Timeline: day 175 of Ukraine's defense against russia's aggression
Today is August 17. russia's military attack on Ukraine has been going on for 175 days. We're reporting on the current news. The article will be updated.
What about today?
Key points
The explosions near Dzhankoi in occupied Crimea seriously disrupted the logistics of the russian occupiers, the conclusion of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says. Analysts believe that enemy groups in the south of the Zaporizhzhia region and the west of the Kherson region took a blow.
ISW notes that the explosions in Crimea are part of the counteroffensive actions of the Ukrainian forces and will not violate Ukraine's obligations regarding the use of weapons supplied by the west. The Institute sees no signs that Ukraine used US-supplied weapons in the recent strikes on Crimea.
russia has lost control over the Black Sea, British intelligence reports. russia's Black Sea fleet has taken an uncharacteristic defensive position and is weakly controlling the situation in the Black Sea. Patrolling is limited to the waters within visibility of the Crimean coast.
The occupiers shell Ukrainian positions 700-800 times a day, releasing 40,000 to 60,000 rounds of ammunition, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi announced. The general noted that the enemy continues to advance along the entire front line and focuses its primary efforts on pushing Ukrainian troops out of the Donetsk region. According to him, the tensest situation is now in the Avdiivka–Pisky–Maryinka direction.
It is confirmed by the morning report of Ukraine's General Staff. Key points:
- The enemy is on the offensive in the Kharkiv region—in the direction of Lebiazhe and Bazaliivka. The fighting continues. These settlements are located east of Chuhuiv.
- To the north of Sloviansk, battles are taking place in the area of Mazanivka and Novodmytrivka. The Ukrainian force repulsed the attempt to advance near Bohorodichne.
- Near Siversk, the russians attacked Spirne, suffered losses, and retreated. To the east of Bakhmut, battles are taking place in the area of Soledar and Bakhmutske.
- The russians are trying to advance northwest from Horlivka: they went on the offensive at Zalizne, Shumy, and Zaitseve. As reported by the General Staff, it is without success. There is an attack on another large concentration area of the Ukrainian forces.
- There are battles between Maryinka and Vuhledar for Novomykhailivka. To the south of Vuhledar, the enemy was pushed back from Shevchenko.
- There was a russian attack on Bilohirka in the Kherson region near Davydiv Brid. According to the General Staff, the enemy retreated after the losses.
The demilitarization of the invaders continues. During the day, three ammunition warehouses, one base, and one headquarters of the occupiers were destroyed.
The South operational command reported that the missile and artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed the following:
- 15 russian soldiers,
- One anti-tank missile complex,
- Six automobiles, including armored vehicles.
The final losses of the enemy are being analyzed.
"I am now asking all our people in Crimea, in other regions in the south of Ukraine, in the occupied areas of Donbas and Kharkiv region to be very careful. Please do not approach the military facilities of the russian army and all those places where they store ammunition and equipment, where they keep their headquarters. The reasons for explosions in the occupied territory can be very different," President Zelensky warned Ukrainians.
The adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Podoliak, in an interview with The Guardian, said that the Crimean Bridge should be destroyed. He called the construction of this infrastructure object illegal and emphasized the tremendous military significance of the crossing for russia. "Such objects must be destroyed," Podoliak concluded. We are waiting.
Humanitarian missions
Ukraine is waiting for the arrival of a separate UN mission that will investigate the killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenivka. At the same time, the russians still do not allow representatives of Ukraine to meet with the surviving fighters. "We see a discrepancy from the lists of wounded and dead officially published by the russian side through the mass media of the russian federation. That is why they do not allow us to meet with our wounded after Olenivka, precisely so that we do not receive additional information," said ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
Nuclear facilities
The UN responded to russia's statement about the danger of IAEA employees visiting the ZNPP via Kyiv: "We have the resources to facilitate the trip only via Kyiv."
Who's coming to Ukraine?
On financial and informational assistance, weapons, and politicians
The Czech Republic is ready to take over the coordination of the reconstruction of the Dnipropetrovsk region, the country's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jaroslav Kurfürst, said.
Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that he is pleased with the new US aid package because it includes a large number of 155-caliber shells for artillery systems and a significant number of missiles for HIMARS: "There are relocation missiles that allow our military to destroy russian radars and in such a way to "blind" them. This weakens their air defense system and thus allows us to act more decisively."
An International Engineering Center will be created in Ukraine, which will deal with the repair of Western weapons. Shortly, several Ukroboronprom workers will be trained and certified to service and repair military equipment received from allies.
The USA allocates $68 million for the purchase of Ukrainian wheat. The funds will be directed to the World Food Program to solve the acute food crisis in the world, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Lviv. Guterres will meet with Zelensky and Erdogan in Lviv tomorrow, his press service said in a statement.
News from partners
We can normalize relations with russia only after the withdrawal of russia's troops from Ukraine and the conclusion of peace "on reasonable terms." German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated this in an interview with the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter. At the same time, Scholz believes that the West should conduct direct negotiations with russia. "No matter how difficult, direct communication is important, especially during a crisis. I want our messages to reach the russian president directly, so that russia directly fulfills its obligations," the chancellor said.
The Washington Post published new data on putin's secret plans before invading Ukraine:
- As early as October 2021, the USA understood that Russia was preparing an attack on Ukraine and tried with all its might to convince allies and Zelensky that there was a risk of invasion.
- Then, in the Oval Office in the White House, an urgent meeting of the highest intelligence, military, and diplomatic leadership with Biden took place.
- putin's military plans were reported to be very audacious—they involved taking over most of Ukraine and could directly threaten NATO's eastern flank or even destroy Europe's post-World War II security architecture.
- According to analysts, putin counted on that his attempt to seize Ukraine would provoke outrage in the West, but not specific actions.
