War in Ukraine. Daily update. Day 185-187 [10.00 am, 27-29.08.2022 🇩🇪🇫🇷🇷🇺🇨🇿🇯🇵🇷🇸]

Prepared by Sofia Oliynyk, Maryana Zaviyska, Anna Dovha

Photo: The Village Ukraine

Foreign policy.
Latvian prosecutors have already interrogated about 80 citizens of Ukraine and continue to collect evidence, in particular, regarding the filtration camps through which persons displaced to the Russian Federation pass.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba starts a series of international visits and meetings this week. He will visit the Kingdom of Sweden (August 29) and the Czech Republic (August 30-31) to consolidate international support for Ukraine and increase sanctions pressure on Russia. In Prague, Dmytro Kuleba will take part in an informal meeting of foreign ministers of EU member states, the key topics of which will be visa restrictions for citizens of the Russian Federation and the eighth package of EU sanctions against Russia. Also, separately he will hold a number of bilateral meetings with colleagues from the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Georgia, Moldova and Cyprus. Kuleba will also take part in the International Conference Forum 2000 ‘Current challenges for democracy: what should be our response?’. 

Energy security.
The International Nuclear Energy Agency has already formed a mission that will visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. IAEA Director General Rafael Gross has announced this morning that the mission is already on the way to Ukraine. Experts from the USA and Great Britain will not be represented, as the Russian Federation called these countries ‘biased in their support for Ukraine.’ Meanwhile, Russian occupiers are torturing workers at the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP to force them not to inform UN inspectors about security risks at the plant. Ukraine has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency of renewed shelling in recent days at the site of the country’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. The Minister of Health of Ukraine reported that Ukraine has purchased enough necessary drugs in case of a possible accident at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. All hospitals in the potential impact zone are equipped with the necessary medicines.

The Russian Federation burns around 4.34 million cubic metres of gas that previously would have been exported to Germany on the Russian-Finnish border every day.

China continues to expand its reliance on Russian energy, with purchases of crude, oil products, gas and coal rising to $35 billion since the war in Ukraine began, from about $20 billion a year earlier, according to Bloomberg.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will allocate EUR 97 million in loans to support the stability of the national energy company ‘Ukrenergo’. 

Cities under attack.
At night on August 26, the Russian occupiers shelled the two cities of the Kharkiv region. As a result of the shelling, an educational institution, private houses and vehicles were damaged, one person was injured and one was killed.  At the same time, the Russian invaders attacked 3 districts of Dnipropetrovsk region. Private houses, a school, a sanatorium, enterprises and power line were damaged. In the evening, the Russian invaders shelled districts of Mykolaiv region. One person was killed, the outbuildings of a private enterprise and garages were damaged.

At night on August 27, Russian troops struck districts of the Dnipropetrovsk region. As a result, houses, energy enterprises and power lines were damaged. At the same time, Russian invaders shelled Zaporizhzhia. A boarding school where about 200 children from the Zaporizhia region studied was destroyed. On the same day, the Russian invaders launched a missile attack at Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region. The administrative building, two high-rise buildings were damaged. In addition, there was a fire in the open area. In the evening, the Kharkiv region was under attack. A residential building was damaged. One person was killed and one was injured. During the day, the Sumy region was attacked with more than 220 shells and mines. As a result, two people and cattles were injured. Private houses and farm buildings were damaged.

At night on August 28, the Russian occupiers attacked two districts of the Dnipropetrovsk region. Residential buildings, a warehouse and workshops of the local factory, and power line were damaged. At the same time, two districts of Zaporizhzhia were struck. On the same day, the Russian invaders fired more than 150 times on the border areas of the Sumy and Chernihiv regions. As a result of the attack on one of the settlements, a school, a kindergarten, a school dormitory, a post office, a shop and private houses were destroyed and damaged. The private houses were damaged and two people were injured. In the morning, the Russians shelled residential buildings and railway infrastructure in Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, Donetsk region. During the day, the Russian militants attacked Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia region. The city was under fire for 14 hours and more than 200 hits were recorded. The central part of the city was the most affected. A fire broke out there.

Cities under occupation.
Mariupol. In the temporarily occupied village of Melekine near Mariupol, the Russian invaders set up a children’s camp where they teach shooting and instill hatred of Ukraine.

