August 20, 127 thousand citizens of Ukraine have arrived in Britain under the Homes for Ukraine program.

And Great Britain still can accept Ukrainians who temporarily left their country due to Russian aggression.  

00:33 : The Cabinet of Ministers has banned the sale of imported products without the Ukrainian language on the label.

●         Importers of food products to Ukraine will again be required to label them in the state language.  The corresponding resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers canceled the previous norm, which allowed, during martial law, to sell food products, information about which is presented in a language other than the state language.

August 20

23:45 : The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on Twitter wrote a message addressed to the Russian Federation

●         "Russians, so you want to destroy Europe? How do you plan to do it without visas? ... and without the permission of the Armed Forces of Ukraine? How?"

22:53 Oleksii Arestovych:  Commented on the mass poisoning in the Russian troops.

●        “For the troops of the Russian Federation, something is not going well again - if not HIMARS, then canned food is unusable. Mass poisoning in the Russian troops - 22 people seriously ill at 17 pm, and some went to Sevastopol. We are lost in conjectures, but it seems that the rear services there have messed up something with canned food,” he said.

22:46 : #IndependenceInMyHeart campaign will be held in 24 countries of the world on Independence Day of Ukraine

●        In 53 cities in the USA, Canada, Australia, Europe and Asia, people will take to the streets to draw attention to the struggle of Ukraine, which has been going on continuously for six months."

19:49 Ministry of Infrastructure: In the 20 days since the start of the "grain corridor", 27 ships left the Ukrainian seaports, carrying a total of 670,000 tons of agricultural products.

●        18 vessels entered the ports for loading. Also under consideration are about 40 applications for calling at ports.

●        "Ukraine adheres to its obligations to the world in the fight against global hunger. Thanks to the allies for the implementation of security guarantees in the Black Sea".

19:39 : Military expert Oleh Zhdanov believes that the Russians are scaring Ukraine and the world with a terrorist attack at the ZNPP, but they need this station in working order. As a result of the accident, the Russian Federation itself, which is located closest to Zaporizhzhia, will also suffer. It is unlikely that the Russian Federation will resort to a nuclear catastrophe.

●        Moreover, the disaster at the Zaporizhzhia NPP means NATO's entry into the war, but on one condition.

●        "If, one of the countries falls under a radioactive cloud as a result of an accident at the ZNPP, this will be regarded as an attack. Why? Because the penetrating radiation is the same in a nuclear explosion, as in a terrorist act with nuclear energy", – he says.

19:05 Minister for Digital Transformation: People from 110 countries of the world joined the UNITED24 platform in three months of operation, and the total amount of charitable contributions exceeded $175 million.

18:39 Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:

●        In the Kramatorsk direction, the Russians tried to conduct an offensive in the directions of Spirne - Ivano-Dariivka and Mykolaivka - Vyimka to no avail.

●        In the Bakhmut direction, the Russians tried to improve the tactical situation in the directions of Striapivka - Soledar, Pokrovske - Bakhmutske, Pokrovske - Bakhmut, Vershyna - Zaitseve, Vershyna - Kodema, Maiske - Zaitseve, Maiske - Kodema, Semyhirria - Zaitseve with offensive and assault actions. They had no success, received a tough rebuff.

●        In the Avdiivka direction, the Russian troops fought unsuccessful offensive battles in the directions Horlivka-Maiorsk, Spartak-Oprosne, Donetsk-Pisky, Staromykhailivka-Pervomaiske.

●        On the Novopavlivka direction, the Russian army waged an offensive battle in the direction of Blahodatne - Zolota Nyva. They had no success, they left.

●        In the Pivdennyi Buh direction, the Russian Federation focuses its main efforts on maintaining the occupied areas and holding down the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They are trying to improve the tactical situation in the Mykolaiv direction.

●        The troops of the Russian Federation are conducting an offensive battle in the direction of Vasylky - Blahodatne.

18:17 Operational command Pivden "South":

●        Ukrainian aviation attacked a stronghold of the Russian Federation near Ivanovka in the Kherson region.

●        Ukrainian artillery hit the positions of Russian troops

●        "Rocket and artillery units, performing fire missions, reduced the Russian army by 10 Russians and 2 units of armored vehicles. The final losses of the Russian Federation are being reconnoitered``'.

