Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian government allows men aged 18-22 to go abroad
Key developments on Aug. 26:
- Ukrainian government allows men aged 18-22 to go abroad
- Monitors claim Russia captured 2 Dnipropetrovsk Oblast villages for first time
- Nearly 150 Ukrainian miners rescued after Russian attack on mines, 1 worker killed
- Next Ramstein summit scheduled for Sept. 9 in London
- Ukraine targets Russian logistics in occupied Crimea, military says after reported railway strikes
Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers has revised travel rules and allowed men aged 18 to 22 to cross the border, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Telegram on Aug. 26.
Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 have been prohibited from leaving the country since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, with some exceptions. Men aged 25 to 60 can be conscripted into the armed forces.
On Aug. 12, Zelensky asked the Cabinet to relax border crossing rules for Ukrainian men aged 18 to 22. On Aug. 22, a bill allowing them to cross the border was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament.
Monitors claim Russia captured 2 Dnipropetrovsk Oblast villages for first time
Russian forces occupied the villages of Zaporizke and Novoheorhiivka in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, DeepState monitoring group reported on Aug. 26.
This marks the first time the battlefield monitors report Russia taking control of settlements in the central-eastern region that Moscow's forces sought to penetrate for the past few months.
The two small settlements lie near the administrative borders between the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed to have captured the villages as of Aug. 25.
The Ukrainian General Staff denied the occupation of the villages on Aug. 26. According to the General Staff, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have stopped the advance of the Russian forces and continue to control Zaporizhske.
The General Staff also said that fighting continues in Novoheorhiivka.
Nearly 150 Ukrainian miners rescued after Russian attack on mines, 1 worker killed
A Russian attack against a Ukrainian mine killed one worker and injured three, while 146 miners remained underground during a subsequent power outage, the DTEK energy company reported on Aug. 26.
"The attack damaged the enterprise's buildings and equipment, causing a power outage," the company commented on the attack against its facility.
"At that time, 146 miners were underground; their ascent to the surface is ongoing."
Though DTEK did not specify the exact location of the impacted mine, lawmaker and trade union federation leader Mykhailo Volynets reported earlier the same day that some 148 miners were trapped underground after a Russian attack against mines in the Dobropillia community in Donetsk Oblast.
All have been brought to the surface as of 2:30 p.m. local time, Volynets said later during the day.
Next Ramstein summit scheduled for Sept. 9 in London
The upcoming Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting in the Ramstein format will be held on Sept. 9 in London, Suspilne reported on Aug. 25, citing Germany's Defense Ministry spokesperson.
The meeting is expected to be held in person, though the agenda remains undisclosed.
The Ramstein summit will take place as Washington is trying to organize peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian presidents in its effort to end Moscow's full-scale war, while Kyiv awaits a proposed framework for security guarantees from its partners.
The last Ramstein-format UDCG meeting took place in Brussels on June 4 under the chairmanship of London and Berlin — a position previously held by the U.S.
In August, NATO and Washington launched the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program, which allows participating nations to buy weapons from the United States. Kyiv aims to secure at least $1 billion a month from its allies to purchase U.S.-made weapons, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Ukraine targets Russian logistics in occupied Crimea, military says
Ukraine's Special Operations Forces crippled Russian logistical facilities in Crimea, the branch said on Aug. 26 after reported drone attacks against the occupied peninsula.
The announcement follows the Crimean Wind Telegram channel's reporting that drones struck a substation at a railway station in the Krasnohvardiiske town in a "precise" hit, sharing footage of smoke rising above the site.
The pro-Ukraine Telegram channel also reported a strike against railway infrastructure in nearby Dzhankoi and a possible attack against an oil depot in the same city.
The operation "disabled logistical facilities that support the operations and combat supply of Russian army units," the Special Operations Forces said in a statement.
The Ukrainian military did not disclose what facilities were targeted, what types of weapons were used, or provide further details about the consequences.
"We continue to destroy Russian logistics in occupied Crimea," the Special Operations Forces said.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its forces intercepted eight Ukrainian drones over Crimea between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m. local time, disclosing no information about possible damage.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
