Wednesday, August 20th, live news on the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Russian attack on Sumy and Odessa overnight, at least 13 injured.
18:08 | 20 August
UK Intelligence Warns: 500 Russian Schools Teaching Children to Use Drones
British intelligence is warning that Russia is teaching drone use in hundreds of schools. This was revealed in a report published by the British Ministry of Defense, which claims that the Russian government is organizing drone training in over 500 schools and 30 vocational training centers, with 2,500 teachers already receiving specific training. British intelligence services link the training to the military offensive against Ukraine and note that the introduction of drone training in classrooms demonstrates the continuing militarization of Moscow's education system. Russian Education Minister Valery Falkov announced the government's intention to train one million specialists by 2030. Last June, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the future creation of a specific branch of the Armed Forces specialized in drone control.
6:07 PM | August 20
NATO Sources: Military leaders support the Volunteers
The meeting of the Allied Joint Chiefs of Staff highlighted support for the Coalition of the Willing, which is committed to finding solutions that can guarantee Ukraine's security within the framework of the peace process initiated by Donald Trump. A NATO official told ANSA, specifying that the Alliance is not directly involved in developing the plans. Collaboration, however, is inherent, as it is important to ensure that any efforts by some allies do not detract from NATO's defense plans. Overall, however, the source noted that the post-truce scenarios remain open.
6:06 PM | August 20
Kyiv Independend: Russia builds bases in occupied lands for next invasion
Russia is transforming occupied parts of Ukraine into a gigantic military base and a potential launching pad for future aggression. Kyiv Independend reports this, with an investigation based on recent satellite photographs outlining how Moscow is converting civilian infrastructure in occupied territories, especially the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, into bases to house soldiers, transport munitions, and launch drones from positions ever closer to Kyiv-controlled territory. One of the clearest examples is Donetsk International Airport, which has lain in ruins for over a decade: satellite images provided by Planet Labs show a sudden development on the foundations of the old airport, the Ukrainian newspaper notes. A photograph from April of this year shows it still devastated, while another, from late July, shows how Russian forces have repaved the runway, filling it with small white shelters and building a new hangar in place of the destroyed terminal. According to Vadym Hlushko, founder of the Ukrainian open-source intelligence project Kiberboroshno, reporting to the Kyiv Independent, these makeshift facilities are all launch pads for fleets of joint Russian-Iranian Shahed-type long-range kamikaze drones. In addition to the main emplacements, they also create dummy emplacements and installations, he explained, warning that launches from Donetsk airport could even allow the use of Shaheds armed with artillery shells to be dropped along the path of the kamikaze attack.
5:03 PM | August 20
Russian drone explodes in Poland, Warsaw: Yet another provocation by Moscow
Another violation of our airspace from the east confirms that Poland's most important mission within NATO is the defense of its territory. With these words, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski condemned the explosion of a drone that occurred overnight in a cornfield in eastern Poland. In a post on X, Sikorski announced that Warsaw will file a formal protest against the perpetrator, without naming the country involved. According to the minister's spokesperson, the exploded object was a Russian version of the Shahed drone, information also confirmed by Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, who pointed the finger at Moscow: Russia is once again provoking NATO countries, following the drone incidents in Romania, Lithuania, and Latvia. The minister added that the attack comes at a particularly important time, as peace talks are underway, and that this episode demonstrates that the war started by Russia—a war against the Ukrainian state, but also a war that threatens the security of NATO countries—has a chance of coming to an end.
4:56 PM | August 20
Kiev: At least three killed in Russian airstrike on Kostiantynivka
At least three people were killed and four injured in shelling in Kostiantynivka, according to Vadym Filashkin, governor of Ukraine's Donetsk region, quoted by RBC-Ukraine. Filashkin accused Russian troops of launching eight Smerch missiles at the city. Filashkin claims a market was targeted. AFP reports that local authorities say at least six civilians were killed today in attacks in eastern and southern Ukraine.
