Іду на ви!/I Come at you!
Very early this morning Ukrainan Special Operations Forces struck more targets in Russian occupied Crimea.
"A senior Ukrainian official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the operation, said that an elite Ukrainian military unit operating behind enemy lines was responsible for the blasts." 2/https://t.co/XdvsAVQVrQ pic.twitter.com/M4oYwQthdK
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) August 16, 2022
More after the jump!
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier this evening. Video below, English transcript after the jump (emphasis mine):
Ukrainians!
Every day and every night we see new reports of explosions in the territory temporarily occupied by the occupiers. I am now asking all our people in Crimea, in other regions in the south of the country, in the occupied areas of Donbas, in the Kharkiv region to be very careful. Please do not approach the military objects of the Russian army and all those places where they store ammunition and equipment, where they keep their headquarters.
The reasons for the explosions in the occupied territory can be different, very different, in particular, I quote the definition of the occupiers themselves, “bungling”.
But they all have the same meaning: the destruction of the occupiers’ logistics, their ammunition, military and other equipment, command posts saves the lives of our people. The fewer opportunities the occupiers have to do evil and kill Ukrainians, the sooner we will be able to end this war by liberating our land. And the queue these days to leave Crimea for Russia across the bridge proves that the absolute majority of citizens of the terrorist state already understand or at least feel that Crimea is not a place for them.
And I want to thank all Ukrainians who help our Armed Forces, our intelligence, our special services weaken the army of the occupiers. This is a significant advantage of Ukraine and the root cause of our future victory – the struggle of our defenders is based on the unconditional support of the Ukrainian people. This is a people’s war of liberation, this is an all-Ukrainian struggle for freedom and independence for our country.
Ukraine is protected by millions in one way or another. Millions of people who fight at the front, who fight for their cities and villages, including in the occupation, who stopped the occupiers’ military equipment, who informed and inform our intelligence and special services, who oppose the occupiers in their rear, who ensure the necessary supplies for Ukraine and the work of all our state institutions and economy, who volunteer, who fight for our interests abroad, who fight in the information war.
And we have to do – and will do – everything to preserve this nationwide foundation of defense.
For the support of Ukraine in the world not to decrease and for our state to move towards victory, our own activity should not decrease either – the activity of absolutely everyone who in one way or another stood up for the defense of our state. Do everything, as you have been doing, for Ukraine. And even more, because the leadership of Russia expects that Ukrainians, Europeans and the whole world will get tired of this war. We must do everything so that it is not us or our friends and partners who get tired, but our enemy. For us to expel the occupiers from Ukraine, every day must make it more and more difficult for Russia to wage a war – this is our number one military-political task.
I spoke today with President of France Emmanuel Macron. I informed him about the situation around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and regular Russian provocations. I thanked him for the great support. In particular, Mr. President and I have discussed new security and macro-financial assistance to our state.
I also held talks with the Prime Minister of Denmark. Also about increasing financial support for Ukraine, about new sanctions against Russia. I thanked Mrs. Frederiksen for the defense assistance and for the fruitful conference in Copenhagen which recently agreed on concrete decisions for our defense.
For the first time in the history of our bilateral relations, I held talks with the President of Zambia. Cooperation in international organizations, food security and current global threats were discussed.
Ban Ki-moon, the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Juan Manuel Santos, ex-President of Colombia, visited Ukraine today. The main topic of conversation with them is security guarantees for Ukraine.
We are doing everything to form a military, political and legal security architecture for Ukraine, which will be real, effective and work in the long term, guaranteeing peace to our people.
The Russian army continued its absolutely senseless and brutal shelling of the cities of the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions – Orikhiv, Nikopol… Unfortunately, there are wounded, unfortunately, there are casualties. Shelling of Kharkiv and the border areas continues. But all this will not give anything to the occupiers and will not break our resistance.
Our heroes repel constant and very powerful attacks in Donbas. The occupiers use everything there: aviation, missiles, phosphorus bombs, artillery… Very fierce battles are going on.
