WAR IN UKRAINE: August 21, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 179
Overnight, a bomb killed the daughter of the ‘spiritual guide' to Putin's Ukraine invasion, according to Russian media. The father of the deceased, Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin, is purported to have significant influence over Russian President Vladimir Putin and is frequently described as "Putin's Brain,” CNN reported. Earlier this year Darya Dugin was sanctioned by US and UK authorities, who accused the 30-year-old of contributing to online "disinformation" in relation to Russia's invasion
Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry, said in a Telegram post that if any Ukrainian link was found it would amount to "state terrorism". Earlier, Russian propaganda outlets called for direct attacks on “decision making” locations in Kyiv. A Ukrainian official has dismissed accusations of Ukrainian involvement in the incident. "Ukraine, of course, has nothing to do with this, because we are not a criminal state, which is the Russian Federation, and even less a terrorist state," said Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Separately, law enforcement in Ukraine are urging citizens to adhere to all air raid sirens during the period August 23-25 - when the country will be observing the 31st anniversary of Ukrainian independence in Wednesday.
Several air raids sirens rang out in Odesa overnight. Ukrainian media reported that five Russian rockets were fired into the region, with two shot down but three hitting agricultural infrastructure where grain is stored. “Warehouses with wheat harvested this year were destroyed,” said Suspilne news
The State Bureau of Investigation has opened a pre-trial probe into the “huge number” of Ukrainian citizens that reportedly fled to Monaco to avoid military service. The probe was started on the basis of investigation by Ukrainska Pravda. More than 80 men and women were identified in the report.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant could start to be restored with a visit of international inspectors - which has reportedly been agreed to by the Kremlin. UN IAEA inspectors are said to be in Kyiv and, according to the UN Secretary General, ready to move towards the plant with logistics and security. Zelensky was speaking after Russia's Vladimir Putin said Moscow would grant UN inspectors access to the facility, north of Crimea. The Kremlin and Kyiv have blamed each other for shelling the plant over the past week, raising fears of a nuclear catastrophe - BBC
Russian shelling hit a residential area in the southern region of Mykolayiv, wounding 12 civilians, including four children. Voznesensk is about 30 kilometers from the Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant, the second largest in Ukraine - RFE/RL
Russian Won't Be Taught In Kyiv's Schools. How Do Ukrainians Feel About It? View the RFE/RL report here. It goes to show the passion involved in the language debate flagged in my CNN OpEd below.
If you’re looking to send a message to Putin—or at least to his troops—regarding his invasion of Ukraine, SignMyRocket.com can help. For $2,000, a Ukrainian soldier will write a message of your choosing on a VOG-17 grenade, attach it to a Mavic 3 drone, drop it onto a Russian invader, and send you the video. “We guarantee that your signed VOG will hit a soldier,” boasts the company’s Web site. “[Our] soldiers will redo it until they get a hit on video.” Read more in this Air Mail report here
Ви розмовляєте українською? Russia's invasion triggered a surge of patriotism in Ukraine that included a push for people to make more use of the nation's official language: Ukrainian. Read my CNN Opinion OpEd here