The second week of August 2023 brought a rapid intensification of Russian offensive operations in the Kupiansk direction and a series of tragic missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.

On Aug. 6, Ukrainian air forces, using precision strikes with Storm Shadow missiles, damaged key Russian logistics bridges in Chonhar and Henichesk, connecting occupied Crimea with the Kherson region. In response to these actions and the Ukrainian successes at Bakhmut, the Russians formed a powerful strike force near Kupiansk, which forced the Ukrainian authorities to order the mandatory evacuation of over 11,000 civilians from 37 localities along the front line.

Attacks on civilian targets and rescue infrastructure were particularly brutal. On Aug. 7, a double-tap attack took place in Pokrovsk. After one Iskander missile hit a residential building, another fell several dozen minutes later, targeting first-responders and police officers conducting the rescue operation. Seven people were killed, including a high-ranking emergency services officer, and nearly 90 were injured. A similar pattern was repeated in Zaporizhzhia, where Russian missiles hit a church and the Reikartz hotel, a regular base for UN staff and humanitarian organizations. Despite these losses, the Ukrainian side noted progress in the south, reporting the breakthrough of the first line of Russian defence near the village of Robotyne, although the movement of troops was being systematically slowed down by extensive minefields.

Significant incidents also occurred behind the front lines and in Russian territory. On Aug. 9, a powerful explosion occurred in Sergiyev Posad near Moscow at an optical-mechanical plant producing equipment for the army, which the Russian side officially attributed to an explosion in a pyrotechnics warehouse, despite speculation about the involvement of drones. At the same time, Ukraine was actively fighting Russian infiltration attempts, thwarting cyberattacks by the Sandworm group targeting soldiers' mobile devices. On the diplomatic front, the United Arab Emirates offered to mediate in the presidents' direct talks, and the Joe Biden administration asked Congress for a record $13 billion in further military support.

Technical support for Ukraine had begun to take the form of specific delivery dates – the Pentagon confirmed the completion of M1 Abrams tank overhauls, announcing their deployment on the front in early autumn. Meanwhile, Germany provided another aid package, including Patriot systems and transport vehicles, and, unexpectedly, Azerbaijan provided significant support with mine-clearing machines. Despite the difficult situation in the east, where the Russians seized Novoselivske, the Ukrainian Air Force Command summed up its successes to date, pointing to the shooting down of over 3,500 airborne targets since the outset of the invasion, which confirmed the effectiveness of the anti-aircraft shield being built.

Mid-August 2023 was marked by bloody battles to break through Russian defence lines in the south of the country and intensified missile terror aimed at inland Ukraine. Deputy Minister of Defence Hanna Malar reported on the systematic retaking of ground near Bakhmut, where the total area of liberated territories increased to 40 sqkm, despite fierce Russian counterattacks near Klishchiivka and Kurdiumivka. Russia responded to these advances with massive strikes against civilian targets and training infrastructure, including with Kinzhal ballistic missiles aimed at the Kolomyia airfield, where pilots were preparing for F-16 training. As a result of these attacks, an eight-year-old child was killed in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, and a large Fozzy hypermarket was destroyed in Odessa as a result of falling debris after all 15 Shahed drones and eight Kalibr missiles were shot down. A particularly tragic outcome came from a mass shelling of the Kherson region on Aug. 13, when almost an entire family of four, including a newborn, were killed in the village of Shyroka Balka, leading to the declaration of a day of mourning in the region.

Chaos and internal tensions within the invading forces were growing in the occupied territories, a striking example of which was the bloody shootout in Mikhailovka between Chechen and Dagestani troops, which resulted in the deaths of more than 20 soldiers. At the same time, Ukrainian partisans continued their sabotage activities, setting fire to a Russian military base near the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. A serious incident occurred in the Black Sea when a Russian patrol ship Vasily Bykov fired warning shots at a Turkish freighter heading to the port of Izmail, marking the first such direct aggression against civilian shipping since the expiration of the grain agreement.

In the political sphere, President Volodymyr Zelensky took radical steps to combat corruption within the army, dismissing all heads of regional military draft offices and announcing their replacement with officers with combat experience. International support remained stable, as evidenced by another US aid package worth $200 million and the announcement of deliveries of modern Luna X-2000 reconnaissance drones by Rheinmetall. 

Illustrative photo/AI generated