Aug 21 (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Ukrainians to be alert ahead of Independence Day on Wednesday, which also marks six months since Russia’s invasion, as fresh explosions hit Crimea and a missile injured 12 civilians near a nuclear power plant in the south. Read more
FIGHT
* Four children were among those injured in the missile attack in Voznesensk, 30 km (20 miles) from the Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant, the governor of the Mykolaiv region said.
* A drone struck a building in a “failed” strike near the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Russian-annexed Crimea, Moscow-appointed governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said.
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* In the eastern Donbas region, Russian forces have approached the outskirts of the town of Bakhmut but have not broken into the built-up area, Britain’s defense ministry said.
* Russia’s defense ministry accused Ukraine of poisoning some of its servicemen in the Russian-controlled part of the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region in late July. An adviser to Ukraine’s interior ministry said Russian forces may have eaten expired canned meat. Read more
* Reuters could not independently confirm reports from the battlefield.
PEOPLE
* Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk set his sights on rival world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury after beating Britain’s Anthony Joshua in a split points decision to retain his WBA, WBO, IBF belts and the IBF at the “Rage on the Red Sea” in Jeddah. Read more
DIPLOMACY, ECONOMY
* Two Russians and a Ukrainian caught trying to break into a military plant in central Albania were suspected of espionage, Albanian authorities said. One of the Russians was trying to take pictures, the defense ministry said. Read more
* The Caspian Pipeline Consortium has suspended oil cargoes from two of three single berths at its Black Sea terminal Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka for inspections, two people familiar with the cargoes told Reuters. Read more
* The United Nations is working with the United States and the European Union to overcome obstacles preventing Russian food and fertilizer from reaching world markets, UN chief Antonio Guterres said. Read more
* The Russian-controlled part of the Zaporizhzhia region exports up to 7,000 tons of grain a day, Russian-installed authorities said. Read more
* US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo warned that Russian entities and individuals were trying to use Turkey to avoid Western sanctions, during a call with Turkey’s Deputy Finance Minister Yunus Elitas. Read more
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Compiled by Simon Lewis and William Mallard
Our standards: the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.