There Are No Vacations in War; Timely Logistics for the Announced Aid Packages Is Needed – Address by the President

18 August 2024 – 21:49

I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!

Here is a brief update on today.

The front lines – first and foremost, Toretsk and Pokrovsk.

In just one day, there have been dozens of attacks, but our units, our brigades, are doing everything to hold the positions. I thank everyone who is making this possible.

Today, we achieved good and much-needed results in destroying Russian equipment near Toretsk. And all this is more than just defense for Ukraine; it is now our primary task in defensive operations overall: to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible and conduct maximum counteroffensive actions. This includes creating a buffer zone on the aggressor’s territory – our operation in the Kursk region.

Everything that inflicts losses on the Russian army, Russian state, their military-industrial complex, and their economy helps prevent the war from expanding and brings us closer to a just end to this aggression – a just peace for Ukraine.

I am grateful to everyone fighting for our state, everyone helping in defense, and everyone working for Ukraine so that we can achieve our goals as quickly as possible.

Today, I especially want to recognize our 100th separate mechanized brigade in the Toretsk direction. Thank you, warriors! Thank you for your strength. The 47th and 110th separate mechanized brigades – the Pokrovsk direction – your resilience, warriors, matters for all of Ukraine. Also, the Kurakhove direction – our paratroopers of the 79th brigade – thank you! The Lyman direction – the warriors of the 66th and 67th separate mechanized brigades. The Kharkiv region – the 42nd separate mechanized brigade – thank you! The Prydniprovsky direction – our marines of the 35th brigade – well done!

I just received a report from Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi regarding the situation in the east of Ukraine, the operation in the Kursk region, the “exchange fund,” and the provision of our brigades – our reserves – with ammunition and weapons. Our guys are doing great on all fronts. However, there is a need for faster delivery of supplies from our partners. We strongly ask for this. There are no vacations in war. Decisions are needed, as is timely logistics for the announced aid packages. I especially address this to the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.

One more thing. Important weeks of diplomatic work with various partners lie ahead. Europe, America, the Global South. We have already expanded, and will continue to expand, the circle of those who support a just end to this war. And it is crucial for Ukraine to enter this autumn even stronger than we were before.

Glory to Ukraine!

The reason:

What do our warriors dream about in trenches?
These dreams are simple yet profound, underscoring the importance of cherishing life’s simplest things.

📹: @United24media pic.twitter.com/gepaLFsfvL

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) August 18, 2024

The Kursk offensive:

Ukrainian troops and local civilians in Russia’s Sudzha pic.twitter.com/Nv5LPnseIo

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) August 17, 2024

Russians abandon their elderly during the evacuation from the Kursk Region. Ukrainians found a paralyzed grandmother and helped her. pic.twitter.com/rMC6gphKx8

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) August 18, 2024

A Ukrainian official told WSJ that Ukraine has captured 2,000 Russian POWs in Kursk Oblast. A few days ago, FT reported that Ukrainian officials and soldiers said “hundreds.”https://t.co/MuXTIeDEZ1 https://t.co/Lo5z6Hgf9A pic.twitter.com/WDCk2BMlkX

— John Hardie (@JohnH105) August 18, 2024

From The Wall Street Journal: (emphasis mine)

PYSARIVKA, Ukraine—Six days after Ukrainian forces swept through the Russian border town of Sudzha in a lightning advance, a Ukrainian platoon carrying out a mopping-up operation stumbled upon a dozen Russian soldiers hiding in a butter factory.

The platoon leader, who goes by the call sign Yanyk, said his demand for the Russians to surrender was met by salvos of automatic-rifle fire. “So we eliminated them,” he said.

The speed and scale of this month’s Ukrainian advance—the first time a foreign military force has occupied Russian soil since World War II—left pockets of surprised and disoriented Russian soldiers trapped behind enemy lines.

In all, Ukraine has taken 2,000 prisoners, according to a Ukrainian official, and seized about the same amount of territory that Russia, in grinding, high-casualty offensives, has taken from Ukraine since the start of the year.

Ukraine’s opportunistic assault has energized a nation battered by 2 1/2 years of war. It has also sent a message to Kyiv’s backers that the nation is still in the fight and can successfully mount complex and innovative offensive operations.

For Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Ukrainian thrust is an extraordinary reversal just as the weight of Russia’s massive war machine was beginning to wear down Ukraine’s defenses along the country’s eastern front.

