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Today’s focus: Ukrainian military’s F-16 fighter jets shoot down Russian missiles; Ukrainian ballistic missile test successful, mysterious Ukrainian “Victory Plan”; Ukrainian forces once again breach Russian-Ukrainian border, both sides engaging in strategic maneuvers; Ukrainian military sets new record for long-range drone attacks; Israeli hostage miraculously escapes, Israeli military defeats Hezbollah’s saturation attacks.
It is worth noting that Russia’s consecutive large-scale missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian civilian facilities after Ukraine’s Independence Day have successfully angered the Ukrainian people, including President Zelensky, triggering the use of various new weapons by Ukraine in response to the attacks.
President Zelensky held a press conference on August 27, revealing many previously unknown secrets, including the surprising revelation that Ukrainian F-16 fighter jets have been deployed.
Zelensky confirmed for the first time in the press conference that Ukrainian forces used F-16 fighter jets to shoot down Russian missiles. This is believed to be the first confirmed engagement and victory of Ukrainian F-16s, with military experts speculating that the F-16s likely downed Russia’s Kh-101 medium-range cruise missile.
There have been claims that the F-16s provided to Ukraine by the US were outdated, but according to the latest report from the “Defense Express,” the US has equipped Ukrainian F-16s with the latest electronic warfare systems specifically designed to counter Russian air defense systems, a system that not even NATO allies have installed.
During the press conference, Zelensky also confirmed another major breakthrough for Ukrainian forces, successful testing of domestically produced ballistic missiles. This means Ukraine no longer needs approval from the US and NATO to bomb most of Russia’s territory, including Moscow. Zelensky also stated that the Russia-Ukraine war will ultimately end through dialogue, but Ukraine is not prepared to negotiate the exchange of its territories in any talks.
Despite Ukrainian forces advancing on Russian soil, Zelensky has not let the current strategic advantage cloud his judgment and remains rational about the direction of the war, leaving room for both sides to conclude the conflict peacefully. The most interesting aspect of the press conference for me was Zelensky’s first disclosure of the Ukrainian “Victory Plan.”
This “Victory Plan” reportedly includes four main points to be submitted to President Biden in September, with Zelensky mentioning that it will also be shared with the two US presidential candidates for the next term: Trump and Harris. However, the details of these four points remain unknown, aside from the key operation in Kurzsk mentioned by Zelensky, making the rest only known once Biden, Trump, and Harris are informed.
Additionally, according to Ukrainian media reports, Ukraine will submit a list of US tactical missiles to strike Russian mainland targets to Biden, attempting to persuade the Biden administration to lift restrictions on using US long-range weapons in Russia. Biden and Zelensky are expected to discuss the issue of lifting restrictions during the UN General Assembly in New York in September. Once the restrictions are lifted, we can foresee significant changes on the Russia-Ukraine battlefield.
At the press conference, Zelensky also announced a non-military decision that could further unsettle Russia: Ukraine will no longer allow the transit of natural gas through Ukrainian pipelines.
Although the war has been ongoing for over two years, Russia has continued to profit by supplying natural gas through Ukrainian pipelines to several European countries, including Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia. Zelensky’s decision signals an end to these arrangements, indicating that Ukraine will no longer facilitate the flow of natural gas for these European countries.
In addition to the strategic information revealed by Zelensky, Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmyhal revealed specific details about Ukraine’s weapon production capabilities. Shmyhal stated that Ukraine currently has the capacity to produce more than one million drones annually, with a localization rate of 98%. After over two years of rapid development, Ukraine now possesses a range of weapons for comprehensive victory, including domestically produced artillery and unique attack drones.
On the morning of August 27, Russia reported that Ukrainian forces once again breached the Russian-Ukrainian border, entering the Belgorod region of Russia. This incursion signifies a shift in Ukrainian military tactics, following Zelensky’s directive to act discreetly. While Ukrainian forces previously launched attacks from Kurzsk into Belgorod after entering Russia, this direct assault into Belgorod from the Ukrainian border appears to be a first.
