The Ukrainian air force said it destroyed 16 out of the 28 cruise missiles launched by Russia overnight. This blog is now closed
Russia said its forces struck military industrial facilities at several sites across Ukraine overnight after authorities in the west of the country announced aerial attacks had left three dead.
Adding that it had carried out long-range precision strikes on “key” facilities, the defence ministry said in a statement:
Ukraine’s military-industrial complex suffered significant damage.
The Ukrainian air force said it destroyed 16 out of the 28 cruise missiles launched by Russia overnight.
One missile, however, hit a factory of Swedish ball bearing maker SKF in the western city of Lutsk, killing three employees.
Carl Bjernstam, an SKF spokesman, told AFP:
We are very sad to also be able to confirm that three of our employees died in this attack.
Earlier, Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of intentionally targeting civilians with the attacks.
It is now approaching 9pm in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. Here is a summary of the main stories from today:
Officials have said that a number of building were damaged and several people wounded in a large-scale air-attack on Ukraine’s western region of Lviv and the north-western region of Volyn. “Many missiles were shot down, but there were also hits in Lviv,” city mayor Andriy Sadovyi said, adding that orders were given to evacuate at least one burning apartment building.
Russia said its forces struck military industrial facilities at several sites across Ukraine overnight after authorities in the west of the country announced aerial attacks had left three dead. Adding that it had carried out long-range precision strikes on “key” facilities, the defence ministry said in a statement: “Ukraine’s military-industrial complex suffered significant damage.”
The Kyiv Independent reports, citing Volyn oblast Governor Yurii Pohuliaiko, that three people were killed in Russia’s attack on western Ukrainian city of Lutsk overnight. Several people were hospitalised in Lutsk after a business enterprise was hit, Yuriy Pohulyaiko, governor the Volyn region of which Lutsk is the administrative centre, said on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia’s central bank has announced it will hold an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday to discuss the level of its key interest rate after the rouble fell to its weakest point in almost 17 months. The currency has been steadily losing value since the beginning of the year and slid past the psychologically important level of 100 to the dollar on Monday morning, the Guardian’s Pjotr Sauer reported.
The Bank of Russia has raised its key rate to 12% from 8.5%. The statement doesn’t mention the rouble, which dropped to its lowest level in nearly 17 months yesterday. The Russian currency has been boosted by the central bank’s move. It now takes 97 roubles to buy a dollar, whereas yesterday the exchange rate was at 102 roubles per dollar at one stage. You can read the statement on the Bank of Russia’s website.
Russia on Tuesday fined social media site Reddit for the first time for not deleting “banned content” that it said contained “fake” information about Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, RIA reported, citing a Moscow court. Reddit joins a list of sites under scrutiny in Russia for failing to remove content that Moscow deems illegal, including Wikimedia, streaming service Twitch, and Google.
Three suspected spies for Russia in Britain have been arrested and charged in a major national security investigation, the BBC reports. The defendants are Bulgarian nationals alleged to be working for Russian security services, the BBC said. They were held in February under the Official Secrets Act by counter-terrorism detectives at London’s Metropolitan police, which has a policing responsibility for espionage, the report added.
Andriy Yermak, head of the office of the president of Ukraine, said Russian athletes should be banned from participating in international competitions after Russian strikes destroyed a sports facility in Dnipro. Kira Rudik, a Ukrainian MP and the leader of the liberal Golos party, also said Ukraine will boycott the Olympic Games if Russia and Belarus participate in the competition.
Mali’s military leader Assimi Goita said on Tuesday that he had spoken on the phone to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, about the coup in Niger. Putin “stressed the importance of a peaceful resolution of the situation for a more stable Sahel,” Mali’s interim president, Assimi Goita, said on Twitter. The Kremlin said the call was initiated by Mali. The statement added: “The parties specifically focused on the current situation in the Sahara-Sahel region and emphasised, in particular, the importance of settling the situation in the Republic of Niger solely through peaceful political and diplomatic means.”
The US said that Russia would be violating UN resolutions if it reaches an arms deal with North Korea, after the two countries’ leaders called for greater cooperation. State department spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters: “Any kind of security cooperation or arms deal between North Korea and Russia would certainly violate a series of UN security council resolutions.”
Sweden’s government said Tuesday that it would donate to Ukraine ammunition and spare parts for previously donated weapon systems worth over $300m (£240m). Speaking at press conference, defence minister Pal Jonson said the military aid package, Sweden’s 13th to Ukraine, would include ammunition and spare parts valued at about 3.4bn kronor ($313m/£250m).