Putin has vowed to drive Ukrainian troops out, but his forces have yet to mount a coherent counterattack and have had to pull units from Ukraine to respond. To dislodge the Ukrainians, Russia will likely have to send even more troops and pulverize its own towns and villages with artillery barrages, as it has done across a swath of Ukraine.

The challenge for Ukraine is how to capitalize on its early successes. Ukraine has committed thousands of troops. Sending in more could divert resources desperately needed to hold the Russians back on the main front line in eastern Ukraine. Russia is still advancing there against Ukrainian forces short on manpower and equipment.

To take full advantage, Ukraine would need a level of backing that the U.S. and some of its allies until now haven’t been willing to provide.

The Biden administration, which has said it didn’t know about the Ukrainian attack before it was launched, has barred Ukraine from using U.S.-provided longer-range missiles called ATACMS to strike Russian territory.

Washington isn’t sharing intelligence with Ukraine on targets inside Russia, said a senior U.S. official, who added that the Biden administration doesn’t want to be seen as enabling an attack into Russian territory.

The Ukrainians have used U.S.-supplied Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles inside Russia, taking advantage of the expanded latitude that the White House granted Ukraine to respond to Russia’s Kharkiv offensive in May.

This account of the Kursk incursion is drawn from interviews with dozens of Ukrainian soldiers involved, U.S. and allied officials and a person familiar with the operation, as well as videos verified by The Wall Street Journal and reports by Russian military bloggers.

Ukraine is trying to cut off more Russian towns and make it difficult for Russian reinforcements to reach the front line by striking rail hubs and bridges. A bridge in the Glushkovo district, west of Sudzha, was destroyed Friday in a Ukrainian missile strike. Russia, meanwhile, said it had taken out two Himars systems in the Sumy region.

Nine days into the incursion, Ukraine appeared to have lost dozens of armored vehicles, according to counts by analysts who verify videos posted online. The human losses are unclear, but a spotter in the 44th Brigade crew said they were much lower than in last year’s counteroffensive, which he took part in.
Western military estimates suggest Ukraine has committed as many as 6,000 soldiers to Kursk and has up to 4,000 additional troops in support roles in the Sumy region.

To avoid weakening the front line, a substantial number of the troops came from a reserve force Ukraine had been building with Western encouragement for operations later this year and in 2025, according to the person familiar with the operation.

The Ukrainians are aware of that risk and are balancing so far, the person said.

Russia has pulled several understrength brigades from Ukraine in response, totaling up to 5,000 troops as of the middle of this past week, the person said. One brigade was from the Donetsk region, the focus of Russia’s current offensives, but others were from less essential areas.

Still, Russia might have to pull more troops out of Ukraine if it wants to take the territory back, which would require a larger force than the Ukrainians and would probably need to number more than 20,000 properly trained personnel, the person said.

In Moscow, Putin has held televised meetings with top defense and security officials in which he has ordered the Ukrainians expelled from Russia.

Satellite imagery, meanwhile, shows that Russia is hastily digging antitank ditches and other fortifications more than 30 miles from the border.

Much more at the link.

I’ve seen two suggestions about the US role. One is about internal components of Storm Shadow / SCALP. https://t.co/Gu9By2FWua

— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) August 18, 2024

The idea that Storm Shadow requires (or at least has been relying on) US data/intel support for complex strikes, and that this support isn’t forthcoming for strikes inside Russia, is also bolstered by this account: https://t.co/1DsGJqkuz1

— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) August 18, 2024

https://t.co/Gu9By2FoEC

— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) August 18, 2024

From The Telegraph:

Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Britain of “slowing down” its support for Ukraine as he renewed his appeal for restrictions to be lifted on Kyiv’s use of Western weapons.

The Ukrainian president is pushing Britain, France and the US to allow the use of Storm Shadow missiles, which were given to Kyiv by the UK last year, for strikes deep inside Russian territory.

On Saturday, he complained that British support for his war effort had slowed down, after Sir Keir Starmer upheld a ban, initially imposed by the Conservatives, on the missiles being used to strike Russia.

“Unfortunately, the situation has slowed down recently,” he said.

“We will discuss how to fix this because long-range capabilities are vital for us. The whole world sees how effective Ukrainians are – how our entire nation defends its independence.”

Mr Zelensky said that it was “crucial” for Ukraine’s allies to “remove barriers that hinder us from weakening Russian positions.

“Long-range capabilities are the answer to the most critical strategic questions of this war,” he added.

