Day 182: Ukraine Marks 31 Years of Independence on the 6th Month Since the Russian Invasion

182 days since the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Ukrainians celebrate 31 years of independence on the 6th month since the Russian invasion

Today marks six months since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainians also celebrate 31 years of independence. In the capital, Kyiv, public celebrations were banned for security reasons.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a "freeze" of combat operations on the current front lines is out of the question. He emphasized that his country will retake Crimea from Russia when it decides and without consulting anyone.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked everyone who supports his country. “No invader feels safe on our land”, he said, adding that Ukrainians not only believe but see that their country has a future.

"Today is an important day for Ukraine. A day that shows how strong our country has become. We are doing everything we can to ensure that Ukraine's strength, capabilities and freedom continue to grow. Today we celebrate our flag day and at a time when we are fighting against the most terrible threat to our statehood. At the same time, we managed to achieve the greatest national unity. We resist because we united and united the world around true values."

A number of countries continue to send aid to the country. The United States will announce a new billion military aid package. Germany is also preparing to deliver more than 500 million euros worth of weapons to the country to defend itself against a Russian invasion, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.

"The international community will never accept the illegal, imperialist annexation of Ukrainian territory by Russia," Scholz told the participants of the forum called "Crimean Platform".

EU foreign affairs and security chief Josep Borrell stressed that the unity of member states must be maintained every day as Russian President Vladimir Putin relies on Europeans' reluctance to bear the consequences of the war launched by Russia in Ukraine.

Their interests should lead to common decisions, Borrell said, pointing to the adoption of the sixth package of sanctions, which embargoed most of Russian oil, as an example.

At a meeting in Prague next week, the sending of a training mission to train Ukrainian troops will be discussed, as well as the ban on issuing tourist visas to Russians.

For several days, the offices in Washington and London have been warning of a possible escalation of tensions. In his video address, President Zelensky stated that "brutal attacks" are possible.

Frontline bombing is now intensifying warring parties report. The tension around the Zaporizhzhia NPP continues.

The UN has once again warned against violence in the area, noting that it could have "catastrophic consequences".

Ukraine has accused Russia of a failed attempt to disconnect the facility from the Ukrainian energy grid.

In his address recorded yesterday, the Ukrainian president thanked all defenders - inside and outside the country and added that soon no occupier will feel safe in Ukraine.

"We must be aware that heinous Russian provocations and brutal attacks are possible. The Armed Forces of Ukraine, our intelligence, special services are doing everything to protect people - as much as possible. And we will certainly respond to any manifestation of Russian terror. But please strictly observe the safety rules. Be aware of the evening time. Pay attention to air raid sirens, to official announcements. And remember: we must achieve victory together," Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Ukrainian President vows to take back annexed Crimea from Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday vowed to retake control of annexed Crimea which was captured by Russia in 2014.

"We need to win the fight against Russian aggression, and therefore we need to free Crimea from occupation. It will end where it began," Volodymyr Zelensky said at the opening of the Second Crimea Platform Summit as reported by Anadolu News Agency. Zelensky said Crimea is "not just some territory" for Ukraine, and noted it is a "part of our people, our society."

"Crimea was and is Ukraine, and after de-occupation, along with our entire state, it will become part of the European Union," he said adding "the passport of a citizen of Ukraine will also be the passport of the European Union. These are colossal opportunities for all our people living in Crimea."

The Ukrainian president added his country is "strong enough" to see a "perspective for the Ukrainian Crimea."

The Crimea Platform is a diplomatic initiative of Ukraine that is intended to be an international coordination mechanism to draw global attention to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, according to Anadolu News Agency.

The first summit was held on August 23, 2021, with attendance from more than 40 countries.

Earlier, the US warned that Russia is "stepping up efforts to launch strikes against Ukraine's civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days."

The message posted by the US Embassy in Kyiv had similar warnings from the Ukrainian President about potential Russian actions against Ukraine coinciding with his country's Independence Day, Voice of America reported.

"Russian strikes in Ukraine pose a continued threat to civilians and civilian infrastructure," the US Embassy said, adding that U.S. citizens should depart Ukraine if they are able.

Amid the warnings, Kyiv canceled public Independence Day celebrations.

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Catherine Russell, on Monday, said that at least 972 children in Ukraine have been killed or injured by violence since the war escalated nearly six months ago, with an average of over five children killed or injured each day

Catherine said once again, as, in all wars, the reckless decisions of adults are putting children at extreme risk. She said there are no armed operations of this kind that do not result in children being harmed.

"The use of explosive weapons has caused most of the child casualties. These weapons do not discriminate between civilians and combatants, especially when used in populated areas as has been the case in Ukraine - in Mariupol, Luhansk, Kremenchuk, and Vinnytsia. The list goes on and on.

The Russia-Ukraine war began nearly six months ago. The full scope of the Ukrainian refugee crisis is difficult to quantify and far exceeds any other refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.”

Germany has promised another 500 million euros in military aid to Ukraine

Germany will provide Ukraine with another 500 million euros in military aid, most of which will be provided next year, a government spokesman announced.

The equipment will include three IRIS-T anti-aircraft systems, "about a dozen armed repair and evacuation vehicles, 20 missile launchers mounted on pick-up trucks ... precision munitions and anti-drone equipment," the spokesman told AFP.

The majority of them will be delivered in 2023, he added.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his government, which has decided to invest 100 billion euros in modernizing the German army, have come under heavy criticism in recent months, not least from the Ukrainian authorities themselves, for their apparent refusal to supply weapons to Kyiv.

Already at the beginning of June, Scholz said that Berlin would provide the IRIS-T anti-aircraft system developed by the German manufacturer Diehl.

Ukraine exports almost as much grain as it did before the Russian invasion

Ukraine now exports almost as much grain as it did before the Russian invasion, AFP reports, citing a US State Department official.

Before the Russian invasion on February 24, Ukraine was exporting about 5 million tons a month. The outbreak of war brought agricultural exports to a halt and raised fears of a global food crisis.

After the July 22 signing of an agreement between Kyiv and Moscow under the auspices of the United Nations and Turkey, some 33 ships loaded with grain departed from Ukrainian Black Sea ports with a total of about 720,000 tons on board. Another initiative, under the auspices of the EU, allowed for the transportation of about 3 million tons of grain by freight trains, according to the US State Department.

The Ukrainian army hit Denis Pushilin's office in Donetsk with a precision strike

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have struck a direct hit against the separatist administration in the center of Donetsk, the Donetsk News Agency reported. The attack, during which at least 12 projectiles were fired, took place at noon on Tuesday. After the strikes, the building burst into flames. At the time of the strike, the separatist leader of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, was not in the building and was not injured. In Telegram, Pushilin blamed NATO for the attack, since, according to him, projectiles according to the standard of the pact were used for the shelling of Donetsk.

The headquarters of the territorial defense of the so-called DPR reported three killed and an unspecified number of wounded. The separatists claim that a shell hit a residential building in the Voroshilovski district, gutting windows, doors, balconies and the ceiling. Residential buildings and cars were destroyed along 50 Years of the USSR Street, Nurmagomedov Square, Chelyuskintsi Street, Dzerzhinsky Boulevard, Artyom Street, the mayor of Donetsk also indicated that the damage was the result of "artillery shelling of NATO".

It is reported about arrivals at the building of the Administration of the head of the DPR in the center of Donetsk.

We are waiting for confirmation! pic.twitter.com/AMNmvP3iW6

— ТРУХА⚡️English (@TpyxaNews) August 23, 2022

After remaining alive and unharmed, the leader of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, published a video message on his Telegram channel. "The 155 caliber projectiles, NATO model, were used. In fact, the West is now involved in the specific targeted destruction of civilian masses in the city of Donetsk. In general, I think that the criminal Ukrainian regime should bear the well-deserved punishment," said the head of the DPR. According to him, the Ukrainian authorities used terrorist methods, blowing up civilians and shelling the city center.

The chairwoman of the so-called Commission on Criminal and Administrative Legislation of the People's Council of the DPR said, quoted by the Donetsk News Agency, that "the shelling of the center of Donetsk confirms the need for an international tribunal for war criminals."

The new attack on Donetsk was carried out by the UAF (VSU) forces stationed in the village of Orlovka, northwest of Avdiivka in the Kyiv-controlled part of the district. At least one of the attacks was carried out with American HIMARS, DPR separatists claim.

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