According to the Times, “Britain wants to resume high-level military contacts with Russia; British military leaders fear the risk of an ‘unintended escalation’ due to the lack of dialogue. The need to resume dialogue emerged following the preemptive fire of the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich, launched in June in the English Channel in response to the dangerous approach of a British-flagged yacht.” The last time the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Gerasimov, spoke with the Chief of the Defence Staff of the British Armed Forces was in September 2022.
The European Union and the United Kingdom have decreed the detention of Russian shadow fleet ships, and in response, Moscow has equipped escort vessels. Sweden recently even handed over the contents of a Russian ship to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Security Council Vice President Dmitry Medvedev said: “Russia has the right to attack any merchant vessel of an enemy country in neutral waters if there is sufficient suspicion that it is transporting goods for the enemy.”
The EU fears a “Trojan horse” with accelerated enlargement, Politico reports: “The European Commission is drafting revised rules for new member states, which will be presented to EU leaders at the European Council meeting on October 15. The revision is intended to allay fears that decision-making and resource allocation will become even more difficult as the bloc expands.” The European Commission has supported Latvia’s plans to ban the import of sweets and toys from Russia and Belarus, citing moral and security reasons for Riga’s decision, according to the Brussels-based portal Euractiv. The European Commission told the portal that it had been informed of the measures taken by the Latvian authorities and that it did not oppose them, although these bans go beyond the EU’s existing anti-Russian sanctions.
Tensions between Romania and the Russian Federation are at an all-time high, according to Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruța. Romanian Navy combat divers destroyed two Russian Gerbera drones in the country’s exclusive economic zone, near the Neptun Deep gas field in the Black Sea. The drones were spotted 166 km east of Constanta; the ship’s crew located them near the platform. A Coast Guard vessel with bomb disposal equipment was dispatched to the scene. Ukraine confirmed that these systems do not belong to it. In response, Russian Ambassador to Romania Vladimir Lipaev, summoned to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, examined “pieces of foam” presented as evidence in connection with alleged incidents involving Russian drones that crashed on Romanian territory, according to the Russian Embassy in Romania. The embassy emphasized that the drone incidents in Romania were most likely staged, involving live-fire exercises against training targets. The purpose was to justify to Romanian society the “path of militarization” and increased military spending “in the context of the country’s difficult socioeconomic situation.”
Following the incidents in the Black Sea, Turkey may propose the creation of two safety corridors in the Black Sea for ships bound for Russia and Ukraine. This claim was made by the Yeni Şafak newspaper. If the corridors were opened, both sides in the conflict could pledge not to attack them. Ankara has not yet commented on this publication.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated: “We have presented American mediators with proposals for a plan to end the war in Ukraine.” The mediators will now speak with their Russian counterparts.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have stopped publishing data on Russian missile launches due to a shortage of interceptor missiles in Kiev, according to Bloomberg. The changes came several days after Ukrainian air defense failed to intercept a single missile launched by Russian forces on the night of August 5. In recent Russian bombings against Ukraine, the Zaporizhstal plant was hit and forced to halt operations, the plant’s press office reported. “Currently, the metallurgical plant has completely halted operations, while other production sites are operating at reduced capacity,” the statement read.
The Zaporizhstal plant was included in the list of facilities of strategic importance for Ukraine’s economy and security on December 23, 2004. This plant was founded in 1933. It currently produces sheet metal, which serves as the basis for protective structures, fortification modules, armor for military vehicles, and body armor plates.
Ukrainians subject to military service abroad will be automatically registered for military service when applying to a consulate or embassy, according to the Ukrainian newspaper Strana.
The Russian Federation has issued a harsh response to NATO’s intentions to expand into the Asia-Pacific. Vladimir Putin said: “NATO is infiltrating the Asia-Pacific region.” He added that “plans to deploy new weapons in the Asia-Pacific region pose a threat to Russia.” He also said: “Japan imposed unprovoked sanctions against Russia without investigating the causes of the conflict in Ukraine. Russia is not threatening Japan; Moscow has no claims against Tokyo.” “Japan has claims against Russia over the Kuril Islands, although these have been enshrined in international documents as a reality for Russia since the Second World War.” “Russia will respond in kind if Western countries seize Russian merchant ships not only in the same waters, but anywhere, including the Pacific Ocean,” Putin said.
