Updated on August 18, 2023 at 9:11 a.m. EDT | Published on August 18, 2023 at 2:05 a.m. EDT
A Ukrainian soldier sprinted through a trench during a combat operation on the front line in the Zaporizhzhia region on August 10th (Libkos/AP). According to individuals familiar with a classified forecast, U.S. intelligence officials do not anticipate Ukraine’s counteroffensive to reach the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol. This is due to its strategic location at the convergence of two vital highways and a railway line, which serve as crucial routes for Russia to transport troops and supplies from the Crimean Peninsula to other occupied territories in southern Ukraine.
In Moscow, early Friday reports indicated that a drone was shot down. Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of initiating “another terrorist attack.”
Here is the latest news on the war and its global implications.
U.S. officials predict that Ukraine’s forces, advancing from the town of Robotyne over 50 miles away, will remain several miles away from the city of Melitopol. If Russian troops are not expelled from Melitopol, Ukraine will fail to achieve one of its primary objectives in the ongoing counteroffensive: to sever the land bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean Peninsula, which was seized by Moscow from Kyiv in 2014.
The drone incident in Russia’s capital on Friday resulted in the aircraft falling onto a nonresidential building, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry. The interception caused no casualties or fires, the ministry stated.
Late Thursday, Washington approved a decision for the Netherlands to send U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, as announced by Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra in a tweet. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent letters of support for the decision to Denmark and the Netherlands, according to Reuters news agency. Denmark’s defense minister, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, stated that “a donation is a natural next step after training” Ukrainian pilots on the aircraft, as reported by Reuters. Ukraine has recently stated that it does not anticipate using F-16s in battle this year due to training delays.
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed legislation to extend martial law until mid-November. Failure to lift martial law would result in a delay of the national parliamentary elections scheduled for the fall. According to Ukraine’s constitution, parliamentary elections must take place no later than October 29th, with presidential elections scheduled for early next year.
Russian state media announced the arrest of Gene Spektor, a U.S. citizen in Russia, on espionage charges on Thursday. Spektor had previously been convicted of bribery. The State Department spokesperson, speaking anonymously to address a sensitive diplomatic matter, confirmed that officials were monitoring the situation and stated, “When a U.S. citizen is detained overseas, the department works to provide all appropriate assistance.”
A significant fire broke out at a cargo terminal in the Russian Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk, according to Russian state news agency Tass. The fire covered an area of 1,300 square meters (14,000 square feet), as reported by the news agency on Friday. The cause of the fire remains unclear. Earlier this month, Ukraine’s navy and main internal security service used sea drones to attack a Russian naval base near the port, as previously reported by The Washington Post.
An official reported that a 61-year-old woman was killed in shelling in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, with another woman, aged 60, sustaining injuries from shelling the previous day, according to Oleh Synyehubov, the regional governor, in a Telegram post on Friday.
The British Defense Ministry stated that Russia is attempting to undermine Ukrainian national identity in the areas it occupies. In its daily update on Thursday, the ministry noted that Russian authorities plan to introduce a new history textbook to schools in Russia and the occupied areas of Ukraine starting in September. The textbook reportedly praises Russia’s actions in the war and portrays Ukraine as an ultraterrorist state. Other efforts in the occupied parts of the Zaporizhzhia region include new accreditation standards for educational institutions and the employment of Russian journalists in local media.
Zelensky announced that Ukraine will host a defense industries forum in the upcoming fall. This will be the first large-scale event of its kind at the state level, inviting Ukrainian and foreign arms manufacturers. The forum aims to enhance arms production within Ukraine through partnerships and localization.
As reported by The Washington Post, a recent review by the Pentagon on biological threats revealed that Russia likely possesses the capability to create deadly toxins and pathogens. The report also states that Moscow maintains an active offensive biological weapons program. In March 2022, the White House issued a warning that Russia could potentially use bioweapons in Ukraine. While there is limited evidence of Russia employing low-grade chemical attacks in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Zelensky claimed last year that Moscow had deployed bombs containing white phosphorus, a highly incendiary chemical. Russia, at the time, denied violating international conventions banning biological and chemical weapons.
The family of Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine arrested in Russia in 2018 and currently serving a 16-year sentence, confirmed that he had a conversation with Secretary of State Blinken this week. In an email update, Paul’s brother, David Whelan, expressed surprise at the level of interest in what seemed like a routine phone call. He stated that the call was described as “good” by Paul himself and that there was a frank discussion about the current status of his detention. David Whelan noted that the U.S. government either cannot or is unwilling to make a concession acceptable to the Kremlin for Paul’s release but commended the call as a remarkable display of the U.S. government’s ongoing commitment to securing Paul’s release.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Friday that the European Union’s natural gas storage capacity has reached 90%, well ahead of schedule. This comes as the continent prepares for its second winter since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Household bills across Europe soared last year due to the war, as President Vladimir Putin withheld natural gas shipments in response to Western sanctions. Von der Leyen wrote on X that together, Europe is reducing its dependency on Russian gas and simultaneously working towards diversifying its energy supplies for the future.
Germany has introduced a new security assistance package for Ukraine, which includes the dispatch of two IRIS-T SLS air defense systems, 10 ground surveillance radars, and several thousand rounds of smoke ammunition, as per an updated list of Germany’s military aid to Ukraine. Zelensky expressed gratitude for the new supplies during his nightly address. Additionally, Sweden’s parliament has approved a security assistance package worth 270 million euros ($294 million), as tweeted by Ukraine’s defense minister, who expressed his thanks.
Zelensky announced that he has signed a crucial law necessary to initiate talks on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. He expressed hope that these talks could commence within this year. In a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Zelensky stated that the law ensures transparency, professionalism, and integrity in the qualifications of Constitutional Court judges. The European Union granted Ukraine candidate status following the Russian invasion, but outlined several requirements, including laws to ensure qualified judges, reduction of oligarch influence, and improvement in Ukraine’s record of investigating and prosecuting corruption.
Polish authorities suspect that Russia’s military intelligence agency recruited operatives online to target weapon shipments crossing Poland, according to reports from Greg Miller, Loveday Morris, and Mary Ilyushina. Their aim was to disrupt the weapons pipeline that accounts for over 80% of the military hardware delivered to Ukraine, Polish and Western officials claim. This foiled operation posed the most significant Russian threat on NATO soil since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last year, according to Polish officials. Stanislaw Zaryn, who oversees Poland’s security services, described it as the first sign that Russia is attempting to organize sabotage and potential terrorist attacks within Poland.
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