Meet the Ukrainian bomb builders and arsenal repairers who have exceeded their production targets by 600 per cent since February.
The images offer a rare glimpse inside Ukraine’s military manufacturing and repair facilities, showing workers putting bombs together and fixing damaged equipment, all under the watchful eye of a pet cat.
The first piece of footage was obtained from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on Saturday, 20th August, along with a statement saying: “These are highly qualified rocket logisticians, military personnel of one of the divisions of the Logistics Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“From 24th February, 2022 to today, they have exceeded the task of the annual plan to provide missile and artillery weapons by 600 percent!
“Steel power and unwavering will! We believe in the Armed Forces!”
The images and statement were relayed by the Central Air Command of the Ukrainian Air Forces.
The General Staff also released a second piece of footage apparently showing weaponry being repaired and saying: “Masters of engine logistics, cleaners, assemblers, assemblers… narrow-profile technical support specialists… Selfless and courageous work! These are mobile repair groups working on the front lines! These are high-quality and quickly repaired samples of weapons in workshops, in particular, those that come from partner countries.
“The face of the logistics of the Armed Forces. According to the classic Winston Churchill – the bright flower of Victory will bloom!”
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 180th day of the war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 22nd August, Russia had lost about 45,400 personnel, 1,919 tanks, 4,230 armoured combat vehicles, 1,032 artillery units, 266 multiple launch rocket systems, 145 air defence systems, 234 warplanes, 198 helicopters, 815 drones, 194 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 3,149 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 99 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower, but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that “Russia may try to do something particularly ugly, something particularly vicious” as Ukraine prepares to celebrate 31 years of independence from the Soviet Union on Wednesday, 24th August. Large gatherings have been banned in Kyiv for four days beginning today (Monday, 22nd August).
Ukraine’s military has warned that Russian forces are positioning missile-capable warships and submarines in the Black Sea and air defence systems in Belarus.
Zaporizhzhia Regional Governor Valentyn Reznichenko has said that the city of Nikopol, which is located on the right bank of the Dnipro River not far from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – Europe’s largest – was shelled during the night of Sunday to Monday.
The US, the UK, Germany and France have urged for military restraint around the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed to send a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect the plant, the Elysee Palace said in a statement.
Ukrainian officials have said that five Russian Kalibr cruise missiles were fired from the Black Sea at the Odesa region. Two were shot down by Ukrainian air defences while three of the Russian missile hit agricultural targets and caused no casualties.
Russia claimed on Sunday that the missiles had hit an ammunition depot that contained US-made HIMARS rockets, but Ukraine said that the Russians had hit a granary.
Darya Dugina, 30, whose father is Russian political commentator Alexander Dugin, 60, an ultranationalist Russian ideologue and Vladimir Putin ally, was killed in a car bomb on the outskirts of Moscow on Saturday night.
Former Russian MP and lawmaker Ilya Ponomarev, who is currently in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, has claimed that the attack was carried out by Russian partisans from a group allegedly called the National Republican Army.
Ponomarev claimed that the National Republican Army is an underground group in Russia geared towards overthrowing Putin’s regime. Ponomarev said: “This attack opens a new page in Russian resistance to Putinism.”
We have not been able to independently verify the claims.
Russian commentators have blamed Ukraine for the attack, which Kyiv has vehemently denied.
The Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement on Sunday that it believes someone planned and ordered the car explosion that killed Dugina, based on evidence collected at the scene.
