08/08/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 02:33 USA release further armaments aid after booking error +++
The US will pledge $200 million in arms aid to Ukraine today. The sum is a first installment of the $6.2 billion discovered after an overstatement of Ukrainian aid, according to government officials. The pack includes mine clearance equipment, TOW and AT4 anti-tank weapons, rifles and ammunition, Lockheed Martin interceptors for the Patriot system, GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System) missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles. In May, the Pentagon said it had erroneously overestimated the value of US arms it had shipped because employees used replacement value instead of depreciated value when calculating the value of ammunition, missiles and other equipment.
+++ 00:56 Kiev “satisfied” with peace summit +++
After the talks in Saudi Arabia on ways to end the Ukraine war, Kiev feels encouraged. “We are very satisfied with the results of the summit,” said Andriy Yermak, Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian Presidential Office. “The meeting in Saudi Arabia is a rehearsal for a world where there is no room for wild aggression.” Accordingly, the participants agreed on another meeting, for which there is no exact date. Almost 40 countries took part in the talks in Jeddah, including emerging economies such as China, India and South Africa and developing countries. Russia was not invited.
+++ 23:20 Two dead in attack on village near Kharkiv +++
In an attack with air-to-ground missiles, Russian forces killed two people in the Kharkiv area in the evening. According to the region’s governor, four guided missiles were fired at the village of Kruhliakiva, killing a 45-year-old woman and a 60-year-old man. Four other people were taken to hospitals. The rescue workers were repeatedly shot at by the Russian occupiers, according to the governor.
+++ 22:07 Putin: Must increase production of the latest types of weapons +++
According to information from Moscow, Russian President Putin has met with the head of the state-owned Rostec group, Sergey Chemezov. According to a statement from the Kremlin, both spoke about the shortage of skilled workers and rapidly rising wages in the military industry. According to the information, Putin said it was “necessary to increase the production share of the latest types of weapons”. The Kremlin chief also included the production of kamikaze drones. Chemezov said Rostec was trying to find enough highly qualified personnel.
+++ 21:20 report: Russian missile developer hacked by North Korea +++
The computer networks of a Russian missile developer were attacked by an “elite group of North Korean hackers”, according to the Reuters news agency. Accordingly, hacker groups associated with the North Korean government “secretly installed digital backdoors” in the systems of the Russian military company NPO Maschinostrojeniya. Founded in 1944, the company produces hypersonic missiles, satellites and ballistic weapons. According to Reuters, it is unclear whether sensitive information was stolen as a result of the cyberattack. According to the news agency, experts from the US security company SentinelOne were able to secure technical evidence showing that the Russian company’s systems were secretly hacked for at least five months in the past year.
+++ 20:40 Russian rockets hit Pokrovsk +++
Two Russian rockets damaged a residential building in the city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, according to Ukrainian sources. “Two rocket hits. An ordinary residential building was hit. Unfortunately, there are victims. The rescue workers and all the necessary services are on site. The rescue of people continues,” President Zelenskyy writes on his Telegram channel. “Five dead and 18 injured as a result of two attacks on a residential building in Pokrovsk,” Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko wrote on Telegram.
You can read more about the events of the previous day here.