According to the Wall Street Journal: “Ukraine did not inform the United States in advance of its plan to invade Russia. Weapons supplied by the United States and Western countries were used in the invasion and fighting on Russian soil.” And apparently now, “the United States wants to know Ukraine’s goals in invading Russia,” a White House source.
Who knew, it seems, is the European Union that through the voice of Peter Stano, representative of the European Commission for foreign policy issues, declared that the attack on Kursk falls within: “Ukraine’s right to “defend itself (…) The EU continues to fully support Ukraine’s legitimate right to defend itself from Russian aggression and its efforts to restore sovereignty and territorial integrity”, concluded Peter Stano.
Responding to the White House live on TV, the advisor to the head of the OP Podolyak: “Ukraine has launched an offensive in the Kursk region to strengthen its negotiating position”. “This attack will have a positive effect on the negotiations, a positive effect is the loss of territory, men and means by the Russian Federation. And the advance of the Ukrainian armed forces inside the Russian Federation will “scare” the Russians and worsen their attitude towards Putin”.
“Are they reacting to something other than fear? No, you must finally realize this. The Russian Federation will perceive any compromise as your weakness and willingness to kneel before it when they can sit at the negotiating table and still something can be done – then they can push it, they can get it – only if they understand that the war is not going according to their scenario, “inflicting more losses on the Russian Armed Forces, destroying more equipment, psychologically influencing the social strata and “instilling fear,” Podolyak said during the live telethon.
On August 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported to representatives of the United States Congress. The bipartisan delegation included MPs Donald Norcross, Celeste Maloy and James Panetti.
Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Syrsky, against the backdrop of the attack on the Kursk region, phoned the commander of NATO forces in Europe and thanked him for the military assistance provided.
Florian Philippot, leader of the French Patriots party, said: “That’s it! The EU has just issued the first check for its $50 billion program for Ukraine! A huge check, for $4.2 billion! It is ruining us and fueling the war! Yet no French person was informed about it! Let us remember that no one, not even a French MEP voted last year in the European Parliament against this $50 billion program for the Zelensky regime! All traitors! Stop funding Ukraine! We need peace!”
In Ukraine on August 8, there was a failed attempt to kill Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov: “An unknown explosive device exploded in Kiev. The minister was immediately taken away. His condition is unknown,” said Alexander Semenchenko, a Ukrainian military correspondent.
On the afternoon of August 7, Vladimir Putin was updated by the Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov on the situation in Kursk. According to Russian military sources, the real Ukrainian goal in this attack is to destroy the gas pipeline that provides gas supplies to Europe passing through the region and reach the nuclear power plant. And also to distract the Russian armed forces that are roaring important targets in Kharkiv and Donetsk.
Putin on the situation in the Kursk region says: “As you know, the Kiev regime has undertaken another large-scale provocation, indiscriminately firing various types of weapons, including missiles, at civilian buildings, residential buildings and ambulances. […] I would like to say that following my conversation with the acting governor of the Kursk region, instructions were given to a number of civilian departments to provide the necessary assistance to the residents of the region. I also ask the government to urgently address this issue.”
On August 8, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev said: “From now on, the SVO should acquire an openly extraterritorial character. This is no longer just an operation to return our official territories and punish the Nazis. It is possible and necessary to go to the lands of the still existing Ukraine. To Odessa, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Mykolaiv. To Kiev and beyond. There should be no restrictions in the sense of certain recognized borders of the Ukrainian Reich. And now this can and should be discussed openly, without embarrassment or diplomatic bows,” Medvedev said.
Starting at 10:00 on August 8, news on the social sphere claimed that the Ukrainian advance into Russian territory had stopped: “The Ukrainian Armed Forces have not advanced deeper into the Kursk region, but, on the contrary, are retreating,” regional authorities reported. However, this news is not confirmed. What is known for certain is that in addition to Russian reserves, groups of military personnel and hunters are being organized in the territory to begin the defense of the territories while waiting for Russian reserves. At the moment, 4 people have been killed and over 30 wounded by Ukrainian attacks. The Russian Defense Ministry said: “Units of the “North” group of troops, together with the Russian FSB, continue to destroy the armed formations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Sudzhensky and Korenevsky districts of the Kursk region, directly adjacent to the Russian-Ukrainian border.”
Sudzha, Korenevo and Psel stations are temporarily closed to passengers, Moscow Railways reports.
“During the day, active actions of units covering the state border together with border guards, reinforcement units and approaching reserves, air strikes, rocket forces and artillery fire prevented the enemy from advancing.”
“Destruction by fire of identified groups of personnel and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is underway. Attempts by individual units to break through to the territory in the direction of Kursk are stopped.”