We have to go through it, endure everything and gain life. Ukraine must win, and it will.
Today I signed the decree on awarding our defenders. 189 warriors were awarded state awards. 158 are National Guard servicemen, 21 of them were awarded posthumously. 26 border guards, two of them posthumously. Three police officers, two of them posthumously. Two employees of the State Customs Service, one of them posthumously.
Eternal memory to all those who gave their lives for Ukraine!
Eternal glory to all our heroes!
Glory to Ukraine!
Here’s more on the Ukrainian SOF strike in Crimea:
Video of 152mm artillery shells blown onto nearby roads by the ammo depot explosion. 5/https://t.co/YOQ0Zlur93 pic.twitter.com/mG0oYwu5Ke
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) August 16, 2022
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) August 16, 2022
Here is today’s operational update from Ukraine’s MOD:
The operational update regarding the russian invasion on 06.00, on August 16, 2022
Glory to Ukraine! The one hundred seventy fourth (174) day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to a russian military invasion continues.
Air and missile strikes on civilian objects on the territory of Ukraine continue.
The situation in the Volyn and Polissya directions has not changed significantly. The communication training of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the republic of belarus is being held. There is still a threat of the enemy launching missile and air strikes from the territory of this country.
In the Siversky region, the enemy continues to hold units of the armed forces of the russian federation in the border areas of the Bryansk and Kursk regions in order to constrain the actions of units of the Defense Forces. The enemy shelled the districts of Kamianska Sloboda of Chernihiv oblast and Khodynoy of Sumy oblast with artillery.
In the Kharkiv direction, the enemy used barrel and jet artillery for fire impact near Kostyantynivka, Rtyshchivka, Sosnivka, Pytomnyk and Rusky Tyshky.
In the Slovyansk direction, enemy carried out fire damage near Hrushuvaha and Virnopilla. Enemy units are taking measures to improve logistical support in the indicated direction.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the enemy continued shelling from artillery of various types near Kramatorsk, Spirne, and Ivano-Daryivka.
Conducts an offensive in the direction of the Lysychansk oil refinery – Ivano-Daryivka, hostilities continue.
In the direction of Bakhmut, the enemy shelled the areas of Bakhmut, Bakhmutske, Soledar, Shumy, Bilohorivka, Kostyantynivka, Yakovlivka and Zaytseve from tanks, barrel and rocket artillery.
Enemy units conducted offensive and assault actions in the directions Volodymyrivka – Bakhmutske and Stryapivka – Soledar. Here Ukrainian soldiers stopped and pushed the invaders back. Fighting continues on the Pokrovske – Bakhmutske and Horlivka – Zalizne directions.
In the Avdiyivka direction, the enemy shelled the areas of Krasnohorivka, Spartak and Nevelske with barrel artillery. Conducts an offensive in the direction of Staromykhailivka – Nevelske, hostilities continue.
On the Novopavlivske and Zaporizhzhia directions, shelling from tanks, barrel and rocket artillery was recorded in the areas of Novosilka, Vuhledar, Velyka Novosilka, Novomykhailivka, Novopilla, Pavlivka, Novoandriivka, Pryvilne and Vremivka settlements.
The occupiers are conducting offensive and assault actions in the direction of Solodke – Novomykhailivka, they have partial success, the hostilities continue.
In the South Buh direction, the enemy, in addition to shelling from tanks and artillery along the line of battle, engaged army and assault forces near Bila Krynytsia, Andriivka and Lozove.
An attempt to improve the tactical position by assault actions in the direction of Zeleny Hai – Novohryhorivka ended with significant losses and a retreat for the enemy.
Two Kalibr sea-based cruise missile carriers are ready to use high-precision weapons.
Our fighter aircraft patrols the airspace of Ukraine, and our strike aircraft provide fire support to troops in designated operational areas without fail. Rocket and artillery units continue to systematically destroy the concentration of manpower and ammunition depots of the enemy.