3:32 PM | August 20
Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander: Russian Forces Intensify Pressure North of Donetsk
Russian forces are intensifying pressure north of Donetsk, the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has admitted. Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army, Oleksandr Syrsky, who visited combat units in Donetsk Oblast, reported that the regions where the situation is most tense remain Pokrovsk, Dobropillya, and Novopavlovsk. Russian forces are also increasing pressure north of Donetsk, towards Lyman, he wrote on Facebook. Our units are waging heavy defensive battles against the dominant Russian forces, repelling their attacks and also conducting active retaliatory actions, Syrsky stated.
2:30 PM | August 20
Moscow: Ready for negotiations, but summit preparations are underway.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that the Russian authorities are ready for negotiations with Ukraine in any format, but, speaking of a possible summit, he emphasized that it is necessary to prepare for it with the utmost care at all stages prior to the summit. This was reported by Tass. In any case, as I have already said, we are ready for any format, but when it comes to a summit, it is necessary to prepare for it with the utmost care at all stages prior to the summit, so that the summits do not result in a worsening of the situation, but truly put an end to the negotiations that we are ready to continue, Lavrov said, according to the official Russian news agency.
2:15 PM | August 20
Erdogan: Türkiye supports all efforts for lasting peace
Turkey has been sincerely committed to achieving a just peace since the beginning of the war, and has also supported approaches aimed at establishing a lasting peace with the participation of all parties. This is according to a statement from the Turkish presidency following the phone call between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin, Anadolu reported. Ankara added that Erdogan is closely following the developments of the peace process.
1:57 PM | August 20
Lavrov: The security guarantees discussed in the 2022 negotiations are an excellent example.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today cited as an excellent example of security guarantees for Ukraine those proposed in a document by Kiev's own negotiators in 2022 during failed negotiations in Istanbul. Lavrov recalled that the Ukrainian side's proposal, which the Russian delegation had accepted, included, among other things, that the permanent members of the UN Security Council, including Russia and China, as well as the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, would also guarantee Ukraine's security.
12:48 PM | August 20
Kremlin, Putin and Erdogan hold talks on Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the state of negotiations on Ukraine with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a telephone conversation today, the Kremlin announced. Putin expressed satisfaction with Turkey's assistance in the Russian-Turkish talks held so far in Istanbul.
12:24 PM | August 20
Tusk: Trilateral in Budapest? Given precedents, I'd change the venue.
Budapest? Perhaps not everyone will remember, but in 1994, Ukraine already obtained guarantees of territorial integrity from the United States, Russia, and the United Kingdom. In Budapest. Maybe I'm superstitious, but this time I'd try to find another location. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote this in X, referring to press rumors that the trilateral meeting between Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, and Vladimir Putin could be held in the Hungarian capital, where the Budapest Memorandum of Understanding was signed in 1994. With the Memorandum, Ukraine, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom sanctioned Kiev's renunciation of the nuclear arsenal inherited from the USSR, in exchange for guarantees of security and territorial integrity, which were later violated with the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the Russian invasion in 2022.
12:10 PM | August 20
Britain: We are ready to send troops to defend our air and seas.
During today's Pentagon meeting with the chiefs of staff of the countries supporting Ukraine, Tony Radakin, British Chief of Defence Staff, will inform his counterparts that the UK is ready to send troops to defend Ukraine's air and seas, but not along the front lines with Russia. Compared to British leader Keir Starmer's promise to mobilize 30,000 troops to defend key Ukrainian infrastructure, Radakin's commitment concerns London's willingness to send troops to support logistics and training. The Guardian reports this after a conversation with several British defence officials.
11:36 AM | August 20
Moscow: Kiev saboteur cell dismantled in Bryansk region
The activities of a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group have been disrupted in the Bryansk region. Three saboteurs have been arrested and three others have been eliminated, according to the Russian FSB Public Relations Center. RIA Novosti reports. According to Russian intelligence, the group was planning to carry out sabotage and terrorist attacks against Russian transport infrastructure.
