What's happened
On August 31, 2024, a Ukrainian attack on Belgorod killed five and injured 46. Concurrently, a Russian strike on Kharkiv resulted in six deaths, including a child. Ukraine's military advances in Kursk and ongoing tensions highlight the conflict's intensifying nature, with calls for long-range attacks from President Zelenskyy.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to Al Jazeera, five people were killed in Belgorod due to a Ukrainian attack, while Sky News reported that a Russian strike on Kharkiv resulted in six fatalities, including a 14-year-old girl. Both sources highlight the increasing civilian toll in the ongoing conflict. Al Jazeera also noted President Zelenskyy's dismissal of the air force commander following a recent F-16 crash, indicating internal military pressures. Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's comments on Ukraine's actions in Kursk reflect the complex international dynamics at play, as Ukraine seeks to justify its military operations under self-defense.
How we got here
The conflict between Ukraine and Russia has escalated since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Recent military actions, including Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region, have intensified hostilities, prompting significant casualties on both sides.
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Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country located in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. Covering an area of 17,125,200 square kilometres, it is the largest country in the world by area, spanning more than one-eighth of the Earth's in
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Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which borders it to the east and northeast.
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Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy is a Ukrainian politician, actor and comedian who is the 6th and current president of Ukraine, serving since May 2019.