Ukraine war latest: Zelensky formally nominates Khmara as defense minister, rules out Fedorov's comeback
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Key developments on Aug. 18:
- Zelensky formally taps Khmara as defense minister, ruling out Fedorov's return
- Ukraine launches hundreds of drones towards Moscow in latest large-scale attack, reportedly damaging Wildberries warehouse
- Russia threatens UK over supplying drones to Ukraine
- Ghana asks Moscow to stop recruiting its citizens for war in Ukraine
- SBU detains alleged Russian agent accused of registering Starlink terminals for Russian troops
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug. 18 formally nominated acting Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara, a former top Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officer, to serve as minister in full capacity.
Zelensky also nominated Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who served in his role in an acting capacity since the July government reshuffle, to again formally take up the post, according to lawmakers.
The decision on the new defense minister has been closely watched, as the firing of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov during a chaotic government reshuffle sparked nationwide protests.
Both nominations must now be approved by the parliament, which returned from its summer recess on Aug. 18.
A Ukrainian official confirmed for the Kyiv Independent that Zelensky nominated Khmara and Sybiha, but noted it remains unclear when the final voting will take place. According to lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak, the confirmation votes should happen on Aug. 19.
Ukraine launches hundreds of drones towards Moscow in latest large-scale attack, reportedly damaging Wildberries warehouse
Ukrainian forces launched a large-scale drone attack targeting Moscow and the surrounding region overnight on Aug. 18, Russian Telegram media channels reported, citing resident accounts.
A Wildberries warehouse was reportedly damaged outside Moscow, according to Russian state media outlet Moscow 24, as Ukraine continues targeting Russia's largest online retailer.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said that at least 197 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Moscow Oblast during the attack, while Russian authorities claimed 600 had been launched at the region.
The Ukrainian monitoring Telegram channel Exilenova Plus reported that Russian air defense systems struck a residential building in the town of Pavlovsky Posad around 67 kilometers (42 miles) outside of Moscow while attempting to down the drones. A fire was seen on the roof of a building.
A fire was also reportedly seen at an aluminum plant in Moscow Oblast and a third fire was also seen burning at a home in the city of Lyubertsy, immediately outside the Moscow city boundaries.
A car and a transformer substation were damaged in the town of Elektrostal, located 58 kilometers (36 miles) east of Moscow, according to Moscow Oblast Governor Andrey Vorobyov.
OSINT analysis by independent Russian media outlet Astra also geolocated damage to the Globus shopping center in Kolomna, where parts of the facade and windows were damaged. Moscow Oblast Governor Andrey Vorobyov earlier said a nearby shopping pavilion caught fire after drone debris fell in the area.
Astra also said a drone struck one of the chimneys at the Karbolit chemical plant in Orekhovo-Zuyevo, damaging a metal maintenance platform attached to the structure. The outlet said the incident may have resulted from Russian air defense activity.
Fires were also visible in satellite imagery of the Severnoye Domodedovo warehouse complex in Moscow Oblast following the drone attack, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. Open-source data indicates that the site houses a distribution center for the SPAR supermarket chain and was previously used by B.I. Logistics, a company specializing in the storage of radioactive materials.
Russia threatens UK over supplying Ukraine with drones
Moscow on Aug. 17 issued threats against the U.K. following media reports about British drones being used in Kyiv's strikes inside Russia.
"London's actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer," the Russian Embassy to the U.K. wrote in a statement.
The Times reported on Aug. 15 that, although deep-strike missions mainly rely on Ukrainian drones, Ukraine's Armed Forces also successfully used British drones to target oil refineries near Moscow and elsewhere.
A U.K. Defense Ministry spokesperson told the Kyiv Independent that London is "committed to providing the equipment Ukraine needs to defend itself against (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's illegal invasion."
"Russia should be in no doubt about the resolve of this government to stand against Russian aggression, in Ukraine, and against the U.K. and our allies."
U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that his government is "doing what it has long said it would do, which is to support Ukraine 100% against this illegal war," adding that the U.K. "will be there in Ukraine's hour of need."
Ghana asks Moscow to stop recruiting its citizens for war in Ukraine
Ghana has appealed to Moscow to end "illegal recruitment" of Ghanaian citizens for the Russia-Ukraine war, Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said, as reported by the Russian media on Aug. 17.
According to Ablakwa, 62 of his country's citizens have been killed in Ukraine, and 15 remain missing.
The news comes amid growing concerns among governments in Africa, Asia, and elsewhere about Moscow's efforts to recruit their citizens as mercenaries for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking at a press conference after talks with Ablakwa, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov alleged that Ghanaian citizens signed contracts with Russia's Defense Ministry out of "solidarity with a country that helped them fight racism," as well as for "material and financial reasons."
Ablakwa said the two ministers agreed to work together toward resolving the issue.
SBU detains alleged Russian agent accused of registering 27 Starlink terminals for Moscow's troops
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained a suspected Russian agent in Kharkiv Oblast who allegedly registered 27 Starlink terminals in the front-line city of Izium for use by Russian forces, the agency said on Aug. 18.
According to investigators, Russian forces planned to use the equipment to coordinate assault units and drone strikes in Kharkiv Oblast.
Since February, Ukraine and SpaceX have restricted Russian access to Starlink by allowing only verified terminals to operate across Ukraine. The move diminished Russia’s ability to use the system for battlefield communications and drone operations, and helped Ukrainian counterattacks in Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.
To get around the restrictions, Russian forces have recruited Ukrainian citizens to register and verify Starlink terminals.
The SBU said the suspect is an unemployed displaced person from the Russian-occupied city of Khrustalnyi in Luhansk Oblast.
Investigators said Russian intelligence services recruited him after he moved to Izium and began looking for ways to earn money through Instagram.
The man allegedly first registered one Starlink terminal in his own name and passed the account details to a Russian handler based in occupied territory in eastern Ukraine.
He was later instructed to verify additional terminals and involved local residents in registering the equipment, the SBU said.
According to the agency, the suspect was also tasked with identifying the coordinates of Ukrainian military positions for Russian targeting.
The SBU said the man expected to be evacuated to Russian-occupied Luhansk Oblast after completing the assignments.