11:28 AM | August 20
Russian Defense Ministry: Three villages captured in Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions
The Russian Armed Forces have captured three settlements in the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. These are the villages of Novogeorgievka (Dnipropetrovsk) and Sukhetske and Pankovka (Donetsk).
11:24 AM | August 20
Zelensky after Russian raid, solid security guarantees for peace
Ukraine needs solid security guarantees to put an end to Russia's demonstrative attacks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared this on social media after the latest massive Russian raid on the country. These are demonstrative attacks that only confirm the need to put pressure on Moscow, the need to impose new sanctions and tariffs until diplomacy is fully operational, the Kiev leader warns. Ukraine, Zelensky concludes, needs solid security guarantees to ensure a truly reliable and lasting peace.
11:22 AM | August 20
Pope: Unarmed and disarming peace for Ukraine and the Middle East, Friday a day of fasting and prayer for peace
Peace for Ukraine and the Middle East, peace for"the whole world." Pope Leo XIV forcefully pleaded for this in his greetings in Polish during Wednesday's general audience in the Paul VI Hall. I cordially greet the Poles present in Rome and those on pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Jasna Góra."I ask you," the Pontiff said,"to include in your intentions the prayer for the gift of peace—unarmed and disarming—for the whole world, especially for Ukraine and the Middle East. While our land continues to be wounded by wars in the Holy Land, Ukraine, and many other regions of the world, I invite all the faithful to spend August 22nd in fasting and prayer, beseeching the Lord to grant us peace and justice and to dry the tears of those suffering because of the ongoing armed conflicts." These were Pope Leo XIV's remarks at the end of the General Audience, recalling that Friday is the memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also invoked as the Queen of Peace. May Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede so that people may find the path to peace, the Pontiff concluded.
11:22 AM | August 20
Ukraine: Massive Russian attack hits Odessa
The Ukrainian Air Force reported Russian strikes overnight with 93 drones of various types and two Iskander-M ballistic missiles. Ukrainian defenses managed to neutralize one of the missiles and 62 drones, including kamikaze drones in the north and east of the country, according to a preliminary report released by the military. The other missile and the remaining 31 drones struck 20 different locations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that a drone strike over Okhtyrka, in the Sumy region, injured 14 people, including a five-month-old baby. In Kostiantynivka, in the Donetsk region, a bombing damaged five apartment buildings, and at least three people are still under the rubble, Zelensky continued on X, assuring that rescue operations are ongoing. There was also an attack on a gas station in the Odessa region. The bombing also hit the regions of Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Poltava, the president concluded.
10:35 AM | August 20
Tusk: Trilateral in Budapest? I'd find another venue.
Budapest? Perhaps not everyone will remember, but in 1994, Ukraine already obtained guarantees of territorial integrity from the United States, Russia, and the United Kingdom. In Budapest. Maybe I'm superstitious, but this time I'd try to find another place. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk writes this on X, while the possibility of the Hungarian capital being used as a venue for a possible trilateral meeting between the presidents of the United States, Donald Trump, Russia, Vladimir Putin, and Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, seems to be gaining traction, to take a further step in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Tusk is referring to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, with which Ukraine joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, transferring its warheads to Russia in exchange for recognition of its territorial borders.
10:24 AM | August 20
Odessa: Illegal human trafficking to Romania dismantled
Ukrainian border guards have arrested a man in the Odessa region who organized a channel for the illegal expulsion of Ukrainian citizens to Romania. The State Border Service announced the news. The man, a resident of the border area, attempted to bribe a soldier from the Izmail detachment, offering $6,000 and €900 in exchange for illegal passage across the Danube for himself, his 19-year-old son, and five other men. The group intended to cross the border on a motorized dinghy. The border guard reported the offer, and during a special operation, the initiator and his accomplices were arrested. A criminal case has been opened against the organizer, while administrative reports have been drawn up against the other men involved.
