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August 10, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

By Chris Lau, Christian Edwards, Elise Hammond, Adrienne Vogt and Tori B. Powell, CNN

Updated 8:00 p.m. ET, August 10, 2023
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5:36 a.m. ET, August 10, 2023

Poland plans to move around 10,000 troops to border with Belarus, says Polish Defense Minister

From CNN’s Antonia Mortensen in Poland

Anti-tank obstacles are pictured by the metal wall constructed at the Polish Belarussian border on July 9, in Krynki, Poland.
Anti-tank obstacles are pictured by the metal wall constructed at the Polish Belarussian border on July 9, in Krynki, Poland. Omar Marques/Getty Images

Poland is planning to move around 10,000 troops to the border with Belarus to support the border guard, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said.

In an interview on Polish National Radio, Blaszczak said whilst 10,000 soldiers will be on the border, four thousand will directly support the border guard and the remaining 6,000 will be in reserve.

“The violation of Polish space by Belarusian helicopters cannot be underestimated because of the Belarusian approach,” Blaszczak said on radio adding it was another provocation.

“Everything that is happening in Belarus is coordinated with the actions of Russia," said Blaszczak.

Some background: Tensions have been mounting on the Belarus-Poland border since a number of Wagner fighters were stationed in Belarus following the fallout from Yevgeny Prigozhin's aborted mutiny in June.

Belarus' Defense Ministry announced last month that its forces will hold joint military exercises with Wagner fighters near the border with Poland, a NATO member.

Last week, Poland accused Belarus of violating its airspace, after two Belarusian helicopters allegedly crossed into Polish territory during training exercises. The Belarusian defense ministry denied the accusation.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has also discussed plans for Russia to build up forces on its western borders, citing Poland's decision.

4:36 a.m. ET, August 10, 2023

Russian attacks around northeastern city of Kupyansk intensifying

From CNN's Olga Voitovych

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its forces have captured Ukrainian positions and observation points around the village of Vilshana, north-east of Kupyansk in Kharkiv region.

It said that assault groups of the 6th Combined Arms Army defeated up to a platoon of infantry in the area (between 20-50 soldiers), where Russian forces have been trying to take ground for several weeks.

The Defense Ministry said Ukrainian counterattacks had been rebuffed.

It also claimed that a Ukrainian attack further south, in Novoselivske, had been thwarted and that Ukrainian mortar positions and other equipment had been destroyed.

CNN is unable to confirm the majority of battlefield reports from either side.

A contested region: Kupyansk was captured by Russia in the early stages of its invasion but was liberated last September.

In July a Ukrainian official said Russia had amassed tens of thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks in the area.

3:44 a.m. ET, August 10, 2023

2 wounded as Russia ramps up attacks on Kupyansk

From CNN's Olga Voitovych and Tim Lister

Two civilians were injured overnight following Russian shelling in a village north of Kupyansk, a Ukrainian military official said Thursday, as Moscow's forces intensify attacks in the area.

Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, said the casualties were reported in the village of Kindrashivka.

Meanwhile, the city council building in Kupyansk was hit in an airstrike, he said.

"Over the past 24 hours, Russians massively shelled settlements of Bohodukhiv, Kharkiv, Chuhuiv, Izium and Kupyansk districts with guided aerial bombs and other weapons," Syniehubov said.

Ukrainian defenses repelled Russian attacks in the areas of Sinkivka and Ivanivka, northeast of Kupyansk, he added.

Some context: Ukrainian authorities this week urged Kupyansk residents to evacuate children and those with limited mobility following a recent escalation of Russian attacks in the area. At least three civilians were killed and nine others injured Tuesday after Russian missiles hit a village near the city in the Kharkiv region, which was liberated by Ukrainian forces last year.

3:02 a.m. ET, August 10, 2023

Death toll rises to 3 in Zaporizhzhia after Russian missile attack 

From CNN's Olga Voitovych 

Destruction in Zaporizhzhia following a Russian missile strike on August 9.
Destruction in Zaporizhzhia following a Russian missile strike on August 9. Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reuters

The death toll from a Russian strike on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia Wednesday has risen to three, Ukrainian National Police said Thursday.

"Two civilians were killed as a result of the missile strike, and another woman died in the hospital at night," police said in an update on Telegram. 

Nine people were injured in the attack, including an 11-month-old child, said Yurii Malashko, head of the Zaporizhzhia region military administration. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday reiterated his call for more air defenses following the attack, adding he would continue to work with allies on Kyiv's repeated request for US-made F-16 fighter jets. 

1:59 a.m. ET, August 10, 2023

"Massive" drone attack destroys oil depot in western Ukraine, military official says

From CNN's Olga Voitovych and Alex Stambaugh 

A "massive" Russian drone attack destroyed an oil depot in Ukraine's western Rivne region overnight, a Ukrainian military official said Thursday. 

In a video from the scene in Dubno district, posted on Telegram, head of the Rivne regional military administration Vitalii Koval said first responders were working to put out a fire.

The video showed a large fire and plumes of smoke rising from the oil depot. 

No casualties were reported, Koval said.

