WAR IN UKRAINE: August 13, 2022
Five-year-old Eva makes and sells cupcakes with her own hands, and her family sends the money she earns to Ukrainian military. The largest amount she managed to raise in a day was 450 hryvnias (about US$12). Eva has plans to start baking gingerbread cookies as well. Photo: Mariya Grushchynska
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 171
Russian forces on Friday evening carried out a strike on the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast, hitting a private residential neighbourhood. Later on, the Head of the Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, reported that two civilians had been killed and 13 injured in the Russian attack on Kramatorsk. The attack damaged at least 20 buildings and caused a fire in the residential neighbourhood. The Russians also launched a massive missile attack on Zaporizhzhia, destroying infrastructure facilities. One woman is known to have been injured - Ukrainska Pravda
President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted to the Verkhovna Rada draft laws on the extension of martial law and mobilization. He proposes to extend them for another 90 days - until November 21.
Blasts at a Russian-operated airfield in Crimea this week have "significantly degraded" its navy's Black Sea fleet, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) says. The Saky base in the west of Russian-ruled Crimea was rocked by a string of blasts on Tuesday, killing one person. The blasts led to the loss of eight Russian combat jets, the MoD said in its daily intelligence update. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility, but satellite images suggest the possibility of a targeted attack. The cause of the blasts is unclear, but at least five fighter-bombers and three multi-role jets were "almost certainly destroyed or seriously damaged", the statement says - BBC
Ukraine's state energy company says the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant has been shelled again, blaming Russian forces, while the Russia-backed local administration said Ukrainian forces were to blame.
Zelensky has reportedly called upon officials to stop talking to reporters about military tactics against Russia, and a top defense ministry official said an investigation had been opened into the leaks. The presidential administration has been criticized for tightening its control over information about the war, as well as an ongoing tele-marathon which has obliged the major national TV channels to participate in a round-the-clock, ad-free programme.
Spain has launched a pilot project to export grain from Ukraine by rail, its ministry of transport said. It is reported that the Renfe Mercancías company sent a train with 25 containers with special housings for the transportation of grain. The first batch of 600 tons will be loaded in Chelm, Poland. The project is designed to show the expediency of an alternative method of grain delivery from Ukraine.
Required Reading…
Germany under fire from neighbours for its dependence on Russian energy
Some countries in Eastern Europe objected to Germany building ties with Russia around natural gas imports via the Nord Stream pipeline. Now, Germany is scrambling to prepare for additional supply cuts.
Michael Taylor, Senior Analyst for Eastern Europe with Oxford Analytica, spoke with Stephen Beard at the Market Place.
Read the article here