Type: Information And Data From Ukraine

Dispatches from Ukraine, provided by Forbes Ukraine’s editorial team.

As Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues and the war rages on, reliable sources of information are critical. Forbes Ukraine’s reporters gather information and provide updates on the situation.

Wednesday, August 24. Day 182. By Dmytro Aksyonov

A rocket strike on a railway station in the settlement of Chaplyne, Dnipropetrovsk region, has killed estimated 22 civilians and injured more than 50 others, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while speaking to the U.N. Security Council.

As expected, Russia massively intensified its rocket strikes on August 24, a symbolic date for Ukraine that marks its Independence Day today.

Rocket strikes have been reported in the cities of Myrhorod, in the Poltava region, and Khmelnytskyi, in the Khmelnytskyi region, and various settlements in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Reports have also emerged of rockets and UAV’s shot down over the Vinnytsia, Cherkasy and Chernihiv regions.

US President Joe Biden has unveiled the largest-yet package of military aid to Ukraine, totaling $3 billion, in commemoration of the country’s Independence Day. “The United States of America is committed to supporting the people of Ukraine as they continue the fight to defend their sovereignty,” Biden said in a statement announcing the package, noting Kyiv’s “bittersweet” anniversary of independence from Russian-dominated Soviet rule 31 years ago. The Pentagon said the new package would include six additional surface-to-air missile systems known as NASAMS, 24 counter-artillery radars, Puma drones, along with counter-drone systems known as VAMPIRE. Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko also announced that the US has separately issued an unconditional grant of $3 billion in financial aid to the country, which will be used to fund primary budgetary expenditures.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a visit to Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, his third since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. Jonhson once again confirmed the UK’s long-term commitment to supporting Ukraine in a humanitarian and military fashion, and also outlined the UK’s next major package of military support, valued at £54 million, which includes unmanned surveillance and anti-tank loitering munitions that have been specifically requested by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

White House Spokesperson John Kirby said the US has information suggesting that Russia is preparing to hold “sham referenda” in regions of Ukraine it occupies, potentially within days. He said an announcement could come before the end of the week. The potential regions where referendums on joining Russia could occur include Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, along with Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. Kirby said the US believed that Russia would rig the results of the referendums and falsely claim Ukrainian people want to join Russia as a pretext for further annexation of affected regions.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday that the slowing pace of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine was deliberate, and driven by the need to reduce civilian casualties. Speaking at a meeting of defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan, Shoigu said: “Everything is being done to avoid casualties among civilians. Of course, this slows down the pace of the offensive, but we are doing this deliberately.” Since their capture of the Luhansk region of the country in late June, Russia has failed to make significant progress in its invasion, not seizing a single large population center in the country’s east.

French petroleum giant TotalEnergies is involved in supplying gas condensate to make jet fuel that could be used by Russia’s military in Ukraine, via the French firm’s stake in a venture with Russia’s Novatek, French newspaper Le Monde newspaper reported on Wednesday. The report, which is based on energy market data and compiled with help from activist group Global Witness, said the fuel was produced from gas condensate supplied by Terneftegaz, of which Totalenergies holds 49% ownership. TotalEnergies has a range of multibillion-euro investments in Russia, including stakes in the Yamal LN
LN
G and Arctic LNG 2 projects, the latter of which is not yet operational.