cypher

Russian soldiers boast of attack on unarmed civilian cyclist, video later deleted

KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO — 23 August, 18:35

The Telegram channel of Russia's 3rd Combined Arms Army has released footage of a Russian drone attacking an unarmed cyclist in civilian clothing in Donetsk Oblast.


The original post of Russia's 3rd Army
Screenshot: ASTRA

Source: Astra, a Russian media outlet

Details: Astra drew attention to a video posted on the 3rd Combined Arms Army's official Telegram channel on 21 August.

The video shows a drone attacking an unarmed man riding a bicycle in civilian clothing.

"Servicemen from the 2nd Artillery Brigade have eliminated enemy manpower using FPV drones near the settlement of Vasylivska Pustosh. Once again, the enemy is losing personnel and their shelters. There is nowhere left to hide from our fighters," the video description read.

After Astra reported on the incident, the 3rd Army's Telegram channel deleted the footage showing a drone attacking the cyclist.

Deliberate military attacks on civilians constitute a grave violation of international humanitarian law and are classified as war crimes.

Ukrainska Pravda

"anxiety now is the main sentiment"

Loading Twitter/X Embed...
If tweet fails to load, click here.

"Total Blackout": Why Crimea is without power and what threat this poses to the Crimean Peninsula

Sergey Koval
August 20, 2026, 5:11 PM

A total blackout occurred in Russian-annexed Crimea after a fire at a substation in Taman, Russia, supplying power to the Crimean power bridge. Krym.Realii investigated the power transmitted via the power bridge to the Crimean peninsula and the consequences of this power facility's failure.

On the night of August 20, annexed Crimea was subjected to a massive attack by Ukrainian drones. According to the Telegram channel "Krymskiy Veter," citing its subscribers, explosions were heard in Yevpatoria, Saki, Feodosia (including near the Kafa electrical substation), Alushta, and the Bakhchisaray, Saki, and Nizhnegorsk districts.

At 1:45 a.m., a complete blackout occurred—the entire Crimean peninsula was without power, as reported by Crimean public groups and social media users.

The Crimean Wind monitoring group, after analyzing data from NASA Firms satellites, noted a fire on the Taman Peninsula in Russia's Krasnodar Krai. Thermal signatures covered part of the Taman 500/220/10 kV substation.

"It (the electrical substation – KR ) is a key element of the power bridge from Kuban to Crimea. That's why the power went out throughout Crimea at 1:45 a.m.," the monitoring group notes .

"The Energy Bridge is a crucial element in Crimea's electricity supply from Russia. Its peak capacity is slightly over 800 megawatts—more than half of the peninsula's maximum demand. Now that the Ukrainian Defense Forces have damaged all major generating facilities to varying degrees—the Balaklava Thermal Power Plant, the Tavricheskaya Thermal Power Plant, and the Sakskaya Thermal Power Plant—the Energy Bridge remains the main source. Its complete shutdown will not disrupt Crimea's power grid, but it will lead to very tight power supply schedules for the population. We could be talking about a 'two hours on, ten hours off' scenario," a Simferopol-based activist with the international movement for the liberation of Crimea #LIBERATECRIMEA, working in the energy sector, told Krym.Realii on condition of anonymity.

RFE/RL

Power outages in Kyiv after deadly Russian attack

August 19, 2026, 06:51 PM

Just after midnight on Aug. 20, Russia launched another missile attack at the Ukrainian capital, targeting infrastructure facilities and killing at least three people.

The initial salvo of ballistic missiles and hypersonic Zircons was followed by a handful of sea-launched Kalibr cruise missiles. A barrage of air-launched Kh-101 cruise missiles followed several hours later.

According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, a school and a children’s hospital were damaged in the Solomyanskyi district, along with several residential buildings. As of 3:00 a.m. local time, authorities reported three fatalities and 20 people injured in the missile strike.

NV

UPDATE:

Woman's body recovered from under rubble in Kyiv, death toll rises to 15 –

Ukrainska Pravda

Loading Twitter/X Embed...
If tweet fails to load, click here.

Developed by DG Industry, it carries a 250 kg warhead, has a range of 10–130 km and costs nearly three times less than a US JDAM.

NATO says drone shot down in Romania appears to be Russian

Olha Kovalchuk, Roman Petrenko — 16 August, 13:41

US Colonel Martin O'Donnell, a spokesperson for the Headquarters of the Supreme Allied Powers Europe, has said the drone shot down in Romania on the night of 15-16 August appears to be Russian.

Source: Reuters, citing O'Donnell, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Commenting on the drone being shot down over Romania by a Spanish fighter jet, O'Donnell said the Alliance is constantly vigilant and prepared to defend itself against any threat.

"Additional details regarding Sunday's incident remain under investigation, but the drone appears to be Russian," the NATO spokesperson said.

The Romanian Ministry of Defence did not specify the drone's origin, saying radar had detected it entering the south-eastern part of the country from neighbouring Moldova, 24 km (15 miles) north of the city of Galai.

Romania, which shares a 614 km (382-mile) land border with Ukraine, has reported repeated violations of its airspace by Russian drones over the past four years, as well as floating mines in the Black Sea along key trade and energy routes.

Background: On the night of 15-16 August, an F-18 fighter jet from the Spanish Air and Space Force, which was patrolling Romanian airspace, shot down an unidentified drone that had violated the country's airspace.

Ukrainska Pravda

WSJ: Ukrainian drone operators defeat US unit during exercise in Germany

Mariya Yemets, Anastasia Prots — 13 August, 14:11

During the Combined Resolve exercise in Germany, Ukrainian drone operators from the Nemesis unit – the 412th Brigade of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces – quickly detected and simulated strikes on vehicles belonging to a US mechanised brigade, demonstrating their advantage in the use of drones.

Source: European Pravda, citing The Wall Street Journal

Details: The Combined Resolve exercise in Germany, held in April and May, showed that the US troops from Texas taking part were unprepared for the capabilities of Ukrainian drone operators.

Under the exercise scenario, troops from a US mechanised brigade were advancing on the positions of a simulated enemy. Sources told the WSJ that the opposing force included Ukrainian drone operators from the 412th Nemesis Brigade of the Unmanned Systems Forces alongside various other units.

The Americans had standard electronic warfare and counter-drone systems. During the mechanised "assault", the Ukrainian pilots easily detected US vehicles and simulated attacks using drone-dropped munitions and FPV kamikaze drones. No live munitions were used, with a "hit" recorded when a drone manoeuvred extremely close to its target.

Ultimately, the attacking force was "destroyed" so quickly that troops deemed to have been hit were brought back into the exercise as reinforcements to keep the war game going.

Meanwhile, the exercise showed that the US drone operators lacked the skills to troubleshoot problems quickly and prepare drones in conditions resembling actual combat.

The exercise scenario was subsequently repeated, and the US troops learned to disperse more effectively, improve their camouflage and make better use of electronic warfare systems.

During subsequent iterations, the Ukrainian drone operators were moved to the other side and demonstrated how uncrewed technologies could be used in offensive operations.

General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said that this kind of training experience cannot be replicated in the United States and that the changes seen after NATO exercises involving Ukrainians are significant.

According to one US source, this was not the first time Ukrainian troops had demonstrated an advantage while training against US forces. In 2023, one US officer involved in an exercise acknowledged that the US already had much to learn from Ukrainian forces about the use of drones and developed a training programme that was subsequently introduced in US units.

Ukrainska Pravda