Despite Russia's plans to hold pseudo-referendums on occupied Ukrainian territories on Sept. 23-27, Ukraine will continue its counteroffensive, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Sept. 20.
"Ukraine has every right to liberate its territories and will keep liberating them whatever Russia has to say," said Kuleba.
The attack caused fires at a large electronics plant in Mukachevo, with damage also reported in other cities, including Lviv.
"This was an ordinary civilian facility with American investment. They produced everyday household items, such as coffee machines," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The closure comes ahead of the "Zapad-2025" military drills, scheduled to take place in Belarus from Sept. 12 to 16. Minsk said the joint exercises with Russia are intended to test both countries' ability to ensure security and repel possible aggression.
Tovste is a frontline village southwest of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk and near the key town of Vuhledar.
President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Flamingo had undergone successful tests, describing it as "the most successful" missile Ukraine currently has.
"I explained to (U.S. President Donald Trump) that the talks about them (Russia) occupying our Donbas by the end of (2025) are all just chatter," said President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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.
"We are ready for the bilateral meeting. If the Russians are not, then we would like to see a strong response from the United States," Zelensky said, adding that he asked Trump to impose additional sanctions on Moscow if it rejects talks with Ukraine.
Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) struck a Russian patrol boat in the Black Sea near the occupied town of Zaliznyi Port in Kherson Oblast, killing five crew members, HUR reported on Aug. 21.
The number includes 830 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
"There’s the dawning reality that this will be Europe making this happen on the ground... The U.S. is not fully committed to anything," an unnamed NATO diplomat said.
The attack allegedly hit the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery, which has previously been targeted in Ukrainian drone strikes.
The plan would require countries that have signed security agreements with Ukraine to deliberate and respond quickly in the event of another Russian attack following a peace agreement. It would not include NATO membership for Ukraine.
Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, illegally occupied by Russia since 2014, is roughly 26 times smaller than Texas.
