The FSB in a statement claims to have “stopped the illegal activities of the US embassy informant, former employee of the US consulate general in Vladivostok, Russian citizen Robert Shonov”.
According to the Russian services: “Since the autumn of 2022, he has been carrying out the duties of employees of the American embassy in Moscow, Sillin and Bernstein, collecting information on the NWO (Ukrainian invasion ed.) and on the progress of the mobilization; it also collected data for the United States on problems in the regions and an assessment of their impact on protest activity ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The case includes questioning of US diplomats Sillin and Bernstein, their agendas have already been sent to the embassy in Moscow. Shonov said he had to look for individuals loyal to the United States, who they could use to gather intelligence.”
On the 79th day of the Ukrainian counter-offensive on the southern front, the situation is not favorable for Kiev. Since the Ukrainians would only reach the first of three defense lines. And all this cost the West 30 billion dollars. Indeed, since the beginning of 2023, Ukraine has received almost $30 billion in financial assistance from Western countries. The news was announced by the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Denys Shmygal during a meeting of the cabinet of ministers.
“Thanks to cooperation with partners we have already managed to raise nearly $30 billion in support of Ukraine,” said Shmygal. A video of the government meeting was posted on the Prime Minister’s Telegram channel. Earlier, Shmygal said military spending from the Ukrainian budget in 2023 will reach $48.7 billion.
Ukraine’s 2023 budget runs a record deficit of $38 billion and President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed hope that the West will help Kiev cover the budget deficit. At the same time, the head of the Verkhovna Rada’s financial commission Daniil Getmantsev admitted that Ukraine cannot dispose of the available money without coordination with Western countries. Former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has expressed the opinion that without Western loans Ukraine would cease to exist as a state.
Among other international news referring to the Ukrainian situation we point out that Colonel Douglas McGregor, former adviser to the head of the Pentagon said in an interview: “Poland and Lithuania could decide to invade Ukraine, bypassing NATO”. Russian Defense Minister Sergej Shoigu made the same speech several weeks ago, hence the idea of strengthening the borders with Belarus.
According to the former adviser to the head of the Pentagon: “Poland and Lithuania could intervene in western Ukraine without the consent of NATO. The worst thing is that now there are confirmations that the Poles and Lithuanians are interested in the intervention, which, as they claim, they would carry out on their own, bypassing NATO, ”he said in an interview with YouTube channel Redacted.
According to McGregor, the West is creating a coalition to invade western Ukraine. According to him, Poland and Lithuania will play the main role in the operation, and the United States will join only in case of failure.
Aerial tensions between Moscow and Washington: Russian Defense Ministry said a Russian Su-30 escorted a US Reaper UAV over the Black Sea: ‘As a Russian fighter plane approached, a foreign reconnaissance UAV carried out a’ U-turn from the state border of the Russian Federation, no violation of the state border was allowed.”
And now a look at the front line
“On August 27, the Russian Armed Forces carried out a long-range aerial weapons attack on an airfield in the Pinchukov region of the Kiev region,” reports the Russian Defense Ministry. “The objective of the attack has been achieved, all assigned targets have been hit,” he adds.
In the meantime, new anti-drone laser guns have been tested in Moscow, in an anti-UAV function, according to RIA NOVOSTI.
From Russian military analysts such as Dmitry Rogozin, head of the military-technical center “Tsarskie Volki” we learn that: “The Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Zaporozhzhie direction have begun to massively use guided bombs. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are using JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) bombs, including in the area of the village of Vasilyevka.
Compared to last week, Ukrainians increased the intensity of shelling of the Donetsk People’s Republic by 65%, while the amount of ammunition fired in the Belgorod region decreased by 45%. In the Kherson region, the situation has not changed significantly. The situation is still difficult in the Donetsk agglomeration: four civilians were killed in the region in a week and at least 29 others were injured of varying severity. The number of victims in the Belgorod region increased significantly – three killed and six wounded.
This was largely the result of the active use of cluster munitions by Ukraine: as a result of just one shot in the village of Urazovo in the Belgorod region, six people were injured, one of whom is still in serious condition.
And now a look at the updated contact line at 11:00 on August 28th.
In the Zaporozhzhie direction very intense fighting near Rabotino continues. In this area, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have thrown large reserve forces to the front line and are trying to break through. So far the enemy only manages to control a part of the village. Russian units are repelling attacks. Every day the artillery in this sector of the front hits military vehicles and so the graveyard of burned NATO armored vehicles is growing.
On Rabotino several updates during the day the last one stated that the southern outskirts of Rabotino is still under the control of the Russian Armed Forces. Fighting is going on in the woods, Ukrainians have thrown their last forces and reserves into battle, Ukrainian tanks are no longer going blind against minefields, they are being guided with FPV (First Person View) drones. However, BRADLEY infantry fighting vehicles are reported to have been destroyed along with personnel. Russian artillery and aviation continue to shell Ukrainian defensive positions: 5 soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been taken prisoners.
For the time being, there was a lull in the south-Donetsk direction. The Ukrainians suffered significant losses and are still catching up, recalling more and more reserves and armored vehicles. It is obvious that the main Ukrainian goal in this sector of the front is to occupy Staromlynovka.
In the Bachmut direction, the fighting in the Kleshcheevka area does not subside. The Ukrainians operate with infantry supported by armored vehicles and artillery, but fail to succeed. The Russian success is due to aviation, which has hit the Ukrainian armed forces near Kleshchiivka, Bogdanovka and Andriivka in recent days. In addition, the Ukrainians suffer heavy losses in armored vehicles, but despite this, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue the assaults in this direction.
In the Kupyansk direction, the situation for the Armed Forces of Ukraine is worsening. Russian units take two more Ukrainian strongholds in Sinkovka-Petropavlovka line area. Now, in this sector of the front, the Russian armed forces have accumulated large reserves – about 110 thousand men. In this regard, the commander of the ground forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Syrsky requests additional reserves, but requests from him have so far been ignored, since the main reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on American advice, have been transferred to the south.
Graziella Giangiulio