18:06 Newsweek - President's Office: Ukraine will not allow what happened in Afghanistan and Iraq - where the United States sent military equipment worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and in the end, it went to the enemy.

●        “After September 11, 2001, the United States, its allies, and partners sent hundreds of billions of dollar’s worth of military equipment to Afghanistan and Iraq. Unfortunately, some of these funds ended up in the hands of the enemy. This will never happen in Ukraine, not least because Ukraine has already demonstrated something that none of these countries has - the desire to fight for itself"

●         Western arms control is one of President Zelensky's priorities:

●        “This assistance is a matter of life and death for us, and I can assure the American people and their elected representatives that Zelenskyi and his administration see the effective deployment of weapons not only as a top priority, but as a sacred duty to the Ukrainian people. That is why Zelenskyi implemented levels of control and accountability to ensure oversight of assistance provided to Ukraine"

16:43 Associated Press: The US plans to buy 150,000 tons of Ukrainian grain to overcome the food crisis in the world.

●        The head of the World Food Program (WFP), David Beasley, notes that the final destinations of grain have not yet been confirmed.

17:56 Inform Napalm : AnUkrainian machine gunner made a remote fire control system with his own hands and skillfully "stowed" the infantry of the Russian Federation. The Russians, who had been making their way to his position for a long time, were surprised when the fighter himself was not found.

●        "The invaders tried for a long time to smoke out the shooter, and when they finally reached the position with heavy losses, they saw that the machine gunner was working remotely"

●        "He didn't give us life!" – Russian soldiers complain in the video.

17:27 Pentagon: The Armed Forces of Ukraine have upgraded their MiG-29 fighters to use American AGM-88 HARM missiles.

15:30 Request of journalists: Oleksii Arestovych is not on the list of either full-time or unpaid advisers to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

●        The OPU provided a list that, as of August 18, the president and the leadership of the OP had 46 full-time and unpaid advisers.

●        However, Oleksii Arestovych is not among the advisers. Therefore, he is not an adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

●        A significant percentage of comments made by the OPU to the press in the name of the President are made by Arestovich.

14:09 : The Cabinet of Ministers has returned the norm on mandatory labeling of products in the Ukrainian language, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy reports. Thus, there should not be goods on sale, information about which is presented in a language other than the state language.

●        At the same time, food products imported into the territory of Ukraine from March 9 to December 1, 2022, information about which is presented in a foreign language, may be in circulation until the expiration date.

13:22 Directorate of Intelligence Ministry of Defense: A Russian, in an intercepted  conversation, Soldier tells his father that their sniper, who served in a PMC, considers the Russian army to be crap.

●        "We have a sniper who served in the PMC. I decided to try what the Russian army is. He says: "Shit, I won't go again,"- he notes.

●        The soldier also said that "conscripts" serve immediately in the war in Ukraine, but all the military thought to go to Syria or Nagorno-Karabakh, where, in their opinion, it is much safer.

13:05 Ukrainian Defense Minister:  Included in the new US $775 million military aid package:

●        ammo for HIMARS,

●        16 105mm howitzers+ammo,

●        15 Scan Eagle drones

●        40 MaxxPro Vehicles

●        HARMs

●        50 HMMWVs

●        1,500 TOW missiles

●        1,000 Javelins

●        2,000 anti-armor rounds

●        other equipment

MORDOR (Russia)

August 21

11:23 :  Russian soldiers were reprimanded for exploding on a mine and damaging the Ural-4320.

●        "The Russian Armed Forces command is not interested in the life and health of servicemen, but in equipment. Soldiers of the Russian Eastern Military District drove a mine while driving a Ural-4320 vehicle through Ukraine, as a result of which 5 servicemen were injured. However, instead of taking care of their soldiers, the command issued reprimands to the drivers for omissions in service, expressed as a result of the loss of the Ural-4320", says the journalist Roman Tsymbaliuk.

09:58 RMA:  Russians plan to start the academic year on Russian programs in the captured schools of the Kherson region.

Parents who do not apply children to attend school will be fined 148,000 rubles. Also, Russians threaten families with eviction and confiscation of property.

