US politician reports ‘sobering’ briefing on Ukrainian counteroffensive
Senior US and western officials describe increasingly “sobering” assessments about Ukrainian forces’ ability to retake significant territory in their counteroffensive, according to CNN.
A senior western diplomat told CNN:
They’re still going to see, for the next couple of weeks, if there is a chance of making some progress. But for them to really make progress that would change the balance of this conflict, I think, it’s extremely, highly unlikely.
The US representative Mike Quigley, an Illinois Democrat who recently returned from meetings in Europe with US commanders training Ukrainian armed forces, said:
Our briefings are sobering. We’re reminded of the challenges they face.
This is the most difficult time of the war.
Key events
Finnish and Norwegian regulators said on Tuesday they had banned the Russian tech group Yandex and its the Netherlands-based partner Ridetech International from transferring to Russia any personal data of customers of Yandex’s Yango ride-hailing app.
In a statement, a regulator said:
The Finnish DPA has become aware of a legislative reform that will enter into force in Russia at the beginning of September, under which the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation will have the right to receive data processed in taxi operations.
In a separate statement, the Norwegian Data Protection Authority said:
There is an acute risk to privacy as Russian authorities could potentially monitor the movements of Norwegian citizens via Yango.
The Yango ride-hailing service, which operates in 14 countries including Finland and Norway, is one of many services offered by Yandex, often dubbed “Russia’s Google”, Reuters reports.
In June, a Moscow court fined Yandex 2m roubles (£16,350) for repeatedly refusing to provide Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, with information about its users.
The UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, condemned the latest Russian strikes that hit residential buildings and other civilian places in Pokrovsk, adding that it violates any principle of humanity.
In a statement, she said:
It is absolutely ruthless to hit the same location twice in the space of minutes, causing the death and injury of people who had quickly come to help the survivors – including rescue workers from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
They are frontline responders, helping people in their most difficult times and must be respected.
This horrifying attack is certainly a serious breach of international humanitarian law and violates any principle of humanity.
It adds to the very long list of attacks in Ukraine, including many over the past few days, that must be investigated as they violate international humanitarian law.
The British government set out 25 additional sanctions earlier for those said to be supplying drones, microelectronics and attempting to supply arms to Russia. Here is some more information about the countries, individuals and businesses affected:
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Individuals and businesses in Iran, Turkey, Belarus, Slovakia, Switzerland and the UAE, as well as Russia face sanctions.
The sanctions prohibit UK entities from providing trust services – the creation of a trust or similar arrangement – to those sanctioned and also impose asset freezes, which block their assets held in the UK.
The government also imposed sanctions on a number of individuals, including the Swiss national Anselm Oskar Schmucki, who it says is the chief of the Moscow office of a Switzerland-based crypto asset manager, DuLac Capital Ltd.
It alleged Schmucki’s involvement in “obtaining a benefit from, or supporting the government of Russia, by carrying on business in a sector of strategic significance, namely the Russian financial services sector”, as the reason for targeting him.
DuLac did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for a comment on the sanctions on Schmucki, who was placed under sanctions by the US in May.
Here are some more images sent over the wires of the damage in Pokrovsk after the Russian missile attack last night. The strikes killed at least seven people and injured more than 80, including first responders.
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has signed a decree suspending Russia’s double taxation agreements with what it calls “unfriendly countries” – those that have imposed sanctions on Moscow – the state news agency RIA reports.
More information to come …
Kira Rudik, a Ukrainian MP, has said a set of US Abrams tanks have been approved for shipment to Ukraine and are due to arrive by early autumn.
In a tweet, she said:
A first batch of US Abrams tanks approved for shipment to Ukraine. The full package is to arrive in Ukraine by early fall. Autumn set to be hotter than usual🔥
Officially: a first batch of US Abrams tanks approved for shipment to Ukraine. The full package is to arrive in Ukraine by early fall. Autumn set to be hotter than usual🔥
— Kira Rudik (@kiraincongress) August 8, 2023
The deputy minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine, Emine Dzheppar, posted a photo of Andriy from 110th Brigade and his dog, Pulya – a “warrior (and) his friend”.
Pulya stood by Andriy through the toughest times, Dzheppar says, and despite the odds the two are safe together in a hospital in Dnipro.
Meet Andriy from 110th Brigade and his friend – shepherd dog Pulya.She stood by Andriy through the toughest times.Despite the odds, hospital in #Dnipro welcomed both of them – a warrior&his friend.
Photo: @Liberov pic.twitter.com/5GlkL7zr6i— Emine Dzheppar (@EmineDzheppar) August 8, 2023
Russia’s defence ministry on Tuesday said Russian forces had hit a Ukrainian command post in the eastern Ukrainian region of Pokrovsk, known in Russia as Krasnoarmeysk, the Interfax news agency reported.
Ukrainian officials said Russian missiles had struck the city of Pokrovsk twice on Monday night, destroying a hotel and blocks of flats, killing at least seven people including rescuers, and wounding more than 80, according to Reuters.
US politician reports ‘sobering’ briefing on Ukrainian counteroffensive
Senior US and western officials describe increasingly “sobering” assessments about Ukrainian forces’ ability to retake significant territory in their counteroffensive, according to CNN.
A senior western diplomat told CNN:
They’re still going to see, for the next couple of weeks, if there is a chance of making some progress. But for them to really make progress that would change the balance of this conflict, I think, it’s extremely, highly unlikely.
The US representative Mike Quigley, an Illinois Democrat who recently returned from meetings in Europe with US commanders training Ukrainian armed forces, said:
Our briefings are sobering. We’re reminded of the challenges they face.
This is the most difficult time of the war.
Britain has said it is targeting Vladimir Putin’s access to foreign military supplies by imposing 25 new sanctions on individuals and businesses.
The Foreign Office said those sanctioned include businesses based outside Russia but said to be supplying drones, microelectronics and attempting to supply arms to Russia, PA reports.
Three Russian companies operating in the electronics sector have also been sanctioned, the department added.
The foreign secretary, James Cleverly, said:
Today’s landmark sanctions will further diminish Russia’s arsenal and close the net on supply chains propping up Putin’s now-struggling defence industry.
There is nowhere for those sustaining Russia’s military machine to hide.
The Georgian prime minister, Irakli Garibashvili, labelled Russia an “aggressor” as he marked 15 years since the two countries fought a war over a breakaway region.
Russia sent thousands of troops into Georgia on 8 August 2008 after Tbilisi launched a large-scale military operation against South Ossetian separatists who had been shelling Georgian villages in the region.
Garibashvili told AFP reporters:
We have known for a long time that Russia was an aggressor, we know that and the whole world knows that.
Hundreds of soldiers and civilians from both sides were killed during the 2008 war. The UN said about 120,000 people were displaced, though many returned to their homes afterwards.
Britain has added 19 new designations to its Russia sanctions list and six to its Belarus sanctions regime, Reuters reports.