Ukraine Conflict Update: August 10
Fighting
A series of Russian attacks across Ukraine over the weekend resulted in multiple civilian casualties and escalating tensions. In the Kherson region, a drone strike on a bus left at least two dead and 16 wounded, with a subsequent attack on responding police officers injuring three more. Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported a total of 36 Russian attacks on settlements in the Kherson region Friday and Saturday, causing at least one fatality and three injuries.
Further north, in the Zaporizhia region, two individuals in a vehicle were killed in the Bilenkivska community, and a 61-year-old woman died in her home in the Vasylivka district due to Russian strikes. The Dnipropetrovsk region saw a 56-year-old woman killed and a 62-year-old man wounded in Nikopol. In the Donetsk region, Russian attacks claimed four lives and injured nine people.
Ukraine also conducted attacks within Russian-controlled territory and across the border. A drone strike on a house in Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia resulted in one death, according to Russia’s TASS news agency. Another Ukrainian assault on a car in Russia’s Belgorod region’s Borisovsky district killed a married couple.
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed its forces gained control of the village of Yablunivka in the Donetsk region.Additionally, the Ministry stated its forces intercepted and destroyed 224 Ukrainian drones between Friday night and Saturday.politics and Diplomacy
As preparations continue for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15,Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy firmly rejected any territorial concessions as part of a potential peace agreement.Trump has suggested the possibility of “some swapping of territories” between Russia and Ukraine, believing it could benefit both nations.
Zelenskyy responded emphatically, stating, “Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier,” and emphasized that any peace process must include Ukraine, asserting that “decisions without Ukraine” would be ineffective.
Leaders from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Finland, alongside european Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, released a joint statement acknowledging Trump’s diplomatic efforts. Though, they underscored the importance of continued support for Ukraine and sustained pressure on Russia, reaffirming their commitment to the principle that international borders should not be altered through force.
NBC News reported, citing an anonymous US official, that the Trump management is considering inviting Zelenskyy to participate in the Alaska meeting alongside Trump and Putin.
The Wall Street Journal reported that European officials,during a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance in the UK on saturday,presented a counterproposal for peace. This proposal prioritizes a ceasefire as a prerequisite for any further steps and stipulates that any territorial exchanges must be reciprocal and accompanied by robust security guarantees.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron held discussions on Saturday, pledging to work towards a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine while welcoming Trump’s efforts to end the conflict. A Downing Street spokesperson confirmed their “unwavering support to President Zelenskyy.”
