08/18/2022
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 01:51 Selenskyj demands the unconditional withdrawal of the Russians from the nuclear power plant +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to insist that Russian troops be withdrawn from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. “This must be done without conditions and as soon as possible,” says Zelenskyj in his evening video address. Ukrainian diplomats, scientists and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are working to allow an expert commission to visit the nuclear power plant. “Only absolute transparency and a controlled situation in and around the nuclear power plant guarantee a return to normal nuclear safety for the Ukrainian state, the international community and the IAEA,” said Zelenskyj.
+++ 00:53 Ukrainian Independence Day: Attacks on Kyiv expected +++
Ukraine braces for Russian missile strikes on the capital Kyiv on its August 24 Independence Day. That says the presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych, who often comments on military issues. However, this will not change anything in the military situation. Rather, it would be “a purely emotional gesture to kill more civilians and spoil our holiday.” But Ukraine also has the means to ruin the day for the Russians, says Arestovych, recalling the series of explosions at Russian military installations on the Crimean peninsula. “It will be much worse for them there in the event of an attack than for us here,” he threatens.
+++ 00:05 Fitch upgrades Ukraine again +++
The rating agency Fitch has upgraded the country rating for Ukraine to “CC” from previously “RD”. The agency reports that the reason for this is the restructuring of external liabilities last week. Foreign creditors have given Ukraine a two-year reprieve on upcoming bond payments worth nearly $20 billion. A “CC” rating means insufficient creditworthiness. Since the beginning of the Russian attack on February 24, Ukraine has been in a severe economic crisis. At Fitch, “RD” is the last step before a complete default. Fitch gives an outlook for credit ratings of “CCC+” or worse
+++ 23:00 At least six civilians die in an attack on a residential area in Kharkiv +++
According to local reports, at least six people were killed and another 16 injured by Russian shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. A skyscraper was hit, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram. Media reported that a cruise missile had struck the house and set it on fire. Regional governor Oleh Sinegubov writes that other places in Ukraine’s second largest city were also hit. The shelling was “pretty chaotic”. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks on Telegram of a “mean and cynical attack on civilians for which there is no justification and which only shows the helplessness of the aggressor”. Kharkiv had been heavily shelled by Russian artillery the night before.
+++ 22:25 Kyiv contradicts Moscow: All US rocket launchers are still intact +++
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov contradicts Russian reports that they destroyed HIMARS missile launchers. According to Reznikov, all 16 vehicles supplied by the US are still intact.
+++ 21:45 Secret service reports movement in Crimea: Russians are hiding their planes +++
According to Ukrainian intelligence, the Russian Air Force is attempting to evacuate warplanes and helicopters to safety in Crimea after several explosions. Some of the aircraft would be transferred to the interior of the peninsula annexed in 2014, and some would be withdrawn to the Russian mainland. This was announced by the Ukrainian military intelligence service on Facebook. The transfer of at least 24 aircraft and 14 helicopters was observed.
+++ 21:15 Kyiv: Russian military base in Cherson destroyed +++
The Ukrainian army claims to have destroyed the Russian military base in the occupied Cherson Nova Kakhovka region. The Armed Forces Strategic Communications Department reports that, according to preliminary data, 10-15 Russian soldiers were killed as a result of the attack on the base. on Telegram Ukrainian border police shows pictures of burnt-out trucks, collapsed buildings and debris.
Read more about this here.
+++ 20:40 NATO sees Zaporizhia as a threat +++
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is pushing for an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspection of Ukraine’s Russian-controlled Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. The Russian occupation “poses a serious threat to the safety of this facility,” Stoltenberg said in Brussels, adding that it “increased the risk of a nuclear accident or incident.” “It is urgently necessary to enable an IAEA inspection and to obtain the withdrawal of all Russian armed forces,” explains Stoltenberg. Russian control of the Zaporizhia plant “endangers the people of Ukraine, neighboring countries and the international community.”
You can read earlier developments of the Ukraine war here.