Another explosion occurs in Crimea. The US repeatedly supplies Ukraine with multiple rocket launchers: the news ticker on Saturday, August 20.
- Explosion in the morning: New detonation on the Crimean Peninsula
- New weapons: US to deliver HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine
- Editor’s note: All news about Ukraine conflict read in this news ticker. The information comes partly from warring parties in the Ukraine war and cannot be directly verified independently.
+++ 6 p.m.: According to information from Kyiv, Russia has also fired on civilians and not on military infrastructure in new rocket and artillery attacks in Ukraine. As a result, seven people were killed and 13 others injured in the Donetsk region within 24 hours, the General Staff said on Saturday. The humanitarian situation is catastrophic. “The area has no gas, partly no water and no electricity. The evacuation of the population will continue,” it said.
In the city of Oleksandrivka nine people were injured by Russian shelling in a five-storey house on Saturday, including children, informed Vitaly Kim, governor of the southern Ukrainian region of Mykolaiv. The area around Mykolayiv is said to have been under massive rocket fire. The situation also remains difficult in the Cherson region, which is almost completely controlled by Russian troops.
In a situation report, Russia confirmed a continuation of the attacks against Ukraine, reported the German Press Agency (dpa). Accordingly, more than 100 fighters were “destroyed” in Kharkiv, said ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov in Moscow. Including up to 20 US citizens who apparently belonged to the international legion founded by Kyiv. The information cannot be checked independently.
News about the Ukraine war: Drone attack on Crimea – Russia’s sense of security disturbed
+++ 3.45 p.m.: After the alleged drone attack on a building at the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the Crimea peninsula, the extent of the damage is not yet known. At least no one was killed in the attack, said Mykhailo Razvozhaev, Russian deputy for the port city of Sevastopol.
“Like many other residents, I heard the explosions in the city center,” she said New York Times Razvozhaev on Friday evening (August 19). Residents were urged to stay in their homes. It remains unclear who is responsible for the drone attack on Crimea. Kyiv has not yet publicly commented on this.
With the change in strategy of the Ukrainian military to fight behind Russian lines, the distance to the war was minimized. Noisy Times Crimea’s sense of security was also disturbed. Christopher Miller, a professor of international history at Tufts University, told the newspaper that Ukraine’s change of strategy isn’t just about destroying Russia’s logistics and supply lines. The defenders also tried to put the Ukraine war back on Russia’s domestic political agenda.
Ukraine War: Numerous cities and settlements shelled by Russia
+++ 2 p.m.: The Donetsk region was apparently shelled 17 times in one day. This was explained by the police in the said oblast, like the news portal Kyiv Independent reported. According to this, a total of 11 cities and towns were shelled with “Uragan” grenades by the Russian armed forces. The information is not independently verifiable.
+++ 1.15 p.m.: Russian troops apparently bombed the city of Vosnesensk (Mykolaiv region) on Saturday. A rocket hit a block of flats. The news portal Nexta published at noon photo shoots the extent of the destruction. According to the report, seven people were injured, including three children. The information is not immediately independently verifiable.
News about the Ukraine war: New details about explosions in Crimea known
+++ 12.30 p.m.: So far it is unclear who is behind the alleged drone attack on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on Saturday morning. Russia accuses Ukraine of being responsible (see update from 11.45 a.m.). So far, only the head of administration in Sevastopol, appointed by Russia, has given details of the attack. Among other things, he shared photos on Telegram (see update from 9:45 a.m.).
Now, however, new details are added: Analyst Oliver Alexander, among other things an author for the news magazine mirror and the think tank foreign policy is reported on Twitter Details of the drone allegedly used. It is said to have been a commercial drone and not a military one. He shared one Screenshot of the dealer “Alibaba”, on which an offer of the model can be seen. “If these drones appear to be able to regularly evade Russian air defenses, there is no need to give ATACMS to the Ukrainian military. Just give them a funded PayPal account,” Alexander commented. “ATACMS” are short-range missiles that are mainly produced in the USA. According to Alexander, the drone model was probably already used in June, in an attack on a refinery in Belgorod, Russia, on the border with Kharkiv in Donbass, Ukraine. However, it is unclear who was behind the attack on the Crimean peninsula on Saturday morning.