Ukraine has made territorial gains in its Kursk offensive – the first foreign invasion of Russian territory since the Second World War.

However, the offensive has concerned some Western allies, who believe attacking Russian territory could escalate the war and prompt a retaliation by Vladimir Putin against both Ukraine and its Nato backers.

The ability to use Storm Shadow missiles, which can strike underground targets and evade radar detection, would be a major boon for Kyiv but require authorisation from the UK, US and France to be used outside Ukraine.

At the Nato summit in Washington DC last month, Sir Keir suggested he would give consent for the missiles to be used in Russia, prompting celebration and thanks from Mr Zelensky.

However, government officials later clarified that the position had not changed, and Storm Shadows could only be used against Russian targets that had already crossed the Ukrainian border.

Defence sources told The Telegraph that the US has veto power over the missiles being used in Russia, because Washington controls a “key enabling requirement” of the weapons.

The French government also has the power to block the use of Storm Shadows, because they were developed jointly between the UK and France.

John Healey, the Defence Secretary, has described Labour’s support for Ukraine as “iron clad”.

“We should be proud that British-donated equipment, in the hands of brave Ukrainians on the front line, is helping them to defend their country and push back Putin,” he told The Sunday Express.

Sir Keir has asked his National Security Council to draw up plans for how Britain can increase its support for Ukraine, The Times reported.

But Conservative leaders urged the Government to immediately allow Kyiv to use the Storm Shadow missiles.

Sir Ben Wallace, the former Conservative defence secretary, told The Telegraph:

“Time and time again those that want to do nothing have used the ‘escalation’ excuse. They used it before the conflict, they used it when we supplied short-range anti tank missiles, they used it when we supplied tanks.

“The reality is it is the appeasers that use this language and all the while Ukrainians suffer. Storm Shadows have been making a real difference in Crimea, which Russia already believes to be sovereign Russian territory without escalation.

“The sooner Germany gifts Taurus missiles and we give permission the better.”

More at the link.

For want of a nail!!!!

The US administration reportedly says that it’s not sharing any intel on the Kursk region with Ukraine to avoid being considered supportive of the Ukrainian offensive operation inside Russia.

I have a question: Aaaaaaaand?

What exactly is going to happen if the supposed leading…

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) August 18, 2024

The US administration reportedly says that it’s not sharing any intel on the Kursk region with Ukraine to avoid being considered supportive of the Ukrainian offensive operation inside Russia.

I have a question: Aaaaaaaand?

What exactly is going to happen if the supposed leading power of the free world is viewed as supporting Ukrainians in their military operation against a dominating aggressor that is devastating and occupying their country?

How is that going to change the moral side of the story and its practical implications?

What exactly would Russia do out of what it has not done yet over the last ten years of war on Ukraine if it suddenly gets such a smoking gun?

Would it send a crushing armored horde towards the English Channel when it beats its head against the wall for Donbas towns and villages for two and a half years and is hastily crumbling young conscripts to at least try and somewhat hold off a Ukrainian cross-border breakthrough?

Since when did the Kremlin ever need a formal reason to accuse the U.S./NATO/the UK/France/Poland/etc of being “a direct party in the war?” and yell about “nuclear escalation” — again?

In its daily war propaganda, Russia has been “at an existential war with NATO” for years, with French/Polish/American/German soldiers and generals present literally anywhere you want in large numbers, and it absolutely doesn’t need it to be true.

What exactly would Russia do out of what it has not done yet and is not doing now anyway as the US administration still tries not to hurt Putin’s feelings?

Bombing Ukraine’s critical civilian infrastructure? Mass murders? Erasing entire regions into dust? Acts of sabotage, assassinations, espionage, taking hostages, election interference, the industrial-scale bribing of fringe political movements, pundits, and pseudo-experts around the West?

I really wanna know.

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“Evidence of an intensifying [Russian] response inside Kursk is now clear. Ukrainian soldiers on the ground inside Russia say they are already beginning to see a different level of resistance. Losses are increasing” https://t.co/2coO2SOvcM

— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) August 18, 2024

From The Economist: (emphasis mine)

The order to move crackled over the radios at dawn on August 6th. Serhiy, a private in the 80th brigade, was among the first to emerge from the cover of the forest. By the time his unit crossed into Russia, supported by constant tank fire, the border had already been largely destroyed. “Our commanders didn’t spare a single round of artillery,” he says via voice messages from inside Russia’s Kursk region. Other Ukrainian troops report crossing the border on a wave of euphoria, with lines of prisoners almost immediately heading back in the other direction.

