New Wagner camp under construction near Ukraine's border

The construction of another camp for Wagner Group fighters has begun in Zyabrovka airfield in Belarus, Ukraine's National Resistance Center reported on Aug. 8.

Zyabrovka is located near Gomel in southeastern Belarus, about 40 kilometers from the border with Chernihiv Oblast in Ukraine.

The center said that in the future, there is a plan to deploy mercenaries to imitate "subversive activities" on the border with Ukraine.

On July 21, the Ukrainian military reported that Russian sabotage units tried unsuccessfully to cross the Ukrainian border into Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts.

Both regions were invaded and partially occupied during Russia's initial onslaught in February 2022, but the invading forces withdrew in April after the Kremlin failed to take Kyiv.

Thousands of Wagner fighters have recently moved into Belarus at Minsk's invitation following the mercenary group's short-lived rebellion against the Kremlin in late June.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed that he brokered a deal that meant the fighters would leave Russia.

Minsk has claimed that the mercenaries are training the Belarusian military, with exercises taking place in the westernmost Brest Oblast close to the Polish border.

The Polish Defense Ministry said on Aug. 1 that two Belarusian helicopters violated the country's airspace during exercises.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on July 29 that over 100 Wagner mercenaries were also deployed in the Grodno region of Belarus near the Suwalki Gap, from where they could infiltrate into Poland.

The Suwałki Gap is strategically important because it is located between Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

Lithuania, another country that borders Belarus, plans to close two border checkpoints due to the presence of the Wagner Group, Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reported on Aug. 4, citing Deputy Interior Minister Arnoldas Abramavicius.

Ukraine's National Resistance Center reported on July 27 that the paramilitary organization is recruiting fighters in Belarus under the condition that they are ready to participate in hostilities in neighboring countries, such as Poland and Lithuania.

Number of wounded in Pokrovsk rises to 88, 7 killed, early reports show no one under rubble

Pavlo Kyrylenko, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, reported an update on air during the 24/7 national joint newscast that 88 people had been wounded and seven killed. He added that the information is being collected promptly from hospitals. Representatives of military administrations are present there.

Media Reported Why Germany Refuses to Supply Taurus Missiles to Ukraine

The German government's reluctance stems from fears that Kyiv might use these missiles to strike Russian territory. Additionally, the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) have only 150 missiles ready for deployment.

As reported by Bild, the number of usable Taurus missiles in Germany is actually greater, with over 300 cruise missiles having undergone major refurbishment at the MBDA arms production consortium and are ready for use.

Journalists point out that major refurbishment is carried out every ten years. More than 300 Taurus missiles have renewed their seals, and GPS navigation improved for better protection.

Moreover, they mention that the use of these missiles by Ukrainian fighter jets should not be too challenging from a technical standpoint. Since May, the Ukrainian Air Force has been employing Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles from MBDA, supplied by the United Kingdom and France.

Earlier, the head of the permanent delegation of the Verkhovna Rada to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Yehor Cherniev, announced that he received information from German colleagues about the agreement of key Bundestag parliamentary groups to send long-range missiles Taurus to Ukraine.

At the end of May, Ukraine officially asked Germany to provide it with Taurus cruise missiles ranging up to 500 kilometers. However, since then, they have consistently received refusals, despite the UK and France's decision to supply long-range missiles.

Russians attacked Zaporizhzhia Oblast with projectiles loaded with a chemical substance

The Russians have launched two artillery attacks from multiple-launch rocket systems with the projectiles filled with a chemical substance, likely chloropicrin, on an area near the settlement of Novodanylivka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Yesterday (on 6 August – ed.), they launched two artillery attacks from multiple-launch rocket systems near the settlement of Novodanylivka, using projectiles filled with a chemical substance (likely chloropicrin). This attack has not resulted in any victims.