On the 175th day of Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, Russian troops continue their attempts to capture the neighboring country’s settlements. Ukraine’s armed forces and territorial defense units resist aggression. It is impossible to verify the statements of representatives of both sides of the conflict from independent sources. According to the UN, about 14 million Ukrainians have already left their homes. DW continues to monitor developments on Wednesday, August 17 (Moscow time).

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In a busy village Kirillovka, Zaporozhye region Explosions thundered, Melitopol mayor Ivan Fedorov said on his Telegram channel. “Another bavovna for Russians in Kirillovka! This year, Russians deprived more than 5 million people of a resort on the coast of Azov. Instead, they “nationalized” recreation centers and hotel complexes, showing off how they relax”, wrote Fedorov. According to him, the Russian military transported military equipment from Melitopol to Kirillovka, “fearing that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would catch him in Melitopol”. Fedorov did not specify what caused the explosions and where exactly they occurred.

At least 6 people died in the bombing of a hostel in Kharkiv

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On the night of August 17, Russian troops fired on a hostel in Saltovsky District of Kharkov, said President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. “A vile and cynical attack on civilians that has no justification and demonstrates the aggressor’s impotence. We will not forgive, we will take revenge,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram, posting a video showing the aftermath of a missile attack.

According to Kharkiv OVA chief Oleg Sinegubov, at least six people were killed and 16 more were injured. The city’s mayor, Igor Terekhov, indicated that a rescue operation was underway at the site of the attack. According to him, four residents of Kharkiv have already been removed from the rubble, while six dead and 13 wounded are known.

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authorities Nikolaev decided to abandon any events in honor of Ukrainian Independence Day, which is celebrated on August 24. This decision is accepted in order to avoid a congestion of people, explained the head of the regional state administration of Nikolaev, Vitaly Kim. “Russians like certain dates to talk about hitting targets and so on. We must prepare for increased danger, which we are doing,” Kim explained on the air of a national marathon.

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As a result night bombing of Kharkov two people died and ten others were injured, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the regional administration. In turn, the mayor of Kharkov, Igor Terekhov, reported three dead.

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Russia is likely preparing for large-scale military provocations on the eve of the upcoming holidays in Ukraine – State Flag Day and the country’s Independence Day, believes Ukrainian military expert Oleg Zhdanov. “The ground situation remains unchanged, the air situation – yesterday a Su-34 plane, a front-line bomber launched missile attacks against the infrastructure of the Zhytomyr region. That is, the threat that we constantly talk about manifested itself yesterday, and I assume it was a test step,” Zhdanov said in his next YouTube comment.

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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned of the danger of a nuclear catastrophe at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plantoccupied by Russian military.

At the same time, he asked Russia to agree to the inspection of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant by experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The capture of the Ukrainian nuclear plant by Russian troops seriously threatens the safety of its operation and increases the risk of a nuclear accident or incident, which in turn poses a threat to the population of Ukraine, neighboring states and the world community, Stoltenberg said. “It is urgent to secure an inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency and ensure the withdrawal of all Russian troops,” said the NATO Secretary General.

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About 20 influential Georgian nonprofits signed a joint statement with a demand to the authorities immediately introduce a visa regime for Russian citizens, according to the Internet portal “News-Georgia”. The letter’s authors point out that around 6,400 Russian companies have been registered in Georgia since the start of Russia’s attack on Ukraine – seven times more than all of last year. “We believe that control over the entry of Russian citizens and companies into Georgia is a matter of the country’s national security,” the appeal reads.

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Behind a series of explosions in Crimeaincluding at the Saki military airfield in Novofedorovka and near the village of Maiskoye near Dzhankoy stays ukrainereports CNN, citing an internal Ukrainian government report provided by an official on condition of anonymity.

Explosions at Saki airfield on August 9, the report’s authors call “a serious but unique loss to Russian military infrastructure in Crimea”. The subsequent attacks serve as “evidence of Ukraine’s systematic military capability to attack Crimea”, the document says.

Explosions at Novofedorovka airfield destroyed at least seven Russian planes, killed one person and severely damaged the base itself, the report said. The Russian Defense Ministry called the cause of the explosions “detonation of aviation ammunition” and, according to the Russian department, the fire in the Dzhankoy region was caused by “sabotage”. Official Kyiv has not confirmed or denied its involvement in attacks on facilities in Crimea.

The UN Secretary General arrived in Lviv

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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrived in Lvivwhere on August 18 he has a trilateral meeting with the presidents of Ukraine and Turkey, Vladimir Zelensky and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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Estonia plans to ban the entry of Russians with Schengen visas issued by other states. Such a ban, said Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu, does not contradict the EU’s basic treaty. “We agreed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior will prepare next week possible proposals on how to close the Estonian border and Russian citizens who have a Schengen visa that was not issued by Estonia,” Reinsalu told the national newspaper. transmitter ERR. As of August 19, Estonia will no longer admit Russians with visas issued by Estonia. Entry with permits issued by third countries is still possible, reminds ERR.

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A video appeared on the official Telegram channel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the author of which, filming the destroyed houses, says: “This is what remains of our hut, and there, in the distance, is all that remains of the flares.” From according to the Ukrainian military, in the footage – Destroyed base of Russian troops in Nova Kakhovka, Kherson region. “According to preliminary information, this is a video confirmation of ‘smoking in an unidentified location’ located in Nova Kakhovka,” the message reads. According to preliminary data, 10 to 15 Russian soldiers were killed, specified the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet was replaced

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Russian Navy ship in Sevastopol (file photo)

New Commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Vice Admiral Viktor Sokolov was appointed, RIA Novosti Krym reports, citing Navy sources. “The order was from the commander in chief about his appointment. The members of the military council were introduced. There was no public event, and there probably will not be due to the yellow level of terrorist threat introduced in the city,” said the agency’s interlocutor. Another source clarified that “under the conditions in which a special military operation is underway, no one is obliged to publicly announce these appointments.” Admiral Igor Osipov’s resignation as commander of the Black Sea Fleet has not been officially announced.

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Finland does not plan to cancel Schengen visas already issued to Russians, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told the RBC news agency. “Yesterday our government talked about visas, and we will also limit the issuance of tourist visas to 10 percent. We have not touched on old visas, they are still valid,” the minister told RBC, quoting the minister.

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Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov ruled out the possibility of “freezing” the war.. “I don’t think a freeze is possible. A decrease in activity is possible, depending on the season. And again, modern warfare is a resource war. Resources, of course, are depleted on both sides. And consequently , , each side takes time to restore,” Reznikov said. According to him, it is possible to “cool down the situation in terms of military confrontations”. I don’t see the “freezing” of what people want to call a “conflict” because it’s not a conflict. This is war. War for survival. And we will protect ourselves to survive,” he emphasized.

Chronicle of events August 17 00:00 – 13:59 >>>

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