Russia shoots down Ukrainian drone near Moscow, according to defense ministry
From CNN's Uliana Pavlova
Russia intercepted a Ukrainian drone attack on the Moscow region, Russia's defense ministry said on Saturday.
“This afternoon, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack by an aircraft-type UAV on objects in Moscow and the Moscow region was thwarted,” according to a defense ministry statement.
“The drone was jammed and fell near the settlement of Putilkovo, which is near the Russian capital, causing no casualties or damage,” the ministry said.
In recent months, drone attacks on the Russian capital and other regions have increased. On Friday, Russia temporarily shuttered all four major Moscow airports following an alleged drone strike on the capital city, its civil aviation authority said.
8:46 a.m. ET, August 19, 2023
It's mid-afternoon in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
In this screengrab taken from video provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters work on the roof of a theater damaged by a Russian missile attack in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on August 19. Ukrainian Emergency Service/AP
The attack came on a major holiday in the Orthodox calendar, the Feast of the Transfiguration, with a lot of people out on the streets. More news is expected to follow.
Here's what else you need to know:
More Russian attacks: In Kherson, a woman was killed by shelling Saturday morning, according to the regional prosecutor's office. And overnight, two women were wounded by a Russian air raid on Khmelnytskyi that damaged more than 30 houses, the deputy head of the region's military administration said.
Ukraine strikes back: A Ukrainian drone attack has damaged a plane at a Russian military airfield in the country's northwest Novgorod region, according to Russia's defense ministry. No one was hurt or killed, officials said. Also on Saturday, Ukraine’s Air Force claimed it had destroyed 15 of Russia's Iranian-made Shahed drones, and carried out “more than 10 group attacks on enemy targets, areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment.”
Leaders on the move: While Russian President Vladimir Putin visits generals overseeing the offensive in Ukraine, including Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov in Rostov-on-Don, Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky is in Sweden, where he will meet with the Swedish monarchs, the prime minister and other officials, according to his Telegram account.
Russia issues sanctions: Moscow has barred 54 more British citizens from entering the country, according to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The government accused the individuals and entities of involvement in "propaganda support of the activities of the (Ukrainian) Zelensky regime." The sanctions list includes several government ministers, as well as journalists and a British prosecutor.
F-16 approval: Ukrainian pilots will begin training on F-16 fighter jets in Denmark later in August, the Danish defense ministry said Friday. The US has approved transferring instructional materials on the jets to Ukraine — a critical step to begin the training, a Biden administration official said. The US has already committed to approving the transfer of F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine as soon as training is complete, according to a US official.
10:18 a.m. ET, August 19, 2023
Toll rises again from Chernihiv missile attack, with 7 confirmed dead and 90 injured
From CNN's Maria Kostenko
Damage is seen following a Russian missile strike in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on August 19. Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty Images
Seven people are now confirmed dead from the Russian missile strike on the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Saturday, Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko said.
“The body of one more victim was discovered in Chernihiv. An unidentified woman. The death toll has risen to 7,” he said on Telegram.
“90 injured people applied for medical assistance. Among them are 10 police officers and 12 children. 25 people have been hospitalised.
"A 12-year-old girl is being urgently transferred by ambulance to Kyiv city. The child is in grave condition,” he added.
The missile hit the city center, where people were leaving church. It struck a theater and a university.
8:36 a.m. ET, August 19, 2023
Analysis: Why F-16 jets can’t come soon enough for Ukraine
From CNN's chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh
Portuguese Air Force F-16 military fighter jets participate in NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission in Lithuanian airspace near Siauliai, on May 23. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images
The depth and frequency of craters across the frontline city of Orikhiv are a blunt example of why Ukraine needs F-16 fighter jets urgently.
Ukrainian troops amassed around the city have the unenviable task of pushing through minefields toward an enemy that has long anticipated their advance.
But their biggest handicap is the one they rarely hear until it is too late. Russian jets fire half-metric-ton bombs that glide in from afar – from outside the reach of Ukraine’s air defenses – and then devastate Ukrainian positions at will. Sometimes as many as 20 in as many minutes are launched into Orikhiv.
Ukrainian radar systems provide some warning, coupled with the brief and ominous roar of an incoming missile. But the eventual target is often obliterated without notice.
Residential buildings destroyed by Russian shelling in Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia, in southeastern Ukraine, on August 10. Stringer/Reuters
So when Ukraine says it urgently needs F-16s, it is because Ukrainian troops are dying daily because of Russian air superiority. Despite Western promises, even the training is yet to begin, with Ukraine saying that they don’t expect to receive jets until next year.
Ukrainian troops know all too well the impact F-16s could have on Russian forces and the fight, as they are suffering the same from Russian jets now.
One Ukrainian marine in the southern front told CNN: “I perfectly understand what aviation is with its equipment and firepower. It is very scary.” He said the Russians would feel the same effects they have from F-16s. “It will make things a lot easier, as they won’t feel safe in their rear positions. Not everyone will be psychologically ready to go back to the trenches after an airstrike.”
