While waiting for the conclusion of the work of the IMF delegation that began today the verification of Kiev’s accounts, called to decide whether to provide another 1.1 billion dollars in the support and recovery program to Ukraine, it is learned that the budget revenues of the country under study will increase by 500 billion hryvnia to finance the army. The news was announced by the head of the budget committee of the Rada, Roksolana Pidlassa who explained: “the government wants to obtain about 125 billion hryvnia from the increase in taxes”. The deputies went further, proposing an increase in revenues of 500 billion hryvnia. In particular by increasing duties and excise taxes on fuel and tobacco.
Also on the economic front, Ukrainian authorities have handed over to the United States a list of equipment needed to restore the energy sector and expect to receive $800 million in aid to restore damaged energy infrastructure, Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Sviridenko said. Also according to press sources, the United States is close to a deal to supply Ukraine with JASSM long-range cruise missiles, but Kiev will have to wait several months – Reuters. The Wall Street Journal reports that for security reasons, the Biden administration refuses to send American technicians to Ukraine to repair and maintain military equipment sent to Kiev, including F-16 aircraft.
It is noted that the five-year powers of the Verkhovna Rada expired on August 29, 2024, and the fourth part of Article 83 of the Constitution of Ukraine stipulates that “in the event of the expiration of the term of office of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine during martial law or a state of emergency, its powers shall be extended until the first meeting of the first session of the Verkhovna Rada elected after the lifting of martial law or a state of emergency,” this term was further extended by Zelensky’s decree of July 23, 2024 No. 469/2024, i.e. after the expiration of his presidential powers on May 20, 2024.
The Zelensky era will be remembered, among other things, “for having interrupted the secret telephone connection between Kiev and Moscow that had existed since 1998,” news confirmed by the government representative to the Rada Melnichuk.
President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that Kiev does not have the money to mass-produce long-range drones. Zelensky said about the Kursk operation: “I think that the operation in the Kursk region may still affect the situation in Donbass, but so far the situation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has not improved,” Ukrinform interview. “As for the difficulties in the Pokrovsk and Toretsk directions, we believe that the Kursk operation may also affect this. There may be a decrease in the aggravation due to the decrease in the number of Russian military personnel. But for now it is difficult there,” Zelensky said. He admitted that Kiev’s “main objective” has always been Donbass, where the main forces of the armies of Russia and Ukraine are concentrated.
In Russia, the Gazpromneft refinery in Moscow stopped the operation of one of the units due to a fire after a UAV attack. A fire was extinguished in the city of Proletarsk in the Rostov region, where fuel depots burned for more than two weeks after the UAV debris fell.
The series of arrests of Russian military leaders continues. The Main Military Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has opened a criminal case against the deputy commander of the Leningrad Military District for Logistics, General Valery Muminjanov, on the basis of an offense under Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: receiving bribes on a particularly large scale.
According to the investigation, Muminjanov, having previously held the post of head of the Department of Resource Support of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and being responsible for the supply of clothing to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, facilitated the conclusion of agreements with commercial organizations for the supply of uniforms in the interests of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, including in the territory of Ukrainian operations, worth more than 1.5 billion rubles. For his assistance, he received a particularly large bribe, totaling more than 20 million rubles.
In strictly military matters, Navy Commander-in-Chief Alexander Moiseyev said that the decision to create formations in the Sea of Azov has already been made: “There is no doubt that there will be Navy formations in the Sea of Azov. This is unequivocal. The decisions already made will only be followed by further development of the Sea of Azov region lives with prospects and is now deciding what is important for all of us, including combat missions,” he told Zvezda.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, in an interview with Al Arabiya TV channel, assured that the agency “will never hide from the public” the facts of deliberate attacks on nuclear power plants if it has “irrefutable evidence” but on Kursk it does not.
And again, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov instructed the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces to pay special attention to the provision of military personnel with protective equipment, communications and armored vehicles at a meeting of the Coordination Council for Military Security of the border territories of Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk regions. He noted that all decisions taken must be brought to a concrete result.
“It is necessary not to formally fulfill the requests, but to organize a real improvement in the supply of fighters who are now on the front lines in the regions fulfilling their duty to protect the country. The task is to provide them with everything they need,” Belousov stressed.
The Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation reminded that the Coordination Council works online every day. The operational group of the council monitors and coordinates solutions to problem issues around the clock.
Earlier it was reported that the requested quadcopters, anti-drone guns, as well as wearable equipment for electronic warfare and quads were transferred to the Russian Armed Forces Group in the Kursk region.
According to the report of the Russian Ministry of Defense on the progress of the attempted invasion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces into the territory of the Russian Federation in the Kursk region as of September 3, 2024, the situation was as follows: “Units of the Northern Group of Troops, with the support of army aviation and artillery fire, repelled five attacks of enemy assault groups during the day in the direction of the settlements of Borki, Maryevka, Kamyshevka and Cherkasy Porechnoe. Attack attempts in the direction of the settlements of Komarovka, Korenevo and Olgovka were also thwarted.”
Aviation strikes, artillery fire and the actions of active troops attacked the concentrations of servicemen and equipment of the 22nd and 61st mechanized brigades, 80th, 82nd and 95th air assault and 152nd Jaeger brigades, 1st National Guard brigade and 1004th security and support brigade in the area areas of the settlements of Apanasovka, Borki, Vishnevka, Viktorovka, Gordeevka, Kositsa, Krasnooktyabrskoye, Knyazhiy Pervy, Kurilovka, Lyubimovka, Martynovka, Mikhailovka, Malaya Loknya, Novoivanovka, Orlovka, Plekhovo and Snagost.
Operational-tactical aviation carried out strikes in the Sumy region in the areas where personnel and military equipment were concentrated in the reserves of the 22nd, 41st and 61st mechanized, 80th and 82nd air assault, 92nd assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 101st, 103rd, 119th and 129th ground defense brigades, as well as the 1st and 17th brigades of the National Guard of Ukraine in the areas of Belopole, Vorozhba, Velyka Pisarevka, Glukhov, Myropolye, Novaya Sich, Novoivanovka, Pavlovka, Pustogorod, Cellars, Starye Verki, Stukalovka, Sumy, Khoten and Yunakovka.
And now a look at the front line as of 14:00 on September 3.
A large-scale Russian offensive has been reported near Vuhledar. Both sides confirmed the offensive, which presumably began on Monday morning. Russian troops advanced more than 5,000 meters and entered the eastern outskirts of Prechystivka. Other sources report: “Russian forces advanced west of Pavlivka in an area up to 5.78 km wide to a depth of 4.17 km, and the western and central parts of Prechystivka are under Russian control.”
On Kurachove-Vuhledar: Battles continue in the area of Maksymil’ianivka and Kostyantynivka. Russian troops are pushing in the area of the Pivdennodonbaska 1 coal mine and tactical successes are being recorded in the eastern outskirts of Vodyane.
Russian troops have crossed the Seversky-Donetsk-Donbass Canal at the second point, in the direction of Kramatorsk. The crossing took place in the village of Kalinin, north of Chasiv Yar, of which the Russian army is beginning to control 10%. Ukrainian sources confirm the Russian advance in Niw York and Prechystivka.
In the direction of Kharkiv: positional battles continue in the Lyptsi sector, in Vovchansk Russian troops are continuing door-to-door searches in the area of multi-storey buildings.
Kupyansk-Liman: The Russian armed forces have expanded their control of the territory in the Pishchane area.
On Vremivka: Positional battles continue north of Urozhaine.
In Zaporozhye, there are no active hostilities.
Graziella Giangiulio
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