Victorious news of 901st day of war: Ukrainian forces destroy trucks with Russian infantry near Vovchansk, Russia loses 28 settlements in Kursk region

Guerrillas spot Russian Pantsir system on Sochi beach

Partisan agents with the Atesh movement in Sochi, Russia, have revealed the placement of a Russian Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft system on a popular beach.

The partisan group Atesh reported this on their Telegram channel.

An agent with the Atesh group captured the air defense system stationed near Kuba Beach in Sochi, Russia.

"Fearful of missile strikes, the Russians aren't picky about where they set up military installations — even if it’s on a beach where people are relaxing," the report states.

Atesh emphasized that they will continue to identify military targets for future neutralization.

Ukrainian soldiers destroy trucks with Russian infantry in Vovchansk direction

Soldiers with the 71st Separate Jager Brigade of the Ukrainian Airborne Assault Forces targeted two trucks carrying Russian infantry in the Vovchansk direction.

This is stated on the brigade's page, according to Espreso TV. 

The military successfully destroyed Russian infantry in the Volchansk direction. UAV operators from the 71st Separate Jager Brigade discovered two Russian trucks in a settlement, both filled with personnel.

"Several accurate strikes by FPV drones managed to destroy the vehicles along with the enemy infantry," the statement said.

German Defense Ministry states that Ukraine is free to use German weapons within international law framework 

The German Ministry of Defense has stated that once German weapons are transferred to Kyiv, they become the property of Ukraine, allowing the country to use them freely in accordance with international law.

German Defense Ministry spokesman Arne Collatz announced this, as Ukrinform reports.

He stated that the German Ministry of Defense does not question the legitimacy of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' actions in the Kursk region. The spokesman explained that international law permits conducting hostilities on an aggressor country's territory to defend one's own state. Collatz emphasized that this does not create any special conditions for using Bundeswehr weapons.

The spokesman indicated that once the weapons are transferred from Germany to Ukraine, they become Ukrainian weapons, and there are no obstacles preventing Ukraine from choosing its options. He emphasized that Kyiv must adhere to international law.At the same time, Kollatz added that the use of long-range weapons is a political issue, but it is not under consideration in this case. 

Google halts monetization for Russian YouTube bloggers

The Google AdSense advertising service has fully shut down monetization for accounts in Russia and stopped operating on the Russian Internet (Runet).

The Moscow Times reported this on August 11.

On August 12, Russian bloggers and content creators received a notice about the end of monetization.

“We are deactivating all AdSense accounts based in Russia. This means you will no longer be able to earn money through these accounts. Earnings for July will be paid out between August 21 and 26. If your account isn’t suspended, you’ll receive the payments,” Google AdSense said in the letter.

As a result, Russian YouTube bloggers and website owners will completely lose access to Google AdSense and its services. 

In 2022, the company already banned advertising in Russia, meaning ads are not shown in search results, on YouTube, or partner sites. However, Russian bloggers could still earn revenue from views of their content outside Russia.

Russia claims 28 settlements in Kursk region under Ukraine's control, DeepState reports 44

On August 12, acting Kursk region governor Alexei Smirnov reported to Putin that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had taken control of 28 settlements. However, DeepState estimates the number to be 44.

This is reported by the Russian propaganda outlet RIA Novosti.

"The situation in the Kursk region is complicated, with 28 settlements under enemy control," said Alexei Smirnov at a meeting with Putin, noting that the frontline is 12 km long and 40 km wide.

According to him, as of Monday, August 12, approximately 121,000 residents have left the border areas of the Kursk region.

However, according to Smirnov, the local authorities currently have no information about the fate of about 2,000 people who are in these 28 settlements. 

DeepState estimates that the Ukrainian Armed Forces control 44 settlements in the Kursk region. The status of 10 more is still unclear.

"The estimate is quite conservative. The true number is hard to determine, as there are villages where photos of Ukrainian troops have been taken, but control hasn’t been confirmed," the statement said.