The following are key points from Pacific Fleet Commander Viktor Liina’s remarks regarding the issue of NATO’s potential expansion into the Asia-Pacific: “The Pacific Fleet’s forces are ready to ensure Russia’s security in the Asia-Pacific region; New hostile alliances are forming in the Asia-Pacific region; these are NATO elements, but in disguise; A major problem is the West’s blockade of Russian maritime trade, aimed at causing harm; The military has conducted an analysis of maritime traffic in the Asia-Pacific region; of 1,001 ships, 379 were flagged to hostile countries; Resources are available to stop ships of hostile states in the Asia-Pacific region; The military-political situation in the Asia-Pacific region is tense and tends to deteriorate; The West is using ships flying the flags of third countries to transport military equipment, effectively operating a shadow fleet.”
American prisoner Gilman, convicted in Russia, has been released on health grounds. Trump stated that, following his talks with Putin, Russia had released Gilman. According to the US president, Moscow is doing so for humanitarian reasons, not exchanging him for a Russian prisoner. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked Russia for its work with Whitkoff and for the release of Gilman, who had attacked a police officer.
The all-Russian gathering of drone operators, “Dronnitsa,” has been postponed due to information about planned attacks on Kiev, organizers announced. They emphasized that they had received “accurate and reliable information about the enemy’s plans to strike the gathering while it was underway.” To protect the event, “it would have been necessary to deploy significant air defense forces and special services, temporarily exposing facilities and companies in Novgorod and surrounding regions,” the statement added. “We have decided that exposing factories and bases for our own security is wrong now, and holding the event at such risk is too presumptuous,” the organizers stated. “Dronnitsa” was scheduled for August 29 and 30 in Veliky Novgorod.
And now a look at the front line, updated at 3:30 PM on August 12. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that air defense forces shot down 502 Ukrainian drones overnight, including over the Kuban region and the Black Sea. New combined attacks were launched overnight against port infrastructure and Ukrainian Navy ships deployed in support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. A fuel depot supplying Ukrainian troops was damaged in the port of Odessa. “The Russian Air Force’s air fleet has been almost completely renewed with modern aircraft and helicopters,” Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces Sergei Kobylash stated in an interview with the Russian press. “He emphasized that the key to achieving air superiority is the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter, which is unmatched in mass production among modern aircraft manufacturers.”
Water supply to Novorossiysk was temporarily disrupted due to damage to the pipeline following an attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, ATEK. A state of emergency has been declared in Novorossiysk, the mayor reports. The drone attack damaged two schools and a university in the city. In the Krasnodar Krai, traffic from Novorossiysk to Gelendzhik was blocked due to a drone attack: six residential buildings and a commercial building were damaged, resulting in casualties. In Gelendzhik, there was a threat of an attack by unmanned vessels. Zelensky claims that the Ukrainian nighttime attack on Novorossiysk involved a combination of Palyanytsia drones, Neptune cruise missiles, and boats equipped with drones. According to him, the attacks targeted Russian air defense posts, piers, and other port infrastructure.
Overnight, Ukrainian forces launched a massive air strike on Sevastopol using jet drones. Material damage was reported to buildings.
Russian forces struck the Novaya Poshta operations center near Zaporizhia. Explosions were also heard in Dinpro, Poltava, and the Poltava region. Repeated attacks occurred during the morning of August 12, hitting Kiev, Odessa, and Mykolaiv.
In the Bryansk region, a Ukrainian drone attack injured one person.
Russian social media reports that separate units of the Timur special forces of the General Intelligence Directorate have been deployed to the border areas of the Chernihiv region.
Russian cartographer Radov reports that Ukrainian forces have crossed the Mokri Yaly River and entered Komar. Prior to this, there had been a significant increase in Ukrainian artillery/MLRS shelling and air strikes on the city.
In the Belgorod region, two people were killed and two wounded by Ukrainian drone strikes. Several vehicles were destroyed.
In the Kharkiv sector, Russian forces claimed the capture of Kudiivka from Ukrainian forces. Russian forces are continuing their offensive in Oleksiyevo-Druzhkivka, simultaneously facing flank attacks and counterattacking.
In the eastern Zaporizhia region, social media sources report that the Russians have broken through Ukrainian defenses north of Khrystophorivka, taking the village of Nove Pole in the Zaporizhia region. Power outages have been reported due to Russian drone strikes.
In Kherson, Ukrainian forces have established positions and command posts in the northern part of the city. According to OSINT units, “Now, any vehicle movement will be considered a legitimate target, as will critical infrastructure.”
Graziella Giangiulio
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