Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,267
Fighting
Russia's Ministry of Defence said Russian forces had captured the settlements of Zatyshok and Zapovidne in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.
Ukraine's military said its drones hit the Uniecha oil pumping station in Russia's Bryansk region. 'Damage and a large-scale fire were recorded in the area of the booster pumping station building,' the Ukrainian General Staff said on Telegram.
A small fire ignited by debris from a destroyed Ukrainian drone was promptly doused at the Slavyansk oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar region, authorities said.
Russia's air defence units destroyed 46 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Defence Ministry said, including five over Krasnodar.
Alaska Summit
United States President Donald Trump threatened 'severe consequences' if Russia's Vladimir Putin does not agree to peace in Ukraine.
Trump also said that his meeting with Putin could swiftly be followed by a second that would include the leader of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Trump did not specify what the consequences could be if Putin does not agree to a ceasefire, but he has warned of economic sanctions if his meeting with Putin in Alaska on Friday proves fruitless.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said European leaders had laid out terms for a ceasefire in Ukraine that would protect their security interests in a call with Trump on Wednesday.
European leaders, including Zelenskyy, held the call with Trump in advance of his meeting with Putin.
Britain, France and Germany – co-chairs of the so-called 'Coalition of the Willing' – set out their position on the pathway to a ceasefire in Ukraine, in a statement released after their virtual meeting.
'Ukraine must have robust and credible security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,' they said in the joint statement.
'The Coalition of the Willing is ready to play an active role, including through plans by those willing to deploy a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased,' they said.
'No limitations should be placed on Ukraine's armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries. Russia could not have a veto against Ukraine's pathway to EU and NATO,' they added.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Trump there should be robust security guarantees as part of any peace deal with Russia.
'The Prime Minister was clear that our support for Ukraine is unwavering – international borders must not be changed by force and Ukraine must have robust and credible security guarantees to defend its territorial integrity as part of any deal,' Starmer's office said.
Zelenskyy said he warned Trump that the Russian leader is 'bluffing' about his desire to end the war.
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' deputy spokesperson, Alexei Fadeev, said Moscow's stance on ending the war in Ukraine has not changed since Putin set out his conditions last year, which include the full withdrawal of Kyiv's forces from key Ukrainian regions and the abandonment of its NATO ambitions.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Russia wants to include a reduction of NATO troop presence in any conversations about the future of Ukraine.
Regional affairs
Russian hackers briefly took control of a dam in Norway earlier this year, the head of the Nordic country's counter-intelligence agency said, the first time Oslo has officially attributed the cyberattack to its neighbour.
While in command of the dam in Bremanger, western Norway, on April 7, hackers opened a flood gate and released 500 litres (132 gallons) of water per second for four hours before the attack was detected and stopped.
Joint exercises to be held by Russian and Belarusian forces next month will include drills on the planned use of nuclear weapons and the Russian-made, intermediate-range hypersonic Oreshnik missile, Belarus's defence minister said.
Estonia is expelling a Russian diplomat over sanctions violations and other crimes against the state, the Baltic country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The first secretary of the Russian embassy in Tallinn has been declared 'persona non grata' and must leave Estonia, the ministry said. Moscow said Estonia's expulsion was a hostile act that would prompt a response.
Military aid
Germany plans to fund a $500m package of military equipment and munitions for Ukraine sourced from the US, NATO said in a statement.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte commended Germany for the decision, adding: 'This delivery will help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression.'
A Czech-led initiative for Ukraine has delivered one million large-calibre ammunition pieces so far this year, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said.
The Czech government expects the number of ammunition shipments will rise this year after deliveries of 1.5 million pieces, including 500,000 155mm shells, in 2024.
Poland has signed a contract worth $3.8bn to upgrade its fleet of F-16 fighter jets, the Polish defence minister said.
Poland has been ramping up defence spending since the start of the war in Ukraine and plans to allocate 5 percent of gross domestic product to its armed forces in 2026.
The European Commission has signed a guarantee agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development for a 500-million-euro ($586m) loan to help Ukraine's energy sector.
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Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,269
Here is how things stand on Saturday, August 16: Fighting The Ukrainian military said that it struck the Syzran oil refinery in Russia's Samara region overnight, reporting a fire and explosions at the refinery, which it said produces a range of fuels and is one of the biggest in Russian energy company Rosneft's system. The Ukrainian military also said it struck the port of Olya in Russia's Astrakhan region, hitting a ship transporting drone parts and ammunition from Iran. Russia is preparing to test its new nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered cruise missile and, if successful, plans to use the results to bolster its negotiating position with the West, Ukrainian military intelligence said. Ukrainian regional officials said Russia fired a ballistic missile into the Dnipropetrovsk region in eastern Ukraine, killing one person and wounding at least one other, while a drone damaged civilian infrastructure and caused a fire in the Sumy region in the northeast. Russian troops also took control of the settlement of Oleksandrohrad in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, Moscow's Ministry of Defence said. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised Russia for continuing to attack Ukraine in advance of the meeting in Alaska between United States President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. 'On the day of the negotiations, they also kill people. And that says a lot,' Zelenskyy said. Alaska summit Trump and Putin held their much-anticipated meeting in the Alaskan city of Anchorage, with the Russian leader receiving the red carpet treatment and a US military flyover as he deplaned. Both leaders provided brief statements to reporters after the shorter-than-expected meeting, which failed to achieve its primary goal – a deal bringing an end to Russia's war in Ukraine. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Putin said his country is committed to ending the war, but the conflict's 'primary causes' must be eliminated. Putin also warned Ukraine and its European allies not to throw a 'wrench in the works' and cautioned against attempts to use 'backroom dealings to conduct provocations to torpedo the nascent progress'. Trump praised the 'extremely productive meeting', in which he said 'many points were agreed to'. He conceded, however, that there remain sticking points with Moscow, including at least one 'significant' one. Trump said he would call NATO officials and President Zelenskyy to discuss the meeting, and cautioned that 'there's no deal until there's a deal'. As Trump thanked Putin for his time, he said he hoped they would meet again soon. Putin quickly responded by saying, in English with a laugh, 'Next time, in Moscow' – a proposal which Trump appeared reticent to accept. Speaking to Fox News later, Trump said Zelenskyy and Putin intend to set up another meeting to try to reach a ceasefire. He also emphasised that it is up to the Ukrainian leader to 'get it done'. New consultations aimed at resolving points of tension in bilateral relations between Russia and the US will take place soon, said Russia's ambassador to the US, Alexander Darchiev, according to the RIA Novosti state news agency. International aid USAID is concerned that the Trump administration's cancellation of independent aid monitoring contracts for Ukraine has increased the risk of waste, fraud and abuse, according to the Department of State, Pentagon and USAID inspectors general in a new report. Norway's government said it was donating one billion kroner ($98.29m) to Ukraine for the purchase of natural gas ahead of winter. Ukraine had been forced to increase gas imports after Russian missile attacks damaged production facilities in the east of the country.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
Russia gains in east before Trump-Putin summit, Ukraine says holding off
Russia has made gains in Ukraine's Donetsk region before President Vladimir Putin's high-stakes meeting with his United States counterpart Donald Trump in Alaska, raising fears that it may have increased its leverage amid talks aimed at ending the war. In advance of Friday's summit in Anchorage, Moscow's army pounded away at Ukraine's industrial heartland, attempting to seize the flashpoint town of Pokrovsk, a key highway and rail junction in eastern Donetsk, after repeated attempts to breach its defensive line during the week. As Putin and Trump prepared to meet, battlefield analysis site DeepState said that Pokrovsk was partially encircled. In recent days, Russian forces had reportedly seized the village of Yablunivka and the settlement of Oleksandrohrad – both in Donetsk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has rejected Putin's demands that Kyiv withdraw from the remaining 30 percent of Donetsk that it still controls, played down the Russian advances, saying on X that his forces were 'countering' and 'increasing the pressure' on the 'occupier'. 'The Russian army continues to suffer significant losses in its attempts to secure more favourable political positions for the Russian leadership at the meeting in Alaska. We understand this plan and are informing our partners about the real situation,' he said. Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford said that 'small groups of Russian forces' had 'pushed through gaps in Ukrainian defensive lines in that area, taking around 10 kilometres [6.2 miles] of territory'. Russia illegally annexed Donetsk in 2022, along with Luhansk, both of which form the eastern Donbas region, Kherson and Zaporizhia areas. Attacks traded in run-up to summit In other fighting on Friday, Russia launched a ballistic missile into Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, killing one and wounding at least one other person, according to regional governor Serhiy Lysak. The city of Dnipro is a logistics hub for Ukrainian forces, and the Dnipropetrovsk region borders the combat zone and is regularly shelled by Russian forces. Also on Friday, Ukraine's military said it had struck the Syzran oil refinery in Russia's Samara region, one of the biggest in oil company Rosneft's network, in an overnight attack. Samara's regional governor said a drone attack caused a fire at an unspecified 'industrial enterprise' in his region, but that it had been put out quickly. The Ukrainian military also said it struck the Caspian port of Olya in Russia's Astrakhan region on Thursday, hitting a ship that had been transporting drone parts and ammunition from Iran to Russia. Facing regular Russian missile and drone attacks, Ukraine has directed the majority of its deep strikes against Russian oil refineries and unspecified 'storage facilities' this year, according to new General Staff data published on Friday. The Ukrainian military did not confirm if it used drones, as usual, for its latest two long-range attacks. It says its deep strike campaign aims to degrade Russia's capacity to wage the full-scale war it launched in February 2022. Some 535 Russian drones and missiles rained on Ukraine during the week of August 7-13. Ukraine intercepted just under two-thirds of them, and Moscow's forces launched eight missiles against Ukraine, five of which got through its defences.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,268
Here is how things stand on Friday, August 15: Fighting Ukrainian drones struck two Russian cities in attacks that injured at least 16 people, local authorities said. Thirteen people were wounded, two seriously, when a drone struck an apartment building in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, and three civilians were wounded in the city of Belgorod near the border with Ukraine. The Ukrainian military said its drones hit a Russian refinery in the Volgograd region overnight, causing huge fires. Russia's Defence Ministry said Russian forces captured the settlements of Shcherbynivka and Andriivka-Klevtsove in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. Ukrainian troops have stabilised an area of eastern Ukraine where Russian forces had made a sudden push this week to pierce Ukrainian defences, the Donetsk region's Governor Vadym Filashkin said. Ukraine said small groups of Russian infantry had thrust some 10 kilometres (six miles) towards its main defensive line near the town of Dobropillia, raising fears of a wider breakthrough on the front line that would further threaten key Ukrainian cities. The Russian advance, coming as United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are due to meet in Alaska on Friday, appears aimed at pressuring Kyiv to give up land in return for peace with Russia, observers said. Alaska summit Trump said he believes Putin is ready to end his war in Ukraine, speaking on the eve of Friday's summit between the two leaders in the city of Anchorage, but a peace deal would likely require at least a second meeting involving Ukraine's leader, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump and Putin will meet face-to-face on Friday before holding a joint news conference, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said. Trump will go into talks with Putin hoping to achieve a halt to the fighting in Ukraine, but a solution to the war will take longer, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. Putin said the US was making 'sincere efforts' to halt the war in Ukraine and suggested Moscow and Washington could agree on a nuclear arms deal as part of a wider effort to strengthen peace. Putin said 'in order to create long-term conditions for peace between our countries, and in Europe, and in the world as a whole', there could be agreements reached 'in the area of control over strategic offensive weapons'. The Kremlin warned it would be a big mistake to predict the outcome of the upcoming summit, the state-run Interfax news agency reported. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were no plans to sign any documents following the summit. The talks in Alaska between Trump and Putin present a viable chance to make progress on ending the war in Ukraine, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said in a statement. Military aid Zelenskyy said he had a detailed discussion on possible security guarantees for Ukraine during a 'productive meeting' with the United Kingdom's Starmer. Zelenskyy said Kyiv had so far secured $1.5bn from its European allies to buy US weapons as part of a mechanism – the NATO Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List initiative – that he said 'truly strengthens our defence'. French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump expressed a willingness to European leaders on Wednesday that the US and other allies should be part of giving Ukraine security guarantees to end Russia's war in Ukraine. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) did not monitor the uses of 5,175 Starlink terminals sent to Ukraine, with nearly half of the operational units ending up in areas fully or partly held by Moscow, according to a report by the agency's internal watchdog. Prisoners of war The United Arab Emirates has successfully mediated a new exchange of captives between Russia and Ukraine. Some 84 captives were released from each side, bringing the total number exchanged through UAE mediation to 4,349. Ukraine brought home 84 prisoners of war that included 51 civilians, Ukrainian officials said, at least one of whom had been held for more than a decade. Regional developments Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during an official visit to Pyongyang, the Russian parliament said. Volodin, a close ally of Putin, conveyed greetings from the Russian leader and thanked Kim for North Korea's support of Russia's military campaign in Ukraine. Economy Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko ordered a review of all licences to mine strategic minerals in the country, as part of a broader effort to help the war-ravaged economy and secure new investments under a minerals deal with the US.