1:31 a.m. ET, August 10, 2023

Ukrainian shelling kills at least 1 in Donetsk town, Russia-backed official says

From CNN's Josh Pennington and Duarte Mendonca 

Service members of pro-Russian troops stand guard in Svitlodarsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine on May 25, 2022.
Service members of pro-Russian troops stand guard in Svitlodarsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine on May 25, 2022. Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters/File

At least one woman was killed and seven other people were injured as a result of shelling by Ukrainian forces on the contested town of Svitlodarsk in the eastern Donetsk region, a Moscow-backed official said Thursday.

Russia-appointed Svitlodarsk Mayor Maxim Kozlovsky said a missile hit a residential building, wounding people in the courtyard and in their homes. 

A child was among the injured, he added.

Svitlodarsk, which is located southeast of the embattled city of Bakhmut, has been occupied by Russian forces since May last year.

2:19 a.m. ET, August 10, 2023

Russia says it repelled Ukrainian drone attacks on Crimea and Moscow

From CNN's Aruzhan Zeinulla

Russia's Defense Ministry said it foiled a Ukrainian drone attack near Crimea early Thursday and confirmed earlier reports from Moscow's mayor that two drones had also been shot down near the capital.

The ministry said two drones were shot down near Sevastopol, the largest city in Russian-occupied Crimea, while nine other drones were "suppressed by electronic warfare capabilities" and crashed into the Black Sea.

Two other drones headed toward Moscow were also shot down by air defenses over the neighboring Kaluga region and over Odintsovo district on the outskirts of the capital, the ministry said.

Sergei Sobyanin attends an exhibition in Moscow, Russia on November 17, 2022.
Sergei Sobyanin attends an exhibition in Moscow, Russia on November 17, 2022. Stringer/Getty Images/File

Earlier, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said two drones were shot down as they approached the Russian capital — the second such attempted attack reported by the official in two days.

No casualties or damage were reported from the alleged drone attacks.. 

CNN has not independently confirmed the alleged attacks, which follow a string of reported Ukrainian drone attack attempts on Russian cities and territory occupied by Moscow.

This post has been updated with additional information.

12:01 a.m. ET, August 10, 2023

It's early morning in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know

From CNN staff

Volodomyr Zelensky speaks to the media in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 12.
Volodomyr Zelensky speaks to the media in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 12. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Two drones were shot down as they approached the Russian capital Thursday, Moscow's mayor said, the second such attempted attack reported by the official in two days.

It comes a day after Kyiv's forces shelled Russia's western Belgorod region, leaving one person dead and several wounded, according to its governor.

Meanwhile, Ukraine said it struck a Russian command post on Wednesday in the southern city of Nova Kakhovka in the Kherson region. The city is located on the Moscow-occupied east bank of the Dnipro River, where Russian state media and military bloggers claimed Ukrainian forces carried out a raid Tuesday.

Catch up on the latest headlines:

  • Zelensky appeal: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his call for more air defenses following a Russian attack that left two people dead in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia. He said he would continue to work with allies on Ukraine's request for US-made F-16 fighter jets. Meanwhile, the White House is downplaying a CNN poll that shows most Americans oppose Congress providing additional funding to support Ukraine in its war with Russia ahead of a reported administration request for more aid.
  • Frontline accounts: After months of headlines about Russian incompetence and disarray, Ukrainian troops are learning that Moscow’s better troops — the paratroopers on the southern frontlines — have not forgotten their training. “You shouldn’t honor the enemy,” one Ukrainian soldier told CNN. “But don’t underestimate him.” Read our exclusive report from the front lines here.
  • Donetsk attacks: Ukrainian shelling killed a child in the eastern city of Donetsk, the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic said. The Moscow-backed official also accused Ukraine of using cluster munitions — a claim CNN cannot independently verify. Kyiv has provided the Pentagon with a report about the use of controversial American cluster munitions in the fight with Russia, a Ukrainian official told CNN. 
  • Belarus latest: Poland will send more troops to its border with Belarus after the country’s Border Guard asked for 1,000 more people to be deployed there, Polish official news agency PAP reported. Tensions have been escalating in recent weeks between the NATO member and key Kremlin ally after Warsaw accused Minsk of allowing Russian mercenary group Wagner to move toward the border. Meanwhile, the US took action against the regime of Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko to mark the third anniversary of the fraudulent election in the country and his brutal crackdown on protesters.
  • Russian history: Russia's Ministry of Education this week unveiled new history textbooks with sections about the "special military operation," — a term President Vladimir Putin uses to refer his war in Ukraine — the annexation of Crimea and Western sanctions. Critics say the move is a part of a sustained effort to indoctrinate school children and stifle any independent thinking.
  • Spying allegations: A German national has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office said. Prosecutors said the man worked for a government agency that equips German armed forces.
11:01 p.m. ET, August 9, 2023

Drones shot down near Moscow in second attempted attack in 2 days, Russian mayor says

From CNN’s Josh Pennington

Two "attack" drones were shot down as they approached the Russian capital on Thursday morning, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, the second such attack reported by the official in two days.

“This early morning, around 4 a.m., the air defense forces shot down two attack UAVs flying towards the city. One in the Kaluga region, the other near the Central Ring Road,” Sobyanin said in a Telegram post.

No casualties or damage have been reported.

On Wednesday, the mayor said two drones were shot down in Moscow, amid a string of reported Ukrainian drone attack attempts on Russian cities.

CNN has not independently confirmed the reported attacks.