Russia’s "August curse" sees a distant war come home
By CNN's Matthew Chance in Moscow
In years past, the month of August was often greeted in Russia with a degree of caution, even alarm. Russians spoke in whispered tones of their “August curse” to explain the unusually high number of deadly accidents, terrorist attacks, or outbreaks of war.
For a long time now that curse seemed to have been lifted and almost forgotten, reducing the month to just another hot summer interlude.
But this year, it appears to be back with a vengeance.
For a start, Russians are witnessing a massive upsurge in Ukrainian attacks that have brought the Kremlin’s war home, making Moscow pay a price and giving ordinary Russians a taste of the horrific violence Ukraine has suffered since last February.
In the Black Sea, Russia’s military and commercial fleets have come under attack from Ukrainian naval drones this month, threatening Russian supply and trade routes.
And every day in August so far has seen the news media carry reports of small-scale but incessant Ukrainian drone attacks targeting official buildings, military installations, or commercial and residential premises.
Police officer killed, others wounded in a bomb strike in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, officials say
From CNN's Maria Kostenko
One person has been killed and 12 people wounded Saturday when Ukraine’s southeastern town of Orikhiv was hit with a guided aerial bomb, the Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko said in a statement posted on Telegram.
"The enemy hit Orikhiv with guided aerial bomb this morning. A police officer was killed in a strike. 12 people have been wounded, including 4 police officers," the minister said, adding that doctors are fighting for the lives of those wounded, some in serious condition.
Some context: Located 60 kilometers southeast of the city Zaporizhzhia, Orikhiv has found itself on the frontline of Ukraine's counteroffensive. It is caught between Kyiv’s troops pushing south and Russian forces attempting to hold regional positions.
The town has come under heavy bombardment from Russian airstrikes with half-ton bombs landing frequently – sometimes 20 in as many minutes.
29 min ago
Russia says it destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones over Crimea
From CNN's Maria Kostenko
Russian forces destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones launched to the Crimean Peninsula overnight into Saturday, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said.
There were no casualties and no damage as a result of the attack, the ministry said on Telegram, adding that 14 drones were destroyed by air defenses, and six were suppressed by electronic warfare equipment.
Some context: The incident comes against the backdrop of rising tensions in the annexed Crimea and the Black Sea area.
Crimea has regularly been targeted with drones, including attacks on the bridges linking the peninsula to the mainland.
This month Ukrainian sea drones also attacked a major naval base in Russia, leaving a damaged Russian warship listing, a brazen strike carried out hundreds of miles from Ukrainian-held territory. Hours later a huge Russian oil tanker was hit.
27 min ago
Russia targets Ukrainian airfield with advanced Kinzhal missiles, Air Force spokesperson says
From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva
Russia launched advanced Kinzhal missiles at Ukrainian pilots who will soon go for training on US-made F-16 fighter jets, the Ukrainian Air Force claimed Friday.
Military officials say one of the four Russian missiles, also known as KH-47, was shot down. The other three missiles hit near on of Ukraine's military airfields, which have been consistent Russian targets for several months, Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat told Ukrainian television.
While Starokostiantyniv airfield in western Ukraine has been most frequently targeted, Friday's early morning attack targeted the Kolomyia airfield — also located in western Ukraine, in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.
"This time our youth was targeted," Ihnat said. "Our young pilots who will soon go for training."
Ihnat claimed Russia "wanted to hit our youngsters, depriving us of the prospect for our further re-equipment with the latest Western technologies. But as we see they did not succeed in this."
One of the missiles was downed over the Kyiv region. It's unclear what happened to the others.
CNN is unable to verify any battlefield claims.
About Kinzhal missiles: Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian military have touted the Kinzhal, or Kh-47, as an example of Russia’s modernized missile arsenal, claiming that its hypersonic speed makes it extremely difficult to intercept.
Ukraine has acknowledged that the missiles are tough to defend against, though it has knocked at least one out of the sky using a US Patriot defense battery.
28 min ago
Russian Sig tanker damaged by drone has been towed for repairs, Russian Marine Rescue Service says
From CNN's Katharina Krebs and Radina Gigova
This video purports to show the moment a sea drone strikes a Russian tanker. Obtained by CNN
The Russian Sig tanker struck by a maritime drone last week has been towed to the village of Aksai in the Rostov region for repairs, according to a statement published by the Russian Marine Rescue Service on Friday.
"The rescue party of the Azovo-Chernomorsky branch of the FSBI Marine Rescue Service completed the main measures to eliminate the consequences of the emergency with the tanker 'Sig'," according to the statement.
Marine Rescue Service specialists used more than 800 kilograms (about 1,763 pounds) of biosorbents to repair the tanker and did not get any pollution into the water while towing and working on it, according to the statement.
Some background: On the night of August 5, the Sig tanker was hit by a drone carrying 450 kilograms (992 pounds) of TNT while on its way to the Kerch Strait. The strike created a hole in its engine room, forcing the 11-person crew to fight water going into the vessel, Russian authorities said. The flooding eventually stopped.
Following the attack, Russia's Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport said no casualties were reported and that the tanker was not carrying oil when the drone crashed into the ship. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials said some crew members were injured and that the tanker was carrying fuel for the Russian military.
CNN has not been able to independently verify those claims.
