Timeline: day 173 of Ukraine’s defense against russia’s aggression

Today is August 15. russia's military attack on Ukraine has been going on for 173 days. We're reporting on the current news. The article will be updated.

What about today?

Key points

We must never forget that every step of our army in this war was made in cruel and brutal battles. The invaders didn't capture anything without the resistance of our heroes. 

Yesterday, the Ukrainian forces demilitarized:

• Military base in Tokmak, Zaporizhzhia region. 
• Military base in Popasna, Luhansk region.
• Ammunition depot in the Beryslav district, Kherson region.

Ukraine's General Staff reports on the state of affairs at the fronts in the morning summary:

• The Ukrainian forces repulsed a new attempt to attack Dolyna north of Sloviansk.
• Near Bakhmut, the enemy attacked in the direction of Soledar and Kodema without success.
• Battles in the area of ​​Pisky and Pervomaiske, where the russians tried to improve their tactical position. They had no success.
• A new offensive on Pavlivka near Vuhledar. The General Staff reports that the enemy has been repulsed (the russian public last night announced a "breakthrough of the defense of Ukraine" in the Vuhledar area).

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the russian army has struck more than 22,000 civilian objects and about 300 military targets in Ukraine. First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Yevhen Yenin reported this.

Who's coming to Ukraine? 

On financial and information aid, weapons, and politicians

Reuters reports that New Zealand will send 120 soldiers to Great Britain to train Ukrainians. The two infantry units will train the Ukrainian military in basic skills necessary for effective combat, including weapons handling and first aid in combat.

By the end of the year, Ukraine is counting on help from Western partners of 12-16 billion dollars, Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said. He says the main item of budget expenditures now is military salaries. Ukraine still needs $5 billion every month.

Latvia resumed the rehabilitation program for wounded Ukrainian service members. Today, the first 12 servicemen will begin a course of treatment at the Vaivari National Rehabilitation Center. It will last three weeks. The Cabinet of Ministers has allocated 280,000 euros for the rehabilitation of service members injured during the conflict in Ukraine. This money covers the costs of rehabilitation, transport costs, and expenses for technical means.

Hollywood actor Liev Schreiber came to Kyiv as an ambassador of the charity platform UNITED 24.

Latvia transferred two helicopters to Ukraine: Mi-17 and Mi-2. The helicopters arrived in Ukraine for the Air Force of Ukraine in a partially disassembled form. Before delivery, they were painted, and one Mi-17 was overhauled. The Ministry of Defense of Latvia reported this. "Western countries' support for Ukraine should not stop until it frees its entire territory from the russian occupation forces," Defense Minister Artis Pabriks emphasized.

Finland also helps Ukraine in the field of education. In particular, the country has already paid for 13 school repair projects in Chernihiv and financed teachers' salaries who conduct summer activities for local children. This was discussed at the meeting of the Mayor of Chernihiv Vladyslav Atroshenko with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Finland to Ukraine, Päivi Laine.

Helping refugees

When processing payments for refugees, Switzerland will pay attention to the financial situation of Ukrainians, SwissInfo reports. Any income will be considered—both received in Switzerland and Ukraine. The assessment of income will influence the decision on the provision of social assistance. The exception is a car, which is necessary to return to the homeland. So far, more than 60,000 refugees from Ukraine have arrived in Switzerland. Their S protection status allows them to count on social assistance and employment. According to the publication, wealthy Ukrainians also apply for help.

News from partners

In Latvia, they want to ban the russian-language versions of the websites of state institutions. This proposal was made by the Minister of Social Security of the country, Gatis Eglitis. "Now, in Latvia, many state institutions have russian-language versions of their websites. They should be closed," he said.

The Mirror claims that a rather prominent figure from putin's entourage has secretly contacted Western intelligence agencies with information that the Kremlin is in a panic and is urgently looking for ways to end the war in Ukraine.

Sanctions on the aggressor

Canada stopped issuing visas to russians. This is reported on the information resources of the occupiers. According to their report, the Warsaw office, which is responsible for Moscow, refuses to issue visas to citizens of the russian federation.