[Korrespondent] 23.39 Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and one of the most influential representatives of the ruling party, denied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement about sending up to 50,000 more North Korean soldiers to Russia to participate in the war against Ukraine. Reuters reports.
In a statement released by KCNA, Kim Yo Jong called Zelensky's assessment "groundless" and a "self-staged incident."
22.54 Ukraine is preparing the next stage of prisoner of war exchanges, as well as a number of sanctions. President Volodymyr Zelensky said this during a video address on August 19.
22.21 Russian troops may be preparing a new strike on Ukraine. This was stated by the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation (CDC) Andriy Kovalenko.
"The war of attrition that Russia has chosen is already forcing its military experts and experts to say that the Russian Federation is waging a war at the limit of its capabilities," he noted.
21.46 On the evening of August 19, Russian troops shelled Sloviansk, Donetsk region, with a Tornado S multiple launch rocket system. A man was killed and three more people were injured. This was reported by the head of the Sloviansk city military administration, Vadim Lyakh.
"The private sector was hit. At least 86 households were damaged," Lyakh noted.
According to him, a man born in 1970 died. Another man and two women were injured.
20.42 Russia's attempts to continue exporting grain through the Black Sea were met with attacks by Ukrainian drones. At least five grain carriers came under fire near the ports of Novorossiysk and Tuapse on August 17 and 18. Bloomberg reports this with reference to sources. It is noted that so far the Ukrainian Armed Forces have mainly attacked tankers trying to export Russian oil, which is why Novorossiysk was unable to ship a single shipment last week. Exports of agricultural products were stopped last week due to strikes on three terminals in the port, which provide more than 40% of total grain exports. Now ships that came after it have also come under fire. This comes against the backdrop of Russian strikes on ports and merchant ships in Odessa, which virtually halted Ukraine's seaborne exports in August. According to Bloomberg sources, one dry cargo ship was attacked on Monday and four more on Tuesday. They sailed under the flags of Liberia, Malta, the Marshall Islands, Russia, and San Marino.
20.08 In July 2026, 66% of Russian citizens believed that "hard times" were ahead for Russia. This is evidenced by the results of a survey by the state All-Russian Central Statistical Office. It is noted that since the beginning of the year, the expected difficulties for the country in the future have increased by a third (+ 16 percentage points). As a result, the level of pessimism and fear of the future in society has reached one of the highest levels in the country's entire modern history. According to the All-Russian Central Statistical Office (.xls), approximately the same number (66-67%) expected "hard times" in 1991, a few months before the collapse of the USSR, and in 1992, when the Union collapsed and people faced mass impoverishment and hyperinflation of 2,500%. Even in the mid-1990s, despite the economic crisis, people were less afraid of the future than they are now: then, in different years, 46-60% spoke about the coming "hard times".
18.20 In Cheboksary, a fire broke out at a substation on the territory of the VNDIR-Progress plant, which produces components for drones and antennas. ASTRA reports this. Cheboksary Mayor Stanislav Trofimov confirmed the incident at the electrical substation "on Yakovlev Avenue", later he reported on extinguishing the fire. VNDIR Progress is also located on this street, Trofimov did not mention the specific enterprise.
18.10 Two police officers were killed and at least 20 people were injured in a Russian attack in Zhytomyr. This was reported by the acting head of the National Police, Maksym Tsutskiridze.
17.55 As a result of Russian artillery shelling on August 19, the Assumption Cathedral and the Greek-Sophia Church in Kherson were damaged. This was reported by the Kherson Eparchy of the UOC-MP. It is noted that an enemy shell hit the territory of the Assumption Cathedral and caused significant damage to the central entrance, the facade of the church was damaged, and windows were broken. Another shell hit the territory of the Greek-Sophia Church, as a result of which windows were broken and the facade of the church was damaged.
17.54 On Wednesday night, the Defense Forces struck a number of important Russian targets in the temporarily occupied territories (TOT) of Ukraine. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine provided details.
17.51 Russians began to massively search for gasoline canisters due to the second wave of the fuel crisis that hit the country. In a week, the number of corresponding requests on Wildberries increased fourfold and exceeded 106 thousand.
According to Yandex statistics, between August 10 and 16, the number of searches for "canister" reached 450,000, an increase of 39% week-on-week. Russians searched for "gasoline canister" 139,000 times, which is 71% more than at the beginning of August. Google recorded a similar trend.
In their reviews, marketplace buyers link the demand to queues at gas stations. In their comments, Russians also write that sellers sometimes sell canisters for food liquids under the guise of fuel containers.
