Mediaboss Marketing

Fri, Aug 19 20226:50 PM EDT

Ukraine was already stocking up on U.S.-made Javelins before Russia invaded. Here a group of Ukrainian servicemen take a shipment of Javelins in early February, as Russia positioned troops on Ukraine's border.

Sergei Supinsky | AFP | Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked U.S. President Joe Biden for the 19th security assistance package.

"I highly appreciate another U.S. military aid package in the amount of $775 million. Thank you @POTUS for this decision," Zelenskyy wrote. "Ukraine will be free," he added.

The latest weapons package brings U.S. commitment to approximately $10.6 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of Biden's presidency.

Amanda Macias

Fri, Aug 19 20224:47 PM EDT

"The situation in Ukraine shows that the U.S. is trying to prolong this conflict," said Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty Images

The British government said Russia does not have the moral right to attend the G20 in Indonesia while the Kremlin carries on its war in Ukraine.

"We welcome Indonesia's efforts to ensure that the impacts of Russia's war are considered in G20 meetings, as well as indications that Ukraine may be represented by President Zelenskyy at the G20 Leaders Summit," a spokesperson for the British foreign office said in a statement.

Earlier on Friday, Rishi Sunak, one of the two candidates vying to replace Boris Johnson as British prime minister, said that Indonesia should bar Russian President Vladimir Putin from attending.

The G20 is set to take place in November.

Amanda Macias

Fri, Aug 19 20224:16 PM EDT

A view of devastation after conflicts as Ukrainians trying to rebound back to life Irpin near Kyiv, Ukraine on June 21, 2022.

Metin Aktas | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Ukraine's gross domestic product in the remaining months of 2022 may fall by 35 to 40% due to Russia's war, according to Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine's Minister of Economic Development and Trade.

"According to our calculations, according to the macroeconomic forecasts made by the Ministry of Economy, the curtailment of the economy by the end of the year may be at the level of 35-40%," said Svyrydenko, who also serves simultaneously as Ukraine's first deputy prime minister.

The National Bank also predicts that Ukraine's real GDP in the third and fourth quarters of 2022 will contract. According to the National Bank estimates, the economy will also slip by another 19% in the first quarter of 2023.

Amanda Macias

Fri, Aug 19 20223:46 PM EDT

Smoke rises after explosions were heard from the direction of a Russian military airbase near Novofedorivka, Crimea, on Aug. 9, 2022.

Stringer | Reuters

Pro-Ukrainian saboteurs were involved in the recentspate of explosions at Russian military sites in Crimea, a Ukrainian government official told NBC News.

The series of blasts hit military depots and airbases in the annexed peninsula over the past week, hinting at a growing ability by Ukraine's military or its backers to strike deep behind enemy lines, a development that could shift the dynamics of the war.

Kyiv has stopped short of publicly claiming responsibility for the explosions.The government official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to disclose information about the Crimea strikes to journalists.

Experts have speculated that guerrilla fighters, known colloquially as "partisans,"may have played a role, given the nature of the blasts.

The official declined to say whether the Ukrainian military or special forces were also involved in the attacks. But he added, "Only thanks to the people who oppose Putin in the occupied territories and in Russia today, resistance is possible."

Read more here.

NBC News

Fri, Aug 19 20223:10 PM EDT

An aerial view of "Glory" named empty grain ship as Representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Turkiye and the United Nations (UN) of the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) conduct inspection on vessel in Istanbul, Turkiye on August 09, 2022.

Ali Atmaca | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

The organization overseeing the export of agricultural products from Ukraine said that so far 25 ships carrying grains and other crops have left Ukrainian ports.

The vessels have thus far transported a total of 600,000 metric tons of grains and other food through the humanitarian sea corridor under the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Amanda Macias

Fri, Aug 19 20222:39 PM EDT

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (R) makes a speech during a joint press conference with Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov (L) in Odesa, Ukraine on August 19, 2022.

Vladimir Shtanko | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres gave an impassioned speech at the Ukrainian port of Odesa as the Kremlin's war enters its sixth month.

"It is very emotional for me to be here today in Odesa.I just saw wheat being loaded into a ship again," Guterres said from a dock. "This port is a symbol of what the world can do when we commit to working together for the common good," he added.

Guterres, who met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, called each departing ship a "vessel of hope."

"Hope for Ukrainian farmers finally rewarded for their harvest with storage being freed up for more.Hope for seafarers and the larger shipping community, knowing that it is once again possible to sail through the Black Sea safely and efficiently.And, most of all, hope for the world's most vulnerable people and countries," Guterres said.

Last month, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations signed a deal that would reopen three Ukrainian ports for agricultural product export.

Amanda Macias

Fri, Aug 19 20221:53 PM EDT

Ukrainian servicemen fire an M777 howitzer, Kharkiv Region, northeastern Ukraine. This photo cannot be distributed in the Russian Federation.

Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy | Future Publishing | Getty Images

The U.S. for the first time said it will give Ukraine Scan Eagle surveillance drones, mine-resistant vehicles, anti-armor rounds and howitzer weapons to help Ukrainian forces regain territory and mount a counteroffensive against Russian invaders.

