Russian airstrike on Kostiantynivka, Army+ app for Ukrainian military, and operation in the Kursk region: Ukraine’s weekly news digest

While Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine is in the middle of its third year, the situation is still intense, 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 5 to August 14.

Operation in the Kursk region

Ukrainian defensive actions on the front and the operations in the Kursk region are ongoing. As of August 12, about a thousand square kilometers in the Kursk region have been under Ukrainian control, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reported.

“These are, in particular, the areas from which the Russian army launched strikes on our Sumy region. For today and since June 1, there have been almost 2100 shellings of the Sumy region’s territory. Therefore, our operations are purely a security matter for Ukraine, the liberation of the border area from the Russian military,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in the evening address on August 12.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed special gratitude to Ukrainian units that replenish the “exchange fund”, and instructed appropriate structures to present a clear strategy for the return of Ukrainian people from Russian captivity though the exchanges.

Minister of Defense and Ukrainian diplomats will also be working on ensuring appropriate permissions from Ukrainian partners to use long-range weapons as it can significantly advance the just end of the war and save thousands of Ukrainian lives from Russian terror.

“It is only fair to destroy Russian terrorists where they are, where they launch their strikes from. Russian military airfields, Russian logistics. We see how useful this can be for bringing peace closer. Russia must be forced into peace if Putin wants to continue waging war so badly,” Zelenskyy stated.

On August 13, Ukrainian forces continue to advance in the Kursk region despite the difficult and intense battles, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported. 74 communities are under Ukrainian control.

Russian airstrike on Kostiantynivka

On August 9, Russian troops carried out an airstrike on Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region, attacking the city with a Kh-38 missile.

A total of 14 people were killed, including 3 children, and 44 more were injured in the city, reported the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. As a result of the attack, a shopping center with a supermarket and “Nova Poshta” postal terminal, as well as nine shops, were damaged. Four private houses, a car wash, and twelve autos were also affected.

Russians set fire on the territory of Zaporizhzhia NPP

On the evening of August 11, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed that Russian forces started a fire on the territory of the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Enerhodar. 

“Currently, radiation levels are within norm. However, as long as the Russian terrorists maintain control over the nuclear plant, the situation is not and cannot be normal. Since the first day of its seizure, Russia has been using the Zaporizhzhia NPP only to blackmail Ukraine, all of Europe, and the world,” stated Zelenskyy.

According to the National Nuclear Energy Generating Company “Energoatom,” cooling tower number one caught fire and other technological equipment was damaged. The probable cause is Russian forces’ negligence or deliberate arson. At the same time, exceeding the control levels for emissions and discharges of radioactive substances was not recorded.

As of August 12, the fire on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia NPP has stopped, while the radiation level in the nearby area is normal, reported Serhii Lysak, Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration.

The launch of Army+ application for the military

The Army+ app became operational on August 8. It has been designed for the Ukrainian military and aims to remove unnecessary bureaucracy, as well as replace paper documentation with digital ones.

“The purpose of this application is to free the Ukrainian army from useless paperwork. So that commanders and soldiers do not waste their time on outdated and unnecessary bureaucracy and filling in papers. We are starting with reports: first, there will be electronic reports, and then we will continue with clearance forms and all other documents,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during the presentation of the application.

The Army+ app will start with basic functions, and new features will be added over time. The future updates plan to include social services provided by the state to Ukrainian defenders (in the areas of transportation, medical care and banking), necessary courses and training programs, and reliable communication option for soldiers, particularly, secure chats.

$125 million security assistance package from the US

On August 9, the US announced additional security assistance for Ukraine worth $125 million. This is the Biden Administration’s sixty-third tranche of equipment to be provided for Ukraine since August 2021. 

The capabilities listed include Stinger missiles; ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS); 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition; multi-mission radars; Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems; as well as other military equipment and services.

Ukrainian forces hit Russian military airfield and air defence systems

On August 9, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Ukrainian military targeted the Russian military airfield in the Lipetsk region, Russia. In the course of the attack, warehouses with guided aerial bombs and a number of other military objects were hit.

Furthermore, Ukrainian units also attacked Russian anti-aircraft missile divisions in the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region. In particular, three enemy radars were targeted.

Stats of the week

At least 219 civilians were killed and 1,018 injured in Ukraine in July 2024, which makes it the deadliest month for civilians since October 2022.
Source: UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU). Date: August 9, 2024.

Over the past week (August 5-11), Russia used more than 30 missiles and more than 800 guided aerial bombs to attack Ukraine.
Source: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine. Date: August 11, 2024.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, citizens from more than 100 countries have founded more than 3,000 companies in Ukraine.
Source: Opendatabot. Date: August 12, 2024.

Since February 2022, Russian forces have destroyed 215 medical establishments in Ukraine and damaged 1,646 more.
Source: Ministry of Health of Ukraine. Date: August 12, 2024.