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What happened in the war on 10 August 2024?
Summary
A retrospective on a day of strikes on infrastructure, a Black Sea gas platform hit, border tension with Belarus and a proposed church ban, set against the Kursk incursion.
What did the war look like on 10 August 2024, the fifth day of Ukraine's push into Russia's Kursk Oblast? It was a day of strikes on both sides, new moves on Ukraine's northern border and a political announcement in Kyiv on religion.
Strikes on infrastructure
On 10 August 2024, a Russian missile strike hit what was described as a "critical infrastructure facility" in Kramatorsk. One worker was killed and several others were injured.
The previous day, 9 August, a Russian missile attack on a supermarket in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, had killed 14 people and injured 43 others.
On the Ukrainian side, the Ukrainian Navy struck and heavily damaged a Russian offshore natural gas platform in the Black Sea. The platform was being used by the Russian Armed Forces.
Belarus reinforces its frontier
Also on 10 August 2024, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko increased Belarus's defensive presence on the border with Ukraine. He did so after accusing Ukraine of illegally sending about a dozen intercepted drones across the border into Belarusian airspace.
A proposed ban on a Russia-linked church
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the government was deliberating a ban on a traditionally Russia-linked branch of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. He framed the aim as strengthening the country's "spiritual independence". Religion has drawn significant attention in the context of the invasion; Peter Mandaville of the United States Institute of Peace has said the conflict has deeply rooted religious significance as well as involving horrific violence.
The Kursk backdrop
The day's events followed several days of rapid developments inside Russia. On 8 August, large explosions were reported near Rylsk in Kursk Oblast, and videos on social media appeared to show a destroyed column of military vehicles. The same day, Zelenskyy appeared to confirm that he had ordered a major cross-border operation, saying that Russia had brought war to Ukraine's land and should feel what it had done.
On 9 August, Ukrainian troops captured the Gazprom gas facility in Sudzha, and a video showed Ukrainian soldiers inside it, with much of the town reportedly under Ukrainian control. A Russian military convoy was destroyed on the E38 highway in Oktyabrsky District. Akhmat special forces commander Apti Alaudinov said Ukrainian troops had simply passed by his unit's positions without engaging, and that his troops chose to retreat until more Russian reinforcements could arrive. Other reports indicated that Akhmat troops had fled from Ukrainian forces.
Ukraine also launched a "massive" drone attack on Lipetsk Oblast, with Lipetsk air base reportedly on fire. Several villages were evacuated and six people were reportedly injured.
Western support
On 9 August, the United States announced a $125 million military aid package for Ukraine, including FIM-92 Stinger missiles, artillery ammunition and anti-armour systems.
