According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia received the heavier Hwasong-11C (KN-30) ballistic missile from North Korea for the first time. As of July, Russia reportedly possessed approximately 50 North Korean ballistic missiles of three types: KN-23, KN-24, and KN-30.
According to the Financial Times, Ukraine is asking Elon Musk for permission to use Starlink technology for drones capable of precisely targeting ballistic missile launchers deep inside Russian territory, in order to address the shortage of anti-aircraft missiles.
Integrating Starlink technology with drones offers more precise control and reduces vulnerability to electronic interference. Musk’s position on this issue is unclear, and his closest contact in Kiev, Mykhailo Fedorov, has been removed from his post as Defense Minister. It’s now clear that Ukraine’s “air defense crisis” is much deeper than it first seemed. And it’s not just the lack of RAS-3 interceptor missiles. Previously, cruise missiles were countered by NASAMS, IRIS-T, and SAMP/T air defense systems, so the Russian military command carefully planned cruise missile overflights to bypass these anti-aircraft systems. The cruise missiles performed complex maneuvers and even occupied special “holding zones” where they patrolled for a certain period. But, as we noted earlier, this time the Kh-101/Kalibr operated as if on a training exercise. Flying straight ahead.
According to Bloomberg: Russian attacks on Odessa ports will cost Ukraine nearly 2% of GDP. The attacks have virtually paralyzed grain exports through the ports of Odessa and the surrounding region, which accounted for up to 90% of exports. As a result, since the beginning of August, Ukraine has managed to export only 500,000 tons of grain, about a fifth of its potential volume. Farmers are forced to store their harvest in the fields or sell it, suffering considerable losses. If the port blockade continues, losses next year could reach 5.3% of GDP.
The war “has become more expensive,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated. “We must find the means. This is the biggest challenge,” he added. Zelensky imposed sanctions against the creators of the cartoon “Masha and the Bear” and banned its broadcast in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, in Denmark, the start-up of a Ukrainian plant for the production of solid fuel for Flamingo rockets has been postponed until the end of 2027, according to EURACTIV. Construction of the plant was originally scheduled for completion by the end of 2026. At the same time, the project’s cost has nearly tripled, exceeding 150 million euros, or approximately 14.8 billion rubles. Construction delays have been cited as the reason for the postponement.
Regarding the Russia-Ukraine negotiations, Serhiy Kyslytsya, First Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, stated in an interview with Ukrinform: “Ukraine is ready to negotiate with Russia to resolve the conflict.” According to Kyslytsya, Kiev is ready to sit at the negotiating table, listen to the US position, engage in dialogue with the Russian side, and defend its arguments. Kyslytsya also stated that the negotiation process involving the United States is currently on hold. The Ukrainian side is counting on a visit from American negotiators, which will hopefully facilitate the resumption of dialogue.
Conversely, former Ukrainian Defense Minister Reznikov called for the mobilization of women. “Everyone must be mobilized, including women, to serve,” Reznikov stated.
Russia has reported that OFAC has extended the authorization for the sale of LUKOIL’s foreign assets until September 19. The authorization allows negotiations and the signing of the terms of the agreement, but not the sale itself without authorization. The company has already signed an agreement with Carlyle for the sale of LUKOIL International GmbH; OFAC approval is pending. Previously, sanctions allowed the partial sale of assets outside Russia, including those in Bulgaria.
Vladimir Putin, in his opening speech at the meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects, reported that the Russian Federation’s consolidated budget deficit is 160 billion rubles, Putin stated.
At the same time, the deadline for repaying regional budget loans has been extended beyond 2030, which will allow the regions to save approximately 100 billion rubles. However, Russian regions expect to see an increase in spending by the end of the year, the Russian President added.
Putin called on the government to ensure the balance and sustainability of the entire Russian budget system and to distribute an additional 100 billion rubles to the regions with the most difficult budgetary situations. Regional budget revenues in the Russian Federation have grown by 6% since the beginning of 2026, reaching over 15 trillion rubles, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov stated during a meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects. The minister also reported that 43 Russian regions have no market debt.
Russia’s national development goals have been achieved at an average rate of 99%, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Grigorenko stated during a meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects on strategic development and national projects.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has proposed allowing Multifunctional Centers (MFCs) to accept requests for government services from military personnel and their families. The project was developed to improve the implementation of support programs. This is stated in a document published on the regulatory documents portal. Currently, the CMFs only issue certificates of participation in the Special Military Service.
“Russia does not need a mass mobilization”; it is neither planned nor anticipated, stated Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Nebenzya. Electricity supply restrictions are in place throughout the Republic of Crimea due to damage to energy infrastructure following a massive strike by a Ukrainian armed forces drone. Several settlements in the region are without power, Krymenergo reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to the sanctions on the creators of Masha and the Bear: “Kiev’s imposition of sanctions against the creators of the cartoon ‘Masha and the Bear’ once again reveals the ugliness of the Kiev regime.”
And now a look at the front line as of 3:30 PM on August 21. During the night, Russian forces attacked Izmail, Sumy, and Zaporizhia. Throughout the day, attacks continued on merchant ships carrying grain to Ukrainian ports. The export capacity of Ukrainian ports decreased by a third, from 6 to 4 million tons of grain per month. Wheat prices at the Chicago Board of Trade reached a two-year high. Kiev transports grain by land.
From 8:00 PM Moscow time on August 20 to 8:00 AM Moscow time on August 21, Russian air defense early warning systems intercepted and destroyed 325 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over the regions of Astrakhan, Belgorod, Bryansk, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, Rostov, Ryazan, Tula, Moscow Region, the Republic of Crimea, the Republic of Udmurtia, Krasnodar Krai, Perm Krai, and the Seas of Azov and Black Seas, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. There was a power outage in Crimea.
On August 20, the Ukrainians launched a prolonged air strike on Sevastopol, resulting in two injuries. In Crimea, two people were killed in the Simferopol district. Three more people were injured. Another person was injured in the Saksky district. In the Rostov region, more than 35 drones were destroyed overnight. In the Sumy region, Russian forces are attacking Shostka District, near Vilna Sloboda, and Ulanove. In the Sumy region, small-arms firefights continue in Pysarivka, Marine, Khrapovshchina, the village of Khoten, and south of Ivolzhanskoye.
In the Sumy region, Kursk region, a Ukrainian drone attacked the garage of a private home in the village of Reka Rzhava, wounding a 52-year-old man.
In the Belgorod region, at least three civilians were injured. Private and residential buildings, cars, businesses, social and infrastructure facilities were damaged in the Belgorod, Borisovsky, Valuysky, Volokonovsky, Graivoronsky, Krasnoyarsk, Rakityansky, and Shebekinsky districts.
In the Kharkiv sector, Russian forces are attacking the village of Kozakha Lopan’e near Hoptivka. In the Vovchansk sector, fighting is ongoing in the village of Vasylivka, near Shevchenkove and Petropavlivka. Another Ukrainian counterattack was reported near the village of Ternova. In the Velykyi Burluk sector, Russian forces are engaged in small-arms firefights in Dovzhanka, near the village of Vil’khuvatka, and west of Ustinivka. North of Liman, fighting continues near Redkodub: Ukrainian forces are strengthening their presence, forcing Russian forces to focus on countering its activities.
In the Kostyantynivka direction, Russian forces have reported the capture of the village of Mykolaipillya, west of Kostyantynivka. Ukrainian attacks in Donetsk, three injured, train station hit. In the Zaporizhia region, attacks continue along the R-280 “Novorossiya” highway.
In the direction of Kherson, Russian forces are conducting air strikes against critical infrastructure in Kherson.
Graziella Giangiulio
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