An elderly woman has been killed in the eastern Kharkiv region amid intense Russian shelling. An evacuation order is in place for the city of Kupiansk, with about 12,000 people thought to remain.
A police officer was killed in Russian strikes on Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region. Twelve other people were wounded. Zaporizhzhia is a key front in Ukraine's counteroffensive.
Russia said it destroyed 20 drones launched over the annexed Crimea. Ukraine has been stepping up its attacks on the peninsula and in Black Sea area, harrying Russian infrastructure and hitting bridges connecting Crimea to the mainland.
Much further north, in Russia's capital Moscow, a distant war has increasingly been coming home in the form of drone strikes and fire-bombings. Read analysis from our correspondent in the city.
In years past, the month of August was often greeted in Russia with a degree of caution, even alarm. Russians spoke in whispered tones of their “August curse” to explain the unusually high number of deadly accidents, terrorist attacks, or outbreaks of war.
For a long time now that curse seemed to have been lifted and almost forgotten, reducing the month to just another hot summer interlude.
But this year, it appears to be back with a vengeance.
For a start, Russians are witnessing a massive upsurge in Ukrainian attacks that have brought the Kremlin’s war home, making Moscow pay a price and giving ordinary Russians a taste of the horrific violence Ukraine has suffered since last February.
In the Black Sea, Russia’s military and commercial fleets have come under attack from Ukrainian naval drones this month, threatening Russian supply and trade routes.
And every day in August so far has seen the news media carry reports of small-scale but incessant Ukrainian drone attacks targeting official buildings, military installations, or commercial and residential premises.
One person has been killed and 12 people wounded Saturday when Ukraine’s southeastern town of Orikhiv was hit with a guided aerial bomb, the Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko said in a statement posted on Telegram.
"The enemy hit Orikhiv with guided aerial bomb this morning. A police officer was killed in a strike. 12 people have been wounded, including 4 police officers," the minister said, adding that doctors are fighting for the lives of those wounded, some in serious condition.
Some context: Located 60 kilometers southeast of the city Zaporizhzhia, Orikhiv has found itself on the frontline of Ukraine's counteroffensive. It is caught between Kyiv’s troops pushing south and Russian forces attempting to hold regional positions.
The town has come under heavy bombardment from Russian airstrikes with half-ton bombs landing frequently – sometimes 20 in as many minutes.
Russian forces destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones launched to the Crimean Peninsula overnight into Saturday, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said.
There were no casualties and no damage as a result of the attack, the ministry said on Telegram, adding that 14 drones were destroyed by air defenses, and six were suppressed by electronic warfare equipment.
Some context: The incident comes against the backdrop of rising tensions in the annexed Crimea and the Black Sea area.
Crimea has regularly been targeted with drones, including attacks on the bridges linking the peninsula to the mainland.
This month Ukrainian sea drones also attacked a major naval base in Russia, leaving a damaged Russian warship listing, a brazen strike carried out hundreds of miles from Ukrainian-held territory. Hours later a huge Russian oil tanker was hit.
Russia launched advanced Kinzhal missiles at Ukrainian pilots who will soon go for training on US-made F-16 fighter jets, the Ukrainian Air Force claimed Friday.
Military officials say one of the four Russian missiles, also known as KH-47, was shot down. The other three missiles hit near on of Ukraine's military airfields, which have been consistent Russian targets for several months, Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat told Ukrainian television.
While Starokostiantyniv airfield in western Ukraine has been most frequently targeted, Friday's early morning attack targeted the Kolomyia airfield — also located in western Ukraine, in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.
"This time our youth was targeted," Ihnat said. "Our young pilots who will soon go for training."
Ihnat claimed Russia "wanted to hit our youngsters, depriving us of the prospect for our further re-equipment with the latest Western technologies. But as we see they did not succeed in this."
One of the missiles was downed over the Kyiv region. It's unclear what happened to the others.
CNN is unable to verify any battlefield claims.
About Kinzhal missiles: Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian military have touted the Kinzhal, or Kh-47, as an example of Russia’s modernized missile arsenal, claiming that its hypersonic speed makes it extremely difficult to intercept.
Ukraine has acknowledged that the missiles are tough to defend against, though it has knocked at least one out of the sky using a US Patriot defense battery.
This video purports to show the moment a sea drone strikes a Russian tanker. Obtained by CNN
The Russian Sig tanker struck by a maritime drone last week has been towed to the village of Aksai in the Rostov region for repairs, according to a statement published by the Russian Marine Rescue Service on Friday.
"The rescue party of the Azovo-Chernomorsky branch of the FSBI Marine Rescue Service completed the main measures to eliminate the consequences of the emergency with the tanker 'Sig'," according to the statement.
Marine Rescue Service specialists used more than 800 kilograms (about 1,763 pounds) of biosorbents to repair the tanker and did not get any pollution into the water while towing and working on it, according to the statement.
Some background: On the night of August 5, the Sig tanker was hit by a drone carrying 450 kilograms (992 pounds) of TNT while on its way to the Kerch Strait. The strike created a hole in its engine room, forcing the 11-person crew to fight water going into the vessel, Russian authorities said. The flooding eventually stopped.
Following the attack, Russia's Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport said no casualties were reported and that the tanker was not carrying oil when the drone crashed into the ship. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials said some crew members were injured and that the tanker was carrying fuel for the Russian military.
CNN has not been able to independently verify those claims.
