Victorious news of 917th day of war: Ukrainian military downs Russian Su-25 aircraft, Germany's draft budget for 2025 includes €4 billion for Ukraine military support

Ukraine's 28th Brigade downs Russian Su-25 attack aircraft

Ukrainian servicemen with the 28th Brigade's air defense unit hit a Russian Su-25 attack aircraft in the Kurakhove sector.

The 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade reports.

According to them, the fate of the crew is still unknown, but as the brigade writes, “we know for sure that this is one less problem for our infantry.”

According to the Khortytsia Joint Forces Operation Center, a Russian attack aircraft was destroyed in the Kurakhove direction. The Russian aircraft tried to fire at the Ukrainian Defense Forces' positions. 

“As of today, Russian attack aviation has one less aircraft. Its wreckage decorates Donetsk landscapes,” the military added.

At least two Russian oil depots burn after UAV attacks

On the night of August 28, Russia announced a drone attack on an oil depot in the Rostov region, which started a fire. At the same time, the evacuation from two settlements in the Voronezh region was introduced due to the threat of detonation of 'explosive objects' at the second oil depot.

This was reported by local Telegram channels and the heads of Rostov region Vasily Golubev and Voronezh region Alexander Gusev.

Golubev said that at around 3:00 a.m., 4 UAVs were allegedly shot down in the Rostov region. According to preliminary data, there were no casualties, he wrote. 

Later he added that a fire broke out at a fuel depot in the Kamensky district as a result of the UAV attack.

“There are no casualties. Emergency response forces are involved in extinguishing the fire. There is no threat of fire spreading to residential buildings,” the statement said.

Gusev noted that Russian air defense forces allegedly detected and destroyed an aircraft-type UAV in the Rossoshansky district. There were no casualties or damage, the head of the Voronezh region said.

According to him, the fall of the drone fragments caused a fire near explosive objects. There was no detonation. 

However, Russian operational services announced the temporary evacuation of residents of two settlements, Gusev wrote. He added that the fire was allegedly extinguished by local forces, and the situation has stabilized and residents are returning to their homes.

Subsequently, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the alleged downing of 12 Ukrainian “airplane-type” drones

“Eight UAVs were shot down over the territory of the Voronezh region, four - over the territory of the Rostov region,” the statement said.

Instead, local telegram channels publish photos and videos of a large-scale fire at an oil depot in the Kamensky district and another in the city of Proletarsk.

“There's a big fire at the oil depot now, which can be seen from the highway. It looks like it will take a long time to extinguish,” writes ‘This is Rostov News’.

The channel later reported a second attack: “Now two oil depots are burning simultaneously in Rostov region.”

“There is a high risk that the fire will spread to neighboring containers, as it is happening in Proletarsk,” the report said.

It is also noted that residents of Kamensk allegedly heard another explosion.

“As soon as the fire at the oil depot in Proletarsk began to subside, the enemy struck another one (in the village of Gluboky near Kamensk) and set it on fire. Now something is exploding there!” writes the Rostov Glavny channel.

Guerrillas sabotage new Russian railroad line in southern Ukraine

The Atesh guerrilla movement has sabotaged a railroad line that is a key logistical route for Russian troops in southern Ukraine.

The movement reported this on Telegram.

This branch connects Russia's Rostov-on-Don with the temporarily occupied Mariupol via Berdyansk.

"In the event of the Crimean Bridge’s destruction — which is imminent — this railway branch will become the primary route for delivering military equipment and ammunition to the southern front," the partisans stated.

Atesh added that burning relay boxes disrupts signaling and control systems, leading to delays, stops, or slowdowns of military supply trains.

"We’re deliberately targeting Russian logistics and wrecking their plans with everything we've got," emphasized the partisan movement.

Ukrainian ballistic missile test likely conducted in combat

Defense Express military expert Ivan Kyrychevskyi believes that the Ukrainian ballistic missile test was likely conducted in real combat conditions, targeting Russian forces directly, rather than at a formal test site.

He shared this view on Espreso TV.

“We don’t know the exact timing or details of the ballistic missile test. It’s unclear whether we have a test site where such missiles could be fired secretly, and it’s doubtful that our Western partners would provide such sites for us. Interestingly, in 2023, Russia frequently claimed to have shot down a Ukrainian-made Sapsan missile. It’s possible that our missile test didn’t occur at a formal test site but was conducted in real combat conditions, targeting Russian forces directly,” Kyrychevskyi said.

According to the expert, the development of the ballistic missile represents a significant achievement for Ukraine.

“It’s very good that there are few known details about our ballistic missile. This is advantageous for us and less favorable for the enemy. The enemy should not be aware of the specifics of the weapons we have in our arsenal. What’s most important to note is that the ballistic missile is a major accomplishment for us. Given that the Russians have been targeting our energy infrastructure and military-industrial complex, developing a ballistic missile under such conditions is extremely challenging,” he added.

Germany's draft budget for 2025 includes €4 billion for Ukraine military support

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz assured that the German draft budget for 2025 provides 4 billion euros for military assistance to Ukraine, and also spoke about a loan to Kyiv from the G7 countries.

He said this at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after their talks in Berlin, Ukrinform reports.

Scholz claims that Germany, together with its G7 partners, will provide Ukraine with a $50 billion loan.

“The draft budget for next year provides for 4 billion euros in bilateral military support for Ukraine. In addition, we, together with the G7 countries, will provide Ukraine with a $50 billion loan,” he said, adding that this should guarantee reliable financial support.

The German chancellor emphasized that the loan would be covered by the profits from the frozen Russian assets of the Russian central bank, as agreed at the G7 summit in Italy in June.

According to Scholz, this is not an easy task, but it can be realized. He assured that all parties to the process are eager to launch this mechanism as soon as possible, and the interested states are currently working on the technical conditions.

“I believe that we will soon be able to clarify the technical requirements,” the Chancellor added.

He emphasized: Germany will continue to provide financial, economic, political and military support to Ukraine “for as long as it takes.” Scholz also added that Berlin is the largest European provider of aid to Kyiv and plans to remain so.

At the same time, when asked about the possibility of transferring new types of weapons to the Ukrainian Defense Forces, including long-range missiles, the German Chancellor said that there were no new decisions at the moment.