Russia says it destroyed Ukrainian speedboats.
On August 22, Russia announced that its air force had destroyed a US-made high-speed military boat near Snake Island in the Black Sea that morning, according to RT. The boat was carrying a group of Ukrainian landing troops.
The Russian Ministry of Defense later released video of the clash, apparently filmed from a Russian fighter jet. The video shows the boat swerving back and forth while the aircraft fires bursts of bullets at it.
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The TASS news agency, citing a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense, reported on the same day that a Russian Su-30SM fighter jet sank a Ukrainian unmanned reconnaissance boat near oil rigs in the Black Sea. Earlier, Ukraine claimed to have attacked a Russian air base containing Tu-22M3 supersonic bombers over the weekend.
Images from a video released by Russia showing the destruction of a speedboat.
CNN quoted a Ukrainian navy spokesperson as rejecting Russia's claims about the incident near Snake Island. "No such incident occurred in the Ukrainian navy. There were no casualties among naval personnel," the spokesperson said.
Snake Island came under Russian control shortly after hostilities broke out in February 2022. In June of the same year, Russia announced its withdrawal from the island, calling it a goodwill gesture toward the Black Sea grain agreement between the two sides. Meanwhile, Ukraine declared it a significant military victory.
Also on August 22, Russia announced that it had thwarted several drone attacks by Ukraine in Moscow and surrounding areas. Ukraine has not commented.
The vehicle was damaged after a drone attack in Krasnogorsk, Moscow region, on August 22.
Ukraine declares strategic progress.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar announced on August 22 that Ukrainian soldiers had entered the strategically important village of Robotyne (Zaporizhzhia province) in the southeast. This is considered a significant step in the ongoing counteroffensive, according to The Guardian .
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Maliar said that Ukrainian soldiers were organizing the evacuation of civilians but were still facing fire from Russia. Russia has not commented.
Robotyne is located about 10 km south of the town of Orikhiv, on the crucial route to Tokmak, a road and rail hub currently controlled by Russia. Recapturing Tokmak is seen as a milestone in Ukraine's efforts to advance toward the Sea of Azov in the south.
Ukrainian soldiers prepare to launch rockets at the front line in Zaporizhzhia on August 19.
Ukraine's counteroffensive since early June has faced numerous difficulties, leading to some assessments that success in retaking the southern city of Melitopol will be hard to achieve. However, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on August 22 that the US does not believe the conflict in Ukraine is at a stalemate.
"We knew very well that this battlefield is highly volatile. Offensives and defenses are taking place on both sides at numerous points along a very wide front line. We are seeing them [Ukraine] continue to reclaim territory in an orderly and systematic manner," Sullivan said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Maliar also dismissed suggestions that Ukraine was progressing too slowly. She noted that Ukraine was fighting an enemy with superior manpower and weaponry. "It's inaccurate to measure progress in meters or kilometers. The important thing is that we are still moving forward despite having fewer people and weapons," Reuters quoted Maliar as saying.
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Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister also said she did not see any pressure from the West to speed up the operation. She argued that this counteroffensive should not be compared to previous successes in Kharkiv and Kherson because each battlefield has its own characteristics.
Turkish Foreign Minister to visit Ukraine soon.
According to Reuters, Anadolu news agency reported on August 22, citing Turkish diplomatic sources, that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will visit Ukraine on August 25.
Turkish officials have repeatedly expressed interest in playing a mediating role between Russia and Ukraine to restore the Black Sea grain agreement.
Russia is believed to have blockaded Ukrainian ports since the conflict broke out and threatened to consider all ships arriving in Ukraine as potential military targets after withdrawing from a secure customs clearance agreement for Black Sea grain exports in July.
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The visit took place a week after Ukraine announced a "humanitarian corridor" in the Black Sea to free cargo ships stranded in its ports, following the expiration of an agreement with Russia.
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