Ukraine war latest: Ukraine regains control of most of Tovste in Donetsk Oblast
Key developments on Aug. 21:
- Ukraine regains control of most of Tovste in Donetsk Oblast, military says
- Massive Russian drone, missile attack kills 1, injures 26 in Ukrainian cities far from front line despite peace talks
- Russian attack hits US electronics plant in western Ukraine
- Russia opposes European troops in Ukraine under Trump-backed security guarantees, Lavrov says
- Ukraine to mass produce long-range Flamingo missile in winter, Zelensky says
- Going around in circles — Trump sets new deadline for peace in Ukraine, Graham again threatens with tough legislation
Ukrainian forces have retaken most of the village of Tovste in eastern Donetsk Oblast, the country's Dnipro Group of Forces said on Aug. 21.
The 5th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade pushed Russian troops from the settlement through coordinated operations involving infantry, drone units and artillery, according to the military. Tovste is a front-line village southwest of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk and near the key occupied town of Vuhledar.
Earlier, on Aug, 17, Ukraine's military said they cleared Russian troops from several other villages in Donetsk Oblast including Hruzke, Rubizhne, Novovodiane, Petrivka, Vesele, and Zolotyi Kolodiaz.
The advance comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Aug. 21 that Russia would need another four years to fully occupy Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, despite Moscow's claims.
Russian drone, missile attack kills 1, injures 26 in Ukrainian cities far from front line
Russia launched a wave of missiles and drones targeting cities in western Ukraine, far from the front line, on Aug. 21, killing at least one and injuring 26. The attack caused fires at a large electronics plant in Mukachevo, with damage also reported in other cities, including Lviv.
The attack comes as Moscow continues to unleash daily attacks on Ukrainian civilians, despite the leader-level peace talks with the U.S. just six days prior.
"Last night, the Russian army set one of its crazy anti-records," Zelensky said following the attack.
Russia launched 574 drones overnight, including Shahed attack drones and decoys, as well as 40 missiles, among them four Kh-47 Kinzhal ballistic missiles and two Iskander-M or North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles, Ukraine’s Air Force reported.
Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 546 drones and 31 missiles, according to the statement.
Russian attack hits US electronics plant in western Ukraine
Russia attacked a factory owned by U.S. company Flex Ltd. in western Ukraine overnight on Aug. 21, less than a week after Russian President Vladimir Putin met U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska to discuss ending the war.
Flex Ltd. is an American publicly traded multinational company and one of the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturers.
It has been operating in Ukraine since 2000 and in 2012, opened the 55,000-square-meter Mukachevo plant in Zakarpattia Oblast that was targeted in Russia's attack. The plant employs over 2,600 people.
"This was an ordinary civilian facility with American investment. They produced everyday household items, such as coffee machines," Zelensky said after the attack.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also said the facility "has nothing to do with defense or the military." An employee at Flex told the Kyiv Independent that the plant does not produce any military equipment.
Russia launched 574 drones and decoys, and 40 missiles across Ukraine overnight, mostly targeting western regions far from the front lines. The attack on the area injured at least 23 people, local authorities said, and comes after both the Putin-Trump Alaska summit on Aug. 15 and Zelensky's meeting in Washington with Trump on Aug. 18.
Russia opposes European troops in Ukraine under Trump-backed security guarantees
Sending European troops to Ukraine as part of security guarantees would amount to "foreign military intervention," which Moscow won't support, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Aug. 21.
Lavrov's comments come as European leaders accelerate negotiations on a package of security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a peace deal to end Russia's war. Zelensky has demanded binding assurances from allies to prevent Russia from launching another invasion of Ukraine.
Bloomberg reported on Aug. 19 that the package of security guarantees for Ukraine might be finalized this week. European officials have reportedly discussed sending British and French troops to Ukraine, along with contingents from roughly 10 other countries.
Lavrov reiterated that the presence of foreign troops in Ukraine is unacceptable to Moscow, adding that Russia supports the "principles of security guarantees" agreed upon during the unsuccessful Istanbul meeting between Ukrainian and Russian delegations in 2022.
Leaked documents from 2022 show that Moscow’s first peace offer amounted to Ukraine’s effective surrender.
"The intentions (of the West and Ukraine) are essentially about providing guarantees through foreign military intervention on some part of Ukrainian territory," Lavrov claimed.
Previously, he said that security guarantees for Ukraine can't be discussed without Russia's participation.
Ukraine to mass produce long-range Flamingo missile in winter, Zelensky says
Ukraine is planning to begin mass production of its domestically developed long-range Flamingo cruise missile this winter, Zelensky said during a meeting with journalists on Aug. 20.
Having its own long-range missile capabilities could be a game changer for Ukraine in its efforts to undermine Russia's war machine deep behind enemy lines.
Zelensky said that Flamingo had undergone successful tests, describing it as "the most successful" missile Ukraine currently has. The Flamingo missile is capable of flying up to 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles), he claimed.
"By December, we’ll have more of them. And by the end of December or in January–February, mass production should begin," the president said.
The Ukrainian company Fire Point is leading the development of the Flamingo missile. Iryna Terekh, the company’s head of production, told AP in a report published on Aug. 21 that it is currently manufacturing one Flamingo per day, with plans to scale up to seven per day by October.
The Flamingo missile was first publicly revealed on Aug. 17, when Associated Press (AP) photojournalist Efrem Lukatsky published a photo of it.
Domestically produced long-range weapons are of key importance to Ukraine's defense strategy, as Western partners have been slow in delivering adequate weaponry amid increasing Russian attacks and offensives. Some long-range weapons have also been provided to Ukraine under limitations on their usage on Russian territory.
Trump sets new deadline for peace in Ukraine, Graham again threatens with tough legislation
Trump's administration will know within two weeks whether there will be peace in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Aug. 21 in an interview on the Todd Starnes Show, warning that if not, he will "take a different tact."
These comments are the latest in a series of deadlines Trump has set for Ukraine's war — none of which have been followed by action when they came and went.
"We will know in within two weeks whether there will be peace in Ukraine. After that we will have to maybe take a different tact," Trump told conservative commentator Todd Starnes.
Trump met with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug. 18, a few days after American president's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. No progress has been achieved.
Earlier on Aug. 21, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham demanded that Russia return thousands of Ukrainian children abducted during the war, warning he will push legislation to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism if Moscow refuses.
"During the course of the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia has kidnapped over 19,000 Ukrainian children. Stealing children from their home country is a despicable and barbaric act," Graham wrote on X. "As I have been saying since earlier this year, I intend to push legislation to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law if they do not return the children."
The South Carolina Republican added that such a designation "will make doing business with Putin's Russia radioactive for other countries and businesses."
