Victory Chronicles-DAY 544

An intense planned combat action is currently ongoing there. “Our units have had success to the southeast of Robotyne and north of Mala Tokmachka’s settlement in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The Russians were trying to retake the positions they lost to the east of Robotyne but to no avail. Planned combat work is underway in Robotyne,” wrote Hanna Maliar, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine. On the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson fronts, the Russians are holding their defenses. They continue launching attacks on the Ukrainian positions and civilian facilities in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Mykolaiv Oblasts, actively using Lantset loitering munitions.

Russia continues to suffer losses in its war of aggression against Ukraine. The Armed Forces of Ukraine have killed 460 Russians and destroyed 19 Russian artillery systems, 14 armored combat vehicles, and 12 tanks in the past day alone, reported the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On August 19, around 11:30, the Russian army shelled the center of Chernihiv. The rescue operation at the site of the missile attack was completed yesterday. According to the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office, Oleksii Kuleba, a total of 156 people were injured, 41 of them in hospitals. Seven people were killed. The explosion damaged 66 houses, 10 administrative buildings and 67 cars. “Commissions are working. Compensation will be provided as soon as possible,” Kuleba wrote.

A “parade” of destroyed Russian equipment will be held on Khreshchatyk in Kyiv. Burnt tanks, armored vehicles, and remnants of rockets began to be installed on the central street of the capital.

Ukrainian strikes against Russian deep rear areas are generating discontent in the Russian information space and sparking criticism of the Russian military command, as Ukraine likely intends. Some Russian milbloggers expressed anger at recent Ukrainian strikes on the Kerch Strait Bridge and called for Russian forces to target the families, homes, and other properties of Ukrainian decision makers to deter further Ukrainian strikes against Russian deep rear areas.

The milbloggers referenced prior Soviet and Russian retaliatory strategies in Lebanon and in the northern Caucasus, and one milblogger claimed that it is easy for Russian officials to disregard the need for retaliation because Ukrainian strikes do not directly impact their livelihoods. Former Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) Ambassador to Russia Rodion Miroshnik claimed on August 20 that strikes against Moscow are becoming normalized following three consecutive days of alleged Ukrainian strikes against the city and called on Russian forces to make retaliatory strikes “personally painful” for decision makers who ordered the Moscow strikes.

A Russian insider source claimed that Russian air defenses did not activate to defend against an overnight strike against a Kursk City rail station on August 19 to 20, highlighting a frequent milblogger complaint that Russian forces fail to defend against strikes on Russian territory. The UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) assessed that the Russian leadership has likely been pressuring the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) command to improve Russian air defense coverage in western Russia, suggesting that both the higher Russian leadership and the ultranationalist information space are placing pressure on the Russian military command in response to the strikes.

Ukrainian theater and film actor Oleksii Khilskyi, originally from Kamianske, known for his roles in the TV series Doctor Kovalchuk, The Sniffer and others, was killed in the war. The 35-year-old man fought in the 46th separate airmobile brigade of the airborne assault troops.

The tragic news of the actor’s death was reported by his wife, Nadiia Khilska. “I am writing, but I cannot fully believe it myself. Oleksii was killed while performing a combat mission. He was the best man I know. The kindest! The most handsome! The most talented! Everything he did, he did with passion. And what a thirst for life he had! He loved life so much! I love you, my warrior,” Nadiia wrote.

Oleksiy joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Nadiia Khilska said he was wounded twice but returned to the front again. The defender was a chief sergeant in a reconnaissance platoon, participated in the liberation of Kherson, and fought in Bakhmut and Soledar.

On August 17, Nadiia reported that Oleksii had not been in touch for more than a day. He was killed while performing a combat mission in the Zaporizhzhia sector. Oleksii is survived by his wife and daughter. 

• Defense Ministry: AFU liberate 43 sq km near Bakhmut 
• Kharkiv Oblast National Police: Russians attack Vovchansk and Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast: 1 killed, 11 wounded
• Radio Liberty: Moscow airports again restrict flights amid claims of Ukrainian drones
• UN: War in Ukraine kills 9,440 civilians, another 16,940 injured
• UK intelligence: Russia tries to bring in experienced forces for battles in key areas