WAR IN UKRAINE: August 24, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 182
Today marks the 31st anniversary of Ukrainian independence - as well as the six month mark of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Tensions are extremely high amid fears that Russia will strike at populated centers and critical infrastructure.
President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered an emotional address today, saying, "Every new day is a new reason not to give up. Because, having gone through so much, we have no right not to reach the end."
Last night, Zelensky warned of the possibility of "repugnant Russian provocations". "We are fighting against the most terrible threat to our statehood and also at a time when we have achieved the greatest level of national unity," he said. Ukraine's military has also urged people to take air raid warnings seriously. "Russian occupiers continue to carry out air and missile attacks on civilian objects on the territory of Ukraine," the general staff said in a statement today. "Do not ignore air raid signals."
Russia and Ukraine traded accusations Tuesday over who was endangering the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, as the United Nations urged both sides to insulate the Ukrainian facility from the ongoing war. Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine's ambassador, countered that Russia is responsible for the risk and must pull its troops away and allow inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency into the plant. "The only thing that the entire world wants to hear . . . is a statement that Russia demilitarizes the Zaporizhzhia NPP, withdraws its troops, and hands it over to the government of Ukraine," he said - AFP
There’s no end in site to the war in Ukraine, the UK’s former ambassador to Russia, Sir Roderic Lyne, told SKY News, especially given Russian President Putin’s obsession with the country. “I would be astonished if it ended in the next year,” he said, noting that there is a rigged presidential election in Russia next year when people will be thinking about both their leadership and the declining state of the economy. Referring to the car bomb murder of Darya Dugina, the daughter of an ultra-nationalist, he said “I cant think of a single reason why the Ukrainians would do this.”
The head of the Ukrainian Nuclear Power Organization, Petro Kotin, told SKY News that he expects international inspectors to visit the Zaporyzhzhia nuclear power plant within days. He added plant staff have been tortured and some sent home, adding to fears that a slip up could trigger a nuclear catastrophe
The United States has committed more than $9 billion of military assistance to the Ukrainian war effort since the February 24 Russian invasion, an unprecedented amount compared to other US military aid campaignsin the last 30 years. Despite the high price tag associated with this assistance, a just-completed Chicago Council Survey shows that the American public remains supportive of US economic assistance and military transfers to Ukraine. In fact, a majority are willing to continue to support the country “as long as it takes.” At the same time, Americans are just as reluctant now as they were in March to send US soldiers to the war zone.
Porsches, Bentleys and other luxury cars with Russian licence plates are filling the parking garage at Helsinki airport as Finland becomes an important transit country for Russian tourists flying to Europe. The EU shut its airspace to Russian planes after Moscow invaded Ukraine, forcing anyone who wants to travel to Europe to drive across the border or take a circuitous route using non-western airlines. A quick stroll through the car park at Helsinki airport revealed dozens if not hundreds of high-end cars with Russian plates, including a new Mercedes-Benz S-class sedan and Porsche 911 Turbo S - AFP
Required reading…
What Ukraine Needs to Win the War
In the six months since Russia invaded Ukraine, the Ukrainian military has conducted a stout and stirring defense, inflicting heavy casualties on Russian units and contesting every foot of ground. Against long odds, Ukraine managed to defend the capital, Kyiv, as well as its second largest city, Kharkiv. This has forced Russia to abandon its goal of a quick takeover of the country.
However, staving off defeat is not the same thing as victory. Russian forces today control about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including large tracts in the east and south. What does Ukraine need in order to win the war?
Read the full Atlantic Council Ukraine Alert analysis by Richard Hooker Jr. here