A Boeing Co. ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sits on display at the Singapore Airshow held at the Changi Exhibition Centre in Singapore, on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016.

SeongYoon Cho | Bloomberg | Getty Images

A senior defense official told reporters that a new $775 million aid package will include 15 Scan Eagles, 40 mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles known as MRAPs with mine-clearing rollers, and 2,000 anti-armor rounds that can help Ukraine troops move forward in the south and east, where Russian forces have placed mines. The official said the U.S. is looking to help shape and arm the Ukrainian force of the future as the war drags on.

A solider stands in front of a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) armored vehicle outside The Greenbrier resort ahead of a Salute to Service dinner with U.S. President Donald Trump, not pictured, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, U.S., on Tuesday, July 3, 2018.

Luke Sharrett | Bloomberg | Getty Images

This latest aid comes as Russia's war on Ukraine is about to reach the six-month mark. It brings the total U.S. military aid to Ukraine to about $10.6 billion since the beginning of the Biden administration. It is the 19th time the Pentagon has provided equipment from Defense Department stocks to Ukraine since August 2021.

The U.S. has provided howitzer ammunition in the past, but this is the first time it will send 16 of the weapon systems.

Associated Press

Fri, Aug 19 20221:01 PM EDT

Emmanuel Macron, France's president, will have a more difficult time in his second mandate after losing his parliament majority.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin about Russian forces at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

"Macron once again emphasized his concern over the risks that the situation at the Zaporizhzhia plant poses to nuclear safety and security and expressed his support for sending a mission of IAEA experts to the site as quickly as possible, under conditions approved by Ukraine and the United Nations," according to an Elysee Palace readout of the call.

Putin indicated to Macron that he would support the IAEA deployment to the site following additional discussions about the scope of the mission.

The two leaders are expected to speak again in the coming days, according to the readout of their call.

Amanda Macias

Fri, Aug 19 202212:14 PM EDT

A woman walks by apartment building damaged after shelling the day before in Ukraine's second-biggest city of Kharkiv on March 8, 2022.

Sergey Bobok | AFP | Getty Images

Ukraine's state emergency service said the death toll has risen in Kharkiv after Russian strikes hit two residential buildings.

The service said on itsFacebook pagethat 21 civilians have died and that search and rescue operations have concluded. The service added that nine people were rescued from the rubble.

The Kremlin has previously said that it does not target civilian infrastructure.

Amanda Macias

Fri, Aug 19 202211:07 AM EDT

A Ukrainian Emergency Ministry rescuer attends an exercise in the city of Zaporizhzhia on Aug. 17, 2022, in case of a nuclear accident at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant located near the city.

Dimitar Dilkoff | Afp | Getty Images

AKremlin official said that IAEA access to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant may be granted in the "first days of September."

"It's too early to say anything about the details, these are all extremely sensitive issues," said Mikhail Ulyanov of Russia's foreign ministry, according to an NBC News translation of a TASS report.

"Forecasts do not always come true, but, according to my feelings, we can quite realistically talk about the first days of September, unless some extraneous factors that are not related to the goals arise again and objectives of the IAEA visit," Ulyanov added.

For months, Western governments have pressed Russia to allow IAEA inspectors access to the occupied nuclear power plant facility.

Amanda Macias

Fri, Aug 19 20229:02 AM EDT

A serviceman with a Russian flag on his uniform stands guard near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict outside the Russian-controlled city of Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine August 4, 2022.

Alexander Ermochenko | Reuters

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the world is on the verge of a nuclear disaster as tensions mount over theRussian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

"The world is on a verge of nuclear disaster due to occupation of world's third largest nuclear power plant in Energodar, Zaporizhzhia region," Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter.

Russian forces took control of Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest nuclear power plant, shortly after a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"How long will it take the global community to respond to Russia's irresponsible actions and nuclear blackmailing," Zelenskyy added on Twitter.

Amanda Macias

Fri, Aug 19 20229:04 AM EDT

Smoke billows and explosions erupt from a Russian munitions depot in Dzhankoi on August 16, 2022.

Marie-laure Messana | AFP | Getty Images

Explosions and fires have been reported at military facilities in Russia and the territory it occupies in Ukraine, suggesting more sabotage attacks far into enemy lines. Ukraine has not publicly taken responsibility for any of the incidents, and Russia so far does not acknowledge that its bases have been attacked.

In Russia's Belgorod province near the Ukrainian border, two villages had to be evacuated due to a fire at an ammunition depot. "An ammunition depot caught fire near the village of Timonovo" some 30 miles from Ukraine's border, but there were no casualties, a statement by regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

Several explosions were also reported in Crimea, the third such incident in the Russian-occupied peninsula in less than two weeks, near Russia's Belbek airbase. Russian authorities there say there was no damage and no casualties. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Ukraine is believed to be ramping up its counter-offensive in the south, which is heavily occupied by Russian forces. The strategy involves blowing up supply routes, vital bridges and military sites used by Russia to supply its forces in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned civilians to stay away from Russian military facilities.

Natasha Turak

Fri, Aug 19 20228:20 AM EDT

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