Gepards from Germany, a "concert" in Kherson and new shelling: last night's highlights

Germany hands over three more Gepard anti-aircraft guns to the Ukrainian military, Russians are preparing a concert in Kherson, and explosions rang out in Kharkiv and Mykolaiv. Here is what you may have missed from the previous night.

New help from Germany

The German government is handing Ukraine three more Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and other weapons as part of a new military aid package. Germany should transfer 15 such systems to Ukraine.

In addition to the Gepards, Berlin is handing over to the Ukrainian military 11 M113 armored personnel carriers with weapons (there will be 44 in total), 1,000 combat rations, as well as thousands of shells for various weapons.

Concert in Kherson

The occupiers are preparing a "celebration" in Kherson Oblast on the occasion of the Russian flag day, which is celebrated on August 22. A so-called "festive concert" is being organized in Kherson, where they promise to bring "pop and film stars" — in particular Gazmanov's son and an artist from Bashkortostan.

Announcement of a "festive concert" in occupied Kherson
Photo: Propaganda channels

More shellings

At night, the Russian invaders struck Kharkiv again. The rockets hit critical infrastructure facilities in the Nemyshlyanskyi district and the suburbs. According to preliminary data, there are no dead or injured.

The sounds of powerful explosions were also heard in Mykolaiv. There are currently no reports of casualties or damage.

Russian tourists in the EU

Cyprus and Greece stated that they oppose the ban on issuing tourist visas to Russians. These countries receive a large number of vacationers from Russia.

Portugal voiced the same position. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country believes that "the main goal of the sanctions regime should be to punish the Russian military machine, not the Russian people." Earlier, Germany also publicly opposed this.

On the other hand, Belgium, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Finland support the ban on issuing visas to Russian tourists.

The Pentagon on the lack of Russian progress

The US Defense Ministry said that the position of Russian troops in Ukraine has weakened and the occupiers are not making progress on the battlefield.

"You are seeing a complete and total lack of progress by the Russians on the battlefield [...] they are incurring [high] costs and are not able to advance," said a Pentagon official.

Fighting in the south

On the southern front, on August 19, Russian troops tried to advance without success. At the same time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck enemy positions, destroying 17 occupiers and 5 pieces of equipment, including a radar reconnaissance and fire control system.