The Ukrainian government is to build new fortifications and military infrastructure in northeast regions that border Russia and Belarus at a cost of nearly $35 million, prime minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, visited the south-eastern region of Zaporizhzhia and met troops fighting in the counteroffensive against Russian forces in the south, the president’s office said on Tuesday. Zelenskiy was shown in a video with senior Ukrainian soldiers examining a battlefield map at what the president’s office said was the frontline command point of the 46th separate airmobile brigade, near the town of Orikhiv, Reuters reports.
Russia and North Korea on Tuesday advocated closer collaboration including in the defence sector. Moscow and Pyongyang have drawn closer since the Kremlin deployed troops to Ukraine and commenced large-scale hostilities last year, according to AFP.
The US said that Russia would be violating UN resolutions if it reaches an arms deal with North Korea, after the two countries’ leaders called for greater cooperation.
State department spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters:
Any kind of security cooperation or arms deal between North Korea and Russia would certainly violate a series of UN security council resolutions.
Patel highlighted that Russia was relying on some of the world’s most ostracised nations, North Korea and Iran, to support its “war of aggression” against Ukraine, AFP reports.
He added:
Our information indicates that Russia is seeking to increase this type of military cooperation with the DPRK [the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea].
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, extended his “best wishes” to Poland and its armed forces on Polish Army day.
In a tweet, he said:
On the occasion of the Polish Army Day, I extend my best wishes to Poland and its Armed Forces. Solidarity always wins and we will always be free with you – both Ukraine and Poland – as long as we are together side by side. Thank you for supporting our defence!
Z okazji Święta Wojska Polskiego składam Polsce i jej Siłom Zbrojnym najserdeczniejsze życzenia. Solidarność zawsze zwycięża i zawsze będziemy z wami wolni – zarówno Ukraina, jak i Polska – dopóki będziemy razem ramię w ramię. Dziękuję za wsparcie naszej obrony!
Here are some images sent to us over the wires of the aftermath of the Russian strike which hit Ukraine’s western region, including in the village of Stavchany, Lviv oblast.
Andriy Yermak, head of the office of the president of Ukraine said he and Volodymyr Zelenskiy had a “frank conversation” about the situation at the frontline during their visit today.
South of Ukraine. Together with President and the team met with our soldiers today. Had a frank conversation about the situation at the frontline as well as needs and current issues with our heroes.
It is a great honor for me to be here. pic.twitter.com/aROC5JncUY
Russia launched the test phase of a digital ruble on Tuesday, in a bid to limit the impact of international sanctions imposed after its offensive in Ukraine, AFP reports.
Russia’s central bank told AFP:
On 15 August, the tests of operations with real digital rubles began.
The trial phase involves 13 other banks and 600 individuals who can make payments at 30 sales points in 11 Russian cities, it added.
“Operations will be free for citizens and with a minimal commission for businesses” in the long run, the central bank said.
VTB, Russia’s second-largest bank, said it had successfully tested transactions using digital rubles in its mobile app.
Moscow’s foray into digital currencies aims to limit the impact of international restrictions on its financial system.
Like cryptocurrencies, the digital ruble uses blockchain technology, which facilitates direct transactions through a decentralised database.
The main difference lies in its status as a “central bank digital currency”, which is tightly controlled.
The digital rubles are issued by the Russian central bank and stocked in electronic wallets, with the FSB national Security Service monitoring the system.
The authorities say digital rubles will make payments safer, but some observers see an attempt by the government to further control its citizens.
Moscow hopes the new currency will be extended to all Russians who want it “by 2025 to 2027”, the central bank told AFP.
Russia and North Korea on Tuesday advocated closer collaboration including in the defence sector.
Moscow and Pyongyang have drawn closer since the Kremlin deployed troops to Ukraine and commenced large-scale hostilities last year, according to AFP.
In a statement carried by the Russian state-run RIA news agency, The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un emphasised the need for continued cooperation. It said:
[Kim Jong-un] stressed the need to further develop tactical and strategic cooperation and interaction between the two countries in the fields of defence and security.
The Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier Tuesday called for deeper ties, in a congratulatory message to Kim marking his country’s National Liberation Day.