17.45 The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets, reported that the Russian side has established the whereabouts of 79 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who are considered missing under special circumstances. He stated this following a conversation with the Russian Ombudsman, Yana Lantratova.
The parties also discussed the continuation of the exchange processes. As Lubinets noted, the Russian side informed about visiting several places where Ukrainian prisoners of war are being held.
"Yana Lantratova decided to launch systematic monitoring of places of detention of our prisoners of war, involving the entire regional structure, that is, visits will be constant," Lubinets noted.
17:15 Russian aggressors attacked Zhytomyr. The building of the main headquarters of the National Police in the region was hit, the head of the Zhytomyr OVA Vitaliy Bunechko reported on Telegram.
16.51 Prosecutors have proven the guilt of a 30-year-old resident of Kharkiv, who, on the instructions of a representative of the Russian Federation, made an improvised explosive device (IED) and handed it over to carry out a terrorist attack. As a result of the detonation, a 15-year-old boy and a serviceman of the National Guard of Ukraine died. This was reported by the Prosecutor General's Office.
16.50 Ukrainian drone and missile strikes did not cause any "critical consequences" for Russia. This was the point of view expressed by Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, opening a meeting of the Presidential Council for the Strategic Development of the Russian Federation.
16.44 The Verkhovna Rada adopted in the first reading a bill on the use of land easement rights for military needs. The document should significantly simplify and accelerate the construction of fortifications on private agricultural lands without seizing the plots from the owners.
The right of ownership remains with the farmers (no forced seizure of plots), the state guarantees fair compensation for the use of land and possible losses (the amount of the fee for establishing a land easement is proposed to be fixed - 12% of the normative monetary assessment, which corresponds to the minimum market value of the annual lease of agricultural land plots).
In addition, the land easement fee will be paid to the land owner for two years after the end of martial law. After the end of hostilities, the land will be restored and returned to full agricultural use.
16.03 The head of the Mykolaiv Regional CCC and SP was removed from his position. The Prosecutor General's Office reported this. The court chose a preventive measure for the official in the form of detention with the possibility of posting bail in the amount of more than 4 million UAH.
15.15 A "comprehensive decision" should be made regarding the mobilization process in Ukraine. This was stated by the new Minister of Defense Yevheniy Khmara during his answers to questions from people's deputies in the Verkhovna Rada.
The mobilization plan directly depends on the future vision of the war, which is currently being formed, Khmara noted.
15.06 Investigators of the National Police reported suspicion to a Russian commander who, according to the investigation, gave the order to kill a civilian man during the occupation of Bucha in the Kyiv region in March 2022. He faces life imprisonment for the war crime he committed.
14.47 In Dnipro, the State Bureau of Investigation detained a doctor from one of the military hospitals who, according to the investigation, offered a serviceman $12,000 to perform surgery on a healthy spine, install metal implants, and use this to obtain exemption from military service.
14.26 The Verkhovna Rada supported President Volodymyr Zelensky's proposal to appoint Yevheniy Khmara as Minister of Defense. 312 people's deputies voted for the decision at the plenary session.
14.05 Ukraine and Russia held another prisoner exchange. 103 Ukrainians, all military personnel, returned home. This was reported by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (KSHPPV).
13.18 As a result of the attack on the Progress Rocket and Space Center (RCC) in Samara, Russia, a large-scale fire broke out. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"During the analysis of additional data, it was confirmed that on August 15, 2026, the production workshop for assembling engines for Soyuz-type launch vehicles and the aviation equipment maintenance workshop of Aviakor JSC - Aviation Plant were hit. In addition, as a result of the strike on the Progress Rocket and Space Center in Samara, Samara Region, Russia, a fire with an area of about 5 thousand m² was recorded," the report says.
13.09 In Russia, people have begun to be lured en masse into contract service in the army under the guise of working as guards at Wildberries and Ozon warehouses. Since August 17 alone, about 2,000 such ads have appeared on Avito. According to the Russian publication Verstka, almost all vacancies have the same name - "Guarding WB and Ozon warehouses as part of a mobile fire group." The ads promise potential candidates a one-time payment of 3.1 million rubles before the start of new mobilization processes and emphasize that the number of places is limited.
12.30 The brutal Russian "safari" against peaceful Ukrainians in Kherson has long gone beyond what any normal person can imagine. President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote about this in Telegram.
11:56 Russian military drone strikes civilian car in central Kherson. A woman was killed and another man was injured in the attack.