09:52 Journalist Roman Tsumbaliuk: The Russian Armed Forces Command continues to reduce its military units due to the impossibility of compensating losses among its personnel.

●        The number of resignations from military service (mainly they try to resign due to health reasons or the end of a contract) is constantly increasing.

●        "They are reducing one platoon per company in the 69th Separate Covering Brigade of the 35th Combined Arms Army. In the future, they can reduce several companies," says the journalist.

09:41 :  Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine :

●        «Our soldiers are surrendering», the Russian military tells about the mass refusal of the soldiers and is sure that they will soon be withdrawn.

09:21 :  The details of the death of the propagandist Dugin’s daughter. According to eyewitnesses, the explosion in the car driven by Daria Dugina occurred under the bottom of the transport.

●        After that, the SUV burst into flames, drove off the road and flew into a building near the track.

●        Andrei Krasnov, the acquaintance of the deceased, confirmed that the car belonged to her father, Alexander Dugin.

00:34 : In the Moscow region, the daughter of a famous public figure Alexander Dugin was blown up.

●        The explosion occurred near the village of Bolshie Vyazemy.  Previously, the car exploded while driving.  The girl died on the spot.

●        (Dugin is the father of the ideology Putin espouses.)

00:03 : Head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Refat Chubarov reports that explosions sounded in the sea near Alupka.

August 20

22:31 : Medvedchuk's son-in-law was spotted in Mariupol

●        Andriy Ryumin suddenly arrived in the temporarily occupied Mariupol. He allegedly arrived in the city with an inspection as the general director of PJSC "Rosseti"

●        Ryumin allegedly inspected the restoration of the city's power grid facilities, and visited a number of other Russian-occupied settlements in the Donetsk region.

●        (Medvedchuk is a prominent pro Russian Ukrainian oligarch arrested for treason charges and is related to Putin)

21:32 : Air defense is working again in Sevastopol, - the so-called governor Razvozhaev confirmed the information.

20:56 : Sergey Shoigu said that the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is starting mass production of Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missiles.

●        Also, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation will continue the production of hypersonic missiles "Dagger".

20:56 : Russian search engines, at the request of Roskomnadzor, began to label Telegram as a violator of the legislation of the Russian Federation.

●        TikTok, Zoom, Discord and Pinterest are also tagged with the same tags.

18:54 Local media: Air defense systems went off in the Olenivka area in the Chornomorskyi district of the temporarily occupied Crimea.

16:20 : Russian media report about an assassination attempt on the so-called "mayor of Mariupol" Kostiantyn Ivashchenko.

●        An explosive device was planted at the entrance to the Mariupol Zoo, and went off at the moment he arrived. It is reported that Ivashchenko was not injured.

15:58 : In temporarily occupied Crimea, emergency measures are being taken after a series of attacks on military facilities. This is stated in a letter from the so-called "head" of Crimea, Serhii Aksyonov.

●        In particular, it is envisaged to prohibit public discussion of incidents. Stop accepting new tourists. Those who are already on vacation are advised to leave the peninsula.

●        At the same time, preliminary registration is introduced for movement along the Crimean bridge.

●        Smoking will also be prohibited within a 1 km radius of critical civilian and military infrastructure.

15:46 : Ukrainian hackers hacked Russian TV broadcasts in the temporarily occupied Crimea and reminded residents who the peninsula Crimea belonged to.

●        A video was broadcast of russian television, beginning with the words of Volodymyr Zelenskyi: " Everyone who seized the precious land of Crimea must remember: this is not the land where they will be safe".

15:41 : The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for the first time officially announced that the so-called "ex-head of administration" of the Kherson region Volodymyr Saldo was poisoned.

●        The agency also reported that several Russian soldiers were hospitalized on July 31 with signs of the same poisoning in the Zaporizhzhia region.

●        "As a result of the examination, a poisonous substance, botulinum toxin type" B ", was found in the body of military personnel,- the Defense Ministry said.

14:55 Governor of the Bilgorod region of the Russian Federation: 49 houses and a school on the territory of the Tymonovskyi rural settlement were damaged as a result of recent explosions at an ammunition depot.

KHARKIV

August 21

10:27 RMA: 

●        Last night there was no shelling of the Kharkiv.