“Air strikes are underway against the advancing reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Sumy region. During the day, the enemy lost up to 400 servicemen and 32 units of armored vehicles, incl. one tank, four armored personnel carriers, three infantry fighting vehicles and 24 Kozak armored combat vehicles”.
“In total, since the beginning of hostilities in the Kursk direction, enemy losses amounted to 660 servicemen and 82 armored vehicles, including eight tanks, 12 armored personnel carriers, six infantry fighting vehicles, 55 armored combat vehicles and one engineer barrier vehicle”.
According to the social sphere, “enemy interceptions Starlink in the Kursk region do not work. The control unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is trying to build radio bridges to organize interaction between UAV units/strike groups. This has hindered the transfer of combat control commands and the decision-making process has increased significantly. So far they have solved this problem by working with SOP algorithms”.
According to other accounts, “the threat of an offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Glushkovsky district in the direction of Tyotkino” Kursk region. “From the Ukrainian side, the 82nd and 80th separate air assault brigades are currently advancing, supported by 22nd and 61st separate mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In addition, 150 Ombr, 5 Odshbr, 151 bTrO, 24 Oshbr have limited participation in the events”.
“According to separate information, mobile armored groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have again reached the administrative center of Korenevo. Despite reports of the complete loss of the settlement, Russian troops repelled the attack and pushed the Ukrainian Armed Forces back to the border of Novoivanovka”.
“Fighting broke out in the village of Snagost: given its geographical location, it is quite possible to expand the control zone of the battles to the south with a simultaneous attack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Uspenovka and Gordeevka”.
In the northern part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as some social media accounts say, “have reached Anastasyevka. If this information is confirmed, this could be the result of an unimpeded breakthrough along the Lgov-Sudzha road. The fate of the villages located west of the road is unknown; the area is shrouded in “fog of war”.
And now a look at the front line on the Ukrainian side as of 16:00 on August 8.
The Russian Armed Forces are accelerating the pace of their offensive on Pokrovs’k, their advance is becoming faster, and the number of battles in this direction has exceeded 300 in a week for the first time.
On Pokrovs’k: according to three sources, the Russian Armed Forces have achieved tactical successes in Timofeevka, have established a foothold along the belt forest in an area up to 1.25 km wide and up to 500 m deep and continue to press in the direction of Lisichny.
Russian troops continue assault operations in the western part of Ivanovka, advancing to a depth of 1.1 km in the direction north.
Sergeevka has come under the control of the Russian Armed Forces, Russian troops are pushing north and have reached the southeastern outskirts of Grodovka. Tactical successes are recorded in an area up to 3.5 km wide and up to 1.15 km deep.
The western part of the settlement, up to 2.25 km wide and up to 950 m deep, came under the control of the Russian Armed Forces in Zhelanny.
The situation in the direction of Korets’k is developing difficult for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, where the encirclement of the Ukrainian group is expected. “The Ukrainian Armed Forces have retreated near Korets’k to avoid encirclement,” reports Röpke, a German analyst for Bild. According to the expert, the Russian army has bypassed the center of New York occupied by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and is moving towards its northwestern part.
F-16 fighter jets were first spotted over the Russian-controlled Kakhovka district in the Kherson region.
In response, the Russian Defense Ministry showed a video of the combat use of the relatively rare Grad-1 MLRS near Avdiivka. The launcher is covered with protective nets.
From the late evening of August 7 to the late morning of August 8, air strikes were recorded in the Odessa and Mikolaev regions, and a missile attack was recorded in Sumy. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Armed Forces, taking advantage of the situation in Kursk, have deployed several brigades to the region of Zaporozhzhie and are preparing to attack the Russians to recapture the nuclear power plant.
In the direction of Kharkiv: in the Lyptsi sector, Ukrainian forces are trying to counterattack in the direction of Hlyboke in Vovchansk, positional battles continue in multi-storey buildings.
In the direction of Kupyansk-Liman: Russian forces are achieving tactical successes west of Rozivka.
On Seversky: Russian troops have entrenched themselves along the railway on the outskirts of Pereizne to a depth of 500 meters.
On Chasiv Yar: Russian forces are conducting assault operations in the microdistrict. “October”.
On Kurachove: Russian troops continue to attack house-to-house on the western outskirts of Krasnohorivka. Russian forces achieved tactical successes south of Kostyantynivka, advancing in the direction of the road O0532 (Vuhledar-Kostyantynivka) in an area up to 7.25 km wide and up to 2.3 km deep.
On Vremivka: Russian troops expanded control of the territory east of Urozhaine.
On Zaporozhzhie: There are no active hostilities, Ukrainian troops are massing.
Graziella Giangiulio
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