Day 914 of the war began with a drone and missile attack on Ukraine. The air defense system shot down eight out of the nine Shahed attack drones launched by Russia.
Moscow also launched a ballistic missile and seven cruise missiles, with multiple explosions reported last night in the cities of Kharkiv and Chuhuiv, where three and four people were injured, respectively.
Two journalists were injured, and a third went missing under the rubble following a Russian nighttime attack on a hotel in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. The three victims hold Ukrainian, American, and British citizenship.
Russian troops continue to advance on the front lines, nearing four localities and a city in the Donetsk region.
Ukraine possesses a new weapon, which President Zelensky claims will push the war back into Russia. The Palyanytsia drone missile is faster and more powerful than domestically produced drones Kiev has used so far, already successfully striking a target in Russia.
Across the border in Russia, five civilians lost their lives, and 12 others were injured in a Ukrainian bombardment on the town of Rakitnoe in the Belgorod region. Among the injured are three children.
Volodymyr Zelensky referred to Putin as „an old sick man from Red Square.” Additionally, the Ukrainian president promoted General-Colonel Oleksandr Sirsky, the „brain” behind the Kursk offensive, and stated that negotiations are underway with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and Switzerland regarding the second peace summit.
Source: [Read more](https://spotmedia.ro/stiri/eveniment/ziua-913-flacari-nedomolite-si-noi-incendii-in-rusia-lovitura-pentru-ungaria-si-slovacia-video)
### Developments in Ukraine
– **Drone and Missile Attack**: Ukrainian air defense downed eight of the nine Shahed attack drones launched by Russia overnight. Moscow also fired a ballistic missile and seven cruise missiles, but most did not hit their targets, announced Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force on Telegram. Multiple explosions occurred last night in the cities of Kharkiv and Chuhuiv, as reported by [The Kyiv Independent](https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-downed-8-russian-drones-launched-overnight-air-force-says-explosions-reported-in-kharkiv/). According to Kharkiv region governor Oleh Sinehubov, three people were injured in Kharkiv, and four in Chuhuiv. Additionally, a house was damaged during the attack.
– **Injured Journalists**: Two journalists were injured, and a third went missing under the rubble following a Russian nighttime attack on a hotel in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, as announced by regional authorities cited by Le Figaro. „A hotel was targeted in the city. Currently, two people are injured, and one person is under the rubble. The three victims are journalists, citizens of Ukraine, the United States, and the United Kingdom,” wrote Donetsk region head Vadim Filashkin on Telegram, without specifying which of them were injured or missing. The attack, which damaged the hotel and a neighboring building, took place in the middle of the night, Filashkin continued. „Police and rescue teams are working on-site. The rubble is being cleared, and rescue operations are underway,” he added.
– **Reuters Journalist Missing**: A member of the Reuters team covering the war in Ukraine is missing, and two other members were hospitalized following the strike on the hotel in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. In a statement, the agency stated that the Safir hotel, where its team of six people was staying, was hit on Saturday. ‘One of our colleagues is missing, while two others have been taken to the hospital for treatment,’ Reuters reported, noting that the other three colleagues were found safe. ‘We urgently seek more information, work with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and support our colleagues and their families. We will provide an update when we have more information,’ the agency added.
– **Russian Advance in Donetsk**: Analysts from DeepState updated the map of hostilities in Ukraine, indicating that Russian troops have advanced near four localities and a city in the Donetsk region. „The enemy has advanced near Vodiane, Marynivka, Kalynove, Orlivka, and close to Novohrodivka,” as reported by [Ukrainska Pravda](https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/08/25/7471757/).
– **Ukraine’s New Weapon**: Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday that Ukraine has a newly developed Ukrainian drone missile, named Palyanytsia, which he said will push the war back into Russia. Faster and more powerful than domestically produced drones, Kiev has used so far, Zelensky stated that the new Ukrainian weapon class was used for a successful strike on a target in Russia but did not specify where. Ukrainians claim that the term „Palyanytsia,” a type of Ukrainian bread, is too difficult for Russians to pronounce and has been used, sometimes humorously, during the war as a way to distinguish between Ukrainians and Russians. „It will be very difficult for Russia, difficult even to pronounce what exactly hit it,” Zelensky said, referring to the drone missile.
Source: [Read more](https://x.com/SteffRichard73/status/1827610134039658748)
### What’s Happening in Russia
– **Bombardment in Belgorod**: Five civilians died, and 12 others were injured in a Ukrainian bombardment on the town of Rakitnoe in the Belgorod region, as declared by the governor of the southwestern Russian region on Sunday, as reported by Reuters. Among the injured are three children, stated Viacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the region bordering Ukraine. Nine of the injured were hospitalized, with six of them in serious condition, including a 16-year-old girl in intensive care. „We will certainly help all those who have suffered. Our task now is to resist, overcome trials, face problems,” Gladkov stated on Telegram.
Source: [Read more](https://x.com/United24media/status/1827595928154321243)
### Other Relevant Information
– **Putin, „An Ailing Elder”**: Zelensky used derogatory language referring to the 71-year-old Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Moscow’s nuclear rhetoric. „An ailing elder from Red Square who constantly threatens everyone with the red button will not dictate any of his red lines to us,” said the Ukrainian president in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app.
– **Sirsky Promoted**: Through a decree, Zelensky promoted army commander General-Colonel Oleksandr Sirsky to the rank of general, a tacit gesture of praise following Ukraine’s lightning cross-border incursion into the Russian Kursk region launched on August 6. Speaking at a joint press conference with the leaders of Poland and Lithuania, Zelensky stated that the operation was partly a preemptive move to halt Russia’s plans to capture the city of Sumy in the country’s north. Besides capturing prisoners of war and creating a „buffer zone,” Zelensky mentioned that the operation had other objectives he could not disclose publicly.
– **Negotiations for the Second Peace Summit**: Volodymyr Zelensky stated that negotiations are underway with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and Switzerland regarding the second peace summit in a conversation with Indian journalists shared Sunday on his social media platforms. Zelensky also informed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he would support India in hosting the second peace summit, as Kiev hopes to find a host among countries in the Global South, as reported by Reuters. „But I want to be honest, and this applies not only to India but to any state that would be positive about hosting a second summit. We will not be able to organize a peace summit in a country that has not yet adhered to the peace summit communique,” Zelensky stated. The Ukrainian president added that he discussed all points from the communique and the previous peace summit during Friday’s meeting with Modi.
– **Telegram CEO Arrested in France**: Billionaire Pavel Durov, CEO of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at Le Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday evening. At the time of his arrest, Durov was traveling on his private plane, arriving from Azerbaijan and accompanied by a bodyguard and a woman. Details [HERE](https://spotmedia.ro/stiri/eveniment/directorul-executiv-al-telegram-a-fost-arestat-in-franta-bloggerii-rusi-cheama-la-proteste-in-intreaga-lume).
Source: [Read more](https://spotmedia.ro/stiri/eveniment/directorul-executiv-al-telegram-a-fost-arestat-in-franta-bloggerii-rusi-cheama-la-proteste-in-intreaga-lume)