As the war between Ukraine and Russia enters its 902nd day, the situation on Thursday, August 15, 2024, continues to escalate. President Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine’s forces were advancing in the Russian region of Kursk, claiming control of 1,000 square kilometers of Russia. Moscow, however, disputes this claim and stated that it had thwarted Ukrainian attempts to push deeper into five areas in the Kursk region.
Amid the fighting, civilians in the Kursk region are being evacuated into Russia and Ukraine, and international humanitarian organizations are being allowed access to the area. Meanwhile, Russia’s Belgorod border region has declared a state of emergency due to daily Ukrainian bombardment.
In terms of military actions, Ukraine’s General Staff reported hitting four Russian military airfields in Voronezh, Kursk, and Nizhny Novgorod. Zelenskyy praised the attack as “timely” and “accurate,” while Moscow claimed to have shot down Ukrainian drones and missiles.
On the political front, Germany issued a European arrest warrant for a Ukrainian diving instructor allegedly involved in sabotaging the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022. Additionally, Russian hackers are targeting Kremlin critics and Western diplomats with phishing emails, according to new research. Russia has launched thousands of cases against those accused of discrediting the army since the invasion began.
In a separate development, Polish prosecutors indicted Pavel Rubtsov, also known as Pablo Gonzalez, on espionage charges. The dual Russian-Spanish national was part of a recent prisoner swap between Russia and the West. Lastly, China’s special envoy on Eurasian affairs had a phone call with Pope Francis’s special envoy on Ukraine to discuss the ongoing conflict.
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