Renewed Russian Attacks Near The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant

Russian attacks continued during the night on the Ukrainian city of Nikopol, which is located next to the Zaporizhzhia power plant. The districts of Kryvoriz and Synelnykiv were also targeted. Regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko said in a Telegram post that “the shelling caused five fires and up to 2,000 people are without electricity.” In the Sinelnyk district, an agricultural enterprise was reportedly destroyed, as well as a school and a cultural center.

Meanwhile, Russia continues its assault on eastern and southern regions in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials. Russian shelling in the Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine has killed two people, according to the region’s governor.

Russia Plans "Nuremberg-Like" Trials For Ukrainian Soldiers In Mariupol

Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda cites intelligence sources to report that the Russian occupation authorities in Mariupol, Kherson, and other cities are planning to hold their own version of the Nuremberg trials — which were held by the Allies after the Second World War — for Ukrainian soldiers captured during the siege of Mariupol.

Zelenskiy warned Russia against such trials: “If this despicable court takes place, if our people are brought into these settings in violation of all agreements, all international rules, there will be abuse,” he said in a Sunday evening address. “This will be the line beyond which no negotiations are possible.”

Gazprom To Cut Gas Supplies To Europe For Three Days

Russian state energy giant Gazprom has announced it will halt its natural gas supplies to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline for three days, from Aug. 31 through Sept. 2.

The move, which Gazprom says is linked to maintenance of the pipeline, is adding pressure on the region as it seeks to build up stock for the winter.

Ukraine Has Lost €113 Billion Since The War Began

Portuguese daily i (informação) dedicates its frontpage to the heavy price paid by Ukraine for the war. The country has already lost 113 billion euros since Feb. 24, with thousands of buildings destroyed. A new project plans to force Moscow to pay for reconstruction.

What Looking At 1944 Germany Tells Us About Getting Rid Of Tyrants

For German daily Die Welt, historian Thomas Weber looks back on the 1944 Stauffenberg conspiracy against Adolf Hitler and how this can help us reflect on regime change when an autocrat is in charge.

“Resistance to figures like Putin — not assassination plots — must come specifically from those loyal to the regime: In recent years, it has become fashionable to believe that the actions of Count Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg and his fellow conspirators offer no positive lessons for the 21st century. But 78 years after the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler, on July 20, 1944, this view is no longer tenable – if it ever was.

[...] It takes pro-regime figures to turn against Putin and take action if we are to avoid a long and brutal war of attrition and years of misery, poverty and death.

That is why Stauffenberg is an example of how regime loyalists in Russia — and in all states that turn to tyranny — might listen to their conscience and initiate regime change. The message of the July 20 plot for regime loyalty in Russia is that you should follow your moral convictions and that it is never too late to do the right thing.”

Super Yacht Seized From Russian Billionaire To Go Under The Hammer

A luxury yacht formerly owned by sanctioned Russian businessman Dmitry Pumpyansky will be sold at auction on Tuesday after the billionaire failed to repay a loan to JPMorgan Chase & Co., according to an auctioneer’s website.

Valued at £63 million ($74 million), the yacht was seized in March by British authorities and has already sparked the interest of potential buyers. With its infinity pool and 3D cinema among other features, it is the first item to be auctioned since luxury vessels were frozen in ports at the beginning of the conflict with Ukraine.

Albania Investigating Intrusion Of Military Factory By Two Russians And A Ukrainian

According to Al Jazeera, Albania is investigating the motives behind an attempted break-in by two Russians (a 24-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman) and a 25-year-old Ukrainian man at the Gramsh military factory on Saturday. The Russian man slightly injured two guarding soldiers with a spray before trying to take pictures of the facility, which provides manufacturing services for Albania’s defense industry.

The three individuals were arrested shortly after the event and Prime Minister Edi Rama said they are now “suspected of espionage.” Authorities are probing a possible link with the ongoing war in Ukraine. Albania, a member of NATO since 2019, has sided with Western countries in condemning and sanctioning Russia. However, Tirana-based media report that the intruders are bloggers who often visit abandoned military bases and factories.

Former NBA Player Dennis Rodman To Travel To Russia To Help Brittney Griner

Former NBA player Dennis Rodman said he will travel to Russia to help basketball star Britney Griner, who was detained in Russia and sentenced to nine years in prison on drug charges after cannabis oil was found in her luggage.

Rodman told NBC News that he “got permission to go to Russia to help that girl”. He will travel this week to Russia. The former NBA player is known for having cultivated a relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un over the past decade, even making occasional trips to the country.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is still in the process of negotiating a prisoner swap for Griner and ex U.S. marine Paul Whelan, also detained in Russia.

Kyiv Prepares “Troll” Parade To Celebrate Independence Day

On Aug. 24, Ukraine celebrates Independence Day. Although the capital's authorities have asked all civil servants to work remotely this week and residents to refrain from mass actions (due to the high probability of Russian air strikes to coincide with potential celebrations), a parade will still take place in Kyiv's main street: Ukrainians have started transporting broken Russian military equipment from the front and lining them up in the streets of Kyiv. Although the holiday has not yet begun, the internet is already full of pictures of Kyiv residents posing against the background of destroyed Russian tanks.