The attack involved over 60 Ukrainian soldiers riding in 8 American-made Stryker infantry fighting vehicles, launching a surprise raid at two crossing points on the Russian-Ukrainian border. After engaging Russian border forces in combat, Ukrainian troops entered the Belgorod region of Russia. If confirmed by the Ukrainian side, this would mean that Ukrainian forces have attacked Russia from three different directions.
Ukrainian Commander Serlsky stated on the 27th that Ukrainian forces had occupied 100 settlements in the Kurzsk region of Russia, capturing 594 Russian soldiers. However, he highlighted a major crisis in the Ukrainian front lines: Russian forces are amassing in the Pokrovsk region of Ukraine’s Donetsk area, posing a significant challenge for Ukrainian forces.
He mentioned that around 30,000 Russian troops have been redeployed from the eastern front in Ukraine back to the Kurzsk region of Russia, while strengthening deployments in the Pokrovsk area. It appears both Russian and Ukrainian forces are employing the tactic of “encircling Wei to rescue Zhao.”
The tactics and developments of the Russia-Ukraine war have brought about unprecedented changes. While attention is focused on the battlefields of Kurzsk in Russia and Pokrovsk in Ukraine, a revelation by the Russian side has shocked military enthusiasts.
On August 27, a Russian military blogger reported the presence of a large number of drones and unmanned boats gathering in the Ukrainian Black Sea city of Odessa, with a total of nearly a thousand units. This has raised fears that a large-scale coordinated attack by Ukrainian forces on the Crimean Peninsula is imminent. Military analysts have speculated that Ukraine’s strategic intention to breach Russian territory has many variables, but a significant aspect is to influence the adversary, whether it be Kharkiv, Moscow, or Crimea.
As Ukrainian forces continue their assault on Kurzsk, they encounter increasing resistance, often facing minefields set by Russian forces as the first obstacle. The 49th Assault Engineering Battalion, a Ukrainian support unit, has become the vanguard in clearing paths through minefields to ensure subsequent attacking forces can advance unimpeded.
In another hotspot, the Donetsk area of Ukraine, Ukrainian Special Forces from the 425th Battalion engaged in seven assault battles with Russian forces on August 24. A video footage captured Ukrainian tanks successfully seizing and clearing Russian positions.
On August 26, Ukrainian forces again set a record for long-range drone attacks, employing new rocket drones to bomb the largest Omsk refinery in Russia, located three thousand kilometers away. The attack resulted in significant damage to half of the refinery’s production lines, with a fire area exceeding one thousand square meters.
On August 27, Israeli President Herzog announced that an Israeli hostage kidnapped by Hamas miraculously escaped and was safely rescued back to Israel.
A hostage named Akadi, who was held captive by Hamas in a cage in the city of Odessa, found a way to escape, hiding in a tunnel before ultimately being rescued by Israeli special forces and intelligence agents, which can be considered a miracle. However, there are still 104 Israeli hostages in Hamas custody whose whereabouts remain unknown. At the same time, the Israeli military deployed drones to strike the joint command center of Hamas and Islamic Jihad on the West Bank, resulting in the confirmed death of five terrorists, three of whom were released by Israel in a previous hostage exchange with Hamas.
Reports indicate that Israel recently thwarted a major attack planned by Hezbollah in Lebanon, where Hezbollah intended to launch 6,000 rockets and drones in a saturation attack on Israel on August 25. The leakage of this information allowed Israel to preemptively mobilize 100 fighter jets to destroy most of Hezbollah’s armaments.
As Hezbollah’s grand operations always end in minimal impact relative to their grand threats, even Muslim guests on Egyptian TV couldn’t resist mocking Hezbollah’s actions.
Well, that’s all for this edition of “Current Affairs Highlights”. We appreciate your support, so please subscribe to our channel, like, comment, and share. Your direct financial support would be greatly appreciated. See you next time.
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