WAR IN UKRAINE: August 26, 2022
Damage seen from a reported strike in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast region of Ukraine. (From Dmytro Kuleba/Twitter)
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 184
The Zaporyzhzhia nuclear power plant management says Russian actions has caused “a complete disconnection of the ZNPP from the power grid – for the first time in its history.” They said in their Telegram channel that the plant’s startup operations are underway to connect one of the power units to the grid. Europe’s largest nuclear power plant provides a significant portion of Ukraine’s power however experts told us that the country can endure an offline episode as long as coal-fired power plants aren’t damaged and remain fully operational
In Dnipropetrovsk region, where the Russian military shelled the railway station and the residential sector, 25 people died, including two children. Another 31 people were injured, reported Suspilne News.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, referring to the attack, said on Twitter: “Russia’s missile strike on a train station full of civilians in Ukraine fits a pattern of atrocities. We will continue, together with partners from around the world, to stand with Ukraine and seek accountability for Russian officials.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Thursday to increase the size of Russia's armed forces after the Kremlin has seen devastating losses from its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The decree calls for the augmentation of Russia's forces from 1.9 million troops to 2.04 million, Reuters reported. In July, CIA Director Bill Burns said that U.S. intelligence estimated that about 15,000 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine "and maybe three times that wounded." Earlier this week Ukraine disclosed that nearly 9,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since Feb. 24.
Ukrainians who have sought refuge in Russia often face a fundamental choice: accept Russian hospitality and the Kremlin's vision for Ukraine under Russian rule or risk an uncertain road out. NPR's Moscow correspondent Charles Maynes has been spending time talking with Ukrainians now in Russia as a result of the conflict and talking with the Russians who helped them. Read or listen to the full NPR report here
Required reading…
Holding Russia to Account for War Crimes in Ukraine
Reporting from Ukraine, a veteran war correspondent chronicles a campaign to collect evidence of Russian atrocities that might stand up in court against Putin, his commanders, and their troops.
Read the full Vanity Fair feature by my friend and war correspondent Janine di Giovanni here