To assess Ukraine’s shock raid and its prospects The Economist has interviewed soldiers involved and sources familiar with decision-making by General Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief. A picture emerges of a daring gamble born of desperation and in great secrecy. It has boosted morale and shown that Ukraine has developed effective new tactics. But 12 days in, progress has slowed and the outlines of a new front line are emerging. It is unclear whether troops can dig in or are overcommitted at the cost of front lines elsewhere. The biggest danger is around Pokrovsk, in the Donbas inside Ukraine where Kremlin forces are gaining ground fast.

Soldiers from the 82nd brigade, the second of four involved in the opening assault, say fighting has grown increasingly intense after the initial euphoric gains. In the early exchanges there had been only one serious fight, when Russians tried to ambush them from maize fields near the first village. The Ukrainians, who somehow had a monopoly of reconnaissance drones in the sky, saw the enemy and ordered them to surrender. They didn’t. So they fired everything they had until the maize stopped rustling, and silence fell. Then the Ukrainians moved on.

A low profile, and clever tactics—such as using so-called fpv drones to provide air cover—allowed the Ukrainians to sweep through the Russian countryside. They were pursued by Russian helicopters and glide bombs, which often fell on Russian villages below, but on the ground they faced little serious resistance. The 82nd brigade pushed eastwards, in the direction of the village of Bolshoye Soldatskoye, while the 80th headed west to Malaya Loknya. Small units probed for vulnerabilities before heavier armour was committed. It was a “manoeuvre attack”, akin to the tactics used by Russia’s commander, Valery Gerasimov, says a source in Ukraine’s general staff. For the first five days, it was devastatingly effective.

The plan to invade part of Russia did not come from a happy place. In early July, General Syrsky, Ukraine’s newly appointed top commander, was under pressure. He was grappling with a less-than-ideal inheritance from his predecessor, Valery Zaluzhny, and the army’s leadership was at odds with the president over mobilisation policies, leading to significant manpower shortages. In America Congress was delaying support. Avdiivka, a stronghold north of Donetsk, was about to fall. Front lines in the Donetsk region were crumbling, most especially around the logistical hub of Pokrovsk. Rumours circulated that General Syrsky was on the verge of being dismissed, with attack dogs associated with Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s all-powerful chief of staff, even suggesting he had been “lying” to his bosses.

Amid the turmoil, the commander began his planning. “Syrsky isn’t good at political games,” says a source close to the general. “What he is good at is war.” Several scenarios were considered for an offensive push at the weakest points in the Russian line: a strike in Bryansk region in the north; a strike in Kursk region; a combination of the two; or more. The main objective was to draw troops away from the Donbas stranglehold, and to create bargaining chips for any future negotiation. General Syrsky kept his plans under wraps, sharing them only with a tight group of generals and security officials. He spoke to the president on a one-on-one basis, without his staff. The army’s intelligence did much of the reconnaissance, rather than leaving it to hur, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, which was included only at a late stage.

Western allies were also deliberately left in the dark, claims the source. “Syrsky had two previous operations undermined by the West. One was leaked to the Russians, and on another occasion, we were instructed to abort.” Limiting communication to a need-to-know basis enabled the Ukrainians to launch their attack before the Russians grasped what was happening. “They realised something was afoot but likely assumed we would need American approval for such a daring operation.” Having been presented with a fait accompli the West did not object.

General Syrsky is a pedant for detail. Yet while the first phase was planned meticulously the campaign is now developing in an ad hoc fashion. With the element of surprise lost, the Ukrainian advances have slowed. President Zelensky is still pushing for maximum progress, a source in the general staff says. But his top soldier is cautious, concentrating on expanding the flanks along the border to create more defensible lines. “Syrsky is no fool,” his confidante says. “He knows that rushing ahead risks the whole operation.” In recent days, an expanded Ukrainian contingent of 10,000-20,000 soldiers appears to be focused on establishing control on the southern bank of the Seim river to the north-west of Sudzha. On August 16th, Ukrainian missiles destroyed a bridge over the river at Glushkovo. And on August 18th Ukraine’s air force said that it had blown up a second bridge over the Seim.

General Syrsky’s great gamble has offered Ukrainians hope after a year of consistently grim news. It has also given him renewed authority. But the long-term success or otherwise of the operation will depend largely on how Russia responds. It appears to be pursuing a twin approach of responding more aggressively to the incursion while also sustaining pressure inside Ukraine along the line in the Donbas. The Kremlin’s goal will be to turn Kursk into little more than an embarrassing mosquito bite amid a bloodbath inside Ukraine.