In a statement distributed by the Kremlin, Putin said:
I am sure that we will continue to build up bilateral cooperation in all areas for the benefit of our peoples, in the interests of strengthening stability and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the north-east Asian region as a whole,” Putin said it was during Korea’s liberation from Japan and “harsh wartime” that groundwork was laid for close cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, responded to the visit saying the United States believed Sergei Shoigu was in North Korea to secure supplies of weapons to aid Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, visited the south-eastern region of Zaporizhzhia and met troops fighting in the counteroffensive against Russian forces in the south, the president’s office said on Tuesday.
Zelenskiy was shown in a video with senior Ukrainian soldiers examining a battlefield map at what the president’s office said was the frontline command point of the 46th separate airmobile brigade, near the town of Orikhiv, Reuters reports.
In a statement, the president’s office said:
The president listened to reports by the commanders on the course of combat actions in frontline areas … and discussed the most problematic issues of their units together with the brigades and combatants.
The military emphasised the need for electronic warfare and frontline air defence systems to counter enemy aircraft and drones. There is also a need for drones, as they are quickly consumed in offensive operations.
Kira Rudik, a Ukrainian MP and the leader of the liberal Golos party, said Ukraine will boycott the Olympic Games if Russia and Belarus participate in the competition.
Rudik also rejected the “myth” that “sport is out of politics”, saying the Russia has killed 340 athletes and coaches. These claims have not been independently verified.
This comes as a Russian missile destroyed a sports facility in Dnipro.
The Ukrainian government is to build new fortifications and military infrastructure in northeast regions that border Russia and Belarus at a cost of nearly $35 million, prime minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday.
Shmyhal said on Telegram:
At the request of Kharkiv and Chernihiv…we are allocating 911.5 million hryvnias ($24.7 million) for Kharkiv and 363 million ($9.8 million) for Chernihiv to build military engineering and fortification structures.
The Chernihiv region that borders Russia and Belarus was partially occupied at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, but it was later liberated.
Belarus, the Kremlin’s closest ally, initially supported the Russian invasion, opening its borders to Russian troops marching on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.
Minsk also provided its territory to fighters from the Wagner mercenary group whose move to Belarus was part of a deal that ended their attempted mutiny in June. The eastern Kharkiv region, which borders the Russian region of Belgorod, is still partially occupied and has been the site of active fighting in recent weeks.
Since the liberation of its territories, Ukraine has been actively building defences on its borders to prevent being invaded again. It maintains a significant force in the north.
Moscow’s forces control a swathe of southern and eastern Ukraine.
Here’s some analysis from The Guardian’s economics editor Larry Elliott on Russia’s war-fuelled economic woes.
Protracted wars are costly and cause economic damage. Ancient Rome discovered that, as did the US in the 1960s when the conflict in Vietnam was one factor behind pressure on the dollar that led eventually to the breakup of the Bretton Woods fixed currency system.
The decision by Russia’s central bank to raise interest rates from 8.5% to 12% to defend the plunging rouble is the latest example of this age-old truth. Eighteen months into the war with Ukraine, Russia’s current account surplus is shrinking and inflationary pressure is growing. The currency is taking the strain, and the trigger for Tuesday’s emergency move appears to have been the rouble hitting 100 to the US dollar on Monday.
Thus far, policymakers in Russia have made a decent fist of keeping the show on the road, despite attempts by the west to impose an economic blockade. The International Monetary Fund has revised up its forecasts for growth this year, and official figures show the economy expanded by almost 5% between the second quarters of 2022 and 2023.
The Russian economy is now showing clear signs of overheating as it runs into capacity constraints. Inflation over the past three months has been running at an annualised rate of more than 7% – well in excess of the 4% official target.
In a sense, this is inevitable given the Kremlin’s decision to continue spending large sums of money on the war. That has meant running the economy hot. Attempts to support living standards to maintain support for the war among ordinary Russians have added to upward cost pressures. Sanctions are starting to bite harder now that falling global energy prices have led to a sharp reduction in exports.
Russia’s central bank will be hoping the latest tightening of policy has a similar impact to the “shock and awe” announcement shortly after the invasion that interest rates were being raised to 20%. That helped stabilise the currency, which at one stage last year hit a low of 150 roubles to the dollar. So far this year, it has fallen by 30%.
The feeling among analysts is that the move to raise official borrowing costs is a sticking plaster solution to a problem that will only be solved when the fighting stops. “As long as the war continues it just gets worse for Russia, the Russian economy and the rouble,” said Timothy Ash, strategist at RBC Bluebay Asset Management.
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