Deadly Russian strike hits Tchernihiv in northern Ukraine

A Russian bombardment on Saturday in the city of Chernihiv, in northern Ukraine, killed at least seven people and injured 110, according to an updated report by Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko.

The Russian army, on the other hand, claimed to have thwarted Ukrainian drone attacks. Follow the latest developments in the conflict hour by hour.

2:55 pm: Seven dead and 110 injured in Russian strike on Chernihiv

According to a new report from the city mayor, the Russian bombardment of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine on Saturday killed at least seven people and injured 110.

“One hundred and seventeen people were affected by the terrorist attack in the city center of Cherniguiv. Seven of them died,” said Oleksandre Lomako on Telegram.

2:06 pm: Russian army claims to have thwarted Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow and its region

The Russian army said on Saturday that it had thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow and its region, at a time when the number of such assaults on Russian soil has been increasing as part of the counter-offensive by Kiev forces launched in early June.

“The air defense forces (…) suppressed it using electronic warfare and after losing control, it crashed in a deserted area near Poutilkovo,” a locality in the northwest suburbs of Moscow, the army said in a statement. “There were no casualties or damage,” it added.

12:47 pm: Moscow says it thwarted Ukrainian drone attack on military airfield in the northwest

The Russian army said on Saturday that it had thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack on a military airfield in the Novgorod region in northwestern Russia, far from the border with Ukraine.

“Today, at around 10 a.m. Moscow time, the ‘Kiev regime’ carried out a terrorist attack using a helicopter-type drone on a military airfield in the Novgorod region,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. According to the ministry, the drone was shot down “by small arms fire”.

“As a result of the attack (…), a fire broke out in the aircraft parking lot, which was quickly extinguished by firefighters,” the ministry continued. “An aircraft was damaged, but there were no casualties,” the Russian army said.

12:23 pm: Five dead and 37 injured in Russian bombardment on Chernihiv

The Russian bombardment of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine on Saturday killed at least five people and injured 37, according to an initial report by Interior Minister Igor Klymenko. “Five people have died. Thirty-seven people have been injured, including 11 children. They are all receiving medical care,” the minister said on Telegram.

12:11 pm: Russian army claims to have “eliminated” around 150 Ukrainian soldiers trying to cross the Dnieper River

The Russian army claimed to have “completely eliminated” around 150 Ukrainian soldiers trying to cross the Dnieper River, the front line in southern Ukraine where Kiev forces are trying to break through Moscow’s defenses.

“Russian military forces have defeated an enemy detachment of around 150 people who were trying to establish a foothold on the left bank of the Dnieper,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. “The scattered enemy groups have been completely eliminated,” it assured.

11:39 am: “Deaths” in Russian bombardment on Chernihiv, according to Volodymyr Zelensky

The Russian bombardment on Chernihiv (northern Ukraine) caused “deaths” and “injuries” in the city center, also hitting a university and a theater, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Telegram.

“A Russian missile hit right in the city center, in our Chernihiv,” he wrote. “A square, the Polytechnic University, a theater. An ordinary Saturday that Russia turned into a day of pain and loss. There are dead, there are wounded.”

11:26 am: Russian bombardment on the city center of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine

Russia bombed the city center of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, a city that had been spared large-scale attacks since the early months of the 2022 invasion, according to local authorities.

“The enemy bombed the center of Chernihiv. Apparently, it was a ballistic missile,” wrote Vyacheslav Chaus, the head of the Chernihiv region, on Telegram. “Take cover. More details to come.”

10:54 am: Volodymyr Zelensky announces he is in Sweden to meet the Prime Minister and the Royal Family

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he has arrived in Sweden for “talks” with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and the Royal Family, as well as representatives of political parties.

“Olena and I have arrived in Sweden,” said the leader, referring to his wife. He stated that he would meet with the head of government and the Royal Family, and that his “talks” would focus on the following topics: “partnership, defense cooperation, EU integration, and common Euro-Atlantic security.”

Vladimir Putin in southern Russia with generals overseeing the operation in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the generals in charge of the Russian military operation in Ukraine at a meeting in Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia, the Kremlin announced in the morning.

“Vladimir Putin held a meeting at the headquarters of the special military operation in Rostov-on-Don,” the presidency said in a statement. “The head of state listened to reports from the Chief of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff Valery Gerasimov, sector commanders, and other officials.”

The Ukrainian armed forces destroyed “15 Russian drones” during the night, the Ukrainian army announced in the morning. It claimed that a total of 17 Iranian-made Shahed explosive drones were used in an air attack, without specifying what happened to the remaining two drones.

The Russian forces “attacked from the north” with Shahed drones. “A total of 17 attack drones were launched from the Kursk region,” the Ukrainian army wrote on Telegram.

Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense was activated “in the northern, central, and western regions” of the country, it added.

Highlights of August 18

Ukraine and Romania reached an agreement to expedite the transportation of goods, which has become more difficult since Russia’s withdrawal in July from the agreement that allowed the export of Ukrainian cereals.

The United States announced that it has given the green light for Denmark and the Netherlands to send American F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, once Ukrainian pilots have been trained to fly them. On the ground, Russia claimed to have destroyed Ukrainian drones in Moscow and the Black Sea.

Reuters