Kamianka. On August 26, the Russian occupiers attacked the occupied village of Kamianka in the Zaporizhzhia region. As a result, five people were killed.

Kherson. Russians threaten to deprive the parental rights of those who refuse to send their children to occupied schools. The Russian occupiers continue to kidnap civilians for their pro-Ukrainian position. Abductees are subjected to physical violence and torture. The Russian invaders kidnapped blogger and kindergarten teacher Olena Naumova, who ran a Tiktok blog in which she talked about life under occupation and expressed support for Ukraine.The Russian military is conducting searches in four settlements in the temporarily occupied Kherson region.

Crimea. In the temporarily occupied Sevastopol, Russian law enforcement officers detained a man who was singing a Ukrainian song in his own car.

Human rights.
As of August 27, since the beginning of the Russian invasion, 10 000 civilian objects have been partially or completely damaged in the Mykolaiv region. 93 settlements were left without electricity, water supply, and drainage due to damages. In total, 25 697 people were evacuated from the region. 

Russian mercenary Igor Mangushev, during a public speech, held in his hand the skull, which, according to him, belongs to the fallen Ukrainian defender of Azovstal. The human rights commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has appealed to the UN.

The Ministry of Reintegration of Ukraine managed to return more 541 fallen defenders in the frame of the exchange process with Russia. 428 bodies were brought from Mariupol, more than 300 of them – defenders of Azovstal. The rest were from the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kharkiv, Luhansk directions.

Forced migration.
Educational institutions in Ukraine that plan to work online will accommodate internally displaced people.

Economic security.
Italy will provide Ukraine with 2 million euros for humanitarian demining in de-occupied territories. In the near future, Italy will hand over the necessary demining equipment to the Ukrainian rescuers.

Mobility.
Ukraine and Moldova canceled permits for international cargo transportation, which allowed to complete ‘transport visa-free regime’ between Ukraine and the EU.The permit regime will be preserved for non-regular passenger transportation (next year, the parties will exchange 2,200 permits) and for transportation to or from third countries (Ukraine will receive 10,000 permits for 2023). Last week, Ukraine and Moldova resumed communication on the railway section ‘Berezine – Basarabyaska”’, 23 years after it was closed.

Food security.
As part of the implementation of the ‘Grain Corridor’ Initiative, 44 ships left Ukrainian ports in 26 days of work, and exported more than 1 million tons of agricultural products to 15 countries.

Digital security.
1123 cyber attacks have been registered since the Ñ–eginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Most often, cybercriminals attacked the Government, local authorities and all infrastructure institutions.

Culture.
The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine launched a campaign to attract Restore investments for the restoration of cultural heritage sites damaged as a result of Russian aggression. ‘Restore’ campaign displays damaged and ruined objects of culture, caused by Russian Attacks. The project displays preliminary costs required for the reconstruction. 

Democracy during the war. Recent Polls.
64% of respondents believe that democracy is the most preferable form of government for Ukraine, says recent sociological survey of Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation. 14% think autocracy can be better than democracy under certain circumstances, and another 13% of people say it doesn’t matter to them what type of regime it is. These rates of support for democracy are the highest in many years of observation: by 2014 less than 50% supported the priority of democracy, after the Revolution of Dignity this rate rose to 54%, but only after the outbreak of the full-scale war did it exceed 60%.

Reading corner.

  • London Ukrainian Review — London Ukrainian Review is a special publication of the Ukrainian Institute London. This issue is dedicated to defiance. This is a quality that has been widely displayed by Ukrainians in the face of Russia’s brutal illegal invasion. It is also a quality that can be so often found in Ukrainian literature. London Ukrainian Review covers an array of topics – from literature and art to politics and the environment, through a variety of forms, including intellectual essay, reportage, poetry, short fiction and visual art.

Statistics.

  • General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the total estimated losses of the Russian military as of 10 a.m., August 29, 2022: personnel – around 47 100, tanks ‒ 1947, APV ‒ 4269, artillery systems – 1060, MLRS – 279, anti-aircraft warfare systems – 149, fixed-wing aircraft – 234, helicopters – 203, operational-tactical level UAV – 844, cruise missiles – 196, boats and light speed boats – 15, soft-skinned vehicles and fuel tankers – 3188, special equipment – 101

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