Ukraine-Russia war latest: Ukrainian forces in cross-border attack as Niger joins Mali in cutting ties with Kyiv

Over 130 combat clashes across 10 fronts over the past day

Ukraine’s General Staff have released their latest update on clashes across Ukraine.

As of 8am this morning, Ukraine had faced 136 clashes in the past day, with the heaviest Russian assaults focussed on the Pokrovsk front in the eastern Donetsk region.

42 clashes were recorded near Pokrovsk, as Russian forces attempt to reach the key strategic city which is essential to Ukraine’s supply routes in the east.

Putin’s forces have been attacking villages to the east of Pokrovsk as they continue their advance from the city Donetsk, around 70km southeast of the Ukrainian held outpost.

Other major clashes were recorded on the Siversk and Lyman fronts, villages around 100km north of Donetsk which saw 21 and 19 combat clashes respectively.

Clashes were also recorded on the Kharkiv and Kupiansk fronts in northeastern Ukraine.

At least four have been killed after Russian shelling in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region on Wednesday, regional governor Vadym Filashkin has said on Telegram.

An elderly man and woman were killed in Antonivka village, situated 5 kilometres from an active combat zone, with one more person injured.

Another man and woman were killed in the Mykhaylivka settlement, said Filashkin.

Both settlements lie around 50km to the west of Russian-occupied Donetsk city.

The entire Donetsk region, which is partly occupied by Putin’s troops, has been the main focus of battles between Ukrainian and Russian forces in the past weeks, as Russia aims to advance westwards to the strategic logistics hub of Pokrovsk.

Russian propagandist bloggers are claiming that Ukrainian forces have secured a “foothold” in the border area, Ukrainian media reports.

Telegram channels affiliated with Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed that Ukraine have captured three villages in the Sudzha district of the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region.

They further claimed that Ukrainian troops have attempted to take control of the road connecting Rylsk and Sudzha.

Ukraine has not yet provided any comment on the events in the Kursk region, and many reports emerging from Russian outlets have not been independently verified.

A freed Russian prisoner has said there are “concrete ideas” for arranging further prisoner exchanges.

Oleg Orlov, a veteran rights campaigner who was speaking at his first press conference since release from a Russian penal colony as part of the deal, hinted that there were plans for more potential exchanges.

Orlov, 71, said he had been speaking with other freed Russians about whether there would be a follow-up exchange to win the release of more colleagues from Moscow.

“We had a conversation about the details among those who were exchanged, on the plane, when we were flying from Ankara to Germany,” Orlov said, after he was welcomed to Germany on arrival by Olaf Scholz.

“But I can’t say anything more concrete for now because you understand that any talks about an exchange require confidentiality for a long time. I will only say that there are concrete ideas, I won’t say anything more,” he added.

It comes after dual US-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina pleaded guilty to treason in a Russian court after donating $50 to a pro-Ukrainian charity.

Ksenia Karelina, a dual Russian-American citizen, has pleaded guilty to treason in a Russian court, a state news agency claimed.

Karelina, 33, was arrested in February for allegedly contributing $51.80 to Razom for Ukraine, a non-profit group based in New York that provides non-military aid to the country.

Her lawyer today confirmed that she has pleaded guilty, state news agency RIA said.

She was accused by prosecutors of “proactively transferring funds to a Ukrainian organisation, which the Ukrainian Armed Forces subsequently used to purchase tactical medicine, equipment, weapons and ammunition”.

The maximum sentence for her crime is 20 years in prison.

Russian officials said on Wednesday that Ukraine’s cross-border raids into the Kursk region have entered their second day.

Kyiv is yet to speak out about the operation, which the Russian Defence Ministry claims has seen 300 Ukrainian servicemen crossing the northeastern border from Ukraine’s Sumy region.

Russia says it has successfully repelled the attacks so far, and earlier released images appearing to show military vehicles being struck by drones.

If Ukraine’s cross-border attacks are confirmed, and continue, Russian reserves could be drawn to the area, which may weaken Russia’s offensive in multiple parts of the Donetsk region.

This could also post the risk of stretching Ukraine’s currently outnumbered troops even further along the frontline.

Alexei Smirnov, the head of Russia’s Kursk region, has called on residents to donate blood as a result of the fighting.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of a “major provocation” following an incursion into the Kursk region.

Spelling to members of the Russian government about the Kursk attack, Putin said the “Kyiv regime has launched another major provocation”.

He further accused Ukrainian forces of the “indiscriminate shelling of civilian” targets in the Kursk region.

The Russian Defence Ministry claimed that up to 300 Ukrainian soldiers entered Russian territory in the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region.

Abandoned armoured vehicles were found in geolocated footage by US-based Institute for the Study of War, while Russia released images which they said showed the shelling of Ukrainian vehicles which were part of the incursion.

More on the diplomatic dispute between Ukraine, Mali and Niger.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry yesterday described Mali’s decision to sever ties as “short-sighted and hasty” but has not yet commented on Niger’s decision to sever ties today.

President Zelensky said in December 2023 that strengthening bonds with countries in Africa was going to be a diplomatic priority for 2024 – so he will be dismayed at the collapse in relationships with Mali and Niger.

The two countries have not been supporting of Ukraine’s position in the war so far – but Ukraine are nonetheless currently on a charm offensive to gain the support of more countries in Africa.

Foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba’s yesterday met his Zambian counterpart in which the countries signed a “memorandum of understanding”.

He also met Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera on Monday, 5 August. Malawi has backed Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

To conclude the three-stop tour, Kuleba will be visiting Mauritius later this week.