●        Missile strikes were carried out on the region

●        Around midnight, a rocket launch was recorded from the Russian city Belgorod. In the village of Rohan, Kharkiv district 1 missile hit an unfinished private house and caused a fire. Two people, a 36-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman, were injured.

●        Two rockets hit the village of Dokuchaievsk, Kharkiv district, damaging the economic buildings of the educational institution. There was a fire. No casualties.

August 20

21:40 RMA: In the Kharkiv region, curfew before Independence Day will be extended.

●        On August 22, the curfew will begin at 19:00 and end the next day at 7:00 in the morning. From August 23 from 19:00 it will last until 7:00 am on August 25.

●        The police will step up patrols in the Kharkiv region.

19:21 : Russian soldiers during the occupation of Tsyrkuny in the Kharkiv region filmed their crimes on a stolen phone. The Russians were identified by the photos that were uploaded to the online storage, – the head of the investigative department of the Kharkiv region Serhii Bolvinov says.

"It is interesting that they come from large cities - Moscow, Kursk, Nyzhnii Novhorod. That is, they must have seen bottles of alcohol and washing machines before. But, judging by the behavior of these individuals, everything is clear with them and their sad fate" – Bolvinov adds.17:33 Kharkiv City Council: 18 people were killed as a result of the shelling by Russians of a hostel in the Saltivskyi district of Kharkiv on August 17.

●        City officials say rescuers have recovered three more bodies. ""One man, other bodies in such a state that they need to be studied by an expert"", – the report says.

LUHANSK

August 21

10:52 Department of Agro-industrial Development:  Russians offer 7 rubles per litre of milk to farmers in the Luhansk region.

●        Last year farmers were offered 20 hryvnias per litre of milk. That’s seven to eight times higher than it is now.

09:10 RMA: 

●        In the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian military repelled 13 Russian attacks. Russians used aviation in 6 settlements.

●        Russian artillery and rocket artillery tried to push the Ukrainian military back from the defensive redoubts 7 times. The Russians hit the populated areas twice.

●        Russian troops attacked from different sides, in some places - twice a day, but everywhere they had to retreat. The fighting continues in two more areas.

●        Russians give 60 thousand rubles for information on the location of men (for conscription). Relatives and neighbours take money without hesitation.

●        Rewards are offered in small towns of the occupied Luhansk region, where there are almost no men left.

August 20

12:44 RMA : In the village of Lotikovo, Luhansk region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed the base of Russians.

●        According to him, as a result of the attack, about 50 Russian soldiers were killed and about 100 pieces of heavy equipment were destroyed.

●        The Russians cannot break through the Ukrainian defenses in the Luhansk region. Fighting continues in the vicinity of the region,

●        Russians continue to mobilize men in the occupied territories. The turn has come to people with illnesses. There are almost no men left in the "Women's People's Republic".

●        The Luhansk region is actively guerrilling: something is constantly on fire somewhere, and cities and towns are dotted with "greeting postcards." Russians are scared and do not feel peace on our land

DONETSK

August 21

11:34 :  Houses are being demolished in temporarily occupied Mariupol. According to the mayor’s advisor Petro Andriushchenko, the Russians offer promises to the people who lived there instead of housing.

●        At the same time, Russian builders began to be placed in surviving apartments with the assistance of collaborators - heads of the housing cooperatives.

08:27 RMA:  On August 20, Russians killed four civilians in Donbas: two in Hryhorivka, one in Avdiivka and one in Paraskoviivka. Two more people were wounded

05:56 :  Fire in temporarily occupied Horlivka, Donetsk region. Video from social networks.

August 20

19:59 3rd separate tank brigade: Ukrainian tankmen managed to destroy a Russian tank, an infantry fighting vehicle and an ammunition depot in the Donetsk region.

●        The tankers reported that the territorial defense helped them destroy enemy targets.

17:26 Mayor of Myrnohrad: Part of the Donetsk region was left without water due to damage to the power lines that feed the Karlivska filter station.

●        "In connection with the emergency situation caused by the hostilities, the power line was damaged, as a result of which the Karlovskaya filtration station was stopped today from 10:30 am (GMT+3) and the water supply to consumers was stopped", – Brykalov writes.

