Verkhovna Rada appoints Dmytro Lubinets as Ukraine’s new ombudsman

Closer to Ukraine, Lithuania said it was ready to put troops on the ground as part of a peacekeeping force, while Poland said its soldiers would assist the "coalition of the willing" from Poland.

In a joint statement, representatives of five Security Council members — Denmark, France, Greece, the United Kingdom and Slovenia — along with incoming member Latvia, denounced Russia's invasion of Georgia 17 years ago and its continued military presence in the country's Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions.

Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed that the object, which fell into a cornfield near the village of Osiny, was a Russian unmanned aerial vehicle.

The Kyiv Independent spent a day with the 20th Separate UAV Regiment, also known as K-2, which specializes in ground robots, in northern Donetsk Oblast. We also spoke with the regiment's commander, Kyrylo Veres, about how these machines could shape the next phase of warfare in Ukraine, helping to reduce the risk to soldiers amid a growing manpower shortage.

Ukrposhta, Ukraine's state-owned postal service, is closing its offices in the front-line city of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast due to the deteriorating security situation, company CEO Ihor Smelyansky announced on Aug. 20.

"Valerii Zaluzhnyi has stated his position more than once, and as far as I know, it has not changed: while the war continues, we need to work to preserve the country, not think about elections," Zaluzhnyi's aide Oksana Torop said.

"Not everyone may remember this, but in 1994, Ukraine already got assurances of territorial integrity from the U.S., Russia, and the U.K. In Budapest," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin "noted with satisfaction Turkey's assistance in hosting talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Istanbul," the Kremlin reported.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that "seriously discussing security issues without Russia is a road to nowhere."

Indian Oil Corp. and Bharat Petroleum Corp. bought several shipments of Russian Urals crude in recent days, with deliveries expected in September and October.