Dispatch for August 20-21

The General Staff of Ukraine announced the activation of Russian troops in the Slovyansk direction. This is regarding the fighting near the settlements of Dmytrivka, Brazhkivka, Sulyhivka, Dovhenke, Dolyna, Bohorodychne.

A video emerged that shows the drone that attacked the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol. It resembles a drone that attacked the Novoshakhtinsk Oil Refinery in Rostov region, Russia, but differs in some parameters. 

Over the course of this weekend, near the cities of Kerch, Sevastopol, Evpatoriya, and Melitopol a large number of Ukrainian drones flew and tried attacking various targets, whilst the air defense systems countered them. This helps the Ukrainian side to uncover the locations of air defense systems.

Twitter researcher “Caliber Obscura” published photos (with permission) of the Ukrainian SOF in the area of Crimea, claiming that they have been operating there since April.

According to CNN sources, the war in Ukraine is currently in “operational standstill” because neither side is currently able to develop sufficient combat capacity to turn the tide of the war. They note a significant depletion of human resources on both sides.

We do not agree with this argument because Ukraine certainly is not lacking in manpower, but there are significant problems with armored vehicles, weapons, and training. Also, CNN contributors called the increasingly acute shortage of ammunition, even basic types, an emerging problem for Russia.   

Russian forces continue to shell Ukrainian cities:

• An 8-year-old girl was seriously wounded in Zaporizhzhia region. Following surgery she is on a ventilator in intensive care in critical but stable condition. Judging from photographs of the cluster rocket remains, cluster munitions were used against residential areas, which is a war crime.  

• Over the weekend the city of Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk region were shelled. As yet we do not have current information on casualties.
• A five-storey residential building was struck during the shelling of the town of Voznesensk in Mykolaiv region. According to the latest information, 14 people, among them 4 children, were wounded.

• 5 missiles were fired at the Odesa region. Two of them were shot down over the sea, and three hit an agricultural enterprise in the Odesa district, damaging grain storage facilities.

Smoke was yet again observed in Chornobaivka near Kherson. Operational command "South" reports that Ukrainian forces hit an ammunition depot and a command post. It is stated that 75 people, a Giacint-S self-propelled gun, two T-72 tanks and six more armored vehicles were destroyed.

There was also a fire in occupied Horlivka. Judging by the sounds of the secondary detonation, an ammunition depot was on fire.

CNN journalists studied Maxar satellite images and concluded that there were no signs of systematic shelling of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Satellite images have appeared showing the aftermath of a fire at an ammunition depot in Timonovo, Belgorod Region, Russia.

Western researchers argue that it is not an ATACMS pod in the viral photo of “HIMARS with a cover”, because such pods are deliberately made very similar to other HIMARS ammunition types. It could not be a PrSM missile either, because this is too new a model to be supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Therefore, we believe that it is indeed just a cover in the photos.

According to Politico, the United States plans to supply Ukraine with high-precision Excalibur projectiles (previously, apparently, supplied by Canada).

Germany transferred 3 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and 11 M113 armored personnel carriers to Ukraine. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that IRIS-T air defense systems and COBRA counter battery radar systems are to be delivered soon.  

An exhibition of destroyed Russian equipment opened in Kyiv in anticipation of Ukraine’s Independence Day.

By order of Governor Oleh Sinegubov, the curfew  in the Kharkiv Region will be extended from 7pm on August 22 until 7am on August 25.

Deputy Head of Kyiv’s patrol police Oleksiy Beloshitsky urged Ukrainians to hide in a shelter during each air raid alarm on August 23-25 

A story about a Ukrainian machine gunner, who could not be reached by either shelling or mortar fire, spread through pro-Russian web resources. It turned out that the machine gunner had put his machine gun on an armored vehicle turret and fired remotely from a dugout.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian soldiers on combat duty in Vasylivka, Zaporizhzhia region, were hospitalized on July 31 with symptoms of severe poisoning. Botulinum toxin type B was found in the tests of the military personnel. Note that this toxin is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and a common reason for poisoning is eating expired canned food.

The admin of Grey Zone, a Pro-Russian Telegram channel, who was considered dead as a result of the strike on Popasna, published his new photos from the front line.

Two Russians and one Ukrainian citizen were detained in Albania, Lana Sator, a well-known blogger and urban explorer, is among them.