Prepared by Sofia Oliynyk, Maryana Zaviyska, Anna Dovha
Energy security.
Russia continues nuclear terrorism. Over the weekend Russian occupiers shelled the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. As a result of shelling, an employee of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, shop foreman Marko Maksym was killed. The international community calls for the demilitarization of one of the largest nuclear plants. The High Representative of the European Union for foreign policy and security policy, Josep Borrell, called for the creation of a demilitarized zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The European Union and 42 countries of the world called on the aggressor country to withdraw troops and equipment from the territory of the Zaporizhzhia NPP due to the threat to the safe operation of the plant created by Russia.
Foreign policy.
The Czech Republic, which currently presides over the European Union, supported the calls of some member states for a general ban on the entry of Russians into the EU. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Jan Lipavsky, said that his government will bring this issue up for discussion during the meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of the European Union, which will be held in Prague at the end of August. At the same time, the Danish government is in favor of restricting the issuance of Schengen visas to citizens of Russia. However, the Danish side prefers to do it together with all EU countries.
The Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, has opposed the ban on issuing EU visas to citizens of Russia. ‘This is Putin’s war. And that’s why it’s hard for me to agree with this idea,’ he said. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba did not agree with this statement of Sholtz. ‘Not Putin, but actual Russian soldiers come from Russia to kill, torture and destroy. Russians overwhelmingly support the war, cheer missile strikes on Ukrainian cities and murder of Ukrainians. Let Russian tourists enjoy Russia then,’ Dmytro Kuleba stated.
Cities under attack.
On the night of August 12, the Russian occupying forces shelled Kharkiv. As a result of the shelling, the college and communications of critical infrastructure were damaged, glass flew out in several residential buildings, and fragments hit several trolleybuses. Also, in the evening of August 12, the Russian occupation forces attacked Kramatorsk, Donetsk region. As a result of the shelling, three civilians were killed and 13 were wounded. The shelling also damaged at least 20 houses, and a fire broke out in the private sector. At the same time, the Russian military shelled Zaporizhzhya. As a result, two people were injured, and one woman died. The occupiers damaged an infrastructure facility and gas station.
On the night of August 13, the Russian occupiers shelled Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region. 11 high-rise buildings, 13 private buildings and a kindergarten were mutilated. The gas pipeline and powerline are destroyed. On Saturday, the Russian invaders attacked Mykolaiv. Residential buildings, shops and industrial facilities were damaged in one district of the city. One civilian was injured. On the same day, the Russian army shelled Kharkiv and the region. Three civilians were hospitalized during the day, including a 13-year-old boy. Trolleybuses, cars were damaged, glass flew out in several houses.
On August 14, Nikopol district in Dnipropetrovsk region was shelled. As a result, food supermarkets, cafes, private and apartment buildings were damaged. One person received shrapnel wounds, he is currently in the hospital. Kharkiv under fire once again with another industrial infrastructure damaged.
Cities under occupation.
Kherson. In Kherson, the Russian military seized the station of a local television company and is trying to seize control of the cable television and Internet. Meanwhile, the Russian occupiers demand doctors to sign documents agreeing to receive salaries in rubles. In case of refusal, employees are given a temporary work permit with a warning of possible dismissal at any moment.
Melitopol. Oleg Shostak, one of the heads of the election headquarters of the ‘United Russia’ party, was blown up in temporarily occupied Melitopol. Oleg Shostak survived, but was injured. In the headquarters of the Russian ‘United Russia’ Shostak is the head of the propaganda department of media work. The Russian invaders placed their military base on the territory of the hospital in the temporarily occupied Melitopol, Zaporizhzhya region.
Crimea. 11 citizen journalists of Crimean Tatar origin became victims of political persecution by the Russian occupation authorities in Crimea. NGO CrimeaSOS says it is another wave of searches that happen once every six months. As a rule, Crimean Tatars are accused of involvement in a terrorist organization. Journalists and activists are often the victims of searches and detentions. On August 11, 8 searches were conducted in the temporarily occupied Crimea, 6 Crimean Tatars were detained.
Human rights.
After negotiations, Ukraine returned the bodies of 522 dead soldiers who were on the lists of missing persons. Ukraine is working to collect all the bodies of the dead. Negotiations with the Russian side do not take place directly, but through the International Committee of the Red Cross.
On August 15, a criminal trial by the ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’ authorities will begin against five foreigners from Sweden and the United Kingdom who fought on the side of Ukraine, it will be held behind closed doors. According to the legislation of the unrecognized Donetsk People’s Republic, if the guilt of the defendants is proved, they face punishment up to the death penalty.
Since the beginning of the full-scale military invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, 541 children have lost parental care directly due to the war. The parents of 106 of them died.
The international human rights organization Amnesty International wants the process of compiling its report, in which the Ukrainian military was accused of violating the laws of war to be carefully checked by independent experts. ‘We want to understand what exactly went wrong and why, so that we can learn from it and improve our human rights work,’ Amnesty International stated. The organization ‘regrets’ that the press release was published without sufficient context.
Food security.
On the morning of August 12, the fifth caravan with agricultural products left Ukrainian ports. The ships have more than 63,000 tons of agricultural products on board.
The BRAVE COMMANDER ship under the flag of Liberia arrived at the port ‘Pivdenny’ for loading. The vessel was chartered by the UN World Food Program to transport 23 thousand tons of Ukrainian grain to Ethiopia.
The first ship carrying corn and soya from Ukraine arrived in Italian port Ravenna. ‘Italy keeps promoting every effort for food security globally and in the Mediterranean, the implementation of the agreement on grain export, and support for Kyiv’s resilience,’ the Ministry stated.
Mykolaiv and Zakarpattia regions have completed the harvesting of crops of the early group. Currently, 20.8 million tons of grain of the new crop have already been collected in Ukraine.
Destructions.
The Russian invaders damaged 221 and destroyed about 100 libraries in Ukraine during the full-scale invasion. According to Karandeev, 33% of them are in Donetsk region, 24% in Kyiv region, and 9% each in Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions.
Language.
The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine developed a draft law on establishing the special status of the English language in Ukraine as the language of international communication. Meanwhile, Russian language will not be taught in Kyiv schools from the new academic year. In addition, all subjects will be taught only in Ukrainian.
Reading corner.
● Ukraine Is on the Edge of Nervous Breakdown | The Economist – War has affected every Ukrainian. Stress is making people who are already at risk of mental illness more vulnerable. ‘People like to control things, and war doesn’t let you.’ Ukraine’s health ministry is already predicting that 3mln-4mln people will need to receive medical support to manage mental-health problems resulting from the war. Some 15mln will require other kinds of psychological support.
● How the War Changed a Kyiv Museum’s View of Its Past | The New York Times – When the Mystetskyi Arsenal’s team reassembled here in April, they found themselves overwhelmed with emotions, and unable to give them form. It was far too early to analyze the war. So they decided to sublimate the chaos of the invasion, inscribing their new fears and hopes on pre-existing works by 17 artists.
Statistics.
● General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the total estimated losses of the Russian military as of 10 a.m., August 15, 2022: personnel – around 43 750, tanks ‒ 1876, APV ‒ 4141, artillery systems – 985, MLRS – 261, anti-aircraft warfare systems – 136, fixed-wing aircraft – 233, helicopters – 195, operational-tactical level UAV – 787, cruise missiles – 187, boats and light speed boats – 15, soft-skinned vehicles and fuel tankers – 3044, special equipment – 92.
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