Largest Russian air attack, destroyed enemy railway ferry, and exchange of POWs on Independence Day: Ukraine’s weekly news digest

While Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine is in the middle of its third year, the situation is changing rapidly, with regular updates on attacks on civilians, offensive and defensive operations, and responses from the international community.

Here is what you may have missed on the news from Ukraine from August 20 to August 27.

Largest Russian air attack on Ukraine

On August 26, Russia massively attacked Ukrainian territories with Shahed UAVs and missiles. Approximately fifteen regions of Ukraine were targeted by the enemy, Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister of Ukraine, reported.

The Russian shelling also damaged the energy infrastructure. As a result, National Power Company Ukrenergo implemented emergency power outages to stabilize the system, particularly in the Kyiv, Poltava, and Sumy regions. Some cities, including Kyiv, experienced issues with water supply.

According to Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, this was the largest Russian air attack on Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Overall, the Ukrainian military shot down 99 Shahed-136/131 drones and 102 missiles of different types, including one aeroballistic missile, Kh-47M2 «Kyndzhal, one ballistic missile, Iskander-M/KN-23, one cruise missile Kh-22, as well as 99 cruise missiles Kh-101, «Kalibr», guided air missiles Kh-59/69.   

In total, at least five people were killed and 30 more were injured in different regions of Ukraine. Oleksandr Khorunzhyi, Press Officer of the State Emergency Service, informed that more than 50 settlements suffered from Russian shellings and approximately 57 objects of civilian infrastructure, including critical infrastructure facilities, were hit.

Ukrainian forces destroyed the Russian railway ferry “Konro Treider”

The Spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy, Dmytro Pletenchuk, announced on August 23 that the ship had been successfully hit. Due to the attack, the Russian railway ferry “Conro Treider” sank in the port of “Kavkaz” in the Krasnodar region, Russia’s southwest.

“We can confirm the information that this target [“Konro Treider” – ed.] was destroyed by the [Ukrainian – ed.] Navy. This ferry is one of the most important chains of Russian military logistics for supplying the occupation forces, primarily with fuel and lubricants, but it also transported weapons, of course. Therefore, this is a legitimate target. And, accordingly, this should reduce the potential of our enemy’s capabilities in those locations where they are actively engaged in hostilities,” said Pletenchuk.

The Spokesman of the Ukrainian Navy also added that due to the attack, the work of the Russian port “Kavkaz” is partially blocked until the damaged ferry is removed from its berth. According to Pletenchuk, the other two railway ferries in this port are not working: one is under repair, and the other, previously hit by Ukrainians, is waiting for repairs in the Sea of Azov.

Read more: Russian death toll and other losses in Ukraine

Zelenskyy signed the Draft Law on the Ratification of the Rome Statute of the ICC

On August 24, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the Draft Law on the Ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its amendments. The corresponding decision was published on the website of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

The Rome Statute is an international treaty that became the basis for the creation of the ICC and defined the list of crimes that the court has the right to investigate: war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and crimes of aggression.

Earlier, on August 21, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada approved the draft law “On Ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and Amendments thereto”, making an essential step to fully join the ICC. After completing the procedure of joining the ICC, Ukraine will have the right to appoint its judge to this international body, participate in the elections of the prosecutor, and approve the distribution of the court’s budget. With full participation, Ukraine is getting access to the court’s special trust and increasing the chances of receiving compensation for victims of Russian crimes.

Ratification of the Statute is also one of Ukraine’s obligations in the process of European integration.

Ukraine has returned another 115 soldiers from Russian captivity

On August 24, the Independence Day of Ukraine, the 55th exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia took place. As a result, another 115 Ukrainians were returned from enemy captivity.

According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, all those released from Russian captivity are military conscripts. In particular, among them are sailors, three border guards, 82 defenders of Mariupol, six members of the National Guard of Ukraine, as well as soldiers who defended the Kyiv, Donetsk, Kherson and Luhansk regions.

Many released Ukrainians have health problems due to injuries, as well as due to Russia’s non-compliance with the norms of International Humanitarian Law in captivity.

“I am grateful to each unit that replenishes our exchange fund. This helps to advance the release of our military personnel and civilians from Russian captivity. I thank our team and partners, the UAE, for bringing our people back home,” stated Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine.

For the first time, Ukraine used a domestically made rocket drone in combat, Zelenskyy confirms

During the solemn event on St. Sophia Square on the Independence Day of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine has to respond with force to Russian aggression, which only brings ruins and tries to impose slavery on the Ukrainian people.

“Just today, the first and successful combat use of our new weapon, a completely new class of weapon, the Ukrainian rocket drone “Palianytsia” took place (…) The enemy was hit,” informed Zelenskyy.

The President of Ukraine also explained that “Palianytsia” is the code name of a cluster that is part of Ukraine’s missile program. The cluster includes three products. The first test was successful: the Ukrainian rocket drone used is much faster and more powerful than other Ukrainian long-range drones. According to Zelenskyy, specialists are currently working around the clock on the Ukrainian missile program.

Stats of the week

Over August, Ukrainian authorities managed to evacuate approximately 33,000 people, including 3,860 children, from the Donetsk region.
Source: Vadym Filashkin, Head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration. Date: August 21, 2024.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian strikes have already destroyed more than 500 churches, prayer houses, and other religious buildings in Ukraine.
Source: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine. Date: August 22, 2024.

More than 1,528 children were injured in Ukraine due to Russian military aggression.
Source: Yuliia Usenko, Head of the Department for Protection of Children’s Interests and Combating Domestic Violence of the Prosecutor General’s Office. Date: August 23, 2024.