11.39 Counterintelligence officers detained an FSB agent in the Rivne region. He was correcting Russian shelling and preparing to kill Defense Forces soldiers, the SBU reported.
11.06 After a night raid by Ukrainian drones in the Russian city of Ufa, a "small fire" occurred at one of the oil refineries. This was reported by the head of Bashkortostan, Radiy Khabirov, on social networks.
11.03 In Russia, amid fuel problems, there has been a shortage of automotive oils. Market participants report a reduction in the availability of certain items, an increase in product prices, and an increase in delivery times. Over the past two months, prices for lubricants in the Russian Federation have increased by 1.5-2 times, and delivery times have increased from two days to two weeks, Russian media reports citing representatives of the automotive and fuel markets. Market participants attribute the shortage of Russian oils to unscheduled repairs at oil refineries and restrictions on certain types of raw materials. In particular, Russian manufacturers lack imported additives used in the production of lubricants.
10.40 On Wednesday morning, eight regions of Ukraine experienced power outages due to Russian shelling and bad weather. Ukrenergo reported this. Energy workers are doing everything possible to restore damaged equipment to service as soon as possible.
10.38 The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, together with the Center for Countering Disinformation, published data on six Russian public figures who support the war against Ukraine and participate in the Russian Federation's information campaign. The information is posted in the Kremlin's Mouthpieces section of the War&Sanctions portal. Among the new Russian figures who work for Russian propaganda and support the war against Ukraine are drone developers, political technologists, and TV presenters.
10.22 A Russian drone attacked a minibus in Kherson. Four people were killed and five more were injured. This was reported by the local OVA.
10.14 Greece does not agree to transfer missiles for the S-300 systems to Ukraine without receiving a full replacement. Athens fears being left without an important component of its air defense against the backdrop of tense relations with Turkey. According to Forbes, Ukraine and its partners are looking for alternative sources of missiles, but have not yet been able to agree with Athens.
09.51 The Ukrainian Defense Forces successfully counterattacked in the north of Sumy region, which prevented Russian troops from advancing. The occupiers also failed to achieve success in a number of areas in the Kharkiv region. According to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), on August 17 and 18, Russian troops continued limited offensive operations in the north of Sumy region, but were unable to seize new positions. Instead, the Ukrainian military conducted counterattacks in this area.
According to analysts, Russian troops also attempted to advance in the north of Kharkiv region on August 17 and 18, but without any confirmed success. Russian attempts to advance in the direction of Velyky Burluk and in the Kupyansk direction were also unsuccessful.
08.43 Representatives of the partisan movement ATESH announced the destruction of three communication towers that the Russian military used to transmit classified information and coordinate units in the Kursk region. According to the movement, the objects were destroyed near the settlements of Dar'ino, Malaya Loknya and Sverdlykovo. ATESH claims that after the loss of the towers, the Russian military faced disruptions in the exchange of operational information and the transmission of orders.
07.38 Russian troops carried out over a thousand strikes on Zaporizhia region on August 18 - over 700 drone attacks, hundreds of artillery strikes and air strikes. The attacks killed two people and injured ten more. According to the head of the Zaporizhia OVA, Ivan Fedorov, 192 reports of damage to residential buildings, cars and infrastructure were received during the day.
5.22 The Southern District Military Court sentenced 42-year-old Omsk resident Sergei Kanushin, who fought against Ukraine in the ranks of the Russian army, for treason, according to the Russian publication Mediazona, which positions itself as independent.
3.58 The Russian ruling regime announced a drone attack on Moscow on the night of August 19. This is evidenced by a statement by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
Russian authorities announced "10 downed drones flying towards Moscow" after 2:30 a.m. Kyiv time.
3.41 The Federal Court of Canada has upheld Ottawa's refusal to lift sanctions on Russian cargo airline Volga-Dnepr and its former chairman. The company's An-124 aircraft will remain under arrest at Toronto airport, United24 Media reports.
A federal judge has rejected an attempt by Volga-Dnepr Airlines to lift the sanctions status that Canada imposed against the company itself and personally against its former director.
2.48 The period when Russia increased its crude oil exports because it could not process it in full at its own refineries due to the Ukrainian strikes has come to an end. The export of raw materials has fallen for five weeks in a row. The port in Novorossiysk was forced to stop shipments, Bloomberg reports.
1.34 One person was killed and six others were injured as a result of a Russian drone attack on Zaporizhia on the night before August 19. This was reported by the head of the Zaporizhia OVA Ivan Fedorov on Telegram.
[FoxNews] 
...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche...