Liveblog: ++ Apparently a special commando in action in the Crimea ++

On the annexed peninsula of Crimea, there are said to have been skirmishes between Russian forces and a Ukrainian special command. According to media reports, Norway also wants to deliver F-16 jets to Kiev. All developments in the live blog.

According to intelligence reports, a Ukrainian special command carried out an operation in Crimea and hoisted the Ukrainian flag on the peninsula annexed by Russia. “The enemy suffered casualties among its men” during the operation, the Ukrainian military intelligence service said on Thursday in the Telegram online service.

According to the Defense Ministry, the Navy and the military intelligence service of Ukraine carried out a “special operation” on the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia, during the night. “Special units on watercraft landed on the coast in the area of ​​the towns of Olenivka and Mayak,” explains the Defense Ministry’s main intelligence directorate. Casualties were inflicted on the enemy and all objectives were achieved. Further information and what the targets were were not initially known.

In the west of the Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Russia since 2014, there have been skirmishes between Russian forces and a Ukrainian commando unit. “Units of the (Ukrainian military intelligence) HUR carried out a landing as part of a special operation, all tasks were completed,” HUR spokesman Andriy Yusov confirmed the operation in the Ukrainian media.

Russian media reported the attack was repelled and the attackers were killed. The fighting broke out at Cape Tarhankut in the extreme west of the peninsula near the village of Mayak. According to the Russian Telegram news channels “Mash” and “Shot”, the attackers landed with inflatable boats near a campsite. The vacationers there were startled by shots and explosions. “Shot” reported, citing Russian intelligence circles, that the crews of four inflatable boats – around 15 to 20 men – were later killed.

According to a media report, Norway wants to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets free of charge. The broadcaster TV2 reports this without naming sources. It also remains unclear how many of the American-made fighter jets will go to the Ukrainian Air Force.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Oslo initially did not comment on the report. So far, the Netherlands and Denmark have announced that they will deliver F-16s to Ukraine.

On the Ukrainian national holiday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) paid tribute to the country’s defensive struggle against Russia.

“Today you celebrate the independence and freedom of your nation. These are exactly the principles that your entire country defends in its courageous fight against Russia’s brutal aggression,” Scholz wrote on the online platform X, formerly Twitter. Baerbock also acknowledged the courage and “irresistible will to live in peace” of the Ukrainians.

Vassili Golod, ARD correspondent in Kiev, assesses the importance of the holiday for Ukraine.

Great Britain wants to improve job prospects for Ukrainian war refugees in the country with free English lessons. Up to 10,000 Ukrainians are to receive almost 20 hours of online instruction per week over a period of two and a half months, as the government in London announced on Ukrainian Independence Day.

In addition – over a period of three months – advice on looking for a job, writing CVs, applications and job interviews will also be offered. As of August 14, the UK has taken in a total of 184,400 Ukrainian refugees.

On the occasion of Ukraine’s Independence Day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy honored his compatriots as “free people” in a speech. Independence Day is a holiday of a “free”, “strong” and “worthy” people, the Ukrainian head of state explained in online networks.

Zelenskyy praised the Ukrainian military, which is currently conducting a counter-offensive against the invading Russian forces in southern and eastern Ukraine. Ukraine declared its independence on August 24, 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union. On February 24, 2022, exactly half a year before Independence Day, Russia began its war of aggression against the neighboring country.

According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia shot down three Ukrainian drones. Two drones were shot down over the Bryansk region on the border with Ukraine and another over the Kaluga region, which is closer to Moscow.

According to the Ministry of Defence, training maneuvers by the Russian-led military alliance CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organisation) will soon take place in Belarus.

The ministry announced that the training would take place from September 1st to 6th. Belarus is a close ally of Russia.

After the crash of the plane with the Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin on the passenger list, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned against speculation. The plane crash was only a few hours ago, so “you can’t draw any quick conclusions,” said the Greens politician on Deutschlandfunk.

However, the incident underlines “that a system, that a power, that a dictatorship that is built on violence, that it only knows violence internally”. “We’ve already seen that in a sad, dramatic way in previous years, where members of the opposition, where journalists, where ordinary people fell out of windows or were poisoned.”

When asked about the future of the mercenary force, Baerbock said there was a fear “that Russia, with or without Wagner, will continue with its cynical game, not just in Ukraine, but above all in Africa.” According to the Foreign Minister, Prigozhin and Wagner are responsible for terrible acts “against the Ukrainian people and in one country after the other in Africa”. “Wherever Wagner goes, death and destruction and exploitation follow.”

After the revolt of his Wagner troops against the Russian army leadership, many Russia experts had predicted that Yevgeny Prigozhin would not die a natural death. His career stands for many changes that Russia has undergone under Putin. Rich due to its proximity to power, then an important tool in pushing back the West – and in the end hardly controllable.

On the second Ukrainian national holiday since the start of the Russian war of aggression, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has pledged assistance to Ukraine. The SPD politician addressed the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj directly on the online service X (formerly Twitter): “We are by your side,” said Scholz in a post in English. “Today you celebrate the independence and freedom of your nation. These are the very values ​​your whole country defends in your valiant fight against brutal Russian aggression. We admire your courage and strength.”

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) also said on X: “It’s been a year and a half since Putin rained bombs on Ukrainian cities, on innocent people. But also a year and a half in which the Ukrainians* with their courage and irrepressible will to a Live in peace as a reminder of how precious our freedom is.”

The head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is apparently dead. He was on board the private jet that crashed on Wednesday evening en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg, the Russian aviation authority Rozaviazija said, referring to Information from the responsible airline.

There was no official confirmation from the Kremlin that Prigozhin had died. According to Russian authorities, all ten occupants died.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) has expressed disappointment with the impact of the sanctions against Russia over the war of aggression against Ukraine. “Actually, economic sanctions would have economic effects. But that’s not the case. Because the logic of democracies doesn’t work in autocracies,” said the Green politician in an interview with journalist Stephan Lamby for his book “Ernstfall. Governing in Times of War”. which will be released this Thursday. “We have seen that this war cannot be ended with rational decisions, rational measures taken between civilized governments.”

According to Lamby, he conducted the interview on July 10 of this year. The book author and documentary filmmaker has accompanied the protagonists of the traffic light government with a camera team since the day before they were sworn in in the Bundestag on December 8, 2021. The film will be released on September 11th in the ARD aired. The approximately 400-page book is now available three weeks in advance.

The European Union’s military leadership is skeptical about Ukraine’s ability to liberate all Russian-held territories. “It remains questionable whether Ukraine’s full sovereignty can be restored with the available resources,” said the chairman of the EU’s military committee, Robert Brieger, the “world”.

Ukraine’s counter-offensive, which has been underway since June, has not yet gained ground. “I would also be wary of expecting Ukrainian forces to break through the Russian defense lines. The number of brigades available to Kiev for the offensive is manageable. On the other hand, Russia has had months to build dense and well-secured defense lines. ” The Committee is the highest military body in the EU, made up of the chiefs of staff of the 27 member states.

According to the region’s governor, the Ukrainian city of Dnipro was the target of Russian attacks during the night. “One hit. There are injuries,” said Serhij Lyssak on his Telegram channel. Further information was not initially available.

Foreign Minister Baerbock has described “Russia’s illegal annexations” as “null and void”. According to the Ukrainian military intelligence service, it has destroyed a Russian anti-aircraft system in Crimea. Wednesday’s developments to read.