On the 177th day of Russia’s large-scale military invasion of Ukraine on Friday, August 19, 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 verify the statements of representatives of both sides of the conflict from independent sources.

The course of hostilities

The Russian military tried to improve the tactical situation near the village of Pitomnik in the Kharkiv region, but they were rebuffed and retreated, follows the evening summary of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine..

Also, towards Slavyansk in the areas of the settlements of Karnaukhovka, Dubravnoe, Vernopolye and Dolina, an attempt by Russian forces to break through the defenses of the Ukrainians was repulsed. According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in addition, the offensives in the Avdeevsky, Bakhmut and Kramatorsk directions were repulsed.

Explosions at Saki airfield near the village of Novofedorovka in annexed Crimea “disabled more than half of the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s naval aviation fighter jets,” an intelligence representative from one of the Western countries said at a briefing to journalists. .

According to the official, Ukraine is consistently achieving a “kinetic effect” deep behind Russian lines, which has a significant impact on the Russian Federation’s logistical support and “a significant psychological impact on Russian leadership.” Furthermore, the intelligence officer admitted that attacks on military installations in Crimea would continue.

Bombing of Ukrainian settlements

The authorities of Nikolaev, Kharkiv, Nikopol and Marganets (Dnepropetrovsk region) announced bombings by Russian forces. According to the mayor of Nikolaev, the fire was fired from the S-300 air defense system, 16 residential buildings were damaged in the city. In Kharkiv, a residential building and an infrastructure facility were damaged, one person was injured.

In Nikopol, several shops, multi-storey buildings, a bus stop and a power line were damaged, there were no deaths or injuries. In Marganets, four people were injured, a power line was disabled and several buildings were destroyed. City officials did not specify what these buildings were.

Phone conversation between Putin and Macron – for the first time since late May

French President Emmanuel Macron called Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the Kremlin and Elysee Palace websites. The phone conversation was the first of the two leaders since late May. The French head of state reiterated his concern about the situation at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and spoke out in favor of sending a mission of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency to the site as soon as possible, under the terms agreed with Ukraine and the UN. .

The president of the Russian Federation has notified his French counterpart of his consent to send this mission, Macron’s press service said in a statement. According to the Paris official, the leaders of France and Russia will return to discuss the situation at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in the coming days.

For its part, the Kremlin indicated that Putin recalled the invitation to experts from the UN Secretariat and the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit the pretrial detention center in Yelenovka, and also reported on the progress of the agreement to export Ukrainian grain from the ports. of the Black Sea.

Comments from IAEA and UN chiefs on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi also commented on the situation surrounding the ZNPP. He again asked for maximum restriction in the area of ​​the plant. Grossi is ready to lead a possible mission sent to the nuclear plant to ensure its safety.

For his part, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who arrived in Odessa, urged Russia, whose troops took over the Zaporozhye nuclear plant, not to disconnect the plant from the Ukrainian electricity grid. “Zaporozhye electricity is Ukrainian electricity. This principle must be fully observed,” Guterres stressed.

Disclosure of illegal departure scheme for recruits from Ukraine

Ukraine’s Attorney General’s Office has announced the disclosure of a scheme for the illegal transfer of men subject to military service across the border to EU countries. According to law enforcement officials, a Kyiv resident, along with an accomplice, pledged US$18,000 to provide six men of military age with the opportunity to freely depart for Poland. They have entered false information into the database that those who wish to leave are volunteers sent abroad for humanitarian assistance. Both men were detained while receiving money, they were charged according to the article on the illegal transfer of people across Ukraine’s state border.

Media: Soldiers of the 64th Brigade Can’t Give Up

Russian servicemen from the 64th Separated Motorized Marines Brigade have been trying to resign in recent months, but the command won’t let them go, several servicemen told the publication Important Stories. This connection is associated with the killings of civilians in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha. One of its fighters, 21-year-old contract soldier Daniil Frolkin, openly admitted to the publication that he had committed war crimes.

Furthermore, the military told reporters that its command had given orders to kill “everyone who has phones”, was actively engaged in looting and reported distorted information about frontline successes to the highest leadership.

SBU announced the arrest of a man recruited by the special services of the Russian Federation

The Security Service of Ukraine announced the arrest of a resident of the Sumy region, recruited by the Russian special services. According to Ukraine’s counterintelligence, in the early days of the invasion, the man “guided” 128 units of Russian equipment from the Sumy region to Kyiv, showing safe passage routes. In addition, he collected and transmitted data on the location, number and weapons of Ukrainian forces in the region. The detainee is suspected under a criminal article on high treason, he was taken into custody.

Named the conditions for the departure of Ukrainians responsible for military service abroad

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine made an exception ban on the departure of men subject to military service abroad on a business trip. They must file tax returns, pay a single social contribution and make a contribution of 200,000 hryvnias (in terms of around 5,400 euros) to an account at the State Savings Bank (Oshchadbank), said Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov. According to him, on September 1st, the government is launching, on an experimental basis, a program that allows individual entrepreneurs and legal entities, under certain conditions, to send some employees on short-term business trips abroad.