9:47 AM | August 20
After Putin's phone call, Trump called Orbán to ask for support in Ukraine's accession to the EU.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Donald Trump called Viktor Orbán on Monday after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European leaders to discuss why the Hungarian prime minister was blocking Ukraine's European Union accession talks. According to Bloomberg, a group of European leaders gathered at the White House asked Trump to use his influence on Orbán to pressure him to support Ukraine's EU membership bid. During the call with Trump, Hungary also expressed interest in hosting a next round of talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky.The call followed hours of discussion between Trump, Zelensky, and European leaders who had flocked to Washington to support the Ukrainian leader's unified approach to the peace process.At the end, according to Bloomberg, President Trump called Putin first and then Orbán.
Yesterday, in a Facebook post,
Orbán posted a message saying that he had listened to the request for EU membership but had no intention of giving in.
9:28 AM | August 20
Ukraine: 175 Russian attacks in the last 24 hours
In the last 24 hours, 175 Russian strikes have been recorded on Ukrainian territory. This is according to a morning statement from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Russian forces were active on the Pokrovsk, Lyman, and Novopavlivka fronts, where 111 attacks were repelled by the Ukrainian army. The Russian army launched four missiles and 82 air strikes against the positions of Ukrainian units and settlements, using ten missiles and dropping 153 guided aerial bombs. Furthermore, Moscow carried out 5,611 strikes, including 66 with multiple launchers, and used 5,610 kamikaze drones, the statement continues.
The areas most affected are the settlements of Gremyach in the Chernihiv region; Nova Sloboda, Chernatske in the Sumy region; Kostyantynivka, Dobropillya, and Ivanopillya in the Donetsk region; Bilogirya and Prymorske in the Zaporizhia region; and Odradokamyanka in the Kherson region, the Ukrainian military added.
9:21 AM | August 20
Kiev: Two missiles and 93 Russian drones hit Ukraine overnight.
Russian forces attacked Ukraine last night with two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 93 drones of various types, including Shahed kamikazes, the Kiev Air Force announced on Telegram. The country's air defenses downed or neutralized with electronic warfare systems one Iskander-M missile and 62 unmanned aerial vehicles in the north and east of the country. The attack hit 20 locations.
8:43 AM | August 20
Russia: Drivers of vehicle carrying explosives headed for Crimean Bridge arrested
Russian authorities have arrested the drivers of a vehicle used to transport a device that, according to the Federal Security Service (FSB), was intended to blow up the Crimean Bridge. The operation took place in the village of Staronizhesteblievskaya, Krasnodar Krai, near a train station and an elevator. According to the RIA Novosti news agency, the vehicle came from Ukraine and entered Russia through the Verkhny Lars international border crossing with Georgia. The drivers were supposed to hand over the car—containing 130 kilograms of explosives disguised as a battery—to another driver unaware of the cargo. Crimean Governor Sergei Aksenov stated that the explosives could have caused civilian casualties and seriously damaged the bridge structure. The FSB announced that it had foiled the terrorist attack on Monday, August 18.
8:27 AM | August 20
Zakharova: Map in the Oval Office is a warning for Kiev
The map of Ukraine displayed at the White House during the talks between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, a powerful wake-up call for Kiev. The map was such a powerful slap that it should have brought to reason all those who, for several years, isolated from history, isolated from geography, isolated from reality, talked about the battlefield without understanding what they were talking about, Zakharova told Sputnik radio. This slap was probably supposed to magically awaken Zelensky somehow. I think it will be very difficult for anyone to completely bring him to his senses, the spokeswoman concluded. Zakharova was referring to the map of Ukraine with the percentages of Russian occupation displayed in the Oval Office during the Trump-Zelensky summit.
8:03 AM | August 20
Crosetto: Article 5 is more effective than the willing, NATO could intervene.
