Ukraine Invasion: Part 58

[MagicFox]

We’re all still here for Thread 58. Thanks to all regular contributors, especially those doing the daily hard work. Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦

Agreed thread guidance:

A. The agreed purpose of the thread is for the sharing of information and commentary on current events

B. If you post a link please tell us where it leads/give a precis of the content

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Thanks 🙏

Thank you for the new thread.

Im so glad that it sounds as though Europe is standing firmly with Ukraine despite Trumps attempts to give the country to Putin.

I don't trust Trump any more than I trust Putin.

Thank you @MagicFox
🇺🇦

I think I actually trust him less.

Thank you 🙏

Thank you

Thanks for the new thread, and all the daily updates

Ty

Ty @MagicFox

Thank you!

So according to Trump he’s going to meet Putin in Russia eh? I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at this point. How is this still going ahead?

I suspect it's going ahead because (if you stand back and observe, imo) Putin's the second most powerful man in the world. Xi Jingping is the first, I guess; Trump would be joint or 2nd, but Putin leads him around by the nose so he's the third.

Thanks @MagicFox 🌻

EU leaders have released a joint statement before the Trump–Putin meeting, emphasising Ukraine's right to determine its own future and the necessity of its involvement in peace talks.

Hungary PM Viktor Orbán was the only leader to refuse to support the statement.

https://www.ifw-kiel.de/publications/news/ukraine-support-tracker-europe-now-leading-spender-on-weapons-production-for-ukraine/

Ive put the roundup on the last thread to fill it up - here are the links

www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5338513-ukraine-invasion-part-57?page=40&reply=146359988

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-august-11-2025

Key Takeaways:

• US President Donald Trump expressed the United States' willingness to facilitate substantive peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in an effort to achieve a lasting peace in Ukraine.
• Trump signaled that the United States would aim to return some of Ukraine's economically and strategically significant territories during the peace negotiations process.
• Trump indicated that Putin's fear of the impact of US sanctions against Russia and Russia's economic partners drove Putin to propose a bilateral summit.
• Putin's decision to reach out immediately before Trump imposed further economic restrictions against Russia or its trading partners undermines the Kremlin's ongoing narrative that sanctions have not and will not affect the Russian economy.
• Kremlin officials continue to emphasize that Russia is unwilling to compromise and remains committed to achieving its original war goals in Ukraine.
• Russian officials and media are also setting informational conditions for Russia to renege on any future peace agreement to end the war.
• Putin may try to use the prospect of US-Russian arms control talks to gain concessions from Trump about the war in Ukraine in the August 15 meeting in Alaska.
• Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups are reportedly infiltrating areas near Dobropillya (northwest of Pokrovsk), and Russian forces likely recently advanced southeast of the settlement.
• Ukraine continued its long-range drone strike campaign against Russian defense industrial infrastructure overnight on August 10 to 11.
• Russian forces recently advanced in northern Sumy Oblast and near Lyman, Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, and Pokrovsk.

Thanks for the new thread. And thanks to @ReleaseTheDucksOfWar et al for the round-ups.

Kyiv Independent Telegram Highlights

⚡️Ukraine says small Russian unit passed defenses (kyivindependent.com/ukraine-says-small-russian-units-passed-defenses-near-dobropillia-but-denies-breakthrough/) near Dobropillia but denies breakthrough.
The statement comes as the Ukrainian battlefield monitoring group DeepState reported that Russian forces made a push toward the Dobropillia–Kramatorsk highway in Donetsk Oblast.

⚡️ Ukraine takes 'effective measures' (kyivindependent.com/ukraine-takes-effective-measures-to-stop-russian-infiltration-near-dobropillia-pokrovsk/) to stop Russian infiltration near Dobropillia, Pokrovsk, military says.
The General Staff said more than 110,000 Russian troops are concentrated in the Pokrovsk area and are attempting to penetrate defenses by sending small infantry units between Ukrainian lines.

⚡️Zelensky to meet (kyivindependent.com/zelensky-to-meet-german-chancellor-in-berlin-join-talks-with-nato-us-leaders/) German chancellor in Berlin, join talks with NATO, US leaders.
Zelensky and Merz will hold a bilateral meeting before joining a video conference with European leaders, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and U.S. President Donald Trump, a presidential spokesperson said.