The scene is thus set for a dramatic moment in the war: Ukraine wants to sustain its attack inside Russia and disrupt the contours of the frontline, changing the defeatist narrative about a frozen conflict to which negotiation is the only answer. Russia wants to crush the incursion and exploit the resulting depletion of Ukraine’s resources by pressing home its assault elsewhere, in Pokrovsk. The Ukrainian troops inside Russia are more vulnerable but still defiant. “The bastards have figured out how to fight and they understand our tactics,” says Private Serhiy in the 80th. “But that doesn’t mean we don’t understand their tactics—or that we won’t continue to take them down.”

Video of the Ukrainian airstrike that caused the damage seen below to the bridge across the Seym River near Zvannoe, Kursk Oblast. https://t.co/oLq5gcfBM0 https://t.co/3fFXcLu18X pic.twitter.com/WoOT1859DA

— John Hardie (@JohnH105) August 18, 2024

Omg, North Korea has condemned a Ukrainian offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, how are we gonna live with that now

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) August 18, 2024

According to DeepState Snagost, Kursk region, is now also under Ukrainian control https://t.co/DR5r9Vky8y https://t.co/PQqVBmEFVy pic.twitter.com/8h8tj6aLss

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) August 18, 2024

A video reportedly showing Defenders of the 501st Separate Marine Infantry Battalion dropping a Russian flag on the ground in Kursk region of Russia has appeared online.

It is reported that another settlement has been liberated – the village of Apanasovka in the Korenevsky… pic.twitter.com/ncqVIlihXS

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 18, 2024

A video reportedly showing Defenders of the 501st Separate Marine Infantry Battalion dropping a Russian flag on the ground in Kursk region of Russia has appeared online.

It is reported that another settlement has been liberated – the village of Apanasovka in the Korenevsky district.

No official confirmation yet.

Kurahove:

Another massive russian attack repelled by the warriors from the 79th Air Assault Brigade in the Kurahove direction. pic.twitter.com/YvHAW3yutc

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) August 18, 2024

Sumy Oblast:

When was the last time you played in the yard like this? These kids, evacuated to dormitory in Sumy from border villages, have lived through constant Russian shelling since the war started. Now, they’re waiting to go back home, while their mothers hope for Ukrainian victory to… pic.twitter.com/KAk5k0wdnM

— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) August 18, 2024

When was the last time you played in the yard like this? These kids, evacuated to dormitory in Sumy from border villages, have lived through constant Russian shelling since the war started. Now, they’re waiting to go back home, while their mothers hope for Ukrainian victory to keep their homes safe.

Izyum:

Izyum ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ZoRxjyRckk

— HUGS Helping Ukraine Grassroots Support 🍁🇨🇦🇺🇦 (@HugsUkraine) August 15, 2024

Kharkiv:

What I love about Kharkiv is that even now, with the constant threat of bombings, when evening comes and brings relief after a hot summer day, people still go out, walk, eat, laugh, and bring our city to life.
Despite everything. pic.twitter.com/dTbSsxqaGw

— Kate from Kharkiv (@BohuslavskaKate) August 18, 2024

Protelarsk, Rostov Oblast, Russia:

Meanwhile, an oil depot in Russia’s Proletarsk, Rostov region pic.twitter.com/adBFieMSWl

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) August 18, 2024

Russian oil depot in Proletarsk, Rostov region, was targeted by drones tonight. 360km from the frontline. pic.twitter.com/UZyRIYaWAK

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) August 18, 2024

/3. Russian oil storage facility in Proletarsk, Rostov region, continues to burn. Three fire trains have already been called in to help put out the fire. pic.twitter.com/PivK4scw5j

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) August 18, 2024

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron.

First, some adjacent material from the Ukrainian MOD:

A furry friend is a vital part of every military unit.

📷: 117th Mechanized Brigade pic.twitter.com/BcqbHeDyro

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) August 18, 2024

And a new vacation video montage!

@patron__dsns

Довгоочікуваний влог з Карпат! З вас лайк, якщо чекаєте наступний випуск🌝 #песпатрон

♬ оригінальний звук – Patron_official

Here’s the machine translation of the caption:

The long-awaited vlog from the Carpathians! Please like if you are waiting for the next episode 🌝 #песпатрон

Open thread!