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Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

Zelenskyy warns of ‘particularly nasty’ Russian attack ahead of Ukraine’s independence day

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of especially harmful activity by Russia ahead of Ukraine’s national day on Aug. 24.

“Russia may try to do something particularly nasty, something particularly cruel” this week, the president said in his nightly address, as the country commemorates its 31st year of independence. The capital Kyiv has banned large gatherings for four days starting Monday.

Ukraine’s military warned that Russia has positioned several warships and submarines equipped with cruise missiles in the Black Sea and placed air defense systems in neighboring Belarus.

“Russia may try to do something particularly nasty, something particularly cruel” this week, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Adam Berry | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Shelling from Russian forces batters city near nuclear power plant

Russian shelling pounded the city of Nikopol overnight, which is two miles across the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. International leaders have sounded the alarm over a potential nuclear catastrophe from the conflict.

Valentyn Reznichenko, the region’s governor, said the nearby districts of Kryvoriz and Synelnykiv were also heavily shelled.

“A night of shelling and casualties,” Reznichenko wrote on his official Telegram account. “Nikopol was shelled with ‘Grad’ and barrel artillery three times during the night. 42 Russian shells flew into the residential quarters.”

He added that in the city, two houses were destroyed and nearly 50 damaged. Shelling also hit “a kindergarten, shops, pharmacies, markets, a court and a bus station” and “caused five fires … Up to 2,000 people are without electricity,” he added.

— Natasha Turak

Russia likely struggling to motivate its forces, UK says

Russia is likely struggling to motivate its military forces in Ukraine, Britain’s Ministry of Defense wrote in its latest intelligence update on Twitter, suggesting the government may be resorting to financial incentives.

“Russia is likely increasingly struggling to motivate the auxiliary forces it is using to augment its regular troops in the Donbas. Commanders are probably resorting to direct financial incentives, while some combat units are deemed unreliable for offensive operations,” said the post.

“A consistent contributing factor to these problems is Russia’s classification of the war as a ‘special military operation’ which limits the state’s powers of legal coercion,” it added.

— Natasha Turak

Zelenskyy thanks Biden for latest security assistance package

Ukraine was already stocking up on U.S.-made Javelins before Russia invaded. Here a group of Ukrainian servicemen take a shipment of Javelins in early February, as Russia positioned troops on Ukraine’s border.

Sergei Supinsky | AFP | Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked U.S. President Joe Biden for the 19th security assistance package.

“I highly appreciate another U.S. military aid package in the amount of $775 million. Thank you @POTUS for this decision,” Zelenskyy wrote. “Ukraine will be free,” he added.

The latest weapons package brings U.S. commitment to approximately $10.6 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of Biden’s presidency.

— Amanda Macias

Ukraine GDP projected to fall by 35-40% in late 2022

A view of devastation after conflicts as Ukrainians trying to rebound back to life Irpin near Kyiv, Ukraine on June 21, 2022.

Metin Aktas | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Ukraine’s gross domestic product in the remaining months of 2022 may fall by 35 to 40% due to Russia’s war, according to Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Economic Development and Trade.

“According to our calculations, according to the macroeconomic forecasts made by the Ministry of Economy, the curtailment of the economy by the end of the year may be at the level of 35-40%,” said Svyrydenko, who also serves simultaneously as Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister.

The National Bank also predicts that Ukraine’s real GDP in the third and fourth quarters of 2022 will contract. According to the National Bank estimates, the economy will also slip by another 19% in the first quarter of 2023.

— Amanda Macias

Read CNBC’s previous live coverage here:

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