+++ 11.45 a.m.: After the alleged drone attack on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, the head of the regional administration in Sevastopol, Mikhail Rasvozhayev, blamed Ukraine. Ukraine denied their involvement, calling the allegations a “provocation.”
+++ 10.45 a.m.: The Ukrainian military shot down four rockets from the Russian army over Dnipropetrovsk. This was reported by Valentyn Reznichenko, head of the regional military administration, according to a report by the news portal correspondent. The information is not independently verifiable.
News about the Ukraine war: More explosions in Crimea
+++ 10.15 a.m.: Apparently there were a total of three explosions in Crimea on Saturday morning. Detonations are said to have also occurred in the city of Bakhchisarai, around 30 kilometers from Sevastopol. According to local reports, smoke could be seen over the Bakhchisaray airfield.
+++ 09.45 a.m.: Mikhail Raswoschajew, head of the regional administration in Sevastopol, confirmed the explosion in Crimea on Saturday night. It was said that debris from a drone had hit the Black Sea Fleet headquarters building. It is still unclear whether it was shot down or crashed. “She fell on the roof and caught fire,” Rasvozhayev said. The head of the regional administration on the peninsula shared a picture of the destroyed roof of the headquarters on Telegram.
+++ 09.00 a.m.: According to British intelligence, there has been no change in the military situation in eastern and southern Ukraine for weeks. Both in the Donbass and in the region around Kherson, Russian troops have advanced into new terrain, but these are undeveloped regions. The secret service does not expect any major changes in the situation for the coming week, according to a report from London.
+++ 8.30 a.m.: According to an assessment by the US think tank “Institute for the Study of War”, the fear of Russia losing control of Crimea is growing. This is shown by the fact that the security precautions on the illegally annexed peninsula have been significantly increased, according to the situation report on Saturday morning. This cannot be independently verified.
News about the Ukraine war: New explosion on the Crimean peninsula
+++ 08.00 a.m.: Not only in Melitopol (see update from 7.15 a.m.), but also in the Crimea, there are said to have been renewed explosions at night. According to consistent local reports, the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet was hit in a drone attack. Videos on social networks show how a column of black smoke can be seen in Crimea. It has not yet been confirmed whether this is actually the head office mentioned. An adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry shared one of the videos and based on statements by locals.
+++ 07.15 a.m.: Explosions apparently occurred in the city of Melitopol (Zaporizhia Oblast, southern Ukraine) occupied by Russian troops on Saturday night. According to a report by the news portal, Mayor Ivan Fyodorov gave this Kyiv Independent known. Accordingly, the detonations are said to have occurred on a Russian military base near Melitopol airport. There is no information about possible deaths or injuries. The above information cannot be independently verified.
News about the Ukraine war: USA deliver new “HIMARS” rocket launchers
+++ 06.45 a.m.: The US government has announced further military aid for Ukraine of around 775 million US dollars (around 772 million euros). The planned aid package will include 15 ScanEagle surveillance drones, 40 mine-protected vehicles and 16 self-propelled howitzers. This also includes ammunition for the “HIMARS” multiple rocket launchers. This brings US military aid to a total of $10.6 billion since the beginning of US President Joe Biden’s tenure.
Update from Saturday, August 20, 06:15: The Russian Black Sea Fleet now has a new commander. Like the Russian state news agency TASS reported, it is Vice Admiral Viktor N. Sokolov. He was appointed by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on behalf of President Vladimir Putin. Sokolov discussed his appointment during a visit to Sevastopol, Crimea’s largest port city and the base of the fleet since Russia occupied the peninsula in 2014. There he spoke to younger officers. The Black Sea Fleet is said to have been weakened after the recent explosions at military bases in Crimea.
First report from Saturday, August 20, 5:30 a.m.: Russian troops have reported shooting down several Ukrainian drones. This was reported by the Russian state news agency TASS with reference to officials on the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula. The drones were shot down in the sky over the city of Sevastopol, sources said. This cannot be independently verified. (aa/tu/slo/cs/na/kas with AFP/dpa)