What happened in Washington is very positive. First of all, because the reality on the ground is increasingly clear to everyone, including the Americans. And secondly, because the Europeans have coordinated, have established a common path, and have decided to pursue it together. The path is to guarantee Ukraine's security. This was not a given, especially on the part of the United States. Now Meloni's proposal for a mechanism based on Article 5 is gaining ground. It is one possible solution and is not incompatible with that of the Volenterosi. Both can be achieved. Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said this in an interview with Repubblica after the Washington summit. Regarding Donbass, he explains:"The Russians have an elephant in their living room. In 2022, Putin persuaded the Duma to change the Constitution to annex four Ukrainian provinces, despite not controlling some portions of them. Now he has realized that he cannot conquer all of Donbass. It is the most fortified region." If he wanted to achieve it through war, it would require military efforts, production, and insane human sacrifices. It would take years. That's why he's saying: I renounce the complete conquest of two of the four provinces, namely Zaphorizhzhia and Kherson, but give me Donbass. But that would still mean denying the constitutional amendment. And, he emphasizes, I think it would be impossible for Ukraine to do so. Because that front line is their Maginot Line, the country's first defense against Russian attack. It's full of fortifications, where the best men are concentrated. For Kiev, giving in would mean sacrificing its future defense. And it's precisely because of this stalemate that the Russians say they're ready to negotiate. It's no coincidence that Lavrov says:"It's not a question of territory." This gives us hope.
6:49 AM | August 20
Massive Russian drone strike in Sumy region leaves 12 injured
Overnight, the Russian military launched a massive drone strike on the town of Okhtyrka, in Ukraine's Sumy region. At least 12 people were injured, including two children, according to regional police. An apartment building, 13 private homes, an outbuilding, and a garage were damaged in the raid. Russian troops once again demonstrated their cynical attitude toward the lives and safety of civilians by deliberately attacking residential areas, police said, as reported by RBC-Ukraine.
6:47 AM | August 20
Trump: I want to try to go to heaven
If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that's enough. I want to try to get to heaven, if I can. US President Donald Trump said this in an interview with Fox, regarding the conflict in Ukraine.
5:12 AM | August 20
Tokyo considers participation in security guarantees for Kiev
Japan will consider its role in providing security guarantees for Ukraine, a crucial step toward ending the conflict in the Eastern European country invaded by Russia, taking into account its legal and capability constraints. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba made this statement as US-led talks to end the war continue. Ishiba was commenting on NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's comments, who listed Japan among approximately 30 countries evaluating guarantees to deter future Russian aggression."We will act appropriately, considering what we can and must do," the prime minister said, specifying that no concrete decisions have been made at this time.
4:57 AM | August 20
Meeting between US Chief of Staff and European counterparts
Senior American and European military officials met yesterday in Washington to discuss the mechanisms of a possible peace agreement in Ukraine, a US Defense source told Agence France Presse. US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine held talks Tuesday evening with European military leaders to discuss the best options for a potential peace agreement in Ukraine, before a virtual meeting today with the military leaders of the 32 NATO member states.
4:56 AM | August 20
Trump suggests US air support for Kiev
US President Donald Trump yesterday ruled out sending US troops to Ukraine as a guarantee to Kiev against future Russian invasions, but left open the possibility of air support as part of a peace agreement to end the war."The Europeans are willing to put men on the ground. We could help them, especially from the air," Trump told Fox News, without providing details. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed that air support is an option, but reiterated that there will be no boots on the ground.
1:29 AM | August 20
Trump, Putin and Zelensky are organizing a meeting
US President Donald Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are about to hold a meeting to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. They are working to organize it, Trump said in a radio interview on The Mark Levin Show. The killings, he added, must stop.
1:28 AM | August 19
Trump on the Mark Levin Show: I'm an optimist, I have to be
I'm an optimist, I have to be. This is how Donald Trump responded to a question about peace between Ukraine and Russia in an interview with Mark Levin. Of all the six wars I've ended, I thought this was the easiest, and instead things are complicated, the president said. He also talks about Obama, attributing to him the main responsibility for the conflict. Obama gave Russia Crimea, the heart and soul of Crimea, reiterating that if he had been president in 2022, the invasion would never have happened. Putin said it too, I didn't ask him to say it, the president repeated, referring to a statement by the tsar at the summit in Alaska. 20-AUG-25 00:27 NNNN