⚡️ Trump-Putin Alaska summit to be a 'listening exercise,' (kyivindependent.com/white-house-calls-trump-putin-alaska-summit-listening-exercise/) White House says.
"This is a listening exercise for President (Donald Trump)," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

⚡️Zelensky, Erdogan discuss future peace talks (kyivindependent.com/zelensky-erdogan-discuss-future-peace-talks-in-turkey/) in Turkey.

⚡️ Ukraine secures record $586 million EBRD loan (kyivindependent.com/ukraine-secures-record-586-million-ebrd-loan-to-shore-up-low-gas-reserves/) to shore up low gas reserves.
The financing will help Ukraine better prepare for the autumn and winter months as the country's gas storage reserves fall to their lowest level in at least 11 years due to Russian attacks.

⚡️Russia suspected of hacking (kyivindependent.com/russia-suspected-of-hacking-us-federal-court-filing-system-nyt-reports/) US federal court filing system, NYT reports.
Russian hackers are suspected of breaching a U.S. federal court filing system, just days before a meeting between Trump and Putin, the New York Times reported Aug. 12.

Why is Russia so obsessed (kyivindependent.com/explainer-why-is-russia-obsessed-with-alaska-as-trump-and-putin-plan-to-meet-there/) with Alaska?
The scene of the planned Aug. 15 meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin — the U.S. state of Alaska — has played an outsized role in Russian propaganda and mythology.
The choice of Alaska for the summit has re-ignited imperialist narratives, with Kremlin propagandists emphasizing again that the peninsula used to be a Russian territory.
Read more here.
(kyivindependent.com/explainer-why-is-russia-obsessed-with-alaska-as-trump-and-putin-plan-to-meet-there/)

⚡️ Russia to hold emergency talks with oil firms (kyivindependent.com/russia-to-hold-emergency-talks-with-oil-firms-as-fuel-prices-surge/) as fuel prices surge, media reports.
The move comes as gasoline prices in Russia have jumped nearly 50% since the start of the year, with Ai-95 setting record highs for five consecutive days.

⚡️ Second deep strike in days hits Shahed-type drone storage site (kyivindependent.com/second-strike-in-days-hits-shahed-storage-site-in-russias-tatarstan/) in Russia, SBU says.
The strike targeted a logistics hub in the village of Kizil-Yul, roughly 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from Ukraine, igniting a fire at the site.

⚡️Smoke reported near Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant cargo port (kyivindependent.com/smoke-reported-near-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-cargo-port/).

⚡️Ukraine's Kyivstar conducts first Starlink (kyivindependent.com/ukraines-kyivstar-conducts-first-starlink-direct-to-cell-test-in-eastern-europe/) direct-to-cell test in Eastern Europe.
The service, already in its testing phase, allows standard 4G smartphones to connect directly to Starlink satellites without additional equipment.

⚡️ Poland expels 57 Ukrainians (kyivindependent.com/polands-tusk-expels-57-ukrainians-after-stadium-riots-but-warns-against-anti-ukraine-sentiments/) after concert riots while Tusk warns against anti-Ukraine sentiments.

⚡️ Zelensky instructs government (kyivindependent.com/zelensky-orders-review-of-border-rules-for-ukrainians-under-22/) to consider easing border rules for Ukrainians under 22.
The proposal aims to address concerns over the country's declining student population and the growing risk of losing young talent abroad.

⚡️ Russia's daily losses (kyivindependent.com/russian-losses-3-times-higher-than-ukraines-zelensky-says/) 3 times higher than Ukraine's, Zelensky says.
"For example, yesterday's figures, which are roughly average: Russian losses per day were about 1,000 – 500 killed and 500 wounded," President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a meeting with journalists attended by the Kyiv Independent.

War-hit Ukrainian employers expand recruitment (kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-companies-are-recruiting-from-south-asia-amid-wartime-labor-shortages/)in South Asia
Ukrainian businesses are increasingly recruiting workers from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal to fill the labor shortage brought on by Russia's war, four Ukrainian labor and business organizations told the Kyiv Independent.
Workers are mostly sought for seasonal work and entry-level positions in manufacturing, construction, logistics, and agriculture, they said.

A Defense Ministry official has been charged with accepting a bribe from a housing developer worth upwards of $1.3 million, Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies announced on Aug. 12.

⚡️’We went to hell and back (kyivindependent.com/we-went-to-hell-and-back-to-achieve-this-result-sbu-chief-on-ukraines-operation-spiderweb-strike-on-russian-bombers/) to achieve this result' – SBU chief on Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb strike on Russian bombers.
To prepare for Operation Spiderweb, Ukraine’s Security Service adopted tactics used in fighting transnational organized crime, studying how international drug cartels move contraband past customs and border controls, SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk said in an interview aired on Aug. 12.