●        In addition to Myrnohrad, Bilozersko, Bilytske, Hornia, Dobropillia, Novohrodivka, Pokrovsk, Selidove and Ukrainsk were left without water.

17:12 Adviser to the mayor: In Mariupol, there was an assinination attempt against the quizling Gauleiter Kostiantyn Ivashchenko

●        "There was an assassination attempt on Gauleiter Ivashchenko in Mariupol. Unfortunately, not very successful so far. But this is only the beginning".

16:40 Prosecutor General of Ukraine: Announced charges against the mayor of Kostiantynivka (the Donetsk region) Oleh Azarov and the head of the local utility company. They are suspected of embezzling funds allocated for the defense of the city.

●        According to the agency, at the beginning of April 2022, instead of performing territorial defense tasks, the mayor of Kostiantynivka took possession of defense assets in the amount of UAH 363,000 (about $9,867).

14:33 Adviser to the mayor: At school No. 65 in the temporarily occupied Mariupol, the Russians are installing a recovered bust of Lenin.

●        Also in the Left Bank, the Russians staged an open air showing  of "Gentlemen of Fortune" in the open air. (A very old soviet era film)  "Under Ukraine people watched the best of world cinema, under Russia everything goes back," -he notes.

ZAPORIZHYA

August 21

10:02 :  The Russians announced an «indefinite weekend» for the Ukrainian personnel of the Zaporizhzhya NPP.

●        These measures may indicate the intention of the Russians to disconnect the station from the Ukrainian electricity grids and power supply. In this case, the station will remain without power for a certain period of time. Emergency power supply will be provided by diesel substations.

●        This creates a potential danger as the probability of critical situations increases, which seems to be the main purpose of the deliberate actions of Russian troops at the Ukrainian nuclear facility.

09:27 Mayor of Melitopol:  A woman died in the car queue in Vasylivka.

●        Together with almost 4,000 people, she had attempted to leave the occupation and enter Ukrainian-controlled territory. However, the woman did not withstand waiting in the conditions that the Russians created at their checkpoints.

●        The number of deaths recorded in the evacuation columns has already exceeded a dozen.

August 20

20:51 : The administration of the Zaporzhia region announces new strikes on the territory of the ZNPP. Artillery shelling from the right bank of the Dnipro.

16:32 Energoatom : A Russian missile that hit Voznesensk could have been directed at the South Ukrainian nuclear power plant.

●        Missile fragments were found in the station's surveillance zone.

13:46 Mayor : In case of a possible accident at the Zaporizhya NPP, 25,000 tablets of potassium iodide were brought to the temporarily occupied Energodar.

13:24 Mayor : The Russians, after hitting their base, fired on the civilian population of the temporarily occupied Melitopol.

●        “A few minutes after the precise shelling of the military base, they fired a rocket from the former Akimovskyi district at residential buildings around ​​​​Ukrainska and Herzen streets. One resident was injured and is in the hospital. About 10 civilian houses were destroyed," -Fedorov stressed.

13:21 National Police: During the day, the Russians fired on the civilian population of Orikhiv, Gulyaipol, Kamyshevakhy and other settlements of the Polohovskyi and Zaporizhzhia districts.

●        There were no reports of wounded civilians. As a result, residential private and multi-apartment buildings received significant damage.

12:27 : The Central Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine showed footage of the destruction of the Russian radar complex for reconnaissance and fire control "Zoo-1" and four pieces of equipment in the Zaporizhia region.

DNIPRO

August 21

08:42 RMA:  Nikopol and Kryvyi Rih districts suffered from Russian attacks again

●        Nikopol region was hit 5 times. The Russians launched 25 barrel artillery shells on Nikopol. There was a powerful fire at the factory, the fire destroyed the equipment.    Nikopol is located on the opposite bank of a one of the big Dnieper River reservoirs, across from the ZNPP.

●        The school and two dozen houses were damaged, and one house was destroyed in the town. Gas pipelines and power lines were disabled. More than 3,000 residents of Nikopol are without electricity. Emergency crews are working on the spot. No casualties.

●        Russians three times attacked the Marhanets territorial community with barrel artillery and MRL Grad. No casualties.

