Ukraine: realities | «The Weekly Five»: 12.08 – 18.08
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuted Russian propaganda claims about alleged Ukrainian intentions to use "dirty bombs"
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heorhii Tykhyi, refuted statements by Russian propagandists about alleged plans to use "dirty bombs" or attack nuclear power plants.
"We are witnessing another surge of insane Russian propaganda about alleged plans by Ukraine to use 'dirty bombs' or attack nuclear power plants. We officially deny these false claims. Ukraine has neither the intention nor the capability to undertake such actions. Russia must stop spreading dangerous lies."
Media: Germany will not allocate additional funds to Ukraine
The current budget planning of the German federal government does not foresee the allocation of new funds to support Ukraine. The opposition speaks of freezing financial and thus military support to Kyiv.
Additional requests from the German Ministry of Defense regarding military aid to Ukraine will no longer be approved at the behest of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, although already approved materials continue to be supplied in most cases.
The reason for this is austerity measures by the chancellery and the Ministry of Finance. The relevant request was sent by Finance Minister Christian Lindner in a letter to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on August 5.
The publication notes that the ban is already in effect, and the situation for Ukraine may also soon worsen as the planned military support is expected to be halved next year and then reduced to less than one-tenth of the current amount by 2027.
From the perspective of the Ministry of Finance, however, the situation looks different. Lindner's letter of August 5, which is in the possession of FAS, shows that he does not expect a sudden reduction in funds for Ukraine. However, the money will now come not from the federal budget but from frozen assets of the Russian central bank.
ISW: Ukrainian maneuver in the Kursk region compensated for Russia's advantage
Ukraine's operation in the Kursk region illustrates how Ukrainian forces can use maneuver warfare to offset Russia's advantage in manpower and equipment.
Russian troops have generally occupied 1,175 square kilometers of territory across the entire theater of operations over seven months from January to July this year. During Ukraine's operation in the Kursk region, the military advanced approximately 800 square kilometers over six days from August 6 to 12 and advanced approximately 28 kilometers deep as of August 17.
Military analysts emphasized that the size of the territory captured by Ukrainian forces is not an indicator of the success of this operation. However, the maneuver could lead to much faster progress than positional warfare.
At the start of Ukraine's operation in the Kursk region, the military attacked mostly unprepared, unequipped, and deserted Russian defensive positions along the border. Still, Ukraine continued to use maneuvers to advance rapidly in the Kursk region after the deployment of Russian reinforcements in the area.
Ukraine's use of maneuver in the Kursk region serves as an example of how the Ukrainian maneuver, combined with operational surprise, can lead to achieving goals in much shorter periods with fewer troops and equipment.
Ukraine's General Staff confirmed the destruction of four airfields on Russian territory
On the night of August 14, the Defense Forces and the Main Intelligence Directorate attacked four airfields in the Voronezh, Kursk, and Nizhny Novgorod regions of Russia.
"In particular, the military airfields 'Khalino,' 'Savaskleika,' 'Borisoglebsk,' and 'Baltimore' were hit.
These airfields are home to army aviation, Su-34 fighter-bombers, Su-35 fighters, and other enemy military aviation equipment."
Politico: The Biden administration is "open" to sending Ukraine long-range missiles for the F-16
The administration of US President Joe Biden is "open" to providing Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles, which will give Ukrainian F-16 fighters greater combat power.
As the publication notes, information about the White House's readiness to provide Ukraine with air-to-surface missiles surfaced amid the ongoing Ukrainian ground operation in Russia's Kursk region, which has been ongoing for the second week.
No final decision has yet been made on the missile delivery, but according to one Biden administration official, they are now working on complex details.
These issues include verifying the transfer of sensitive technologies and ensuring that Ukrainian aircraft can launch such missiles.
The material noted that the discussion concerns the JASSM – a high-precision cruise missile designed to hit important, highly protected stationary and mobile targets from distances beyond the reach of enemy air defenses.
Thanks to such missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force will be able to attack enemy targets at a distance of over 320 kilometers.
The project «Ukraine: realities» is implemented by the News agency «Konkurent» together with the Civic Movement «SVIDOMI» in English for readers from other countries to tell to tell about current news and events in Ukraine.
Проєкт «Ukraine: realities» реалізовується Інформаційним агентством «Конкурент» спільно з Громадянським Рухом «СВІДОМІ» на англійській мові для читачів з інших країн аби розповісти про актуальні новини та події в Україні.