By Sean Mueck
August 24th is Ukraine’s Independence Day. The day which Ukraine celebrates its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Early in the morning of the 24th, Ukrainian forces landed near the town of Olenivka. The troops fought with Russian soldiers for a short period of time, before raising the Ukrainian flag. They safely returned home later the same day. This is the first known time Ukrainian forces have been inside Crimea since the start of the Ukraine War early last year. President Volodymyr Zelesniky has sworn to end Russia’s occupation of Crimea and retake the land. Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014 and has subsequently been under Russian occupation since.
Ukraine’s counteroffensive has proven successful recently in the Zaporizhzhia oblast. Ukrainian forces pierced through the frontline August 23rd. The 47th Mechanized Brigade raised the Ukrainian flag in the town of Robotyne, in central Zaporizhzhia oblast. Marking the area liberated from Russian Occupation. According to DeepStateEN on Telegram, “Finally, Robotyne is liberated. The battles for the village and its surroundings lasted for 2.5 months. They cost us significant human resources and equipment. We continue to lose our best men, so the cost of advancing towards Melitopol, Berdiansk, and near Bakhmut is substantial. To move forward, we need to quickly learn from our mistakes.”
Moscow has ramped up drone strikes on grain silos recently. Odessa Gov. Oleh Kiper announced drone strikes focused around granaries near the Danube river. Two weeks ago, Russia targeted Odessa with missile and drone strikes, leaving three injured. Kiper said Ukrainian air defenses successfully shot down 11 of the drones. Russian attacks have destroyed large quantities of grain bound for international markets. Moscow has conducted airstrikes in Western Ukraine bordering Nato territory. Lviv remained relatively safe during the invasion until July, when airstrikes hit an apartment building near the city core, killing seven.
Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, has stated that Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has not pushed Belarus into joining the war in Ukraine. He stated “If you Ukrainians do not cross our border, we will never participate in this war, in this hot war. But we will always help Russia – they are our allies,”. Lukashenko, who has been president since 1994, is the longest serving president in Europe currently. Belarus has historically been politically and economically inline with Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have all joined the G7 declaration on extending security to Ukraine. Estonian prime minister, Kaja Kallas, tweeted on Aug. 17 of this year “We will keep helping Ukraine until victory,” Kallas said. “We will support Ukraine on its path towards NATO and EU membership.” During the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 12th, G7 nations agreed on a document ensuring Ukraine’s Military would be strong enough to fend off Russian aggressions. On August 11, Ukraine started talks with the United States and the United Kingdom on the same security guarantee the Baltic nations signed the previous month.
Ukraine has had recent talks with European nations on the “Grain Deal” which would allow Ukraine to export grain and other produce to outside nations despite the conflict. Ukraine has had talks with Bulgaria, Croatia, and the president of the European commission.
The Hong Kong based container ship Joseph Schulte left the port of Odessa, Ukraine, last Wednesday and arrived safely in Istanbul, Türkiye August 18th. The first time the ship has sailed since February 2022 after the start of the Ukraine War.
Concern was raised over the safety of the merchant vessel as Russia is not part of the Black Sea Grain deal. The Joseph Schulte was the first ship to leave Ukraine since July 16th according to Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine’s Deputy prime minister. Kyiv has announced an “Humanitarian Corridor” to aid in naval cargo leaving the worn torn country. The International Maritime Organization was asked to ratify the passage.
Kyiv told the International Maritime Organization that damage to the ship will be compensated. Sea mines pose a large threat to naval transport. The Turkish navy has defused several drifting naval mines. The Romanian military stated that they have diffused an adrift naval mine, first detected by Fisherman early last week. Naval mines drifted as far as the Bosporus canal, which links the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. The straight was closed to traffic for a short period of time. Even brief closure of shipping passages can cause supply chain shortages, ultimately leading to rising inflation.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has said Russia has lost 259,160 personnel, 4,375 tanks, and 5,333 artillery systems since the beginning of the invasion. Ukraine’s enemy combat loss report was sourced 8-24-2023.
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