UKRAINE: THE SITUATION 544 - AUGUST 19, 2023

The Russian armed forces launched rocket attacks on the city center of Chernihiv on August 19 during the day, after conducting a series of Shahed drone attacks at night.

The Russian rockets hit the Taras Shevchenko Theater in Chernihiv, killing seven people and injuring 117. The head of the regional administration of Chernihiv, Vyacheslav Chaus, reported that the Russian armed forces "probably" fired a "ballistic missile" at the theater, and Russian sources claimed that the Russian forces used a ballistic missile of the Iskander-M type in the attack.

According to reports, a drone exhibition titled "Lyuti Ptashky" (Angry Birds) was taking place in the theater, which had previously been held in other Ukrainian cities. The organizer of the event, Maria Berlinska, stated that the organizers only provided the location of the event to registered and verified participants. The event reportedly ended shortly after an air raid warning, and the organizers advised participants to hide in a shelter. Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Malyar said that the Russian armed forces target public events to emotionally affect Ukrainians, pointing out that Russians had previously attacked public events without prior public announcement. Many Russian military bloggers initially believed that Russian forces had attacked a building of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) before most admitted they had attacked the drone exhibition.

The full Russian Offensive Update 544 is available directly from UNDERSTANDING WAR.

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