Following a significant assault, allegedly of Russian origin: Zelensky denounces the incidents as calculated atrocities

Russian onslaught results in Zelensky labeling fatalities as calculated atrocities

In the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the past 24 hours have seen a series of significant developments.

Renowned US military expert John Spencer has assessed Russia's summer offensive as a failure, stating that Putin's army is still fighting "in many cases for villages only a few kilometers from the original Russian positions at the start of the full-scale invasion over three and a half years ago."

Meanwhile, the head of the military administration of the capital, Timur Tkatschenko, accused Russia of deliberately and consciously targeting civilian targets. This assertion was tragically proven when a fire broke out in the main government building in Kyiv following a Russian attack, resulting in two deaths, according to authorities. At least six people have died nationwide, with dozens injured, in the most severe Russian aerial attack since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

The attack hit numerous residential buildings and the government seat in Kyiv, causing a fire in various districts that have since been extinguished.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sharply criticized Russia for the largest drone attack on Ukraine since the start of the war, calling the resulting civilian deaths "intentional crimes" and an extension of the war.

In a separate incident, a Ukrainian drone strike caused a fire at the Ilsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region, according to Russian reports. The cityscape of Cherson is heavily marked by the war, with the district of Korabel having not a single undamaged high-rise left, according to Ukrainian media reports.

Poland and its allies have deployed military aircraft near the border due to Russian air attacks on western Ukraine. The Ukrainian General Staff reports 170 engagements along the frontline in the past 24 hours, with 52 of them in the Pokrovsk region alone. Intensified attacks by the invaders were also recorded in several other sectors.

Ukrainian troops lost five square kilometers at the Pokrovsk front to Russian invaders last month but managed to recover five times that amount. General Aleksandr Syrskyj, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, announced on Facebook that 26 square kilometers were recovered in August.

In a positive note, almost 60 percent of the weapons used by the Ukrainian military now come from domestic production, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andrij Melnyk, sees current discussions about sending German or European peacekeeping troops to Ukraine as a "sham debate." Thomas Jaeger, a political scientist, states that Russia is trying to politically win the war with brute force and warns against hoping for diplomatic signals as long as Putin does not feel real pressure.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov advocates for continuing the Ukraine war, stating that peace at the borders is only possible "if Ukraine becomes a region or district of Russia." Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov considers a renewed Russian mobilization possible, stating that it would be "painful but realistic" for Putin to use the newly conscripted soldiers as "cannon fodder."

The ongoing conflict has taken a heavy toll on both sides, with the Ukrainian General Staff reporting that the Russian army has lost 970 troops in the past 24 hours, either killed or wounded. This brings the total number of Russian casualties, according to Ukrainian estimates, to 1,088,150 since the start of the war in February 2022.

ntv reporter Jürgen Weichert followed the rescue operations in Kyiv after heavy Russian air attacks overnight and described live in a TV broadcast how unusual firefighting helicopters are in the area.

As the conflict continues, both sides remain resolute, with no signs of a ceasefire in sight. The international community continues to watch closely, hoping for a peaceful resolution to this ongoing crisis.