Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 533.

As Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues and the war rages on, reliable sources of information are critical. Forbes gathers information and provides updates on the situation.

Local news.

Donetsk region. Russia launched two consecutive attacks on the small town of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine in the evening of Aug. 7, authorities said. The strikes damaged a nine-story residential building, a hotel, café, and nearby shops. Emergency services recovered the bodies of seven deceased victims, including a rescue worker who had arrived at the scene after the first strike. The official injury toll has, so far, risen to more than 80 people. Ukrainian journalist Mstyslav Chernov said in a social media post that a hero of his award-winning documentary “20 days in Mariupol,” policeman Volodymyr, was among the wounded in Pokrovsk after coming to help. “Hang in there, mate,” Chernov’s Facebook post reads. “We still have to go back to Mariupol.”

Dnipropetrovsk region. The southeastern city of Nikopol and its surroundings have been under constant Russian fire over the last 24 hours, according to regional governor Serhiy Lysak. Russian troops attacked civilian infrastructure in the industrial city on the Dnieper River with artillery fire, hitting a church, private homes, and power lines. An 18-year-old man was killed in one of the strikes, and three people sustained shrapnel wounds.

Zaporizhzhia region. A massive Russian strike on downtown Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine on Aug. 9 damaged at least 13 high-rise buildings and killed three civilians. Two of the victims, Svitlana (aged 19) and Hrystyna (aged 21), were street singers who performed in public spaces to raise money for the Ukrainian army, reported the newspaper Kyiv Post. “This Russian war crime will certainly face its sentence,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening video message to the nation. “And the response to Russian terrorists will be on the frontline, thanks to our heroic warriors.”

International.

Latvia will join the G7 Joint Declaration of support for Ukraine, the country’s Prime Minister announced on Aug. 9. Latvia intends to contribute to the realization of crucial security guarantees for Kyiv, including weapons deliveries and training programs for Ukrainian troops. “Together with our partners, we will support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s aggression for as long as it takes,” Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said. “We expect an ad hoc international tribunal for Russian aggression against Ukraine.”

German defense conglomerate Rheinmetall purchased dozens of Leopard 1 tanks from the Belgian OIP Land Systems company, most of which will be sent to Ukraine. A spokesperson for Düsseldorf-based Rheinmetall told the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle on Aug. 8 that 30 of the 50 tanks purchased will be delivered to Kyiv once they are refurbished. However, the official didn’t specify the schedule for delivery of the much-needed vehicles to Ukraine. Some experts believe that the renovation and transfer of tanks may take up to six months. Apart from Rheinmetall’s support, Germany’s federal government pledged to provide Ukraine with two additional PATRIOT air defense launchers.

President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded a Ukrainian attack pilot the title Hero of Ukraine, with the Order of the Golden Star, after he completed more than 300 combat missions during the war with Russia. Rostyslav Lazarenko, a lieutenant colonel born in Uman, Cherkasy region, was honored for his tireless service, said his hometown mayor Irina Pletneva on Aug. 9. “Rostyslav Lazarenko has been defending our skies since the first minutes of the full-scale invasion,” the official said in her announcement. “He has so far performed hundreds of missions and has come so close to breaking the record of the legendary Ukrainian pilot Ivan Kozhedub.”

By Daria Dzysiuk, Karina L. Tahiliani