⚡️Canadian court upholds (kyivindependent.com/canadian-court-upholds-ruling-ordering-ukraine-international-airlines-to-compensate-victims-of-ps752-crash/) ruling ordering Ukrainian airline to compensate victims of plane downed in Iran.
The appeals court rejected the company's arguments that the trial judge erred in awarding costs to multiple groups of plaintiffs' lawyers.

⚡️Over 121,000 Russian soldiers killed (https://kyivindependent.com/over-121-000-russian-soldiers-killed-in-ukraine-identified-by-media-investigation/) in Ukraine identified by media investigation.

⚡️6 killed, 15 injured in Russian attacks (kyivindependent.com/6-killed-15-injured-in-russian-attacks-across-ukraine-over-past-day/) across Ukraine over past day.
Ukraine's Air Force said Russian forces launched 49 Shahed-type attack drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles overnight, as well as two Iskander-M or KN-23 ballistic missiles.

Ragnar Bjartur Gudmundsson 🇺🇦
‪@ragnarbjartur.bsky.social‬
⚡️ WAR IN UKRAINE & RUSSIA — AUG 13, 2025
■ Casualties down while engagements stay above average
■ Equipment losses remain below average
■ Visually confirmed batch: 12 🇷🇺 : 8 🇺🇦 — 30-day ratio at 0.8x
■ iinterception rate below average but improved strike ratio

UNITED24 Media Telegram Highlights

The United States has deployed B-1B Lancer supersonic bombers to Norway, near the Russian border.
The deployment came after Trump announced that his personal meeting with Putin would take place in Alaska on August 15.

The Kremlin says Putin called Kim Jong-un.
The dictator is reported to have “shared information with the DPRK leader in the context of upcoming talks” with Trump in Alaska.

The Russian State Duma has proposed banning imports of goods from Azerbaijan and even threatened Baku with a military invasion.
The discussion in the State Duma began after information emerged that Baku was considering lifting the moratorium on arms supplies to Ukraine following Russian terrorist attacks on energy facilities linked to Azerbaijan.

SBU drones attack “Shahed” storage terminal in Tatarstan for the second time in a week
Long-range drones of the SBU Special Operations Center “A” have carried out a second attack on the logistics hub where ready-to-use “Shaheds” and foreign components for them are stored. The warehouse is located in the Russian settlement of Kyzyl-Yul, Republic of Tatarstan, 1,300 kilometers from Ukraine, the SBU reported.
Videos taken by local residents confirm the destruction of the hub, where multiple ignition points were recorded, the department added.
The second attack on this military-industrial complex aims to reduce the enemy’s capability for “Shahed” terror in Ukraine. Operations targeting enterprises that supply weapons to the Russian military machine will continue, the report says.
The previous attack by long-range SBU drones on this Russian military facility took place on August 9 of this year.

🇱🇻 Latvia will allocate €2 million to NATO’s initiative to supply Ukraine with American weapons.
Latvia’s readiness to join became known last week after a conversation between Presidents Zelenskyy and Rinkēvičs, but without details.

We are waiting for the President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, in Ukraine. The teams are already working on the details, President Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine is one of the first countries in the world to test Starlink Direct to Cell, First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said.
This technology allows a regular 4G smartphone with a SIM or eSIM card to function as a satellite terminal without additional equipment.
During the test, Fedorov, together with Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov, exchanged messages via satellite from smartphones.
A full-scale launch for Kyivstar subscribers is planned for the fall. Initially, SMS and OTT messaging will be available, followed later by voice communication and data transmission.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko emphasized that in wartime, such technology is not only a matter of comfort but also a matter of security.

⚡️Zelenskyy on the Alaska summit: Putin needs a photo with Trump
“I believe that Putin will win in this because he is seeking, excuse me, photos. He needs a photo from the meeting with President Trump,” the president noted.
According to him, the meeting itself helps Putin get out of international isolation and delay sanctions.

Smoke is being observed in the area of the cargo port of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), Energoatom reported. The consequences are being determined.
Currently, the exact location of the fire and its possible effects are being established. It was noted that the cargo port is located outside the protected perimeter of the plant itself.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said ahead of a potential meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska that “Russia won” the war in Ukraine.
“We are now saying that this is a war with an uncertain outcome, but it is not. The Ukrainians lost the war. Russia won this war,” he said. [why the living fuck is this country still in the EU?]