We believe in the Armed Forces of Ukraine! Together we will win!
Glory to Ukraine!
Here is the British MOD’s assessment for today:
And here is their updated map for today:
Here is former NAVDEVGRU Squadron Leader Chuck Pfarrer’s updated map and assessment of the battle in Kherson:
KHERSON / 2045 UTC 18 AUG / UKR General Staff today reported that a Russian offensive operation along the M-14 axis NW of Kherson has been rebuffed. Zeleny Hai-Novohryhorivka is reported to remain in UKR hands; RU losses in the engagement are said to be ‘significant’. pic.twitter.com/rNZOJ3AvMo
— Chuck Pfarrer (@ChuckPfarrer) August 16, 2022
The Ukrainians were quite busy in Crimea this morning. In addition to the already covered SOF raid, an electrical substation and another Russian air base were also targeted.
Huge fireball erupts from Crimea electrical substation following series of explosions https://t.co/OaR5IWcUti
— The Independent (@Independent) August 16, 2022
Russian media report of a new airbase fire in Crimea today, this time on the military air-field at Hvardeyskye (Gvardeyskoe). It housed 12 SU-24М and 12 SU-25СМ planes and was integrated with the Russian Navy. https://t.co/4R8gZG8oMK
— Christo Grozev (@christogrozev) August 16, 2022
And a railway:
⚡️Explosions damage railway in occupied Crimea.
Russian state-controlled media TASS reported that the railway line between the Azovske and Rozizd stations was damaged following the reported detonation of ammunition at a depot in the village of Maiske.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) August 16, 2022
It is unclear at this time if these attacks were also carried out by Ukrainian SOF, Ukrainian partisans operating within Russian occupied Crimea, a combination of the two, or through the use of Ukrainian long range fires.
The point of all these attacks, as I’ve written before, is to achieve two effects. The first is the obvious kinetic/lethal ones: deprive the Russian of the use of this infrastructure and material. The second is psychological: it is intended to unsettle the Russians, to make them feel as if nowhere in Russian occupied Crimea, as well as the rest of Russian occupied Ukraine is safe. Which is why we’re continuing to see videos and pictures of long lines of Russians trying to flee Crimea.
While I’m pretty sure that The Mirror is less than reliable, however they got this story, regardless of whether it is true, will also produce a psychological effect:
IT BEGINS: A UK tabloid reports that highly placed Kremlin official has approached the West to help end the Ukraine invasion. Astonishing claims about the move were made in a report circulated to Western intelligence agencies. https://t.co/12kbdlgXK3
— Chuck Pfarrer (@ChuckPfarrer) August 16, 2022
Is it true? False? A bit of both? Who knows? But that doesn’t matter. Putin was already paranoid about the people around him; about who he could really trust. This is just going to reinforce and inflame that paranoia.
The Russians, of course, continue to commit war crimes in Ukraine:
The scariest fireworks.
Volley of russian phosphorus munitions on the front line.
Video by Serhii Fishchuk pic.twitter.com/3FvIIondFP— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) August 16, 2022
I’m aware of detailed Washington Post reporting regarding US intelligence penetration of the Russian government, military, and security services. I have not had a chance to read it yet, so we’ll get to it tomorrow. Depending on how much of Crimea gets blowed up…
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
Since the beginning of the full-scale war produced by russia, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine has defused 180,000 explosive devices. 2101 aviation bombs. And we "haven't even started" yet. Please support Ukraine as much as you can. pic.twitter.com/ZnPtbiWzqp
— Patron (@PatronDsns) August 15, 2022
And a new video from Patron’s official TikTok:
@patron__dsns Ледь сльозу не пустив…🥹☺️ #славаукраїні #песпатрон #патрондснс
The caption translates as:
I almost didn’t shed a tear…🥹☺️ glory to Ukraine #pespatron #patrondsns
Open thread!