At least 6 dead in Chernihiv, including young girl, Ukrainian official says
From CNN's Maria Kostenko and Sarah Dean
Ukrainian servicemen inspect a damaged area after a Russian missile attack in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, August 19. Efrem Lukatsky/AP
The death toll following a Russian missile strike on the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv has risen to at least six after a 6-year-old girl died in the hospital, according to Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko.
“Her mother is in grave condition. The police officers provided first aid to the girl. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to save her upon arrival at the hospital due to a heavy blood loss,” Klymenko said.
He said hospitals are operating at full capacity, with 36 people wounded, including police officers and court security officers. “These are civilians who were either on Chernihiv central square or returning from church,” he said.
“The Security Service and the Prosecutor's Office are documenting the crime. The missile hit the Palace of Culture in the city center. There were also people in the nearby cafes. Buildings in the old part of the city were destroyed,” he continued.
An air raid alert had sounded a few minutes before the missile struck, meaning most of the people inside the theater and outside were able to take shelter. “That’s what saved a lot of people’s lives,” Klymenko added.
Acting mayor of Chernihiv, Oleksandr Lomako, told national TV: "There is a park right behind the drama theater, many children and their parents usually spend time there. There are numerous restaurants with outdoor terraces located nearby as well. It all happened in the middle of the day when obviously there are many people in the city center."
“This crime cannot be interpreted except as a war crime against civilians,” he added.
Lomako said a lot of buildings around the drama theater in Krasna Square were damaged, with "rocket fragments and broken windows.”
9:29 a.m. ET, August 19, 2023
Ukrainian drone damages plane at military airfield in northwestern Russia, Moscow says
From CNN's Uliana Pavlova
A Ukrainian drone has damaged a plane at a military airfield in Russia's northwest Novgorod region, according to a statement from the Russian defense ministry.
The attack occurred around 10 a.m. Moscow time (3 a.m. ET), and was carried out by "a copter-type UAV," the defense ministry said Saturday, using an acronym for unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones.
The UAV was spotted by an observation post at the airfield and shot with small arms, the Russian officials said.
“A fire broke out in the aircraft parking lot, which was quickly extinguished by fire brigades,” the statement added.
The defense ministry said there were no casualties as a result of the attack.
Correction: An earlier version of this post inaccurately identified the location of the airfield. The strike occurred in Russia's northwest Novgorod region.
10:17 a.m. ET, August 19, 2023
At least 5 dead and 37 wounded in Chernihiv missile strike, Ukrainian official says
From CNN's Maria Kostenko and Sarah Dean
First responders work at the site of a Russian missile strike in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on August 19. National Police/Reuters
At least five people have been killed and 37 more have been wounded in a Russian missile strike on the center of the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv Saturday, according to Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko.
Saturday marks a major holiday in the Orthodox calendar, the Feast of the Transfiguration, which Klymenko said meant "people were leaving the church with baskets of blessed apples" when the attack happened. On this day, apples and honey are consecrated in churches.
The attack hit a theater and university in the city center and 11 children are among the wounded, he said.
Video shared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and geolocated by CNN shows debris and damaged cars surrounding the Taras Shevchenko Chernihiv Regional Academic Music and Drama Theatre.
The strike took place around 11:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. ET).
A drone demonstration day — a meeting with Ukrainian UAV manufacturers, flight school representatives and military personnel who use drones at the front line — had been announced to take place in the city on Saturday.
6:59 a.m. ET, August 19, 2023
BREAKING: Deaths reported as Russian missile hits university and theater in Chernihiv
From CNN's Maria Kostenko
People stand near the site of a Russian missile strike in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on August 19. National Police/Reuters
A Russian missile strike has hit the center of the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, turning "an ordinary Saturday... into a day of pain and loss," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram.
"There are dead, there are wounded," Zelensky said.
Oleksandr Lomako, acting mayor of Chernihiv city, said the number of victims is being clarified.
"A Russian missile hit right in the center of the city, in our Chernihiv. A square, the polytechnic university, a theater," Zelensky said.
Emergency services are working at the scene, Lomako added.
We will bring you more on this story as we get it.
6:24 a.m. ET, August 19, 2023
Ukrainian President Zelensky to meet the king during visit to Sweden
From CNN's Maria Kostenko
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Sweden where he will meet with various officials including Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, he said on Telegram Saturday.
Others he is expected to meet are King Carl XVI, Queen Silvia, Speaker Andreas Norlén and heads of parliamentary parties.
"I would like to personally thank Sweden for supporting our struggle for freedom and independence," Zelensky said.
"Our primary task is the strengthening of Ukrainian warriors on the ground and in the sky, the development of bilateral cooperation, in particular in the defense industry, Ukraine's European integration and common security in the Euro-Atlantic space. Our full support for Sweden on its way to NATO," Zelensky added.
