On the 163rd day of the full-scale war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine on Friday, August 5, Russian troops continue their attempts to capture the neighboring country’s settlements. Ukraine’s Armed Forces and their territorial defense units are resisting the aggression. It is impossible to readily verify information disclosed by representatives of both sides of the conflict from independent sources.

The course of hostilities

The Russian Armed Forces will likely use the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and neighboring Energodar territories to rest the military in order to reduce the risk of Ukrainian attacks against them, as the power plant has the status of a protected facility, the British Ministry of Defense cites British intelligence estimates. The Defense Ministry’s message indicates that Russia’s intentions regarding the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant remain unclear. At the same time, the Armed Forces’ RF actions at the facility likely undermined the safety and reliability of the station’s normal operation, the report says. It also indicates that Russian artillery units based in these areas appear to be being used to bomb Ukrainian forces on the western bank of the Dnieper.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian company “Energoatom” reported on the bombing of the ZNPP. “Three ‘arrivals’ were recorded at the station site, near one of the power units where the nuclear reactor is located,” the nitrogen-oxygen station and auxiliary building were seriously damaged, Energoatom said. There is a risk of hydrogen leakage and dispersion of radioactive substances, the risk of fire is high, the company emphasized. According to Energoatom, during the first bombing, three projectiles hit the area near the industrial site of the nuclear power plant and damaged the high-voltage communication line. Kyiv called the incident a provocation by the Russian Federation, Russian state media accused the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Analysts from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted that Russian forces continued to transfer personnel and equipment to the northeast of the Kherson region and to the west of the Zaporozhye region at the expense of their efforts to capture Slovyansk and Siversk, which the Russian Armed Forces appear to have abandoned. “Ukraine’s preparations for the counteroffensive at Kherson and the initial operations of this counteroffensive, combined with the sharp weakening of Russian forces in general, appear to allow Ukraine for the first time to begin to actively determine the course of the war.” , said the ISW.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian troops continue the offensive operation in the Bakhmut and Avdeevsky directions in the Donbass. In addition, the Odessa and Zaporozhye regions, Nikolaev, Nikopol, Kharkov, Chernihiv, Sumy regions and other regions were bombed.

In Nikolaeves, a curfew is introduced from 23:00 local time on 5 August until 05:00 on 8 August. The head of Nikolaev’s regional military administration, Vitaly Kim, wrote about it on Telegram. The politician previously said that he wants the regional center to be “closed” for several days “to clean up” the “collaborators” of the Russian Armed Forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a video speech, criticized the human rights organization Amnesty International for its report, which highlighted that Ukrainian forces are establishing military bases and placing military equipment in residential areas, putting civilians at risk.

The presidents of Russia and Turkey held a four-hour meeting in Sochi

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Sochi. The talks lasted four hours, the Turkish president’s press service said. The Kremlin indicated that Putin and Erdogan reached an agreement to strengthen cooperation on economic and energy issues. The heads of state, in particular, agreed to strengthen trade. The leaders stressed the need to ensure the full implementation of the Istanbul package for the safe export of grain from Ukrainian ports.

As Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak in turn noted, Russia and Turkey are switching to paying Russian gas supplies in rubles. The American newspaper The Washington Post (WP), citing Ukrainian intelligence ahead of the talks, wrote that Moscow had asked the Erdogan government to allow Russia to acquire stakes in Turkish oil refineries and terminals, in particular, to circumvent Western sanctions.

Latvia has suspended issuing visas to citizens of the Russian Federation

Latvia has suspended issuing visas to Russian citizens. This was reported at the Latvian Embassy in the Russian Federation and at the Latvian visa center. “The Latvian Embassy in Russia has suspended the acceptance of visa applications for citizens of the Russian Federation for an indefinite period,” the diplomatic mission said on Twitter. The embassy’s website specified that the decision was taken “in connection with the international situation”. The only exception is the need to attend the funeral of a close relative, diplomatic missions said on Twitter.

Russian Foreign Ministry announced the expulsion of 14 employees from the Bulgarian embassy and consulates

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the expulsion of 14 officials from the Bulgarian embassy and consulates. The note declaring the diplomats persona non grata was delivered to the Bulgarian ambassador to the Russian Federation, Atanas Krystin, who was summoned to Smolenskaya Square, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was in response to Sofia’s decision to expel 70 Russian diplomats, introduce quotas for the number of Russian diplomatic, administrative and technical personnel in Bulgaria and temporarily close the Russian Consulate General in Ruse. According to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), the consular service of Bulgaria in the Russian Federation indefinitely suspends the acceptance of documents from Russians for tourist visas and visas for property owners.

Three more ships with Ukrainian grain thrown overboard

The Turkish Defense Ministry reported that three more ships with Ukrainian grain went to sea. At anchor in Chernomorsk, the dry cargo ships Polarnet and Rojen headed to Karasu (Turkey) and Teesport (Great Britain), respectively. Navistar left the port with goods destined for landing at Ringaskiddy (Ireland). In total, there are more than 58,000 tons of corn on board the ships.

Estonian president asked to dismantle the monument with the T-34 tank in Narva

The monument with the T-34 tank, installed in the Estonian town of Narva, on the Russian border, is due to be dismantled – despite protests from some locals. This opinion was expressed by Estonian President Alar Karis. “If recently I thought it was enough to put a plaque explaining the story next to the tank on the banks of the Narva, now that is not enough. Estonian head of state.

A group of deputies from the Russian Federation demanded the resignation of several cultural figures for their position

The Investigation Group on Anti-Russian Activities in the Sphere of Culture (GRAD), which includes Russian deputies and senators, demanded that Channel One’s leadership fire TV presenters Ivan Urgant and Alexander Vasiliev, whom lawmakers considered “agents of influence foreign.”

Urgent on social networks reacted with sarcasm to the group’s proposals. Thus, the TV presenter suggested bringing to justice not only “agents of foreign influence”, but also the closest relatives of such “agents” – “with the possibility of later abdication”.