The scale of the team involved in the SBU operation “Spider Web”
Virtually all those involved — in particular, those who manufactured the drones, developed “houses” for them, and handled communications and logistics — did not know until the last moment why they were doing it.
The UAVs, which were launched from trucks, were operated by the best specialists of the SBU Central Command “A,” who were gathered at the control point only at 5 a.m. on the day of the operation. None of them knew why they were going to Kyiv (some were called directly from the front). For security reasons, everyone’s phones were also taken away.

Kyiv Post Telegram Highlights

Trump and Putin will meet in Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska, the White House has announced.

Trump will meet Putin at a military base, CNN reports.
According to two White House officials, Elmendorf–Richardson military base is “the only location that will meet security requirements for the historic meeting.”

Ahead of Friday’s Alaska talks, here’s a detailed breakdown of how much land Kyiv and Moscow control before a rumored land deal – and why it is an extremely bad idea for Kyiv. (www.kyivpost.com/analysis/58045)

“We’re not negotiating” – US Officials lower expectations for Trump–Putin summit. (https://www.kyivpost.com/post/58013)
State Department and White House briefing stress the purpose of the Anchorage meeting is to “see what’s possible,” not to forge a peace deal.

Putin’s forces have punched deep behind Ukrainian lines in the war’s hottest Pokrovsk sector, (www.kyivpost.com/post/57990) and possibly scored Moscow’s most successful breakthrough in the past twelve months.

The Trump administration’s 2024 human rights report highlights Russia’s execution-style killings, sexual violence, forced child deportations (www.kyivpost.com/post/58011) in Ukraine, and rising repression in Russia.

Putin's inner circle is at war.
The FSB is running a purge to steal assets as the army fails in Ukraine. Now, a desperate Putin may gamble on secret talks with Trump. In reality: Are these signs that the Kremlin is collapsing?

Live: Ukraine Telegram Highlights

At least 12 foreign volunteers serving in Ukraine’s Armed Forces from the US, Colombia, Taiwan, Denmark, and other countries were killed in a Russian strike on a dining hall at a training camp near Kropyvnytskyi, Kirovohrad region, on July 21, The New York Times reports.
According to the outlet, the missile attack on the training center occurred as recruits were sitting down for lunch.
An unnamed American recruit from Florida told NYT that the blast was “the loudest he had ever heard.” He said that after the explosion, he saw at least 15 dead soldiers and more than 100 wounded.
Military sources said the strike also ignited an ammunition depot, triggering further explosions as medics attempted to assist the injured.
Volodymyr Kaminsky, spokesperson for the International Legion of Ukraine’s military intelligence, did not disclose the casualty count but noted that an investigation into the strike is ongoing.

🇧🇬 Bulgaria has carried out searches at Ukraine’s request in connection with corruption in arms procurement.
Searches were conducted in homes and offices in Sofia and across the country at the request of Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU). No arrests have been made so far.
NABU has not officially commented on the searches.

Financial Times: Since the start of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, Europe has been expanding military factory capacity three times faster.
The pace of expansion has grown from 790,000 m² in 2020–2021 to 2.8 million m² in 2024–2025. The outlet calls it a “rearmament of historic proportions.”
One of the largest projects is a joint venture between Germany’s Rheinmetall and Hungary’s N7 Holding in Várpalota — construction began in 2022, and by 2024 the first plant producing 30 mm shells for Lynx IFVs was already operational.

🇨🇭🇪🇺 Switzerland has joined the European Union’s 18th package of sanctions.
Among other measures, the country has lowered the price cap on Russian oil to $47.6 per barrel. The sanctions list was expanded to include 14 more individuals and 41 companies.
The new targets include Russian and international firms operating vessels in the shadow fleet, Russian oil traders, and suppliers to Russia’s military-industrial complex — including those based in third countries.
An additional 105 vessels from third countries have been banned from purchase, sale, or servicing. In trade, 26 new companies — some located in third countries — are now under stricter export controls, particularly for circumventing restrictions on the export of UAVs. Switzerland has also adopted additional EU sanctions against Moldova and Belarus.

There are wildfires in Alaska currently.
Wonder how the inhabitants of Anchorage are feeling about these two descending on them like they own the place?

I hope whoever is briefing Trump shoves this report under his nose before Friday www.state.gov/reports/2024-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/russia

I understand that there are concerns about Putin et al being invited onto a major American air force base

What's the reason given for the concerns?