●        The high-voltage line was damaged in Marhanets, and more than 2,200 dwellings are without electricity.

●        Russians fired 10 shots from the barrel artillery at Myrove territorial community. Five houses were destroyed.

●         In the Kryvyi Rih district, Russians shelled the Apostolove and Zelenodolska territorial communities with “Uragan”.  No casualties and destruction.

KHERSON

MYKOLAIV

August 21

11:48 RMA: In one of the districts of Mykolaiv, the Ukrainian military shot down an S-300 missile.

11:17 RMA:  The strike of the Russian «Calibr» on a high-rise building in Voznesensk: now it is known about 14 victims, including three children.

●        Three adults and two children are in hospital institutions

●        As a result of hitting the five-story, structural elements from the first to the fifth floor, balconies and windows were destroyed. Five single-story houses were also damaged.

10:26 RMA: 

●        On August 21, at 1 a.m., Russians shelled Mykolaiv

●        According to preliminary information, the enemy struck with missiles type S-300. Russia hit the territory of the enterprise. Other hits were in the vicinity of the city. No casualties. Information on the effects of the destruction is being clarified.

01:17 : The mayor of Mykolaiv reported about powerful explosions in different areas of the city and called on citizens to stay in shelters.

August 20

20:12 Mayor: Six houses have been damaged today, because of the night shelling of Mykolaiv. More than 60 windows have been broken into them. Fortunately, there were no casualties

●        According to the military administration, the Russians attacked the city with S-300 missiles.

●        As of today, the Russian troops have inflicted destruction on Mykolaiv for more than 813 million hryvnias (about $22.1 million). In total, about 250 damaged communal facilities, including kindergartens, schools, hospitals, cultural and sports institutions.

●        "Our specialists have worked through about 1,500 appeals from residents of the city regarding damage to residential buildings. Today we are working to restore people's housing as soon as possible and prepare it for the winter", – the mayor of Mykolaiv notes.

16:19 Mayor : The number of victims of the shelling of Voznesensk has increased to 12 people

13:47 RMA : Updated the data on the victims of the shelling of Voznesensk: 9 wounded, including 4 children. All kids are in serious condition. Age from 3 to 17 years.

13:34 Mykolaiv Regional Council: The number of wounded in Voznesensk has increased to 8 people.

13:25 RMA: As of now, there are seven wounded as a result of the shelling of Voznesensk, including three children. One child is being operated on.

13:06 Mayor of Voznesensk: There is information about the upcoming possible shelling of the city by the Russians during the day. He urged local residents to stay in safe places.

12:52 Photo from social networks: A Russian missile hit a five-story building in Voznesensk.

●        The military commandant's office of the Mykolaiv region reports that there are casualties and wounded.

12:05 : Local media reports that the Russians fired on a multi-storey residential building in Voznesensk, Mykolaiv region. There are wounded.

OTHER REGIONS

August 21

10:09 :  The head of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Kirovograd region, Oleksandr Nakonechnyi, was found dead in Kropyvnytskyi, reports the speaker of the regional administration Yuliia Tkach.

●        He had a penetrating gunshot wound on the body. It happened around 10.50 p. m. on a Saturday, his wife found the body in the apartment.

08:39 :  The speaker of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Serhii Bratschuk, reports about the Russian missile attack. Russians had launched five missiles on the Odesa region. Two were shot down over the sea. Three hit the territory of one of the agricultural enterprises. There is a hit in the grain storage. No casualties.

August 20

13:37 Lviv City Council: The bodies of the Soviet military will be reburied from the Field of Mars in Lviv.

●        The Memorial Complex of the Heroes of Ukraine will be arranged at this place, in memory of the Ukrainian military who died for the Independence of Ukraine.

Comparing Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to Russian invasion of Ukraine using Wikipedia and Ukraine Ministry of Defense Daily Bulletins.  Soviet and Russian military losses not including captured equipment.

SOURCES

https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/ 

https://euromaidanpress.com/

https://invite.viber.com/?g2=AQBD3wxTrZ6XUU7IdXeHUfjVCydekezQCCGuwYnT6qPd1r7n1aVbFIewa6ng6Lis

www.ubn.news