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 is following developments on Wednesday, August 17 (Moscow time).

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not busy Melitopol, an explosion occurred near the military commander’s office building, wrote the mayor of the city Ivan Fedorov. The day before, he reported explosions in the substation area of ​​the city, after which, according to media reports, the broadcast of Russian television was interrupted.

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Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, in an interview with the Voice of America TV channel, spoke about Kyiv’s agreement with the United States and other countries that The Armed Forces of Ukraine will not use the provided weapons for attacks on the territory of Russia. “But if today we are talking about the eviction of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, where the enemy is located, then, therefore, we do not have such restrictions,” emphasized Reznikov, responding to a question about attacks on Crimea.

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Lviv Mayor Andrey Sadovoy urged locals when cold weather sets in in winter prepare yourself “for a situation difficult to imagine”. Sadovoy reported that the city buys a lot of bourgeoisie. “No one has canceled the firewood. The only thing left if everything else doesn’t work are pot-bellied stoves,” he said. The mayor’s office also warned residents that in winter it is worth buying electric kettles in case of gas cuts, as well as battery-operated electrical appliances and dry alcohol.

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UK Department of Defense Daily Report dedicated to explosions in Crimea. The day before, Moscow and Kyiv confirmed that an ammunition depot near Dzhankoy had exploded and damaged a nearby railway and electrical substation.

Two of the most important Russian military airfields in Crimea are located at Dzhankoy and Gvardeisky, writes the British military. Dzhankoy is also a major road and rail hub in the region and plays an important role in providing Russian operations in southern Ukraine, according to the British Ministry of Defence.

“The cause of these incidents and the extent of the damage are still unclear, but the Russian command will likely be increasingly concerned by the apparent deterioration of the security situation in Crimea, which serves as a rear base for the occupiers,” the statement said. . military department concludes.

An official at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant spoke about the working conditions at the station

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An employee of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant on condition of anonymity told Reuters about working conditions at the nuclear plant captured by Russian troops. Armed Russian military and equipment is stationed throughout the station, he described the situation. Russian armored vehicles are also installed in front of the station’s entrance, and weapons are always pointed at incoming officials. “They are constantly walking around the territory with weapons. It is very difficult when you enter the station and you see these people and you should be there. It is very morally and psychologically draining,” said the coach.

According to him, the military usually forbids employees to go home after working hours. “They find a reason not to let go – bombings or whatever,” he says. One of the main fears of nuclear plant workers is that the bombing could destroy the power lines leading to the plant. Electricity is needed to cool the reactor and spent fuel pool, he explained. There is a backup plant in case of an outage, but the technician admits he doesn’t know how much diesel is left in it.

The nuclear plant technician also said that the families of many employees have left Energodar, but they themselves continue to work to ensure safety at the plant. “The staff has returned to support the work, because the security of Ukraine, the entire European continent and the world is at stake,” he explained.

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The Odessa region on the night of August 17 was fired with Kh-22 missiles of the Russian strategic aircraft Tu-22M3, specifies the operational command “South”. The impact of two rockets caused a fire covering an area of ​​more than 600 square meters in one of the coastal recreation centers and in several private homes. Four people were injured.

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specialists human rights clock (HRW), having visited Kharkiv and Dergachi in the Kharkiv region, recorded at least eight indiscriminate attacks by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, inflicted on residential areas using, in particular, cluster grenades. As a result of these attacks, say human rights activists, at least 12 civilians were killed, 26 people were injured, homes and medical facilities were destroyed. Such attacks, HRW notes, are a violation of international humanitarian law and could qualify as war crimes.

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ukrainian state Company “Energoatom” reported that the company’s official website was subjected to the biggest cyber attack since the beginning of the war. According to the Ukrainian side, it was produced on Tuesday from Russia by the hacker group People’s Cyber ​​​​Army. Hackers used more than 7 million bot users to simulate hundreds of millions of views on Energoatom’s main page for three hours.

Rocket attack in the Odessa region

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odessa the region was fired upon with rockets, said Sergei Bratchuk, a spokesman for the regional military administration. There is damage to one of the recreation centers and several nearby private buildings, he wrote on Telegram. Three people were injured.

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Russian forces in the Donetsk region captured the village of Sladkoe and the village of Stepnoyesays an expert from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) Jorge Barros. These settlements are marked on ISW ​​maps as being in the Russian army’s advance zone, as the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on 16 August announced the “partial success” of the Russian offensive in that direction. According to ISW, the Russian army is also advancing on the village of Yegorovka in the Donetsk region.

Meanwhile, the Russian military failed to advance northwest of Slavyansk and east of Seversk, according to the ISW daily report. According to experts, Russian military is carrying out offensive operations around Bakhmut, southwest of Avdiivka and southwest of Donetsk, while offensive operations in the north and northwest of the Kherson region have not been successful.

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US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had a phone conversation with his Ukrainian colleague Alexei Reznikov. The Ukrainian minister told the head of the Pentagon about the course of hostilities in the country. In addition, Reznikov and Austin discussed planning the next meeting of the contact group on the defense of Ukraine, the American side said.

Explosions and damage to residential buildings in Nikolaev

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because of the explosions Damaged residential buildings in Nikolaev, Alexander Senkevich wrote on Telegram. “I don’t give details. All necessary services are working on the ground. All information is in the morning,” added the official.

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Strong explosions occurred in Nikolaev, said Mayor Alexander Senkevich. He urged residents to remain in shelters until the end of the air raid alert.

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AT THE Smolensk region On August 17, a “scheduled training with control alert for the citizens of the reserve” will take place, writes the Rabochy Put newspaper, citing the region’s military commissariat. The department asks citizens who are registered with the military to appear “to clarify personal data” upon receipt of the subpoena.

Diplomatic way out of the war in Ukraine to be discussed in Lviv

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At a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, UN Secretary General António Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Lviv on August 18, they will discuss diplomatic exits from the war, reported in the Turkish presidential office. It will be about “ending the war between Ukraine and Russia through diplomatic means”, they said. In addition, the parties will address the issue of increasing the work of the mechanism formed for the export of Ukrainian grain to world markets.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged residents to occupied areas of the Donbass and Kharkiv region do not go near the military installations of the Russian army and all places where the RF Armed Forces “store ammunition and equipment”, where the headquarters are located. Zelensky made the corresponding statement during an evening video message. According to the Ukrainian leader, the Russian leadership hopes that “Ukrainians, Europeans and the whole world will feel tired of this war”. “We must do everything so that neither we nor our friends and partners are tired,” said the head of state. “Every day it must get more and more difficult for Russia to fight – this is our number one political-military task,” he concluded.

Furthermore, Zelensky noted that he had informed French President Emmanuel Macron about the situation around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. The parties discussed further security assistance to Ukraine and macro-financial support from Kyiv. The Ukrainian politician also spoke with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen about financial aspects. In addition, the question of new sanctions against Russia was raised.

Chronicle of events August 16 2:00 pm – 11:59 pm >>>

Chronicle of events August 16 00:00 – 13:59 >>>